Bean babies, squirrels, and crickets.

So the title doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Let me elaborate.

One day while playing in the sandbox Keith took off his socks. Belle decided to fill a sock with sand so it could be a baby. I decided to trade her for an old sock, and let her draw a face on it. The neighbor kids decided this looked like fun, and there were about 4 or 5 sand babies being pushed down our street in strollers, put to bed in holes in the sandbox, etc. most of the day. They had a blast, and we thought it was cute. Until the sand babies started coming up on the porch and even in the house. We explained to Belle that her sand baby had to live in the sandbox, and her last name was sandbox. If she came in the house she had to stay in a designated spot and could not be taken out. So she sang her to sleep and left her alone. I suggested she might consider making her baby out of beans, so it could come inside. By the next morning she decided to go with this alternative plan. We dumped the sand out of her, washed her, filled her with beans, re-drew the face, and sewed some yarn on top for hair. "Inside Isabelle Chandelier" has been well-loved. the 'Inside' comes from the fact that she didn't have to be 'sandbox' anymore, and the "Chandelier" comes from Fancy Nancy who named her doll "Marabelle Lavinia Chandelier". Keith ended up with a bean baby as well and they carried them around for days. We went to Marion so David could help with the fall branding and vaccinating the calves job. And here we were, standing and watching PaPa de-horn the calves, and Belle and Keith are holding their bean babies.

I always knew at some point I would probably have sons who would bring in bugs for pets. Never did I think I would have a girl with such habits. We have had a series of millipede's named Pedgy, and the latest thing brought in is crickets. She was looking to catch butterflies and only found crickets. David would catch them, hand them to her, and then she put them in a jar. For several days the crickets sat on the counter with grass to eat and slots in the lid. When they started to look a little sickly we convinced her we needed to let them go so they wouldn't die in the jar. She was a little broken up about it. "Daddy, tell me when you let them go and I will pretend to cry."

And the squirrels. We missed the pumpkin walk they had here, couldn't find a corn maze or any other fall type family outing, so we went to Stansbury pond and fed the ducks popcorn. While there Belle found a pet squirrel. Well actually, it's a buckeye nut. (yup, like the Ohio State Buckeyes. Who is afraid of a nut anyway? Seriously? A Nut?) The nut is apparently a squirrel. And after the duck outing we went straight to the library. Where said squirrel was missing when it was time to go home. We looked around, couldn't find it, gave up and went home. As we were pulling on our street Belle was doing the BEST pouty-lip whimper "I'm going to miss that litte squirrel." and then the near-tears "I wanted to introduce her to Baby and Pinky-Pie" Sniffle. Pout.

Keith and I got out of the car, and Daddy (SOFTYYYYY) took Belle back to the library to look for the nut. Searched everywhere, enlisted the help of the librarian, but no squirrel-nut thing to be found anywhere. Until they got back out to the car. And found the thing IN the library bag with the books. AWESOME.

The next day we went to the temple and they have a few trees that produce buckeyes right by the sidewalk on temple square. So now Belle and Keith have about four squirrels each. Belle's squirrels are reproducing and we now have about 20 babies. Or dry pinto beans. Can't say I keep a straight face every time Belle says in her playing house voice to the bean and the nut: "Ohhhh, she wants her Mommy..." sooo sweet. Or hilarious. You pick.