Favorite Foto Friday - Picture Difference

Can you tell these two fish apart?

We're hoping Andy can't either.

Andy started asking for a blue fish after seeing his cousin's over Easter, so against my better judgment, I somehow found myself in Petland two weeks ago spending $11.95 on bowl, food, rocks, fake tree and blue beta fish. The fact that the fish and all his accessories cost less than our standard Pizza Hut order probably should have been my 1st clue that I'd either be presiding over multiple fish funerals or repeatedly sneaking off to Petland in the middle of night for replacements...

So, we bring the blue fish home and Andy is super excited about it until he realizes he's not going to actually get to hold him. Luckily after only 15 mins of repeatedly sobbing "pweeze hold it! pweeze hold it!" I was able to convince him that the fish would be able to feel it if Andy "pet" the bowl. I then spent 20 mins reading all the instructions that came w/the fish bowl about water temperature, bowl cleaning techniques and the importance of not overfeeding beta fish b/c I don't think I have done anything to Andy yet that he will need therapy for as an adult and I don't want killing his first fish to be #1 on the list. After safely transferring the fish to his new home, ensuring the temperature was indeed over 70 but less than 80 degrees and supervising the 1st feeding, I decided the fish would probably make it through the day and that we should name him. Andy promptly announced his name would be "Goldfish" (I think I'm going to enjoy this kid's sense of humor).

All was going well until our cats jumped up onto the table to investigate and I suddenly remembered that all their favorite foods are fish-flavored.

As I sat there watching the cats circling like sharks, stopping only to take the occasional swat at the bowl, I decided Goldfish would have to live in the bathroom unless we were sitting w/him at the table. Nevertheless, I was confident the cats and Goldfish could peacefully reside in together as long as everyone was vigilant in ensuring their continued separate co-existence. I knew I could do it and that if I explained the gravity of the situation to Chris he'd be okay too, so there shouldn't be any issues. Naturally, just 3 nights later Chris was putting Aidan to sleep and I forgot to put Goldfish back into the bathroom when I took Andy up. I was halfway through "Goodnight Moon" when I heard the crash and realized what I had done. I knew that even if I ran downstairs right then it would already be too late.

By the time I arrived at the scene of the crime, Chris had done most of the clean-up and I was spared from seeing what was left of poor Goldfish. I know many parents use the death of a pet as way to teach kids about the circle of life and all that, but I honestly just did not have the heart to tell Andy that his two favorite feline friends ate his 1st pet for dinner. Instead, I told Andy Daddy took the fish to work w/him the next morning and at lunch Chris ran into Petland and purchased Goldfish #2. I wonder how many "Goldfish" we will go through before we give up the whole "Take Your Fish to Work Day" and tell Andy Goldfish went to swim in that Big Bowl in the Sky. Since just the other day I told him the dead bees one of the cats had squished and left on the windowsill were "sleeping", I'm hoping Petland starts a "buy 10 blue betas, get the 11th free" promotion sometime in the near future.

Favorite Foto Friday - Vacation

Our vacation can pretty much be summed up in 4 words:

Boating...

Beaching...Swimming...

And of course, lots of eating...

In other words, its was fabulous!!!

If I hadn't seen it w/my own eyes...

If I hadn't seen it w/my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it. Listen to this story...

So it's another cold, wet "spring" day and we are again trapped inside w/not much to do. After spending most of the morning breaking up fights between two bored toddlers, I decided the best thing to do was head out to our local mall and let the kids run around in the indoor play area for a little while.

I must pause here for a moment and tell you that I have a very hard time letting the kids play in these types of places. In addition to trying to keep an eye on both of them, all I can think about the entire time is how long its been since someone cleaned everything and how many germs are getting all over the kids. Don't get me wrong, my house is not one of those perfect, spotless germ-free houses where the energetic mom washes the floor after every meal and vaccuums once a day (if I did that, when would I write this blog???). But in our house, those are our germs and our germs are fine. Its the germs of strangers I find completely disgusting.

Anyway, so there we are playing in the children's area, when a mom walks in w/2 little girls, one who looks to be about Aidan's age and the other who is probably 3. She struggles to get them out of the stroller, takes off their shoes and pulls off their coats before sighing "okay, go play" and I'm thinking how tired she looks and saying to myself "oh, I know just how she feels". Just as I'm giving her a sympathetic smile, I hear this lady's 3 year old daughter say "Mama, I have to go to the potty real bad!!!". The mother replies "Too bad, I told you to go before we got here. I'm not packing you both up again to go to the bathroom. You're going to have to hold it until we are ready to go". With this comment, my sympathy for the mom completely vanishes and just as I'm thinking that I'd never tell my preschooler "too bad, hold it", I see poor little Heather relieving herself all over the jungle gym. Her mother sees it too and here's where the story gets really unbelievable...

This woman runs over to her daughter, grabs her by the arm, scoops up the baby and drags them both out of the play area...and just leaves. Did she take out a package of wipes and clean up? Nope. Did she ask another mom to borrow some wipes to clean up ? Nope. She simply left the play area, leaving the rest of us moms open-mouthed in shock, wondering if we really just saw another mom leave her daughter's pee on the floor where our children are still playing. After a moment of silence, 3 of us pulled out our own wipes and cleaned it up the best we could, but naturally this pushed me over the edge of my germ tolerance for the day and we left soon after. Needless to say it will be awhile before I will be able to handle letting the kids play there again.

Seriously, the rudeness of some people is just shocking, isn't it?

Favorite Foto Friday - Amazing

After putting Aidan to sleep tonight, I came downstairs to find this going on in our kitchen:

As I walked in , I could hear Chris telling Andy "Okay, help me pour the breadcrumbs into the bowl...great job...now help me mix them up." I could tell just from the way he was holding the spoon so carefully and listening so intently to Chris's instructions that Andy felt so special and proud to be helping Chris cook the meal we make every Friday during Lent (baked mac & cheese).

When he saw me, Andy looked up and exclaimed "I cook Mommy!".

I swear, the sweetness of it all was enough to break my heart. The big moments are great - the birthdays, the vacations, the holiday celebrations - but its the little moments, the everyday stuff, when the amazing gift I have been given sneaks up on me. I have one little baby, curled up w/his favorite blanket, sucking his thumb, sleeping soundly in his bed. I have another little boy, who is not such a baby anymore, helping cook our regular Friday night meal. We have a regular Friday night meal! A special family tradition that Chris & I used to make by ourselves that we now make w/Andy and one day we will make with them both. I have a family...I have everything I've always wanted. How amazing is that?

FFF - "I Resting!"

Andy is very big into "resting" right now, which is what he announces any time he sits down. I am then expected to bring him a blanket and a pillow or two. Once all has been arranged to his satisfication, he then takes deep breathes and requests we sing songs. This would work out rather nicely, as "resting" is a very easy game to play, however, Aidan isn't too into the whole idea of sitting still for more than a moment. Though every once in awhile I can convince him to snuggle for a minute or two before he's off to continue the game he currently likes best, emptying all my kitchen cabinets in less than 20 seconds.