"Snoop Kutu"

Introducing the newest member of our family. E. named him. It's a collection of names of fish he was reading off the tanks while he waited for the pet store employee to capture this particular fish out of the over-sized tank filled with generic looking gold fish brothers and sisters. E. picked the most unique one of them all. (This is not a photo of the actual fish...he is not photogenic unfortunately). "Snoop" is actually mostly white with orange marks on his left flank and one black eye. We are toast if this fish dies because there will be no finding his fishy twin.

Up and out of the house early today. We decided against the lengthy grocery shop today in order to get this one particular errand completed. E's fish "Sushi" died last Sunday and he was decidedly upset by it. In our need to comfort him, after we explained that "Sushi" had gone to heaven and was swimming in God's ocean and being all fishy happy, he was still beside himself. We did what just about any parent does. We quickly added that if he wanted we could get him a new fish. *silent scream*

"Sushi" was a fifty cent Wal-Mart fish purchased in July 2007. It was initially purchased for E. with the best of intentions but cared for by Mommy begrudgingly. He could have cared less about it after he named it. The only time he paid any mind was if the fish was pointed out to him and then it was still a cursory glance. That tank and fish took up valuable space and was a big pain in the ......

When the fish kicked I figured, finally I can clean this tank out and give it away. Nope. No dice. That of course is the same thought behind the hamster cages. These big plastic mazes and bubbles that look like some kind of Ikea creation. We had two separate cages much like this for Molly and Holly. Apparently, once they mature they do not like to share space and fought till the point of drawing blood. So one huge cage became two twin modules.
Taking up a lot of space on our portable dishwasher because the boys could not be trusted to leave them alone or to keep from opening the cage if left unattended. Needless to say, once Holly goes up to God's Meadow there will be no replacing her.

It's really amazing what we do for our children. The next pet to come into this house had better be a painted rock!