Piggies

Gabriel has wanted guinea pigs for a long time.  We finally relented for Christmas and Santa left a letter for all three kids along with a cage and the needed acessories.  The kids were so excited to pick out new family members 

The day after Christmas we went to the pet store and picked out two baby piggies.  As reluctant as I was to get two more pets and have the responsibility, I have to admit, they have grown on me quickly.  They are pretty darn cute.  

Even their little noises are endearing at this point.   It will be fun to get to know their personalities in the coming weeks.   So meet Pica Puppy (the brown one) and Mike Henry (the black and white one)....

Meet Flower

The kids have been asking for a new pet since January.  To be honest, I don't want the expense or the added commitment right now.  If I am going to pick up after another creature right now, I want another human baby. 

 I also don't want the heartache when the pet passes away. I researched tortoises for that reason: it might outlive me.  The dogs are now 10 and 11. We have said good bye to our two sweet kitties and I don't want experience any more deaths through pet loss 

Then the guilt as a mother hits me.  Why not allow the children the joy of caring for a pet and teach them the responsibility that comes along with having another pet.  

So when we were in the pet store this weekend, Lane and Gabriel changed t mind.  We have another beta fish. "Goldfish" lived for years and even made it across the country before crossing the Rainbow Bridge.  

Please welcome Flower to our family. May "she" (the label stated male) lives y happy years with us. 

A boy and his dog

We moved to Florida with two dogs, three kids, and a fish. Our poor beta fish died a couple months ago but he made it through the move and lived with us for a few years. We still have Brody and Eddie. Brody is our 10 year old shepherd mix. Eddie is our 9 year old husky mix. We realize our sweet puppies are now elderly dogs and are enjoying their retirement. We no longer have a yard and need to walk them a few times a day. They are in the best shape they have been in since before we had children. The kids love our dogs. They love to talk about them to anyone who will listen. Even Lane will tell anyone who will listen about her two dogs. Gabriel was allowed to walk Brody to the ice cream store in Celebration tonight. At first he wanted to ask everyone we met on the sidewalk if they wanted to pet Brody. The first elderly couple didn't crack a smile. We were off to a bad start but I was able to explain to Gabriel that he didn't need to ask anyone to pet Brody but they would come up to him and ask. The second person we passed on the sidewalk stopped and thrilled Gabriel by asking to pet Brody. Thank you to the artist who was cleaning up her booth and took the time to make a 7 year old happy!! Brody scared us last summer. We thought the time has come to say good bye to him. The night we moved into our new home, we saw something disgusting on Brody's chest. It turned out to be a tumor he had eaten through and left exposed. It took a long and expensive surgery to fix it. He needed two more surgeries after that because he was able to reopen it. The vet likened the surgery to sewing wet paper together. We had to keep Brody seperate from Eddie and couldn't allow him to play at all. I covered his chest with old tshirts and changed it daily. It was quite a chore but we got through it and we are so grateful Brody is still here with us.