Death comes unexpectedly

On Thursday Zoe asked me for the millionth time where Fif (her fish) was.  I was hoping she had forgot about it and I wouldn't have to tell her what really happened, but this time when she asked I knew I had to just tell her the truth.

I nicely said that Fif died and went to fish heaven.  She looked so shocked and immediately sobbed and sobbed.  Her tiny little heart broke in two right in front of my eyes and I couldn't handle it.

I held my daughter as she cried and cried over a silly fish.  Trying explain this part of life to my daughter is the hardest thing I have done so far when it comes to parenting.  There was nothing I could say...I just held my baby girl.

When she calmed down some she said she wanted to call her dad.  We got to FaceTime him and she again cried as she told her daddy about her loss.  To make her feel better Paul asked her how she felt about going to the pet store and buying a new fish.  Immediately Zoe said, "Why? So another one can die?"  I didn't know if there was anything that would make her feel better at this point.  But the more she thought about it, the more she warmed up to the idea.

On Friday Paul got off work early and we all went to the pet store as a family.  The kids loved seeing all the fish, turtles, birds, etc.  Zoe and Max finally decided on a pretty blue Betta fish.  After much thought, and persuading Zoe that naming her fish after fruits or herself was not a good idea, Zoe decided to name her new fish Mr. Blue.  I think we all can handle that name.

Now Mr. Blue lives on the kitchen table where we all can see him and enjoy his beauty!

I wish this would be the only time I had to deal with this part of parenting, but I know this is only the beginning.  God help us to know what we're doing!

I hate animals

Especially lying groundhogs!

 

Source: bing.com via raina on Pinterest

 

The past couple days we have had snow.  It comes down like we're going to have a blizzard and then by the end of the day some of it melts away.  Snow is always beautiful when it gracefully falls to the ground.  It sometimes looks like little fairies are gracefully flying in the wind.

 

But I'm over you, fairies!  I'm over you, snow!  Can we please have warmer weather now?

 

This morning I wore a sweater and drank hot coffee while doing my devotions.  It may sound nice, but I'd rather be sipping sweet tea and listening to the birds chirping because I have my windows and doors open.

 

I texted Paul this morning and we were daydreaming about a beach...white sand...the sound of the roaring ocean...the heat of the sun on your back...  Sounds heavenly, right?  Well...don't look out your window because it shatters your dreams like a rock does a stained glass window.

 

Ok that may be a little dramatic...but you get my point. ;)

 

I know that one day (soon!) Spring will be here.  The time will finally come when we can plant our little gardens, get our yards whipped into shape, plant flowers, play outside, go on walks, play at the park, etc.  God is just teaching some of us patience.  Thanks, Lord.

 

Happy Tuesday!

Zoos are very educational

Especially at the Wild Life World Zoo!  Without going into detail, it was mating season for some of the animals yesterday.  The kids took the day off of school to come with us, but don't worry, they still learned plenty!  For some, they learned more than they wanted to!

We took plenty of pictures throughout the zoo and aquarium, played with some of the animals -- especially the leopard who wanted to eat Dad and Paul -- and had plenty of laughs throughout the whole park!  We made so many memories yesterday, I couldn't even tell you everything we did and said.

Maybe later I will post pictures and video.  We have some very funny videos of a certain leopard trying to attack the boys.  I have to admit, I wet my pants a little bit because he scared me so bad.  It was hilarious and I will remember this memory -- especially the fear I had seeing those teeth -- for the rest of my life!

Zoe is experiencing her first cold right now so she spent most of her time sleeping in the stroller yesterday, but she did enjoy watching some of the fish.  Despite her cold she is loving being with everyone!  She is all smiles and loves watching the crazies try and make her laugh.

I absolutely love being with my family.  I didn't realize how much I missed everyone until I came home.  I especially miss Arizona since the winter weather feels so much better than Montana -- they are currently experiencing -4*.  Does that sound fun to you?  I didn't think so.

We're not talking about leaving yet, though.  Instead we are getting ready for dinner at Grandma Bunny's house tonight.  I know we will have more fun and I will take more pictures of the family with Zoe!

Oh for the love of dogs!

Since the weather has been below zero for the past week Baylee has been spending a lot of time indoors.  The rule is that she stays on her bed in the living room.

As you can see she likes to push the limits.

I have some news!

No, I'm not pregnant.  Don't get your hopes up like my husband does whenever I have heartburn, please.

The news I have is..

We have a dog!

Paul's brother had a litter of puppies this past January and through some crazy circumstances I was one of the lucky ones to help nurse those little ones back to life.  I've been around those pups since birth and they are the cutest labs I've ever seen.

Of course I wanted one (really, really bad!) but Paul didn't think it was the right time since we were getting ready to have a baby and the pup wouldn't be given much attention.  Though I was very disappointed I knew he was right and didn't press the issue.

Paul's little sister was able to get one, she named her Baylee.  She is so pretty and very energetic!  Well, while they were on vacation Paul and I got to puppy-sit.  Baylee stayed at our house and I got to know what it was like to have a dog around.

We fed her every morning, played catch, took walks, etc. and I found that even though it was work- she was so much fun!

Don't ask me how it happened, but we now have Baylee at our house and will get to enjoy her company everyday.  Even Paul is a little excited. :)

What makes me really happy is that my Dad had a black lab when I was a baby and Mom said I loved him.  This is almost like a tradition.. since Zoe will grow up with her black lab.  Let's just hope Baylee doesn't get stolen. {gulp}

Have a wonderful Wednesday!