Easter Bunny Fail -- Part 3

Sorry...sorta forgot I was leaving everyone in suspense.  Here we go...
--
We put the bunnies in a recycle bin in the closet.  Sure, this may seem a little cruel and unusual.  BUT, I snuck them out during the day when the boys weren't around and then we'd take them out again at night after the boys were in bed.  They were so tiny and adorable.  I'd wrap the little one in a dish towel (to protect from pee and tiny claws) and sit with it on my lap and pet its tiny head.

Still, it was a little stressful thinking of them cooped up in the closet under the stairs behind the coats.  We decided to bump up the surprise to Saturday.  The Easter Bunny could come a little early.  The fateful morning, we set the stage.  We had a book on bunnies from the library and placed it at the top of the stairs.  A stuffed animal bunny went half way down the stairs.  Other bunny Easter decorations were placed strategically along the path to the big reveal.
We set up the camera just like Christmas morning.
We put Phineas and Ferb in an Easter Basket in front of the fire place.
(Yes, Doug had named them.  The small one, my favorite, was Phineas--tiny and more active.  Ferb was slower and more cautious but also more cuddly.)

We called the boys down to the Family Room.

THE EASTER BUNNY CAME EARLY, BOYS!

They came in to the room and stared at the basket in confusion.
Are they real?
Are they ours?
Can we touch them?
Just what exactly is happening here???

"What the...?"

It wasn't long until they fell in love too.

What a fun day!  The boys took turns holding them.  Built them lego houses.  Crawled after them as they hopped around the house exploring.  Sam taught Ferb to get off the couch using a big Rubbermaid lid as a slide.  (Phineas had no trouble hopping down unassisted.)  Gabe tried to feed them straw and bunny feed.  Doug and I contemplated living arrangements.  They were going to have to live in the garage.  But I was envisioning a super cute $200 wooden, raised bunny hutch.  Doug was okay with the $40 plastic version.

All was right with the world.

Reading and bonding.  Perfect.

The cuteness is astounding.

Gray did hold the bunnies.  For about 5 seconds each.

FINALLY, something fluffy to cuddle!!!

  

Until that afternoon.

Max started rubbing his eyes.  They were turning red.  Getting puffy and swollen.  At the same time, Doug came in contact with the hay for the first time and started sneezing.  And sneezing and sneezing.  And if you've ever heard Doug sneeze, you know it's a very...jarring experience.  We noticed Gabe and Sam had light rashes on their tummies from where the bunnies had poked them with tiny claws.

We started thinking maybe bunnies weren't such a great idea.

He went through a few scenarios:  Keeping them only in the garage.  Keeping them away from Max.

But decided it just wasn't going to work out.

That evening, with Max's eyes nearly swollen shut and Doug sneezing non-stop, I called the bunny lady and asked her if she would take them back.  She wasn't thrilled with the idea--being as it was the day before Easter.  But she graciously offered to take them and return our money.  I may have shed a tiny tear.

All of just decided to go together.  The whole family wanted to see where they were going.

The bunny lady was very nice.  She let the boys into her back yard to see Phineas and Ferb returned to their first home.  (They seemed happy to see their older rabbit buddies) 

[Then she let them go around to the other side of her house and see the miniature horses she said she keeps as lawn ornaments.  (Yes, the boys were extremely jealous...maybe we'll try those next!)]

We left her house that night a little dejected and depressed.  

But hey, bunnies for day is better than no bunnies ever, right?  RIGHT?!?!?!?

Oh well.  Next year the Easter Bunny will stick to delivering chocolate!!!

The End!

Yes! Pet! -- Part 2

Continued from here!

A few days later, Facebook intervened again.  A friend posted a picture of her son holding an ADORABLE lop-eared bunny with the caption "Easter bunny came early this year!"

I went back through my old messages and found the number Doug had texted.

Then, impulsively, I called the number.

The lady on the other end said she had a few bunnies left, but they were going fast!
Easter was only three days away!

I told her I'd talk to my husband and call her back.  "Okay, but they might be gone tonight!  They're going FAST."

I hung up.

I considered talking to Doug.

But then decided to surprise him too.  After all, he sent me the number.  That implied consent.

I called back and told her I'd come right over.

So with Doug still in his car coming home, I abandoned my children, (he was around the corner) jumped in the car, and sped to the ritzy part of town.  

The part where people have multiple acres and own many horses.  

Horses that live in stables right next to the house.

I arrived at a beautiful huge home and was taken around to the side yard.  

An amazing side yard filled with raised garden beds and large, walk-in style, rabbit cages (housing smaller rabbit hutches inside).

I was introduced to a Dwarf Netherland bunny.  I don't like large animals.  The smaller they are, the cuter they are in my humble opinion.  So I wanted the runt.  

