Heaven Questions Answered

Eight months...

We took dinner down to the cemetery to eat with Mikey.

Surprisingly the headstone had been set in.

What a wonderful eight month birthday present!

While we ate the kids talked about where is heaven.

"It's right here with us we just can't see it,"  Isabel cheerfully explained.

"If we have family that have died and we do something good then they can come be with us,"  AJ added.

I love my children. 

They make me happy, all five of them (almost six).

And the Baby Is . . .

Does the picture give it away?

These were our first purchase for this new bundle of joy.

If the pink didn't give you a big enough clue then I guess I'll have to tell you.

It's a girl!!

We've tied it up, 3 boys and 3 girls.

I've got a name picked out.  The kids all love it.  

Papi? . . . not so much.

But until he comes up with a better name that's not some version of his own name she's being called

Stella Rose

Stella was my great grandmother's name and I'm sure Papi has a Rosa somewhere in his family.

The girls are excited.

The boys feel a little cheated.
But they decided she was cool enough to be their baby sister when they saw her flashing peace signs and loser signs in the ultrasound.

True story.

Things That Fly

It began with a short trip to the pet store a couple of months ago.

AJ took one look at those happy, chirping birds and he was in love.

He had to have one.

He begged.

He pleaded.

He finally won over Papi and made it hard for me to say no.

He was very patient as we searched online for a bird cage and a bird, and researched which kind of bird to get.

He wanted a parakeet, a boy, because they're not supposed to have as hard of a bite and there's a better chance of them learning to talk than with the girls.

Luckily, we found someone in Queen Creek who breeds parakeets and budgies.

So finally, today we were able to drive out there and pick out his bird.

But it didn't turn out at all like we expected.

I have one sweet, little boy.

As soon as AJ saw the six little chicks that were left he had his heart set on this little girl.

The breeder explained to us that she was a "special" budgie.

She never grew her tail feathers.

She never grew her wing feathers.

She can't fly.

She has an awkward little walk and a weak bite.

AJ didn't care.  He liked her.

I tried to explain to him that she might have some health issues and may not live as long, kind of like our angel, Mikey.

But he was okay with that. He wanted to help her.

He decided to look at the other healthy chicks that were there but he already had a "special" place in his heart for the "special" budgie.

The breeder let him have her.  He didn't have to pay for her even though he wanted to.

I was proud of him for loving this little birdie and wanting to give her a good life no matter how short it may be.

He was proud that his little bird could be held without flying away and that her bite didn't hurt.

On our way home we were talking about the bird and about Mikey and how sometimes bodies just don't form right.  

We came to a stop light.

I looked out the window and saw a red heart mylar balloon floating in the air directly in front of us. 

It was just like the ones that Mikey had sent to our door step a few months ago.

"Look AJ" I pointed out the balloon.

He smiled. "I think Mikey is telling me that he's happy that I picked her because he wants me to take good care of her."

AJ loves his new bird.  She never left his side until it was time to go to bed.

Little Budgie has found a loving new friend.

DJ's Best Friend

He worked hard all summer.

He saved his money.

He bought his own little mouse

and made sure his little friend had all the mice toys.

This tiny rodent has become DJ's companion no matter where we are; Home Depot, Walmart, Kirklands, Grandma's . . . he will not leave home without her.

I dare say this little mouse has been to more stores than some babies.

He takes her in her little ball, puts her in the front of the shopping cart and lets her roll around while we shop.

And you thought you only disinfected the shopping carts because of chicken contamination.

We decided on a girl since they aren't supposed to be as smelly as boys.

He named her Squeakers.

Funny, because my aunt Kristine called me Squeakers when I was little.

So my parents got an annoying little dog and named it Squeakers.

That way every time she called me Squeakers the dog would come running.

Best advice from the pet store:

Let him play with her in the tub until he learns how to hold her that way if she gets loose she can't get out of the bathtub.  Just make sure you shut the drain so she doesn't run down it.

DJ sat in the bathtub with her for hours the first day he brought her home.

He's definitely a mouse holding professional now and carries her all over the house.