diagnosis :: too much tv...

Julia was going about her business of throwing food she didn't want to eat on the floor. We've been trying to crack down on this sort of thing lately.

When she did it today, I gave her a "look", which she read correctly.

She beamed from ear to ear and said : "Don't get mad. Get Glad!"

Forgiven. I'll go get the broom.

not the education I was looking for...

Call PETA. Go ahead. Because I'm sure the thoughts I'm having are violating at least 9 of their major rules.

We went out today to finally let the kids choose the fish we planned to add to the new tank. We headed back to PetSmart (I guess they are Pet Smart and not Pets Mart...I found out why today).

After pining after the cats again and (oh no) they had a dog adoption going on too, the kids trudged over to the fish tanks for their "I guess...if that's all we can get" pets.

They carefully deliberated over which ones they wanted, considering names along the way. Once the choices were made, we flagged down the wrong a nice lady (who was incidentally in need of a whopper of a tic tac).

She asked about our tank and I rattled off the stats of the tank like and ol' pro. She asked how old the tank was and I told her.

At which point...she told me.

She informed us that we "could" take home two fish, and not five or six like we were hoping to do. I must've looked annoyed (she was very perceptive) because she proceeded to give me an education on the readiness of the fishtank bathroom. Yes, the bathroom.

Apparently, somewhere in our tank, there is a magical invisible bathroom that the frogs have designed and constructed. And...their construction may still be in the drywall stage, so it's not entirely ready for a houseful of visitors.

She was willing to sell me two fish only...because more would "pollute" the water without a proper bathroom and fish would die. Huh? What?

You mean once the frogs have the paint and trim up on the bathroom walls that all the "oopsies" in the water are no longer going to pollute it? I bet it's as pure as Evian water in there after that world-class bathroom is ready for business.

I listened, nodded and smiled and tried not to scream "Anybody got a tic tac???!!!"

After she finished, I said, "I see...Ok...well, I have three kids here for fish today. Two will not do. We'll need three or I will have one of them demanding a cat."

Surprisingly, I did not have to sign some sort of "I-was-not-smart-at-PetSmart" waiver and she gave me the three fish and we were on our merry little way.

Here are the three new members of the family...

Here's everyone watching them get adjusted to the tank (plastic bag sticking out of the tank).

painting pictures with words...

Lauren and Sarah have been asking a lot of hard questions about Haiti lately. It took Sarah a few days at first to figure out that the pictures on the tv were real and not make believe, which is her normal television fare.

That can often happen with the grown ups too. We see so many images on the tv and get de-sensitized to it all. There aren't a lot of actual "stories" coming through to make it feel like real-life.

So, I just wanted to take a minute to share this blog with you ::

http://livesayhaiti.blogspot.com/

This is a blog of a niece of a boss of a husband of a friend of mine (did you follow that?). She, along with her husband, is doing mission work in Haiti. After the quake, her work has taken a turn...as they set up a makeshift hospital for the injured.

Her daily reports really paint a picture of life after the quake in Haiti. And, if you read far enough back, you also get a glimpse of life before the quake.

Her husband is a mighty good photographer too. He's posted pictures on Flikr at ::

http://www.flickr.com/photos/livesay/

Thanks for letting me share!

our family of 8 (with 6 more on the way)...

I may have mentioned once or twice, the kids' desire to add a new member to our family.

Specifically...the furry kind.

Jeff's allergies have always kept us from giving it serious thought and have also given us a good reason to decline their (very persistent) requests.

You may recall that Sarah got the frogs below for her birthday back in November...

About a week after that picture was taken, Jeff and I undertook a super-secret mission to swap a belly-up frog, named Lily, with a (more alive) one...not wanting to undergo the lifespan discussion with the kids.

Lauren did notice that Lily had somehow developed more spots. We managed to lie explain it in a way that they bought it understood.

