New Additions to Our Family

For months, Sarah and Abby have been asking for their own pets. They started with puppies, moved to kittens, and finally settled on gerbils, hamsters, or guinea pigs. Last weekend, after a few days of research, we decided to add two gerbils to our family.


Introducing Sasha and Miley! Sasha is Sarah's, and she's a little bit darker. Miley is Abby's, and she's lighter and a little smaller. I never had gerbils when I was growing up, so I really don't know much about them. But they seem fairly easy. They're still getting used to us, so I hope they'll get more social in time. Right now it's hard to get them out of the cage and they won't sit still for us to hold them. We like to take them into Sarah's bathroom, put towels under the door so they can't escape, and watch them run around and explore. They really are very funny.

Bailey and Ellie are very interested in them. They sit on the stairs, or in a chair near the cage, and stare for hours. Yesterday, Sasha squeezed past the towel under the door and raced out of the bathroom, only to find a very eager Bailey waiting outside. Fortunately he only sniffed her, and she ran back into the bathroom safely. Right now he's standing on a chair, looking into the cage and wagging his tail. I think he just wants to be friends!

Daddy

Perry had lunch with the girls today and then read to Sarah's class. He said she was so happy and soooo proud. Her teacher sent this pic:

And, I had a flashback to six years ago. She was a Daddy's girl then, and she's still one today.

Pets?

The girls are begging us to get them "their own pets." A few months ago they were asking for puppies, but now their obsession has turned to small animals, such as rats/ mice/ hamsters/ gerbils/ guinea pigs / bunnies.
I don't know much about these creatures. We did some research this weekend (yes, we Googled it), and decided that gerbils sounded like the best fit for our family. But then I tossed it out to my Facebook friends for some advice, and I didn't get anyone telling me how great they are. Mostly I heard things like "don't do it" (a direct quote from my sister).
I'm not sure why they would be such bad pets. Of course it would be more convenient if we didn't have them, but how much trouble could they be?
We're still discussing it. I'll let you know how it turns out!

Oh, and Sarah has saved $26 so far for those Twinkle Toes. I told her she had saved enough to go buy them (she hasn't really, but I'm willing to make up the difference), and she's not begging me to go. I think she likes saving her money and is hesitant to spend it all. Can't wait to see what she decides.

Middle Earth

We headed south last weekend for the long Labor Day weekend. First we went to Grandmother's farm in Citronelle (Middle Earth) to commune with nature. The girls LOVE this place.

They love the animals

and the insects

and the gardens

and the labyrinth

and the cookouts

and the surprises - a Great Owl, a medicine wheel, G&G in bee suits.

And, of course, they love Grandmother and Grandfather. They are being exposed to so many new things at Middle Earth - things that Perry and I don't always understand or believe in. But one of my greatest hopes for S&A is that they will develop open, curious minds, and not be quick to judge. Middle Earth challenges all of us (in a good way). I hope they will learn new things and make wonderful memories at G&G's "farm."

6 Is a Great Age

The girls saw the front page of the paper this morning and were very excited to see pictures of stars from the Hubble telescope. The photos were amazing - old stars, stars being born, a butterfly nebula. After cutting out all the pictures to share with their friends at school, they started asking me questions that I couldn't answer. Where is the Hubble telescope? How long has it been in space? Can astronauts visit it? Do astronauts float in space? On and on and on. What's a mom to do? Google it!! We grabbed my computer and found lots of answers, and even watched a video of astronauts turning somersaults and playing with a flashlight in space. Such an awesome lesson.
Tonight at dinner, Abby had the US map placemat, and she asked why most "twisters" happen in Kansas. I had no idea. So again, we Googled it. We got our answer and watched a few videos of tornadoes on YouTube.
Abby also told me all about coral and coral islands, which she learned about in class today. Sarah is learning about Australia. I was able to pull out my photo album from Australia and show them the Great Barrier Reef and lots of pictures of my trip.
I just think it's so amazing to see how much they are learning, and what little sponges they are! I'm so thankful for their wonderful teachers who are opening up new worlds for them. I'm thankful for the Internet and all the resources available to me when they ask questions I can't answer. And I look forward to learning new things with them. Am I smarter than a first grader? No, apparently not. But we're learning together.