You Can't Really Dress a Guinea Pig

Clara is an animal lover.  She especially likes dogs.  Small dogs.  Specifically chihuahuas.  She wants one.  BAD.  She obsesses over what she will do with her little white chihuahua when she gets it.  It will be a girl, and she will name her Chloe.  (Sound familiar?  Blame Disney and Beverly Hills Chihuahua her favorite movie...)  When she gets her chihuahua she will carry it in her purse or her princess backpack, and she will paint its fingernails and its toenails pink, and it will wear pink clothes and shoes, and be "so cute".  After she gets her little white dog she is going to let her dad get a big black and brown dog and "he can name he Delgado and him will be Chloe's best friend".  If you ask her why she wants a chihuahua she will tell you because they are "small but mighty".    In her head it is all perfectly planned out.  

Problem is, she will likely never get a chihuahua.  They really are not kid friendly dogs.  In addition, Brian seems to think he has to trade in his penis if he ever gets a dog small enough to carry in a purse.  Most rescues will not adopt chihuahuas to families with small children (we've got lots of those) and I don't really want to risk divorce by buying a dog for my daughter from an ad in the paper.  Brian wants a big dog when we get another dog.  So, I don't think my little one will get her little dog anytime soon.  I've told her this time and time again, but she remains certain that she will have one someday.  I guess it's good to think positive.

Tonight the family went to see G-Force, a movie about secret agent Guinea Pigs.  (Again, thanks Disney!) The kids all want a guinea pig now, Matthew has wanted one before, and the movie has just fanned the flames all over again.  As Ruby was plotting and planning all the things she would do and say to her new pet guinea pig, I reminded her that guinea pigs don't really talk.   Clara calmly chimed in,  "Yea, and you can't really dress a guinea pig, but you can dress a chihuahua!"

God is good.  All the time.

These Kids Belong in a Zoo...

Sometimes things in my life are going fairly smoothly, so I get goofy and decide to do things like take my kids to the zoo!  Today I met up with a childhood friend at the Toledo Zoo.  I'd been telling the kids we would go all summer, and much to my dismay summer is slipping quickly by!    

All went well except for when I very briefly lost Clara.  Well I didn't actually lose her, it was more that she ran away because she didn't like the aquarium exhibit.   Between the dark aquarium, and the damn bird aviary I was really freaked out.  Luckily as I was growing frantic and screaming "CLARA!!  ANSWER MOMMY!!" a woman said "Is she a little blond girl in a dress?  I think she just ran out the exit."  I of course raced out the exit, and there she was standing there calm as could be.  When I asked her WHY she would run out of the aquarium, she calmly said "I didn't like the dark."    Oh.  Well Clara Jean, Mommy doesn't like to have heart attacks either!!!

Speaking of heart attacks... notice Ruby the camera hog is NOT in this picture?  Perhaps you are wondering why?  Well Ruby was standing on a ledge happily watching the polar bears in the exhibit.  Suddenly a polar bear came out of nowhere and leaped out of the water and up onto the glass.  Poor Ruby was so scared she couldn't even scream.  She just raced back to the wagon and for the most part stayed put the rest of the trip!  (Very unusual for Ruby! She is usually the one up to something!)  Good thing I guess.  I don't think I could handle two heart attacks in one day!  

Here is my Ruby with my friend's son Max.  We had to take the picture.... It's Max and Ruby!  

All in all a a very nice day...heart attacks and all.

God is good.  All the time.

Lessons Learned....

So today was not the best day ever.  I took the girls to the dentist and found out they need a LOT of work done.  I mean... A LOT!  I am thinking of just having all their teeth pulled and getting them teeny tiny dentures.  I am pretty sure that it would be a lot cheaper.  

Story # 1

I tried to take them to the dentist earlier but was told they were too young... I tried to go to an in network dentist to save a few bucks...  lessons learned??  1) Going to the dentist is expensive.  It doesn't matter where you go.   2) Nurse Helene is a valuable resource when you need to find ways to get things done and 3) If I invent mini dentures for kids with "weak enamel" like mine have I could save a lot of folks a lot of money... and get rich all at the same time.  Oh yes... 4) My dental insurance blows monkey butts....

Story #2

The kids want a dog.  They keep telling me this.  I tell them talk to their father as he is the one who is prohibiting the dog getting!  He wants a big dog (WHEN he decides we can have one) and the kids want a little dog.  In the car tonight they were asking "why don't we have a dog" "why don't we have a dog" "how come dad gets to be the boss" "we want to get a little dog" "we want to name the dog Delgado" blah blah blah.  I finally told them that they were talking to the wrong person.  If it were up to me I would have a dog (or two) but it's not!  So Matthew asked"Why IS dad the boss?" to which I had no real answer.  I will have to ponder this more... perhaps in therapy.  The kids came up with a great idea though for changing his mind.  Ruby piped up "We should whip he" Clara said "Yea, then you should say Who's the Boss Now Daddy and whip he some more" and Matthew said "And when he gives up and says okay you are the boss, you can go get a dog mommy!"  It creates a rather amusing mental picture doesn't it?  Lessons learned??  1) Therapy is good... 2) My kids may need therapy in the future...

