Our Lili is off to her Grade 5 camp trip to Bamfield this morning. Had to get up at 4am. That part was fun. Jia of course woke up and ate a full breakfast, I had to convince her it was still night to get her back to bed :) Lili was good to go, having been to stay away camp a couple times before certainly helps. It's her 11th Birthday tomorrow, she isn't thrilled about being away for that but I think it will be ok once she realizes the day is still fun. We took photos of her gifts and wrapped them up so she can open them at her leisure. We got her a blue boys 18 speed mountain bike. She wasn't quite as keen with her girly cruiser as Fei and I are. I couldn't send cake so she picked out a treat to share with her classmates, jolly rancher suckers. I made a carboard cake and stuck them in the top like icing. Turned out great. Not sure the teacher wanted to lug them on the trip or leave them in the class for another day but either way, Lili loved how it turned out and thanked me for the effort. What Lili doesn't know is that her teacher called ahead and ordered a cake for her at camp. So sweet. Can't wait to pick her up on Thursday and hear all about the adventure.
We had to say good bye to Sophie girl last week. It was expected so it was handled well by everyone. She was our only biter, she was deaf, didn't hang on very well, she never potty trained and peed her bed every day but she was the prettiest rat ever and we still loved her, she is missed. She almost made it to two years old. We certainly aren't getting any great longevity from out sweet girls. Stella is still with us, she is a year and a half. I was hoping to find a resue girl the same age to keep her company but we've had no luck finding one.
Lili has never been too artistic. Perhaps a double jointed finger issue but she is starting to do some doodling that looks pretty good. She brought home this little lion and Jia was very impressed and wanted to draw a lion just like Lili. Fei was away for most of the weekend, Lili and Jia did some bonding, which they really needed. It was very sweet to watch.
Miss Hanna had her 10th Birthday on the weekend and she choose a skating party. I had hoped to keep that a secret from Jia and just let Eric take the big girls but Fei excitedly told Jia we were all going and Jia talked about it for days. She even took to skating around the house with very precise and correct moves to show us how skating is done. So, she was over the top excited by the time we got there and totally zoned out when the skates were going on. A surreal moment for her. Then they finally hit the ice and she hated it. Too slippery. She went once around with Eric holding her and then once again with a walker and then she wanted to go home. I sat her with me to watch, keeping her skates on, thinking she would change her mind, but no, she was done and really wanted to go home. I think that's the first time she's been really dissappointed with a new experience. Lili and Fei don't get skating very often, they were clinging to the walls for the first couple laps, Lili managed some skating on her own and Fei held Eric's hand for the most part. They had fun though and would like to go again.
Now the most exciting news of all. We went to the pet store yesterday to buy a couple snails for Jia's fish tank and the lady at the pet store told us she just got in a litter of baby girl rats, five weeks old. Eric and I had decided to let both girls have babies, so they can play together and we'll use the new cage for them since they'll just annoy Stella who wants to sleep most of the day away. It was hillarious watching them try to pick one from about 12. They were constant motion and it was hard to keep track. I think the lady in the pet store was enjoying their careful consideration of which one would be best. We weren't allowed to hold them because they weren't hand trained and so jumpy. I was pretty scared about that since all of our babies have been trained when we got them. Eric went in to get snails at a different place and by the time he got back to the car the two babies were already comfortable to be held. That quick. Not kidding. It was amazing. Now it is total love, there is just nothing cuter (in our humble opinions) than baby ratties. So fun. Lili was a bit sad to leave her new baby but Fei and I have promised to cuddle her lots. They are so fluffy when they're this little. Lili's little girl fell asleep on her belly last night and Lili got the cutest pictures of her.
Introducing Lea
Introducing Lola
Lea fell asleep on Lili's belly and stayed there for an hour nap! Fei's Lola napped in her hair but we couldn't see her to take pictures.
She took a few pics with her phone, these two were the cutest. I think this last one is the sweetest rat picture any of us have ever taken.
School stuff still on the front line. I'm still managing to stay out of the stress. Eric is involved. Some crazy stuff coming about. Eric is finding it draining and tedious, just going around in cirlcles over the same issues over and over again. Wish it wasn't going to take so long to find out the verdict.
We think Sunrise has everything for our dossier as of yesterday. I think we're waiting to hear when we are DTC. Amazingly still no word on Little Guy.
