A Diamond Is A Piece Of Coal That Stuck With The Job

So this morning was pretty exciting for us. We got up (not the exciting part) and we were reading and talking (still not the exciting part) when Jacob looked at the fish tank (now for the excitement).

Last night when we went to bed this is what Cher looked like (Sonny is in the background). The dark spots on her belly are the babies inside her, more specifically their eyes. Poor girl, her belly used to be as flat as Sonny’s.

When I got up this morning and turned on the fish light, I didn’t really look at the breeding tank (I got used to the disappointment of there not being babies in the tank) but I thought there was “too much food at the bottom of the tank, perhaps she wasn’t hungry last night.” So, when Jacob told me there were some babies in the tank it made sense to me, I wasn’t seeing food at the bottom, it was babies! when we first looked there were 18 babies in there. We set up the video camera (video coming soon of some fry birthing), and made breakfast.


After at least six and a half hours of delivery she pushed out 71 fry (baby fish). One died right away and three were not fully formed, so there were 67 moving around. I put Cher in the big tank again and she was happy. After two hours of the fry being alone in the floating tank, there are 51 still in there. The other 16 must have been small enough to swim out the side slits and decided to become lunch for some bigger fish (aka mom and dad).

About a week and a half ago I put Cher in the birthing tank thinking she was ready to pop. This was her first school of fry, so I was not sure when she got pregnant; they gestate for about 4 weeks. This was based on her size and I was thinking she had about 35-45 babies in her. My last fish that had 34 babies was the size Cher was a week or two ago. Now that I know she had twice as many in her I realize that she just was bigger because she had so many more fry to house. She did a good job and is swimming around happy and free. I expect that in about 4-5 weeks we will see more fry in the tank.

It is amazing that Cher had that much room in her body to store 71 babies for so long. Think that over Ronda, Camara, Fiona, Brittany, Theresa, Karen, Mindy (and anyone else who might read this who has multiples. Aren’t we glad we are not fish? I know I am.

Side note: Mallory helped me pick out fish and she named Sonny and Cher, Skyler named the snail Cat and the algae eater Dog, so I only thought it right that Gavyn get to name the boy fry his choice after seeing pictures of them, Yellows. I told Ronda to ask Gretchyn and Geneva what they think would be a good name for the girl fry, it appears Gretchyn didn’t have and opinion, and Geneva said Hammer. So there you have it, we have some little Yellowses and Hammers in our tank. When they are big enough to see which ones are boys and which are girls I will let you know the numbers.

Just so you know, Cat has been trying to climb into the fry tank, so they have a lid to keep them safe.

If anyone else out there has little ones (I know Mallory you are not a little one) that want to name my pets, you have four weeks or so to work on submitting names for the next batch of fry.

Mr & Mrs Hand

This last Sunday was the Nauvoo Stake Conference.  For those that do not know what that is, twice a year the 11  congregations (branches or wards) in our geographical region (stakes) meet for a conference, Nuavoo happens to be the “center” of our stake.  Most people that do not live directly in Nauvoo travel for about an hour to get there, some however drive twice that still.  We had a guest speaker this time.  Elder Lund, is a very enjoyable speaker.  He talked mostly about getting back to basics, and how we tend to over-“schedule” our lives.  How we try to do too much stuff, be it projects or clubs or what not.  How true it is that when we get right down to the simplicity of life things seem easier to be enjoyed and there is a lot less to distract us from our end goal.  I enjoyed his talks.  I was however sitting next to my newest nephew on Sunday morning, Skyler.  And our personalities being what they are, we interacted a lot, and Ginny and Rick have decided that we are not allowed to sit together anymore.Cry For fun, I drew faces on my hands.  It made him laugh, but the whole time he told me, “Don’t do that” and to “Stop it.  That is bad for your skin.”  The little boy sitting in front of us saw me and drew on his hand and got in trouble with his mom.  Ooopps.

   

Mr and Mrs hand are begging you to let us sit together again, next time. 

What Could They Have Been Thinking?

Yesterday I was working at the preschool again. We were in the gym* playing. There were two new little girls**, so I was trying to get them to play with the other kids and make friends. One little girl that I happen to be playing with***, Girl Z 2 yrs, was playing on the indoor slide. She was mid-ladder when Girl T****, 4 yrs, comes up and sniffs her tookus*****.

Also, on Tuesday when I was at the preschool, I went into the bathroom with only one toilet******. A woman followed me in. And only when I gave her a suspicious look did she state that all she wanted was tissue*******.

