We still love our Harlem...

Although we're very much enamored with our little Fitzwilliam, we can't forget about our original pet little Miss Harlem Aphrodite. Dan's friends who also have a turtle had informed us long ago of being able to feed them small fish. Finally last week after going to Petco to stock up for Fitz we grabbed a few ity bity fishies for some turtle entertainment.

We found it highly entertaining : )

Hot dog! Get your hot dog here!

We are loving our little hotdog!


I think he's getting more acclimated to us which is good but he still misses having his other puppies around to play with.
I didn't realize how similar a puppy is to a baby. I mean I knew they were but he's been crying the past two nights (hopefully just because he's not used to sleeping by himself!) and keeping us up. The pee thing is going okay, probably about 1 out of 3 potty breaks are done with him wandering over to the pad and taking care of business all on his own and a lot of the others we're able to catch and rush him to the pad to finish. He's a great cuddler and loves to play with his stuffed animal. And does okay with the crying when we leave. If leaving this puppy to go to work is anything like leaving your baby I definitely won't be able to handle that! : ) we are loving on our little fitz!

The newest member of the Thomson Clan

Introducing Fitzwilliam "Fitz" Thomson!
He's a miniature Dachshund
And has red hair with a cream chest
And gorgeous baby blues!
He is oh so cute!
And trying to get used to having left his mama and brothers for the first time and going out into the big world. He was shaking the whole cab ride home and when he first got to our apartment. He still hasn't eaten but did eat a couple of treats. He's getting pretty good at running between Dan and I when we call him and hasn't barked yet but does start whimpering pretty pathetically. I just want to snuggle him up and make him feel safe.

Yay for leaving crappy jobs and getting a new cutie pie in our lives : ) so much goodness coming along after so much yucky!

Free

Today I put in my resignation.

I feel free.

Free to be happy again, free to have a life, free to not worry that because of me some child is going to be beaten or worse, free to feel like me. I haven't felt like me in so long, I was getting scared I wouldn't be able to find me again. I think other people missed me being me (especially my husband). But now I'm back because I'm FREE!

Yay for learning lessons and moving on.

Perfect kind of day

A couple weekends ago, we had a perfect kind of Saturday. We got up a little later than normal, and I read in bed, it was glorious! Then we went and had brunch with a friend on the upper west side in a cute diner. After which we enjoyed the beautifully (for once not humid!) perfect weather in Central Park. We walked over from the diner and found a nice tree to lay our blanket under and read for the next couple of hours.
Oh how I love enjoying nice weather and reading!
Then we walked down to Columbus Circle, walked around the little mall for a bit, got a cool drink at Starbucks and headed home to tidy up and relax some more.
Dan didn't like that I made us put the blanket under the shade of a tree the whole time. So he walked around CP without a shirt on. I was embarrassed, but at least he put it on once we left the park!

I think that's one of my favorite kind of days. Reading, reading and more reading interspersed with enjoying food, beautiful weather and friends.

Nicholas goes to the museum

This last Saturday, we met up with Dan's familia to watch Nicholas discover the Natural History Museum. Nicholas desperately wanted to see the dinosaurs when we got there and Uncle Danny taught him all about how to walk like a dino and growl like a dino. We think Nicholas was a little confused when we got to the dinosaur exhibit and there were only bones that looked nothing like he'd seen in picture books. We soon got past that ran around trying to keep the little guy entertained. Museum's like that are much more fun with little ickles.
Afterward we got lunch at shake shack and ate the goodness outside in the beautiful weather.
It was a lot of fun hanging around with family, chatting and playing with Nicholas
Nicholas is getting so big! I feel like every time I see him he's grown so much and is talking so much more. He remembers my name now and sometimes when I'm lucky asks for "aunt Maddie." It makes my heart melt just a little : )

Nielson's

Do you know what the Nielson's ratings are?


The Nielson's ratings are the ratings that say what shows are popular and with what age range.

I've always wanted to be a nielson.

So last week when I came home and saw this I was super excited. I called the lady right away very excited. She sadly stated that the apartment needed to have someone under 18. We did not qualify : ( very sad day for me!

Has anyone ever been a nielson or known someone who was?

The one that got away

This is the fish we're watching for the next 3 weeks for some friends and their 2 little girls.


He looks normal right? Well let me tell you about our little adventure...

On Sunday, dan and I left at 1230pm for church and then promptly went to CT for a family BBQ. It was good times. My m-i-l drove us back into the city and dropped me off while dan went back with her to CT to play with friends.

That's when I noticed.

There was no fish in the fish bowl.

We have a water turtle, who is definitely confined to her tank. We do not have a cat and I have never seen a cat climb through our windows sooo... How the h-e-double hockey sticks did the fish get out and where did it go?!

Lo and behold it was chilling under my dining table. Just staring it's beady little eye at me.

Dead fish! And I have to pick it up by myself!

I called dan yelling and complaining because I married a husband so he would have to do things like this and he was not here!

That's when I went down for a closer look. Omg it's still moving it's gills!

I have a living fish I'm killing by keeping out of the water!

I man up and grab a paper plate and the fish scooper and slide it back into the water. It slowly sinks to the bottom while working its gills more and more. Eventually it tries to move around a bit and I notice it doesn't have one side fin.

I've newly named it nemo. Hope the Cope's are okay with me calling little gimpy that while it's here!

Its still a bit touch and go. I have no clue how long it was out of the water and it is missing a side fin. We'll see if it can get to the top of the water to eat.

I think it learned it's lesson about jumping up when it's hungry, don't you?