Saying 'goodbye' to our apartment

Our keys needed to be turned in at our apartment by noon today so yesterday afternoon I took the boys there so we could say a final 'goodbye'. As we were driving there it all of a sudden seemed like such a long drive. Most likely because we are so close to everything now. When I was pulling my car into the garage I was flooded with the memory of bringing Rex home from the birth center. I instantly started to cry.

It's just amazing after not living there for almost a month how much you can forget. Like how the door squeaks, how Rex always giggles at Levi walking up the stairs and how the place smells. The kids ran around chasing each other and giggling like crazy the whole time we were there. When it was time to go Levi went into every room and yelled "GOODBYE!". I went there thinking that Levi was going to have a really difficult time with saying goodbye and leaving but it hardly phased him. Instead it was me that started crying as I was reminded of so many different memories. When I shut the door for the last time, trying to fight back tears, I put the key in to lock it and realized that I was trying to lock it with my house key. They don't look anything alike. My house key is bright pink, hello kitty. Glancing down and seeing the house key in my hand instead of our apartment key made me realize that as hard as it is to say goodbye, I'm about to go HOME. To our house. The place that we will call our home for years and years and years. The place where we will make far more memories than we had at our apartment. As special as those memories are, they go with us where ever we go. And that's what's most important.

Last time at our apartment - Levi (5) Rex (17.5 months)

Silver Slide : The best spur of the moment decision

Levi has been asking for a cat lately. I don't do cats. But I'd be willing to get one if he agreed to take care of it and there were ground rules in place.

I'm an animals-in-cages person. It's been in the back of my head ever since our snake Frankenstein escaped (story for some other time?) to get a hamster. A couple weeks ago though Levi captured a baby Frog that we took in and made a home for in Frankenstein's old cage. We couldn't get it to eat and it passed away a few days ago. I found myself enjoying having that frog to check up on and entertain us. I was bummed he didn't make it.

Andy was working from home yesterday so I decided to find some "errands" to run to get us out of the apartment for a while so it would be easier for him to work. First stop: Petsmart! The plan was to look. Just look. And to also price things out because I knew I wanted us to have a hamster sometime in the near future. I went there thinking it would cost around $100. Once we were there and checked out all of the things we would need for one I discovered we could get everything (including the hamster) for almost half of what I thought!

I gave Andy a call and he said "Do whatever you want. It's up to you." I talked it over with Levi and made a deal. I told him that I know he wants a cat so if we get this hamster and he helps me clean the cage, feed, water and play with him then once the hamster is no longer with us we can talk seriously about getting a cat. That is if he proves that he can help take care of one. Levi loved that idea!

We looked over all the different types of hamsters they had. All but two of them were sleeping. Levi fell in love with the most active one. This hamster was filling his mouth up with bedding and bringing it into his house. He thought this was absolutely hilarious! It was then that I was completely sold on the idea of taking home a hamster today. Seeing Levi light up like that was the best!

It was so fun picking out the different things we needed for our hamster, getting home and setting it all up. Once he was in his cage Levi sat watching him for the longest time and found everything that this hamster did incredibly funny! When I asked Levi what we should name him he said "Silver Slide". Who knows where it came from or how he came up with it!

I see many great memories ahead with Silver Slide and I'm sure Levi will remember him for the rest of his life like I remember my first hamster at his age, "Elmo".