HAMMIES ARE GROWING

After days of telling Jackie, "No... you cannot pick up the baby hamsters yet....", the day finally came when we HAD to clean the hamster crate. YUCK!!! Yes, it was starting to smell like rodent-infestation in her room, so we got them all out and cleaned the cage yesterday. She was thrilled (as were the other three youngun's!). Here she is with the one little blondie (it's a girl, of course). She seems to have picked it to be her very own, although I don't remember her even asking if she could have another one in addition to Rosie.

This is a picture of the little booger all by itself. I suppose they are kind of growing on me. There are still 6 alive (imagine that!). We have figured out that we have 4 boys and 2 girls. There are 2 black ones (both boys), 3 golden ones (2 boys and 1 girl), and then this little blonde one. They are actually eating apples, bread, and even corn. When Jackie got the first one out of the cage, it must have been "attached" to Mommy, cause when she sat it down, she squeezed too hard, and out squirted hammie-milk! OK, now I whole-heartedly support breast-feeding, but that was a little much for me!!! Rodent milk is not what I wanted to be sticking my fingers in as I helped her clean that cage! Boy... it is so amazing to me the things that I have learned as a homeschooling mother (certainly NOTHING I learned in college!).

And this last photo is one of the fountain that my dad helped put in our front yard in 2006. We have been sitting in fog for a few days (does that surprise anyone who has frequented our house?!?!?) and when I looked out the window and got a glimpse of this, I grabbed the camera and headed out the door. Pretty, huh?