Our Growing Family

Big T and Little Miss Z received some very exciting news this past weekend! They learned that our family is growing. And not just by one. But by TWO.

It is with great excitement that we introduce to you.........






Toot and Puddle - our first ever family pets!!!!!
Ha! Did I fool anyone into thinking we were having twins?! Probably not, but if I did, I apologize. Michael thought it would be funny to write about our new little swimmers as though we were making a baby announcement and I kind of agreed with him so, there you have it. My attempt at a little bit of humor :)

Moving on.......

T has been asking for a pet for quite some time now. Months, really. His first choice is a puppy but we are not ready for that so we decided that a fish might be a better way to ease into things. When we told him on Saturday that we were going to get a fish - well, you would have thought we had told him that he was getting a puppy. To say that he was giddy is an understatement. And Z - well, she knows what fish are and she gets really excited about them when we go to the aquarium at our zoo so she seemed pretty pumped herself :)

We decided kind of late in the day on Saturday that this would be the day, so the plan was to make a stop at Walmart (which at one time used to sell fish, but now does not - more on that in a moment), pick up the fish and all of its necessary accessories and then pick up a pizza from Pizza Hut for supper (which is located not very far from Walmart). It was all very strategic, really.

We told T that we would get one fish, maybe two, you know, depending upon what kind we chose and how expensive they were. And off we went! We don't shop at Walmart all that often (no disrespect to anyone who does - I am just more of a Target girl) but it might have been better if we had frequented Walmart a bit more regularly because then we would have known that they no longer carry fish in their store. They have all of the supplies, but alas, no fish. The kiddos were a bit disappointed but we quickly tried to downplay our mistake by allowing them to help select a bowl, some rocks and some food for the fish we were yet to locate. After paying our $10.34 bill, we headed across the street to pick up our carry-out pizza which was now ready. As we drove, we developed a new plan to head over to a large pet store in the area after picking up the pizza, where we would quickly select the fish and then just deal with a tad bit cold pizza upon returning home. However, when we pulled in front of the little Pizza Hut store (located in an odd little strip mall that we frequent even less than we do Walmart), we realized that someone had gone before us on our fish hunt, because low and behold, located in the same strange little strip mall just two doors down from the carry-out/delivery only Pizza Hut (of which we typically choose delivery), there was a quaint little store cleverly named "Wet Pets". What?! A fish store next to Pizza Hut? Could it really be true?

Yes! It was!!! What good fortune! We scooted into the quirky little, locally owned fish store (which was filled with wet pets of all varieties) and were kindly assisted by a very knowledgeable gentleman in the selection of our two little fish. Turns out your typical goldfish don't really do well in bowls (they like more room to swim) so the man directed us to a different variety of freshwater fish - a relative to the goldfish - of which I cannot remember the name (and truthfully, they look like goldfish to me). T picked out a bluish white one and Z selected a smaller orange and white variety. Success! We left the store (which was closing in 10 minutes) with two little fish in a bag, some water treatment solution that we had not thought to purchase at the first store, two very giddy little kiddos and four smiling faces, thankful for "Wet Pets" and its ever so convenient location. After picking up our supper grub, we headed home :)

T could not stop talking the entire ride home. He was just so excited about the fish, by which time he had now decided should be named "Toot" and "Puddle" (after two very loveable characters from a series of children's books that he really enjoys). He told me, "I will take such good care of Toot and Puddle, Mommy. I will feed them and take care of them and they will just grow bigger and bigger and bigger." Followed by, "I'll stay by them all the time when we get home tonight so that they don't feel scared in their new place." Z was excited in her own little way, too. She just kept smiling, pointing and exclaiming, "Hi, ish! Hi, ish!" It was pretty fun.

Once we got home, the pizza was quickly shoveled into mouths while the water in the new fish bowl was treated and prepared for its newest inhabitants. Here is what happened next......

Decorating the bowl with blue stones
Feeding Toot and Puddle
(they each had to have a turn)
Admiring their new pets
Very closely :)

Toot and Puddle from mslevang on Vimeo.

After the little guys were acclimated to their new home (i.e., the bowl), T insisted that we needed to take them upstairs with us to the living room so that he could show them all of the toys. "There is so much that they want to see!" he declared. Call me a sucker, but I obliged.

What kinds of things did T think Toot and Puddle needed to see? Well, pretty much everything, but here are just a few of the moments I chronicled on camera......

Introducing Toot and Puddle to some of his other animals

Reading them a book (one of about 3 that he really did read to them) - don't miss out on the title that he selected :)
Educating them about the country and flag of which they are citizens
And finally, tucking them into bed for the night, complete with a "hug", next to some Disney figurines and a picture of Pake and Beppe :)

To say that these little fish are well loved is an understatement. I can't imagine what would/will happen if we ever really do get them a puppy......For now, we're just praying that Toot and Puddle stick around for awhile. Care to join us in our petitions?