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!