Story #3

I am a self defined vacation bible school whore.  I will send my kids to any vacation bible school willing to take them for free, the ones that come and get them are even better.  Needless to say, the kids are going to bible school this week, and so far have loved it.  Clara didn't want to go tonight because she was "too tired".  Matthew told her she needed to go so that she could learn about God.  (Go Matthew!!)  Clara calmly replied that she already knows about God, so she was going to stay home with her Stinky Corner (blanket).  I asked Clara, "What do you know about God?" Her answer?  "God made us.  God watches us.  And God doesn't want us to be scared."  I was very impressed!  I made her go to bible school anyhow.  :)

Lessons learned:  1) Free bible school rocks!  2) Kids say it best.  

Hoping for a better tomorrow....

God is good.  All the time.  

Take me out to the Ball Game....

The boys have a new favorite pastime.  Surprise!  It's baseball.  However, it is not playing baseball, but watching baseball.  Our little old town is hosting the Midwest Sliders, a frontier league team for the summer.  Noah and Ricky went to a baseball clinic they hosted and were given free tickets, and so the addiction began!  We've spent the last three nights at the ballpark. Ricky enjoys collecting foul balls and autographs, as does Matthew.  The players are great with the kids.  It must be pretty cool to have so many little kids look up to you!  

 The boys have really enjoyed watching the games, and tonight Ricky and Noah got to serve as batboys.  Here's a shot of my handsome little devils.  They were so excited to be in the dugout with the players.  
 It was a great way to spend the evening.  Ricky even brought home a broken bat.  You would have thought he won the lotto

 On a side note, I even got to get into the fun and play Let's Make a Deal after the 4th inning.  I won a pack of 12 undated tickets to upcoming games.  Guess what we'll be doing the rest of the summer!  

God is good. All the time.

Lucky...

Ruby and Her Great Grandma Lucy...

I often say I think my grandmother is part cat.  There has been more than one occasion in which we've been told "Not much longer..." but apparently being hard of hearing comes in handy, as nobody told her that, so before long she is back at home wondering when she is going to be able to mow her lawn again.  

Grandma has been sick more often lately, and has had to spend quite a bit of time in the hospital and recuperating in nursing homes.  She is 90, and looks it.  The boys are clearly uncomfortable going to visit her, and to be honest she is not really up to all of the chaos caused by a troop of visitors in a small room.  

The girls however, whenever asked what they want to do usually pipe up "Let's go visit Grandma Lucy!"  This may have a little to do with their penchant for vending machine goodies, but I like to think that there is more to it than that.  Clara often says "Grandma is so sick" and Ruby will often pipe up "Hers got hoses in hers nose"  Yesterday we found ourselves just us girls, and decided to go pay Grandma a visit.  We took the DVD of Ruby's dance recital so Grandma could watch it.   She seemed to enjoy it very much.  

I was happy to have my camera with me, and got the chance to snap these pictures.  It was a nice visit, and I am so glad the girls have a chance to spend time with their great grandma.  

Clara and Her Great Grandma Lucy

God is good.  All the time.

Summertime...

Greetings from our house to yours....

Brian has a job interview tomorrow.  I've kind of put a whole lot of eggs... okay, all of them into one basket as far as this goes.  I am so hoping he gets it, but I guess today it hit me that there are likely a whole lot of other wives out there thinking the same thing.  So whether you are a finger crosser,  or a person of prayer, keeping us in your thoughts would be nice.  

In the meantime, summer seems to be flying by.  We had planned a big camping trip, but Brian's work schedule would not allow for him to be able to travel with us.  Call me crazy, but the thought of five kids in a tent and no husband became less and less appealing as the date approached.  So I cancelled.   I know... I can hear some of you clucking as I type.  I am a chicken.  Pauwk Pauwk...  

Thankfully a friend took Noah (who was heartbroken to not be going), so I'm sure we'll hear all about the fun we missed!  

Seriously, look at these three.  Would you want to be stuck in a tent with them for three days?  

Last night we went to the carnival.  We were hesitant at first.  I am not very fond of carnivals.  They just don't seem very safe, but the kids were begging, and pleading, and even "cleaned up" the house.  The kids had a blast.  When they found a ride they liked they rode it over and over and over again, making us grateful for the wristbands we shelled out big bucks for.  Here are a few pics from the day...

Here's Ricky...

And Clara smiled more last night than I have ever seen.  Only problem was every time I tried to snap a picture she would dart off to the next ride.  She LOVED the carnival!!!

Ruby and Matthew... I've got tons of pics of these two!  (As usual) But I thought this one was extra sweet.  :)

God is good.  All the time.