Pigs Fly in Little Rock

So, weirdly enough, I am from farm country in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania and had to move to Little Rock to see a pig race. Mind you, my life seemed inundated with this strange phenomenon for a little bit since we saw some at the Arkansas State Fair and then twice on the Pumpkin Patch field trips. So, just in case you've never seen "pigs fly", here might be the closest thing to it. And, for the record, it takes special people to make these things happen. Truly, it is all very strange and entertaining.

Under the sea

Since it landed on a Saturday, it was fun to have Sam's birthday party with friends and family on his actual birthday. His choice this year was "sea animals", so we went with the under-the-sea idea. Although he first wanted a seal cake since seals are his favorite sea animal, he ended up chosing the whale as the main animals surrounded by many other sea creatures. He asked for a pinata this year which was a huge hit! I considered making an octopus since I found an online tutorial for one, but because of time we ended up purchasing the fish. I'm sure it was designed for the candy to come out of the fish's mouth, but it surprised us. So, Sam is now five years old and for some reason it seems like a lot older than four. I guess simply realizing that we've been parents longer than we were married without kids makes me stop and think.

One of his favorite gifts was a digital camera designed for kids. He's enjoyed taking multiple pictures of the same thing and irritating Zach since he's often one of his subjects. We now have more pictures of the inside of our van (mostly of Eli since he faces Sam) than I think necessary. But, since photography seems to run in Daspit blood (Doug's grandparents owned a studio), it seems appropriate to encourage his interest. I didn't know it, but perhaps the 5th birthday is the hi-tech one because he also received walkie-talkies and a kid laptop (besides the Leapster he found in his Christmas stocking).

Sam is a joy to our family. I'm so glad that he made us parents five years ago.

Spring growth

I think the lily doubled in size since the last pic.

Our darkened chrysalises ... as of this morning.

Our first pets

Believe it or not, we have two pets. They were given to us on Wednesday morning with all the required food, cage, and instructions. By Friday, the food was gone but they didn't need any anymore. The best kind of pets ... caterpillars from our church's butterfly garden. We missed both of them making their chrysalises ... one during naptime on Friday and the other in the early evening while we were running an errand. Now, we keep checking for any signs of our emerging butterflies. The boys have enjoyed watching them. Zach's even had to make a second trek to the top of the container after he knocked it down. I'm thankful for another example of new life to explain to the boys about the resurrection as well as the new little brother we're waiting to meet.

Can you guess?

This structure was built in our yard over the weekend. You know what it might be?

3/1/08 -- The answer is .... Eeyore's stick house! Doug was knocking some dead branches down from the biggest tree in our yard, and Sam asked if they could make a house for Eeyore. Doug was skeptical that they could get it to stand up, but it worked. Evidently, Sam kept talking in a gloomy Eeyore voice about his house being moved and how it wasn't where he left it. Both boys are big fans of My Friends Tigger and Pooh, and they often pretend that they are "slooper sleuths" (instead of super sleuths).

We love the zoo

Our boys LOVE animals. They don't love anything as much ... cars, trains, sports, etc. It's not that they don't play with those things. It's just amazing how much they LOVE animals. I think we'll benefit from a family membership to the Audubon Zoo for years. Sam already calls it "our zoo". The boys and I visit during the week fairly regularly, but we hadn't been since right after Christmas. They know all the animals and where they live and which ones are next on our normal route around the zoo. We decided to go on Saturday so that Mimie and Daddy could join us plus the weather was perfect.












As we were passing the lions, the zookeeper (Jack) came out with two boxes of elephant dung for them. Believe it or not, it was their 10th birthday so we sang to them and they threw over their birthday presents. Jack explained that elephant dung is super nutritious and kind of like catnip to them. Weird, huh? It was amazing how the lions immediately rose and turned their faces towards the sound of his voice when he arrived. They didn't take their eyes off him the entire time he was talking to the crowd. How cool is that? We were at the lions' birthday "party."

The most exciting part of the day was seeing the seals/sea lions back at "our zoo". Since Katrina, they've been cared for by other establishments. The Zoo renovated their pool while they were gone. Sam has taken great interest in seals, especially since it's his favorite animal that starts with the same letter as his name. He received the book on the left for his birthday which is what we're referring to in the video clip. He was so excited to see them. The sea lion shows weren't happening yet, but I can't wait to see his face when we catch one.

The cost of bravery

When Sam was a toddler (under 2), he was around dogs fairly often. Doug's cousin brought a dog to Friday night family dinners, which was joined by Doug's great-aunt's dog, Rowdy, from next door. Sam was used to them being around even if it wasn't at his own house and he didn't mind them. But then Katrina happened, and those meeting places (family homes) were lost. For about six months or more, we gathered at the surviving homes of family and the dogs didn't always make the trip. During that time, Sam became fearful of dogs. A rough experience of surprise at a church member's home didn't help either. But, tonight, we realized that Sam might be coming around to old Rowdy, the beloved Scottie of Uncle Randy and Auntie Waweet (don't ask). After I told the boys that we were going to their house, Sam smiled proudly and exclaimed to Zach, "We get to see Rowdy!!" I didn't know he had become such a highlight. Tonight, as we were visiting, I noticed Sam started coughing which eventually turned into wheezing. As the night went on, we learned that Sam was so comfortable with Rowdy that he was petting him. Smile. I'm so proud of him for overcoming that fear on all his own. However, we had to leave early to get him home to his inhaler.

On the way home, as he's hacking away and having a hard time talking to us and breathing at the same time, I explained that something from Rowdy's hair probably makes him cough. He pipes up and says, "After I use my unhaler, then Rowdy will get his bark back." Doug and I giggled in the front that Sam did indeed sound like he had caught Rowdy's bark by the way he was coughing.

Once we arrived home, he used the inhaler the best he ever had. It's usually a toss-up as to whether he's going to put up a fight or not. I guess he got the full treatment because his coughing and wheezing immediately stopped.

Another experience to add to bolstering our family's "no pet plan". Doug was a little too happy that he reacted that way. We'll see if Sam remembers this in the future and decides if petting his old friend is worth having to use his inhaler. I think I'll have it on me next time we visit.