Forclosures affect the turtle community

I have a few requirements for the animals that I keep as pets.

1. They must have fur.

2. They must have legs.

3. They must be dogs.

(I've had fish as pets, but truthfully, I'm not a "fish keeper" and I really don't enjoy cleaning the bowl. I don't plan on having fish again.)

The above requirements aside, I never want to see an animal suffer (who does?) and I can't stand the thought of animals being homeless; so our family of four has become a family of five.

While Jon was out at a vacant home today (working, not loitering) he ran across our newest addition... a little, green turtle. The turtle was just standing on the back patio of an abandoned home asking Jon to take him home. There was no water or food in site for a turtle and Jon knew that leaving him there would surely mean his death, so he sent me the picture above and let me know that a new family member would be joining us for dinner.

About an hour later, Jon showed up with his new little friend. We put him in a little storage container with some lettuce and water and watched him eat more than I thought a turtle could eat. It seemed like it had been a while since this little guy had had something to eat.

As I type, Jon has gone to Lowes to pick up some materials to make a little home for our new little friend. He's very attached to this turtle already. The problem is that we know nothing about turtles. Anyone have any advice? How about a name, any suggestions?

Take me out to the ballgame...

The appraisal business has been a bit slow lately; not so good for the pocket book, but great for family time. Our little family has been able to spend a lot of time together lately because basically, we're all home. Last week, we decided to take Row to his first baseball game. We went to Petco Park to see the San Diego Padres during the opening week of the new baseball season. Rowie actually lasted all NINE innings and had a fantastic time. He loved the jumbo screen, the cheering fans, and most of all... the french fries. It seemed like the perfect day to let him try his first fry and begin his life long battle with carbs and all things fried.

Rowen took his nine month pictures a couple of months ago. You'll notice that he is not as smiley as usual in these pictures. I guess I shouldn't schedule his appointment at the exact time when he is supposed to take his nap.

These pictures were taken a few weeks before Easter, and while we were there, the girl dressed in black taking Row's picture asked if she could use him as a model for their promotional flyer. I agreed, and Row appeared in bunny ears and a tail for our local Sears Portrait studio. He will hate me one day.

Easter Madness!

The Easter Bunny visited Rowen Friday night, so that he had an Easter basket Saturday morning (yes, I know he has no idea what an Easter basket is, or that a large rabbit delivers it to him). After rifling through the basket and trying to eat everything in it, we took off to grandma and grandpa's house.
We went to the lodge that is part of their retirement community where the Easter festivities were in full swing. We started off at the petting zoo (I seem to find myself around goats quite often lately). Then, it was on the egg hunt, where Row found only one egg, but got a kick out of tasting it, opening it, and tasting it again. Then, he found the toy inside, tasted it, and had a great time pulling it in and out of his basket.
Next, it was on to the Easter Bunny. I was a bit worried about this, but Rowen handled it like and old pro. He LOVED the Easter Bunny and was fascinated by the whiskers and the rabbit clothes of that manlike bunny. I could tell that Row wanted a good long time to really explore the strange rabbit creature, but it was time for the bunny to move onto the next kid, and time for all of us to eat lunch.
(sidenote) Our visit to the Easter Bunny got me thinking about the tradition itself. Why does a huge rabbit deliver eggs to the children of the world on Easter? Why isn't it a chicken? Why does an animal deliver baskets to children in the first place on Easter? It's all very strange, isn't it? I guess I could google these questions, but I'd rather ponder the mystery a little longer.
Row finally fell asleep near the end of lunch, so we headed back to grandma's where Row finished his nap and then spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the backyard, picking flowers and eating dirt.

A fabulous day and a fantastic memory :-) Happy Easter!!

Need I say more?

A truly perfect Disney day.

After being chained to our computers for the last six weeks, we finally took the day off and went to Disneyland on Thursday. Grandma and Grandpa were able to come too, so there were four of us available to help wrangle Row. The weather was absolutely beautiful. It was the kind of day that you always imagine on your way to Disneyland, before your dreams are shattered by the crowds, the heat, and the outrageous prices. We visited "Toon Town", an area of Disneyland that I had almost forgotten even existed, and Rowie was granted an audience with Mickey Mouse. Has anyone else waited in line at Mickey's house to meet the Mouse? It's actually a very cool experience. Everyone gets their special moment with Mickey (without all of the kids and parents jockeying for his attention) and the Disney workers are there to take pictures of the moment. Row LOVED Mickey... and of course Row tried to eat Mickey's nose.

Bridge to Terabithia

When I was a kid, I loved to read "Bridge to Terabithia", (see a previous post). Anyway, one of the great parts about being a teacher is that I get to remain connected to some of these books that I would have probably forgotten long ago. This weekend one of my students invited me to see her in the stage version of this book. This book was recently made into a movie, but I had no idea that it was made not only into a play, but a MUSICAL. ANYWAY, I took my dad to the show, since I knew he had also read the book and enjoyed the movie, and we were both expecting to see a rather amateuristic (is that a word?) show. How pleasantly surprised we were to arrive at a great little performing arts center and see an amazingly well-done musical by a children's theater company.
I have some experience with middle-schoolers and musicals, and I really have never heard a 13-year-old, pubescent boy sing remotely in tune or with rhythm, so it was with awe that I watched the the leads in this play sing like little American Idols. They were really, really fantastic.
I'm so glad I went; and so disappointed in myself for crying in a play where I was fully aware of the ending. That "Terabithia" gets me everytime!