Surprise!!

In just over 2 weeks, Melanie will be finishing up 2 (very short) years of middle school! The time has just flown by and our little girl is about to start HS! (OMG - I am scared to death of this next chapter!) Back in Chicago, an 8th grade graduation was a big deal... in Castle Rock - they have a carnival - that's it! No caps, no gowns, no Kleenex flowers (anyone remember making those)? What is wrong with this place? Well, since there will be no party, we weren't about to let this big event (to us) go unmarked - so we planned on getting her a gift! The only thing she's been asking for is FISH! And she wasn't even thinking of getting them for graduation! She had planned for them on her birthday!

Well we were out and about on Saturday and we thought what better time than to surprise her with a trip to PetSmart! Since Dan won't be around on her last day of school (business trip to - Chicago), we could just get her that present early! You've never seen a 13 year old so thrilled when she looked up and she instantly knew what we were doing there! She was jumping up and down - very anxious to get her new fishes!


We decided on a 26 gallon tank that would hold quiet a few fish! Unfortunately it did not fit into Melanie's bedroom as she hoped, so we made it's home in our TV Loft. This way we all can enjoy the fishes! The "kids" set up the tank on Saturday afternoon and impatiently waited for it to get to the right temperature so they could add fish.


On Sunday after Melanie treated me to a movie for Mother's Day, we went back to PetSmart and picked out 3 inexpensive little fish! The yellow one is Harold - he's her favorite! The white one is Bruno - he's kind of a loner. And the red one we named Ginger! 24 hours later, they're still alive! Yippee!! We went back to the store tonight but were told we should have patience and wait another week before we add any more fish to the water. You've never seen such long faces on my children before! Dan was so anxious to buy his "Jaws" and "Cuddles"! Eventually in a few weeks Melanie wants to add an Angel Fish - that is her favorite! I can't wait until her "school" is full and we can all sit and enjoy them, wishing we were small enough to snorkel inside the tank! (Can you spot Ginger?)