He was tiny and gray and adorable.  I fell in love.  (As I am want to do with tiny things.)

The lady was a great saleswoman!  She talked up how great they are--and clean and good tempered...

"Are you SURE you don't want two?  They're very social!  They'd keep each other company when your kids aren't playing with them!  Your boys wouldn't have to fight over them if you had two...!"

Okay, fine.  I'll take two.  Good thing I carry cash (because of stupid Dave Ramsey.  Although I don't think Dave Ramsey would have approved this purchase.)

I forked over $100 and drove away, totally clueless about pet ownership, no pet stuff whatsoever, with two tiny bunnies in my lap.

When I got home I made Doug come out to the car.

He was a little baffled that I, a life-long fur hater, had actually just come home with two bunnies.
But he agreed that they were absolutely adorable.  He started falling in love too.  They were really, really cute little gray puff-balls.

We conspired.  It was Baby Gray's second birthday.  Should we surprise the kids immediately?  Or try to keep the bunnies secret until Easter three days away?

Easter Bunnies Easter morning would be EPIC.  A memory the boys would never forget, right?

We decided to keep them a secret...



To be continued one last time...

To Pet or Not to Pet? Part 1

We've been playing with the idea for awhile.  The boys have begged.  They all want one.  We go back and forth...

Pet or no pet?

I'm strictly a "no pet" girl myself.  I had bad allergies as a kid and was pretty much taught to hate and fear anything with fur.  (DON'T TOUCH THE DANDER!!!)  The only pets we ever had were goldfish won at the school fair. (Much to my mother's chagrin.)  And those never lasted long before they took their last, long swim down the toilet.

Doug was the opposite.  His family had quite the managerie over the years.  Cats, Dogs, Rabbits, Hamsters, Guinea Pigs, Hermit Crabs--most of which met with tragic ends.  (Some given away, some run over...)  But surprisingly, he never wanted to add any of these to our family.  Happily for me, he's been content with the occasional snake or fish.  So the pets I HAVE had over the years, (post High School) were of the swimming or slithering variety.

(With the exception of a Chinchilla we got from Wendy and had for a short period of time before Dental school.  I'm pretty sure we sold it at a garage sale before we moved.  Or possibly just gave it to a neighbor...?)

Anyway, I've had fish, frogs, and two or three snakes but nothing you can cuddle with.   And that's been fine.  Until now.

NOW, the boys want a pet.  And not the slimy or slithery kind.
Oh no, they want...

Something to cuddle.

Problem is, Max has allergies.  He's definitely allergic to cats--that's one of his worst reactions.  Dogs used to score a big reaction but didn't show up as strongly on his last prick test.   So we thought maybe he was growing out of his dander allergy...

(We'll always keep that cat one though.  We're all allergic to cats in this family.  Mentally if not physically.)

So I came up with the brilliant idea to get a chicken.  I've seen around the blogosphere that they're sorta hip pets to have these day.  Fun and functional!  Free eggs!  Kids love 'em!  And they eat the bugs in your grass!  And if you get sick of them, you can have them for dinner!  (Kidding!)

Unfortunately, upon checking with the landlord, we discovered they're not allowed by the HOA.
No chickens.

Then, in my quest for something that would satisfy the kids and not be too gross for me, I learned
(on Facebook and then on YouTube) about Sugar Gliders!
Weird, slightly rodent-like, but also cute and cuddly and tricky!  They'll sit in your pocket all day!  A pocket pet!  How cute is that?

Sugar Gliders would be the pet for us!

Unfortunately...

They're ILLEGAL in California!  Along with Ferrets, Gerbils, Hedgehogs, and concealed hand-guns!  (California=Fun killer.)

No Sugar Gliders.

Then one day on a bike ride, Doug saw a sign advertising "Bunnies for Sale".  He texted me the number.
Hmm.  Bunnies.
Bunnies are cute.  And it was almost Easter.
I've never actually wanted a bunny, but I've also never NOT wanted a bunny.

Wendy had bunnies.  I never wanted to touch them, but I figured maybe if I bonded with it as a baby...

In my indecision I proceeded to do...

nothing.

At least not that day...

To Be Continued!

How're Things: Work Edition

So.  Wanna know what else takes a LOT of time and ISN'T home schooling?
Starting a new business.
That takes a LOT of time.
And energy--both physical and mental.
And faith.
And prayer.
And me struggling--after a 10 year hiatus--to do "design work" for ads and mailers and fliers and Pinterest graphics!
And desperate pleading with friends and family to please, PLEASE just write something nice on Facebook or Yelp about Doug and "the practice".

It's exhausting.

Never in our entire marriage--and this includes when we lived through a major natural disaster--have we been so stressed for such a long period of time.

