The Great (Cricket) Escape

So these crickets I've been buying to feed Liz the Lizard have become the bane of my existence. I've added a trip to Petsmart to my weekly to do's, and I purchase 14 crickets at a time. Which means I have to have a habitat to keep them not only alive but well fed and plumped up enough to be worthy of being eaten by a lizard. Said habitat is in a plastic box with holes punched in it, special cricket food and this jello like substance that keeps them hydrated (apparently a water dish is too much for them to handle -- they drown). I'm not kidding here. It's only my Mother's Love (for the kids, not the lizard) that keeps me going back for more.

This week, after my Petsmart run to purchase 14 crickets on Monday, we have seen an unusually high number of crickets roaming the house. I thought it was time to call the bug guy to get an extra treatment. Then I thought to look at the cricket habitat. It SHOULD have been crawling with 14 crickets. There were two left.

They're too dumb to know better than to drown in their water dish. But apparently they pulled one over on me and busted out.

Who's the dummy NOW, huh?

Things I Heart Today

My funny twins who love (and entertain) each other.

Book club laughter.

That pears and raspberries are put up. Bring on the peaches.

Kiddos who are so excited for the ward campout (and the traditional Pizza Factory lunch tomorrow!).

Temps that don't bake you within five minutes of going outdoors. (I'm afraid to say I heart cool weather because that will jinx us all)

My sisters and mom whom I miss dearly. Now that you mention it, my brothers and dad too. Just thinkin' of my girls today :)

That the General Women's Broadcast is tomorrow (and Conference is next weekend!)

The Secret to Youthful Skin

So I was buying some of those make-up removing wipes the other day at Walgreen's. I saw some Pond's "Age-Defying" wipes that claim to remove make-up while using retinol collagen for a more youthful-looking result. Why not?

This morning I woke up with the biggest zit on my chin. Ah, so THAT'S their secret. They make you look like an adolescent! Um, no thanks.

The Accidental Pet Owner

Last Sunday I was enjoying a very rare quiet moment reading on the couch. I had dozed off and felt a little tickle on my arm. I opened my eyes to find a small lizard scampering across the couch. The kids came in to help me take off all the cushions, turn the couch inside out to find the critter to no avail. I finally thought to look behind the blinds on the window sill. Bingo. There was a small lizard just hiding out.

I caught it in a cup and the kiddos convinced me to put it into a little habitat we had made previously for beetles. She's still here. They named her Liz.

I am now on cricket duty, making regular trips to Petsmart to buy food for Liz.

How did this happen?

Last Hurrah of Summer: The Phoenix Zoo

Backtracking a little here...

The Friday before school started the kids begged me to take them to the zoo for one last hurrah of summer. Of course I always do anything my kids beg for :). Off to the zoo we went. It was, of course, one of the hottest and most humid days of the year. The kids didn't care -- they got to play in the Yakulla Caverns water park. I just found whatever shade I could and drank lots of water. It was 95 degrees when we got there at 8 a.m. It was about 111 when we left at 12:30. Ahhhh Arizona.

Anyway, here are the cute pics we took.



I love the Monkey Village. That particular day the monkeys were really active and were hanging out right by the viewing area. There's a rope that goes from the main monkey hangout to a tree in the middle of the viewing area and they were running back and forth across the rope. One stayed on the lone tree and Case walked over to look closer at it. The conversation went a little like this:

Look at that one Mommy! He looks like he's going to go potty! Hey look Mommy! He's going potty! All over the rope!

You know how quiet four year old voices are, right? Everyone got a kick out of his keen observation. And he remembered not to touch ANYTHING in the Monkey Village anymore.



This goat was so smart. He did not want any part of letting little kids brush his fur. The keepers brought him out of the pen into the yard, and he proceeded to turn right back around, prop himself up on the door and hit the latch with his nose until the door opened! He walked right on in to the food trough. It was so funny to watch!



This is Tess's scared look. Whenever she wants to look scared in a photo she does this with her hands and her whole little body shakes in mock fear. It cracks me up.

Who needs the Improv?

Who needs stand-up comedians when you have my kids in your life? I find myself laughing all day long at these little funnies. Recently heard:

Emma: Sometimes I like it that I’m getting older and I can understand some of the long words that you say.

Case: Upon finishing his dance to Lady Gaga's Just Dance, very somberly says, "I weally wanna be a wock staw Mom." Then today after Let's Play Music class he's playing his bells and singing "I love wock and woll, put another dime in the juice box baby!"

Fisher: Was having some intestinal problems apparently. I walk in from the grocery store and saw this on the laundry room floor.



It says "Sorry Mom and Dad but I had diarey (diarrhea)." Poor kid.

Pittin' out

I was just asked (by Case of course) if our legs have legpits.