He's not being replaced....

....we've just made a "memorial" in his name. I'm sure Elbow would approve the changes that were made so that none of his "friends" would succumb to the same fate as he. We bought this "upgrade" today

and also purchased this "sucker" to help keep the place clean.

I know that I may be headed straight on the path to a VERY expensive addiction. But what joy it brings to me and my family! And there sooooo pretty!

We went to the pet store today and saw a lot of BEAUTIFUL fish that we could add to our aquarium. (Sounds expensive, doesn't it?) We are going to see how well these 5 do, and then go check out some other potential tank-mates. Stay tuned!

OH! and I would like some help naming this trash eating neat freak. Come up with as many as you can. The more options we've got, the better.

We are mourning a loss.

I woke up this morning and found Elbow dead. I'm sad because he was my favorite and I really liked his name. I don't know what happened, he seemed fine yesterday. (Spending a lot of time up by the bubbles.) I'm conflicted on what to do now. Jon still picks on the triplets and Omner's tail is getting shorter and shorter and I think that if anymore of it is bitten off, he won't be able to swim, and he too will die. I called my "fish expert" (Bonnie) and she said it could be a number of things. We are going to go for a bigger tank and see if that helps. (Too many fish in a small tank can throw off the ph balance and kill them.) I'm hoping that it will work. (I'm actually excited because it will be fun to put plants and figurines in with them. Maybe I'll get a treasure chest.) If Jon continues to pick on Omner, I may have to keep him in the small tank alone for isolation.

Jon and Elbow have 'tank-mates'

During one of my "breaks" (time that was spent all by myself), Jared took all the kids to the store and came home with "friends" for Jon and Elbow. THREE of them! I don't think he takes into consideration the amount of space needed for fish to survive and the little tank we had was already pushing it for just Jon and Elbow. And the new roomies were bigger in length. I figured, that we'd see what happened (actually thought that it would just speed up the process of their short lived lives....and unbelieveably, they are ALL still very much alive and well. At first Jon and Elbow showed there anger of having to share by nipping at their tails. I was starting to get a little worried because the tails were starting to look a bit tattered. I was considering buying a new tank just for "Aaron, Omner, and Himni." (Jared named them on the way home.) I guess they eventually gave in to having to accept what now invaded their territory and learned to appreciate them. The "triplets" (it's easier to say that when referring to them, than it is to say all their names.) are kind of boring and give Jon and Elbow something to pester when bored. They don't nip anymore, but will chase them every now and then. Kind of reminds me of herding cattle. J & E are very good at it.

Last night, they all moved into a new tank because their other one cracked. It's really nice!!! Not much bigger, but the triplets actually swim more, so I'm assuming they like it.

As I was trying to catch them to put in the new bowl, I put them in glass cups until I was ready to introduce them to their upgraded tank. Himni, was alone in a glass and I'm thinking that it was too full of water because he was no longer in it when I went to get him. I panicked and ran around the counter to look for him on the floor. There he was flopping around on the floor! OH NO! I , carefully as I could without ripping a fin off, peeled him of the ground and quickly placed him back into the cup. There he went,... belly up. Yikes!....he definitely wasn't going to last. I decided to keep him in the cup (Now with less water!) to 'monitor' him over night and see if he was still alive. He would be able to be moved to his new home once I knew his sick almost dead carcus wouldn't contaminate the others. (I actually had intentions of sending him flushing after I was finished cleaning the previous tank.) Jared kept poking him down into the water because he just kept floatin' up. After I was finished with all the rest, I checked on Himni. Miraculously....he was VERY much alive. I couldn't believe it! We decided that he was going to make it and put him in with the fresh clean water and all that "oxygen" (bubbles). What a glorious reunion the triplets had. (ok, not really but i'm sure he was happy to be with his buddies.)

ALL THOSE BUBBLES! A fishes dream. The striped fish here, is Elbow. The last stripe nearest to the tail is thin.

I have taken the time to name and identify each one for your enjoyment. (And because I had nothing else to do.)

Jon- (Tiger Barb) Fat with wide stripe

Elbow- (Tiger Barb) Thin with skinny stripe

Aaron- Biggest fish of that kind (I don't know what kind they are. Bonnie says they are a "darter fish".)

Omner- Smallest fish of that kind

Himni- Middle sized fish of that kind (And with a couple of scales missing because of the tramatic event that occured during "moving".)

Jon is the one hiding behind the filter tube. But you will notice that his stripe is thicker than Elbow's.

The triplets from top to bottom; Omner, Aaron, and Himni.

Stayed tuned for future stories!!!

Picture of the Day

I'm going to use Alisha's idea and post a cool picture every now and then. This one was taken by Mykael on a trip we took and she did pretty darn good! I love the different shades of the same color for the mountains. Makes me think that I could draw/color this. I don't think that it would turn out as good though.

There's nothing like a good session of blowing Spit Bubbles. Eli has been mastering his technique lately, and I do have to admit...He's getting pretty good.

He's discovered that the secret is to get A LOT of spit formed and then proceed with the bubble making.

We call this one, "Open lipped"

"Closed Lip"

I think we know where this one is going...

Joe and Nat or is it, Nat and Joe

I absolutely LOVE it when someone just "drops" in. I don't get very many visitors and when I do, I drop all plans and chill for a bit. Joe and Natalee did just that while they were on their way further south. Anywho....
I was able to catch a few pics during their brief pit stop.


Jane

Nat, Angelle, Dylan

Joesph-ine

Miriam (I can't get enough of this sweet cherub face.)

Eli, Ash, Corbin, Lydia

Feeling hope, when lost

It's been hard to find the time and motivation to blog any more. (And facebook has kind of stolen the show for a while too.) With the economy the way that it is and work harder and harder to find, I find it hard not to loose yourself in the hopelessness and depression that inevitably follows suit. I have found myself pondering the times in which our grandparents went through similar situations and wonder, "How did they do it?" "What were they feeling?" "What did they focus on to get their mind off the chaos that was exploding around them?" Obviously, what they went through didn't kill them and they survived. I keep telling myself that and patiently wait the impact.
With watching some of conference this last weekend, a particular talk reached out to me. (I don't remember who or when) but was told that through difficult trials in your life, try to be optimistic. Look for the lesson and learn from it. Don't let the harshness of the hurdle get you down.
The reason I have done so much canning; peaches, pears, apples, pickles, bananas, tomatoes... is to help with what may come and have come to find the peace of mind I get from ensuring that my family is cared for.
(I strongly suggest that when your in the grocery store next, that you buy an extra item in which you are purchasing.)
If any of you are going through an extremely hard time in your life, know that you are not a lone and that you will be ok. Consider it the refiners fire. How beautiful you will be once you have learned and overcame your obstacle.