Sure Dental School was "challenging".  (I used to think it was "hard", now I've revised my opinion.)

The two-year residency in Rhode Island was definitely "busy" and there were some long "on-call" nights.

The three years in Japan for the Air Force were hard at times because of the distance from family.
The last four months were definitely stressful and well--more stressful--because of the whole triple threat*.  But for the most part--in hindsight--it seems to have been a cake-walk.
(I mean really-- Doug just had to show up for work and get paid.  No problem.  Easy-peasy.  And sometimes he was done by 4:30 p.m.)

Now, life is challenging, and busy, and hard, and stressful and repeat x1,000.

Now, our kids who have always been male and always been messy and always been loud are somehow now MORE male/messy/loud!!!  Much more!!!

Now if Doug comes home at 4:30 (which he doesn't, but if he did) it means he has no patients which means he's not earning money which means we might not have enough to cover over-head for the extremely expensive practice we started.  With all that implies.

But he DOESN'T come home at 4:30.  He leaves early and stays late.  And three days a week he works in a city an hour away (while he works to build up the practice closer to home.)  Which adds 2 hours to his work day.

But it's not the hours.  Many others have worse hours.

No, it's the fact that for all those hours he's putting in, he may or may not be getting a lot out.

If Doug works all day, but only sees patients who come in with the $39 New Patient Visit coupon, he doesn't make any money that day.

If he works all day in Temecula, busting his...bottom, seeing a million patients--but all those patience have Medi-Cal, he makes a pittance--pennies on the dollar what the proceedure is worth.

There are some discouraging, overwhelming days.

BUT, with all that said, things aren't all doom and gloom.

*Doug's staff is awesome!  Holly, who sits at the front desk, is amazing.  Truly amazing.  She's nice, helpful, knowledgeable, charitable, and kind.  She does her best to make sure every person who walks in the door is taken care of.  The assistants, Natalie and Yesenia, are also great.  Happy, friendly, and hard workers.  It's a huuuuuge bonus that we were lucky enough to find employees that actually care about the business as much as we do.

*Our brand is awesome and the website looks amazing and really impresses people.  We've gotten new patients simply because they liked the website.  (Thanks Shawn!!!)

*Despite the commute, the job an hour away is a HUGE blessing.  HUGE!  We couldn't have survived without it.

*We broke even last month for the first time. We're set to break even again this month!  WAHOO!!!!

*Patients ARE responding to the advertising and coming in.  And although some will inevitably follow the next coupon out the door, others will stay and become regular (hopefully paying) patients!

*We've gotten some really great comments on the FB page and on Yelp!  One review, from a total stranger, was so nice I may have gotten a little teary.  (I might be, possibly, a little teeny-tiny-itty-bitty-bit overly hormonal these days also.  Might be.)

So yes, things are looking up.  We're no longer stressed about going bankrupt every single day--just once a week now.  And although paying off all those bleepin' student loans and actually buying a house still seems like an impossible dream, every once in awhile I have a glimmer of hope.  And I think we're going to be okay!


So that's how things are going with us.
What about you?  
Started any new businesses lately?
Have any kids with rotten teeth that you want to bring for a visit?


*(The earth quake/tsunami/nuclear threat thing was obviously extremely stressful and traumatic.  But at the same time, there was a sense of hope and camaraderie as the Americans worked with the Japanese for the common good.  We were all in the same situation dealing with the same terrible things so we supported and helped each other to get through it.  There was also a sense of accomplishment as we worked and volunteered and saw the immediate fruits of our labor--even if they were just a drop in the bucket.)

Shades of Gray

Our baby is officially a toddler now!
Gray-Gray (no, not Gregory) turned TWO!
And although my other children have had a friend party upon reaching the ripe old age of two, poor picked-on #4 only got a family "party" and a very hastily frosted cake.  (Not my usual multi-hour effort.)

Monster Cake for an adorable little monster

Poor thing.  Great thing about two year olds though?  They don't know the difference.  BUT, to avoid leaving this blog as void of his presense as his baby book, I want to mention a few of Gray's charms.

Gray LOVES;
His bottle.
Filled with milk.  Even if it's severely watered-down, he still prefers it to any other beverage in any other beverage delivery apparatus.

His Mama.
He likes to follow me around.  He likes to sit on my lap when I'm sitting and hang on my leg (begging to be held) when I'm standing.  (Super fun when I'm making dinner.)  And although he does leave my presence occasionally, if he hears my voice he'll come right back.

His Daddy.
As soon as he hears D's voice, he runs to the door squealing "DAHDEEEEE!!!!" at the top of his lungs.  He loves to swim with Daddy.  He loves to snuggle and read stories with Daddy.  If I weren't around, and Daddy was always around, that would be just fine with Gray-Gray.