A week after our 007 stint, (new) Lily was belly up again. This time, we told the truth. There were tears and hugs and overwhelming sadness. We made the trip to choose a new frog...who was given the name...Lily. We also picked up a gigantic snail.

All took up residence in the tiny little tank (that the people at the pet store warned was too small). I cleaned the (ever so stinky) tank a couple times, before determining two things ::

a.) frogs need to be potty trained (ewwww...)

b.) the tank is just too small

So, off I went on a mission to build a bigger home. The look of praise I received from the Pets Mart folks when I said "I feel sorry for the frogs", was just enough to make me feel good and creep me out a little bit.

I left with a hole in my wallet and a 10-gallon aquarium equipped with a filter and heater, some gravel and some very attractive interior decor.

I spent the next two to three hours constructing the perfect home for Lily and Sparkles and their snail friend, Searchy (there is a reason we didn't let the kids name Julia).

After standing back and taking pride in the home I built, Sarah walked up next to me...looked at the tank and said, "I still want a kitty".

In the end...the kiddos were very excited...just to look at an empty tank that day (you can't add animals to a tank for 48 hours).

We added the frogs yesterday. Lily and Sparkles did their best to hide from the kids, while the snail made far more movement. The frogs are far more active now and I think they're quite happy with their new digs.

The girls are happy too. As I write, Sarah and Julia are singing to them.

We go to the pet store in a few days to pick up six fish to add to the tank. Names are already being tossed around. Stay tuned.

Oh...and...no one has mentioned any pet of the furry kind in about 36 hours.

happy everything...

Wowza...it's been awhile. Let's see...Happy Thanksgiving...Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!! We've had a great couple months here. Here's a few snipits...

First...turkey time...

Then, it was time to hang the trim and lights for Christmas. We visited Santa, where Lauren asked for horse stuff...Sarah asked for kitty stuff...and Julia asked to get away from Santa. All wishes were granted.

In between and after the hustle and bustle, the girls kept themselves busy both inside...
and outside...
We've had a lot more snow since the above picture was taken and we've come pretty close to frostbite a few times. Needless to say...we're having our share of fun. Our new addition is revealed in the next post.

mommy's little helper...

Sarah deserves a medal. She's been my constant helper with this whole studio-setup thing. She'll tell me it's time to get to work in the basement and off we'll go together (with our bubble gum...below)

She's pretty thrilled that she doesn't have to give me her polished smiles and just loves goofing around.
This is one of the best smiles I've ever grabbed from her. Who knew she just needed goggles on her head all along.

I told her to pretend she was a baby for this one. Apparently babies are quite bored.
That little Sarah is quite an awesome kid. Case in point :

Out of the blue at dinner last night (Jeff''s birthday...by the way!), she says :

"I sit on the steps at night after you put me to bed. You don't even know."

Me : "Why do you do that?"

Sarah : "I don't want to be in my bed."

Jeff : "You just sit on the top step and listen to us?"

Sarah : "Not the top step. The one by the bottom where I see myself in the mirror."

Me : "So, do you just look at yourself in the mirror and listen to the TV?"

Sarah : "No, I don't look at myself. I look at the backyard window and see the TV on it and I watch and listen."

Jeff and Me : trying very very hard not to laugh out loud at the risk of embarrassing her or encouraging her

Me : "We know now, Sarah"

Sarah : "Hmfph."

Note that we checked the steps several times after tucking her in last night.

bringing the photobiz indoors...

Gulp. Yikes. Oh my...what have I got myself into... I've decided to set up shop inside the house this winter. Saturday was spent overhauling the basement and making room for all the "stuff". (did I mention that it was a beautiful day outside on Saturday?)

Indoor photos are a whole different learning curve, so my poor defenseless girls are my test subjects.

They got a little sick of it after awhile (I don't blame them).
They thought it best I continue with other guinea pigs (or a duck and whale)...
I'm open to any opinions, of course. I'm still lernin'.