Laughter, Could be the Missing Piece!: Beautiful for a Reason!

We have recently gotten a very small fish tank and fish. Well to be exact, a betta, 2 guppies and 2 frogs. I got this because of a story my daughters boyfriend told about why they have fish. They keep fish tanks around their dining table so that the younger children at the table longer (well it stated a few years ago as the "younger children" are now old enough to sit without the draw of the fish TV). I figured we would give it a try, as I will try anything to keep James at the table for a reasonable meal duration. It worked for a while but it also drew the cats to the table for all meals! The cats love to play tag with the feisty frog (one frog passed away shortly after we got it home, it never swam right, so it likely was not well when we got it), and watch the fish swim around. They love the tank so much that we had to put it in the downstairs bathroom during the night to protect the fish from any cat antics while we are sleeping.
Well, yesterday morning it happened... And it happened bigggggg!!! We forgot to put the fish in the bathroom during the night and the tank got leaned on and over it went! My husband woke up at 4AM and discovered the disaster. Wet table, empty tank, not a fish, frog, or cat in sight. He expected the worst but was relieved to discover the betta on the table in a betta sized puddle and he quickly righted tank and placed him back in the water. While one guppie didn't survive the trauma, the other one did, but obviously was not right and died within a few hours. The frog was no where to be found. We had heard from the pet store that these frogs are notorious for getting out of tanks and being found in other places. Well, this amazing frog must have had a tracking devise because he found his way to the cat water bowl which is about 25 feet away from the table! So from our original tank, the betta and the frog were left and it was clear that a larger tank was in order and a necessity!!

We now have a 3 gallon, half moon shaped tank that has a permanent home. It has disco lights and bubbles for extra fun (for us at least!) The betta hasn't come out of the corner where the filter lives and the frog is constantly hiding in the tank plants. However, their new tank roommates have been super busy exploring their new environment. We have a small catfish type "shark" and three beautiful guppies (blue, orange and yellow).
James commented on how pretty the guppies were yesterday to his sister. She told him that it is very common for the males of a species to be beautiful. He thought for a second and then said, "oh... to get the girls to want to marry him!" Yup, my 8 year old has figured out one of the great mysteries in relationships. They start so young!
One of the activities done in most elementary schools is Star of the Week. This is a chance for the kids to shine for a week and the others in the class to tell what they like about each child. James' teacher had each student write a letter to the Star of the week as a writing exercise. We got the completed book after all of the Stars had had their turn. It is a wonderful book and testimony from his classmates and we will cherish it. One entry stood out. It was written by a young lady who James really likes (I mean REALLY likes!!) I am paraphrasing here, but, basically she said that he was handsome and she loved his eyes. James gets the eye comment all the time from just about anyone he comes in contact with. Let's face it, the kid is gorgeous! Oh boy, my husband and I are going to have our hands full when he gets older, although the girls loved him when he was little too!