The Christmas Nightmare

  Gavin wanted fish for Christmas.  3 fish to be precise.  He wanted them to keep Spot, the fish he currently owns, company.  So we bought him a big fish tank and on Christmas Eve Scott went to PETCO and bought him 3 more fish.  2 small sharkfish-y things and 1 sucker fish (UGLY btw...).  He put them, in their bowls, on the top shelf of our closet.  The plan was to transfer all 3 fish to Gavin's current fish tank after the kids went to bed.  Well, before we got a chance to do that, 1 of the sharkfish went belly-up.  OH NO I thought, this is NOOOOOO GOOD.  Remember this?  http://icantstoplaughing.blogspot.com/2009/06/rip-fish.html ).  Don't worry, said Scott.  We still have 2 fish...

  Gavin woke us up at 2 AM to tell us that Santa had brought him 2 fish!  Great...now go back to bed!  We got up around 7, went downstairs and the kids opened presents.  Gavin was so happy to find a new huge tank and some gravel for it.  Later that morning, Scott happened to go into Gav's room to check on the fish and found sharkfish #2 belly-up.  Mr. Sucker-fish (aka "Sucky") was not doing too well.  OH SHIT we thought.  So I called Gav upstairs so we could tell him.  He took it in stride so we thought, until I went downstairs and found him sobbing into the couch pillows.  My dad came over to bring some presents and food over for our dinner later and found poor pathetic crying Gavin.  He was inconsolable.  Sucky ended up sucking his last breath and getting flushed too.  It took us a few hours to get Gav calmed down.  Our family was warned not to even say the word "FISH" at all during dinner.  We promised him that come today, we'd go someplace other than PETCO and get some more fish. 

  Today we went to an actual fish store and bought Gav FOUR new fish (we felt bad after yesterday's tragedy), a tank heater and a large coral thing for the tank.  I am happy to report that all Sam, Sally, Sid, Sucky and Spot are happily swimming around their new home.  Toots the cat has been watching them very closely.  We hope that the fish will have a long long life in Gav's room and I won't have to blog about dead fish again!

The Christmas List

Francesca is a list-maker.  She loves to write things down and make lists of things she wants, things she likes, people she likes/doesn't like - you get the picture.  We always ask the kids to make a Christmas list to give us some idea of what we should be looking for.  This year she outdid herself - she started her list on a long piece of drawing paper and has been taping and stapling extra pieces of paper on to the bottom as the need arises.  So here (in no particular order) are some of the 70+ things on F's list.  Keep in mind some of these things are requests for Gavin, Mommy, Daddy and the cats too!

Francesca's Christmas List 2009

- a TV for my room (good luck with that one, not happening this year!)
- cat food for the cats
- more mixes for my Easy Bake oven
- icing mixes for the Easy Bake oven
- 3 fish for Gavin to keep his fish Spot company
- a Nintendo DSi
- a case of hash (they ask for, and receive this every year from my parents - they LOVE hash)
- OJ for Big Guy
- socks
- a toothbrush and toothpaste
- a package of paper (to make more lists I guess)
- a more sleep for Mommy and Daddy (boy am I wishing for this one!!!)
- the Wizards of Waverly Place "Alex" doll
- a Jonas Brothers CD

The list goes on and on and on and that is all I remember at the moment.  We'll see what they actually get!Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from the LaDore's.

What ARE nipples for anyway???

Leave it to Gavin...as he was waiting for the shower to heat up tonight, he puts his hands on his chest and looks at me and says, "Mommy, what ARE these things called?".  Oh my...Well Gav, they're nipples.  "Nipples?"  (giggle giggle giggle)  "What do you do with them?"  Oh my AGAIN.  "Well Gav...boys REALLY don't do anything with them"  I can see the wheels turning in his brain.  Then he says to me "well what do WOMEN do with them?"

I told him to hop in the shower and that was a conversation best left for a few years yet.  I just don't know where he gets it, I really don't.