His brothers.

The only thing that can tempt Gray off of my leg when Daddy isn't around, is the possibility of playing with his big brothers.  He loves them.  He mimics them.  He follows them around.  It's cute.
(Except when he's mimicking violence or extreme noisiness.)

Reading and being read to.
Just like his big brothers.  It's pretty cute to find him looking at a book or cuddled up with Daddy and Gabe listening to a bed time story.

Living by his Aunt, Uncle and Cousins.

He likes playing hard-to-get around Aunt Laura and likes when Uncle Jeff smells his "stinky feets".  He especially loves his cousin babysitters!

Other great things about Gray:

Gray eats salad and loves spinach smoothies.  (When milk isn't an option.)

Gray sings in the car.
Gray sits on the counter when I cook and likes to sample dinner before anyone else.

Gray has a naughty streak similar to Maxwell's as a baby!

Gray was born in JAPAN after a very long, very GRAY winter.  

(And he's been a ray of SUNSHINE ever since.)  

(No, he does not have dual citizenship because he was born on an American base.)

(But he does have some adorable Japanese clothing.)

"Power of Beetle"!!!

Gray folds his arms and fake closes his eyes during prayers.
Gray has a very adorable mischievous smile...

and even more adorable angry scowl.

"Sammy, I said..."

"NO BUNNY EARS!!!"

"Hmmpfh!"

Gray is just a cute kid and we love him!!!

Happy birthday sweet boy #4!!!

Good Thing I Know A Guy...!

WARNING:  This post contains graphic tooth images!

Max:  (runs to me sobbing...)  "I was in the garage and I stepped on something and it flew up and hit me in the face!!!"

Me:  "Okay, let me se...WOAH!!!  YOUR TOOTH!!!"  (Not my best parenting moment.)

Max:  "My tooth?  What happened to my tooth???  (feels with tongue...)  MY TOOOOOOOTH!!!"

(more tears.)

Me:  Immediately sends a picture to Doug on his phone.  And calls his office and asked the Front Desk to please interrupt him and have him look at his phone.


Doug:  "Find the missing piece!!!"

Me:  Searched nasty garage floor for 30 minutes and finally recovered missing triangle amidst camouflage "Sport Court" flooring, dust, sand, and popcorn.
Placed it in milk per instructions.  
(Our garage doubles as a play room.  That doesn't mean it's clean though...!)

 

Doug:  Finishes work, drives an hour to get home, eats dinner, takes Max to the office, and saves the day and the tooth!  (And cleaned and polished M's teeth while he was at it!)

Being married to a pediatric dentist has its perks!!!

How're Things? Home School Edition

Maybe you've noticed I don't blog much any more.  I also don't read blogs any more, clean the house, do the dishes, grocery shop, make dinner, or play with Gabe or Gray.  That can be blamed entirely on HOME SCHOOL!

Although I think we're in a grove now, and although Max loooooooves it, it is extremely time consuming and at times overwhelming.  (At least I don't think I'm making him stupider by the minute anymore...which is what I thought for the first few months.)

Like I said, we're sorta in a grove and I think it's going pretty well.  We've switched to a charter school closer to home and they provide the curriculum free of charge (if you don't count my state taxes) as well as providing some structure and deadlines to get things done.   This charter school told me "If you're spending more than 3-4 hours a day on school, you're trying to cram too much in."  (As opposed to the last school which told me  "Regular school day!  6-7 hours!")

The great part is, it's very flexible.   If we set a goal that proves to be too much work or too overwhelming, we adjust it the next month until it's doable.  Sometimes I think it's worth the pain and effort and that next year we'll pull Sam out and home school the whole family forever.  The next day, I pull my head out and decide Max is going back next year.  ...then I hear about yet another wacky California public school policy and want to run the other way screaming.
So for next year?  Completely up in the air and undecided!

The one thing that has even made home schooling possible for me?  Math curriculum from Teaching Textbooks.  I don't have to teach math!  Max watches/listens to the lecture on the computer.  Does the assignment (or quiz) on the computer, and the program grades the lesson and keeps a record of his scores.  There are many things I love about it.  And Max likes it too!  He does two lessons a day no problem!  If he misses more than 2 or 3 problems, I can go in, erase those answers, and have him do the ones he missed again.  (If you're interested, you can go to their site and click on the "sample lesson" button to see what it looks like and how it works.  It's pretty genius.)

One home schooling bonus:  We got to go to Sea World for a field trip!  Sea World has a 'home school day' twice a year where they offer tickets for something like $5.75 per kid!

The boys had never been so I let Sammy ditch school and took all four kids.  

It was a lot of stressful fun!  

(Next time I will leave Gray with a friend and take Doug instead!)

And that's how home school is going.

Any questions?