Funny thing.  I have been having the hardest time sleeping this week.  Ha!  I am completely exhausted from our California trip and all that coming home entails.  Not to mention our "new news".  Dan has come home every day this week with something new about our move; "it will definately be one year, maybe more", he says .  "How much more" asks Gina, "possibly three years", he says.  Gulp, my stomach flips a bit and I secretly think to myself "can I do three years in another country?"  To late now girl!  This experience is going to stretch and grow me.

We have decided against telling the kids just yet since Sophie has decided she wants to live in California because Nana and Papa live there along with the rest of our family.  Max tells me every day how much he loves our house and Texas.  Hmmm.  This is not going to be easy.

To add another wrinkle into our life and on my face; we told Sophie (after her third cat died.....in a year), that when we got home from California, we were going to get her a new hamster.  This was before we researched hamsters and found out how time consuming and unpredictable they were.  We moved on to guinea pigs.  She was stoked.  This before Dan researched that guinea pigs require even more work than a hamster and they need tons of attention.  We moved on to turtles.  This before we researcdhed turtles and found that they contain salmonella and not the best pets for kids.  I know, I know,....."do your research BEFORE telling the kids."  Thank goodness I am a master at knowing how to get my kids excited about something new because this morning I started (pretending) to brainstorm and fell on fish.  "OH.....A FISH",  I said.  "I always wanted a fish, oh that would be so cool, maybe you could get two, you could call one bubbles."  "Yes, Mommy, yes".  "Can I get a fish?"

So after breakfast at IHOP, registering Max for t-ball, running to the sport store to get his required bat, batting helmet, glove and balls......we went to Petsmart.  We actually had a great time picking out their fish (Max got some too).  They now each have their own little aquarium (if you can call it that) along with three fish each because of male/female habits that is too boring to go into.  We now have six new members in our family; fin, ocean, shiny, shredder, cutie and sweetie.  Why did we get six new fish when we are leaving the country in four months?  Your guess is as good as mine.