*I keep hearing of this global warming thing, and I have to say I am not a believer; as far as I can tell it keeps getting colder and colder, not to mention that we have had more snow this winter than we had in the last few

**I was on the Infant/Toddler side today

***She is not one of the new kids

****This is the same girl that when I asked her a year ago how her new baby sister is doing, told me that “she cries a lot” and “drinks milk from mommy’s breasts”

*****By “tookus” I mean butt

******This bathroom is kind of hidden away and only if you have been told by someone that it exists and is a bathroom do you know it is there; I have yet to find any indicators outside the room that it is a restroom. I started using this building in 1999, and only a month ago was told of this restroom!

*******What functional adult just walks into a bathroom after a stranger, knowing that there is only one toilet. And why on Earth could she not have waited a couple min, or gone to the other larger restroom only 20 feet away, or have said something out loud before I went in asking to sneak in for tissue?

Yummy, Yummy, Yummy

Our friends Jason and Jessie had us over for steak tonight. It was good. Aiden referred to the dinner rolls as biscuits. So, I did the best thing I could think of doing, I started talking with an English accent. She gave me funny looks, but by and by, she started to pick it up a little too. You could mostly hear it in her “okay.” We laughed. We brought over dessert. I made little white chocolate mousse tarts again, however I used peaches instead of strawberries*. We stayed and talked for a while after Aiden went to bed. It was a good time.

Aiden is allergic to berries, and I still wanted to use fruit on it. I was a bit hesitant to use peaches, but it tasted nicely.

Preschool Talk

Yesterday I was at the preschool, here are some highlights.

Girl T, 3yrs called after Girl EJ, 4yrs: EJ do not walk away from me! (For some reason I sense a pattern for future relationships…)

Boy LM, 3yrs playing in the gym (well bellow freezing could not take kids outside) was trying to use the Little Tykes Fire Truck. He is only three, but is the size of a five year old, in any case, too big. So as he is “driving” it around the room, his head is sticking out the windshield opening.

I feel bad because one of the little girls wasn’t watching where she was going and ran into the door as we were leaving the gym.

Same Boy L was coloring during nap time because he refused to sleep, he got up and put papers in his cubby. I asked if he was done coloring, he said yes, I told him that he needs to stay at the table because other kids are still sleeping. He told me, “I’m full.” I told him that was ok, but that he still needs to sit at the table.

While I was there, I was asked to come in four more days. Today was one of them, here are today’s notes:

*Back story, Mr S went on a cruise for Christmas Break. On said cruise they stopped on many islands. He brought back a treasure map, and was showing the kids during morning meeting. He asked, “What does ‘loot’ mean?”

Boy J, age 4: It’s a fff-lute

Boy Y, age 4: Mr S, can I come to your house one time?

Mr S: Maybe. (translation: not unless your parents pay me to let them stop by, because while I love kids at work, home is my free time.)

They all sit in a “circle” for morning meeting. Girl S, 4 yrs, for some reason had her boots off, I think she was playing dress up wiht other shoes. Girl A, 3 yrs, was sitting there smelling the boots. During free play she was coloring with rolling markers, and kept smelling them. I asked her why she was smelling them, and she said it is “because they stink.” OK then.

At the end of morning meeting Mr S asks the kids to answer a question before they can get up, and they answer in the order their names are drawn. Today’s question (answers are as given):

Mr S: What did you do on vacation?

Boy D, age 4: I got a haircut

Girl M, age 4: Swimmed in a pool (in Mexico!)

Girl A: My daddy put me under the water (I hope they were swimming, but I didn’t get a back story on this)

Boy S, 4 yrs: Put my clothes on (no, he of course couldn’t tell about his trip to Florida’s Disney World where he saw Peter Pan!)

Boy LB, 4 yrs: Went to Disney Land

Girl T, 3 yrs: I went to Myrtle Beach

Boy N, 4yrs: I didn’t have vacation (he had the same break the rest of the kids had, and he got new glasses)

Mr S brought back a small steel drum. It is pretty cool, and has the notes written on it so you can play, it has 8 notes. I sat with one of the children who was playing it and the kid got bored and went to play something else. So, I tried it out. It is pretty cool. Girl A came over and told me that it isn’t for me to play with , only her. Mr S heard that and gave the 5 or so kids around us a lecture about how he brought it for the school and everybody can use it. All the other children seemed to understand the concept. She was devastated that it wasn’t for her alone. She sat there and played for a few more minutes and then was just holding the sticks so I asked if I could play her a song. She said, “It’s not for you.” I said, “Excuse you, what did Mr S say?” She shrugged her sholders and then said that I am too big. Girl R, 5yrs, told her, “It is for every body.” A said, “Yeah, they would say, ‘Share A, share.’ And they say my hair has to be pretty.”

