Taylor's little Creature Part II

Before I tell the following story, I apologize for keeping my blogs centered on Taylor's silly creature-catching adventures. But it just tickles me how fond Taylor is of these little animals.

We went to a Mexican restaurant tonight for dinner, because a realtor was SUPPOSED to show the house, but it turned out to be a no-show. That is really frustrating, by the way. You get a phone call that they are coming to look at your house in one hour. These could be the ones to buy your house. You have ONE HOUR to make the house spotless, get the kids looking presentable, change the diapers, figure out where you are going to take them, and fit in nursing in all that. So I say "grrrrr"! to the no-shows.

Anyway, we are at the restaurant, enjoying our delicious food, while Taylor and McKay are off playing--it's an outdoor restaurant with a little play area for kids. Taylor finds a frog in the dirt and informs me.

I think, "oh, great, we're going to have withdrawals when it's time to let it go". She catches it and comes to show it to me. It's not the usual little baby frogs that we find. .....

It's a big one! Creepy!

Well, Taylor became the star to all the girls and boys five and under. She is in her own little happy world with her frog-friend, while all these little kids come over to look at it, attempt to touch it, and then scream. So much fun.

Spencer suggests that she shows the kids how the frog can hop. So much fun. All the kids get excited, and Taylor gets a little panicky because she does not want it to hop away. So the big amphibian only gets to hop four times and then it's caught again. Poor thing. A few minutes later Spencer again suggests that she show the kids how the frog can hop, but he uses the phrase "LAST TIME". When you use this phrase it really means the last time, as Taylor is well aware. It is usually used in our home to end the games that go on and on, like "ring around the rosies", and "motor boat", and "hide-and-seek". Well, Dad said it yet again. He said, "Show the kids one last time". Taylor looked at him and said, "Dad, you already said 'last time'!" Can you believe how good she is? She sure is hard to trick!

A boy comments about the "frog".

Taylor replies, "See the bumps on it's back? That means it's a toad".

She kept repeating this whenever someone would call it a frog. I was impressed. She got that from a book we read to her about amphibians.

The adults in the restaurant thought this was all so much fun to watch. The time soon came that it was time to let the toad go. Not so fun anymore. Taylor was heart-broken. It wasn't a tantrum type of cry. It was a I-have-to-say-good-bye-to-my-favorite-pet-in-all-the-world type of cry. Taylor was saying, "But it's my pet, mom"!

Some parents were looking at Spencer and I like, "how are you or how can you say no to that?". I felt bad for Taylor...but these creatures just are not my kind of pet. They are salmonella-infested, they have an insect diet, and they are squishy, dirty and ugly. They are outdoor fun for the day, and then we let them go and wash our hands clean and say good bye and wait for the day when we get to catch another one.