Introducing...

Our two newest family members!

No, your eyes do not deceive you. Those are rats! And, yes, they are now a part of our family. The girls could not be more thrilled.

This is "Blizzard."

And this is "Gracie."

Gracie is all gray.

Blizzard is white and gray. Julia thought her coat markings were like a blizzard (like a storm cloud up top, and snowy white below that, with a swirling "wind-like" design on her back).

This one is for all you "doubters" out there...

...you have to admit, that's a pretty cute face!


Why rats? Why now?

Julia has been petitioning for another pet for quite some time. We agreed that she could have another when she turns eight. She has been all over the map trying to decide what she wanted. From red-eyed tree frogs, lizards, and snakes, to puppies and rabbits, and her latest heart's desire...a ferret. She was 100% sold on that one. She loved the idea of a cuddly, mischievous, furry little pet to call her own. We talked quite a bit about how much work a ferret can be (daily litter box cleaning, weekly whole-cage cleaning, etc.). She was not deterred. Then, we started talking about rats and how they're similar in a lot of ways, but a bit easier. She wasn't sure at first, but started considering it.

Nate and I decided that maybe we should nurture that idea a bit and take her to the pet store to see/hold one. So, that's exactly what we did. Nate took the girls and I stayed home with sleeping Simon. She went, she saw, she fell in love...Nate acted on it!

So, Julia and Lili both came home with early birthday presents. They are so happy. My favorite lately is hearing them say things like, "You notice how nice we are since we got our pet rats?" or "It's hard to be grumpy when you have a pet rat."

Important to know:
When you have a rat for a pet, you need to make sure she is out of her cage for an hour a day. Uh, no problem in our house! I think it's harder to make sure ours get time in the cage!

For my Grandma

My dear Grandma passed away late Friday night.
I know this is what we've been praying for. For her to be able to pass away peacefully, but it's still so hard to let go. We are all sad to lose her, but are also, in a way, happy for her because she is no longer in pain, and she gets to be with her beloved parents, husband, and two sons who passed before her.

I'm going to miss you and your spunk and humor, Grandma!

This is the last picture I have of me with my Grandma (taken last Christmas). I knew I was probably saying goodbye (for this lifetime), and I'm glad Nate snapped this shot.

I'll have to look through my pictures to see if I have any others I could post. My Grandma really didn't like to have her picture taken! :) So, in many of them she has her hand up in front of her face (she's been doing that my whole life)!



And, I just have to record this for posterity...
My Grandma chose to be cremated. Nate was explaining this to the children and Liliana was quite concerned about it. She often asks questions now about why grandma "fired herself." I know it sounds awful on one hand, but, on the other, I think my Grandma would appreciate the humor in her words.


We will all miss you Grandma/"GG"!

The sonogram

Well, we did it! We had our ultrasound on Wednesday and managed NOT to find out if baby is a boy or a girl. That was our plan, but I have to say...it was HARD to look away!

We were happily watching baby move around, seeing all the measurements and feeling happy that baby looked healthy and everything looked perfect. Then, the technician said, "Okay, you're going to want to look away now." Really? Right now? Okay. Man! That was so hard! Nate and I both put our hands up to the sides of our faces and looked at each other, both of us making faces that said, "are-we-sure-about-this?" I kept thinking, "All I have to do is move my hand and look and I'll know." Yeah, as you can probably imagine, it was not easy.

But, I have to say, I am really excited about that moment when baby is born. Looking and finally finding out if we have another daughter, or another son. We'll truly be happy either way.

I'm just so excited! Now, if we can just decide on names...

But, back to the gender thing. Let's have a poll, shall we?

What do you think?
Boy or girl? Leave a comment with your vote.

Drumroll please...

It's a boy!



We're going to have another nephew in January! We're so excited!


What? Who did you think I was referring to?

Congrats Britt & Jac!