Because it is too stinking cold outside, we took the kids to the gym again.  Three little boys had different balls trying to play basketball.  Boy A, 5yrs (and who dressed as Cinderella everyday last year) had a dodge ball, Boy L, age 4 had a volley ball, and Boy J, 5 yrs had a soccer ball.  The soccer ball was the first to make a basket.  For the next 10 minutes the three of them fought over who gets to use the soccer ball.

During gym time, Girl A came up to me on the bench, and asked if she can sit with me.  I told her she may.   She hopped off the trike she was riding and said, “No one can use this.”  My reply, “If you are not using it, then other people can.”  She got right back on and rode off.

As we were lining kids up to go back to the classroom, Boy S asked if I would Be his walking partner.  I told him I would and then he told me that I am his best friend.  He proceeded to make me play Ring-around-the rosies.

While they were all sitting on the floor singing songs till we let them go to the lunch tables, Mr S asked for a body part for the song:

Boy LM: Shelf

Mr S: Is that a body part?

LM:   A book shelf

S:   Is that a part of my body?

LM:  Ok, underwear (Mr S decided not to argue that one)

While sitting at my table for lunch waiting for the kids to fill it up, Girl EH, 4 years)  said, “My dad is an electrician.  Sometimes he works late, he has meetings.”  There was no talk of parents or work, so I am not sure why she said this, especially when we know that her dad is a farmer.

After lunch we read books with the kids before they take a nap.  Today I wass introduced to a great book.  Maisy’s Pool by Lucy Cousins.   The Maisy books are pretty entertaining.  However I find this one in particular, funny on multiple levels.  “Maisy and Tallulah are feeling hot.”  But, don’t take my word for it!

Time, There Is Never Enough Time

There was an episode of Saved By the Bell where Jessie was on speed and that was her “melt-down” line. I am not sure why, but that is one of the random facts stuck in my brain.

As part of my new calling, I get to clean out the Primary closet. This is a great way to exercise my obsessive-compulsive abilities. In doing this, I am finding some great stuff, and then there is stuff from the early 1980s. Why on Earth is there stuff from 1981 in that closet? OCD to the rescue. 1981 to the dumpster!

Don’t get me wrong it was a decent year. The musical Cats began its 8949 performance run on London’s West End. Simon and Garfunkel performed a free reunion concert in New York City’s Central Park attended by over 500,000 fans (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1981_in_music&oldid=184211809).  Sandra Day O’Connor was sworn in as the first female judge on the Supreme Court. (http://www.multied.com/dates/1980.html#Anchor-35829)

However, garbage from 1981, that does nothing for me.

How Shocking

Tonight we had the missionaries over for dinner and we invited our friend John over who we haven’t seen in over a year. It was nice to have him over and visit.

Jacob made fettuccine from scratch and Alfredo sauce too. I made white chocolate mousse tarts with strawberries for dessert. (The same kind from New Years, only a different shell) Sadly enough, no pictures, again.

After we ate, the missionaries shared a message and left. We then went and picked up Emily and the four of us went bowling. It was a lot of fun, even if that alley hates me! we got ice cream and went back to out house and played life. I believe I won (notice I didn’t mention my score in bowling-again, that alley hates me).

However the best part of the evening had to be John’s zapper thing. Which he used many times to shock Emily.

All Caught Up Or Information Overload

I have been keeping a list of things I needed to post about, and the location of pictures to go with said posts for a long time now. Today I finished posting them. Now I can get back to a regular routine of posting. That means on Monday the Quiz is back!!!!

Today we got a Christmas 2006 card in the mail, from Kansas. I love you! This brought back fond memories. Thank you for the card.

Dishwashers Are Our Friends

Today I went to the store to get groceries and I needed more deodorant.  While I was in the deodorant aisle, a family passed though.  The little girl, probably about 4 years old** said, “Daddy I need new deodorant!”  he said she has some already, and she answered, “Yes, but it is dry.”  I am not too sure what thy are teaching her, but I want to put on dry deodorant.  I figured that was part of the purpose.  Besides why does a 4-6 year old need deodorant?

*I am writing this after the fact as though it is current, and pre-dating my post. As it is my site, I reserve the right to do so.

**I’ll give her the benefit of doubt, she may have been 6.

2008, Gotta Remember The Date

Mother nature decided to usher in the new year with bad snow, yet again.  It took us almost two hours to get from Macomb to Danville.  When we finally got there we celebrated Geneva and Gretchyn turning one!  They have come such a long way.

After the girls ate cake** and opened presents, we were finally able to end Christmas by giving our last presents to Rob, Katilyn, and Lydia.  Because of weather they arrived after everyone else had left.

Lydia was so excited to hold Gretchyn and look at the “little” person!

Do you think these noses are related?

*I am writing this after the fact as though it is current, and pre-dating my post. As it is my site, I reserve the right to do so.

** it was really just frosting.