Snakes, Gales and Piggy Tails

1. Snakes:

Lincoln caught an itty-bitty snake on the way home from scouts a few weeks ago. I figured that since that the snake was so little and all by itself in the middle of the road, it's chance of survival was only slightly better at our house than the outside world. So I gave in when I heard the inevitable "can we keep him? Pleeeeeeease!" Into a bottle he went. The next day I was watching him in his little space and I felt a tiny amount of sympathy for him. (This is actually a big deal for me because I am not an animal person at all.) So I found a much bigger bottle for him to live in and I spent two plus (I'm not saying really how much time because it is too embarrassing) hours preparing a more appropriate habitat. That little snakey and I bonded during that time, and I started to re-think my philosophy on pets. One, this snake will not stink. He has a lid on his jar and any snakey smells will be contained to a small space. Two, he has no hair. True, snakes do shed their skin, but see number one and that problem is solved. Three, he isn't going to wake me up at night. So far, he hasn't made a peep! That's more than I can say about anyone else in this house, so maybe pet-ownership isn't as bad as I thought it would be.
His name is Mr. Slithers, and the kids think he is their pet.

2. Gales:

I am sorry to say that the Gales (my sister and her husband) are moving. We have really enjoyed having them around. Christy has been such a huge help to me with the kids. She really loves them and they love her. I just can't even express how much it meant to me when she made that video of Mandy's life. I also have really enjoyed getting to know my brother-in-law Adam. He loves the kids as well and he is always so kind to Christy. They are great people to have around and I will really miss them when they move, but I do want to wish them well, I think they will really have the opportunity to succeed where they are going. Stupid economy that takes my family away from me.

3. Piggy- tails.

Lacie is my piggy-tail baby. Except this week, she has decided that she is no longer a baby.

For example. She can pour her own milk.

She thinks she is big enough to go potty on the toilet. I refuse to potty-train someone who fishes in the toilet. I will be happy to allow her to wear big-girl panties if she refrains from using the toilet as a fish-pond. And if she learns to speak well enough that "potty" is recognizable to most adults. She actually produces when she sits on the toilet, so hopefully she can get over the other stumbling blocks soon. Hooray for no more diapers (sometime in the distant future)!