Welcome Hammy!

Never in my life did I imagine having a hamster living under the same roof as me.  A cat or two, yes.  A hamster, NO!!! (...and a dog, NEVER! - We'll play with the neighbor's dog!) Apparently, my most stubborn youngest child has different ideas than me on what constitutes an appropriate pet!  Needless to say, he has saved his cash and worn me down.

Introducing...Hammy, "the Speedster", Clayberg!

I seriously thought he was going to jump out of his skin the day we went to get Hammy.  He was over-the-top excited which did my hesitant heart good.  He was grinning from ear to ear and being very philosophical about this new pet.  When we left the pet store, he instructed me to drive very carefully and slowly.  I was NOT to hit any potholes or bumps in the road.  I tried my best, but three blocks from the pet store heard this from my two boys in the backseat:

C: (in a very irritated voice) Mom, drive slower! You promised me you'd be careful driving!  You are hitting all the bumps and we have a baby hamster in the van!
A:  (laughing) Mom's driving like usual!  Just wait for the curb shot!
Yes, those are my loving children.

A few blocks later:

C:  I hope it has babies.
A: You can't have babies without having a boy hamster too.
C: Yes you can!  My friend's hamster had babies with only a girl hamster.
A: Carter, you don't know anything.  Just wait until you are in 5th grade and have "the talk"!  (Austin's class just finished with "the talk".)
C: Duh Austin. But you only need the girl hamster. (I told you he was stubborn my youngest!)
A: (gives a polite version of how babies are made and only blushed a little)
C:  Hmmm...I still think we can have babies without the boy.
Aye, aye, aye!  I had no idea we were going to get a good old fashioned reproduction lesson out of this little adventure.

Once we got home, I had a giggling fit watching the boys try to get Hammy from the box the pet store had put him in to the ball Carter purchased for him or her or it.  (I have no idea what Hammy's gender is!)  They thought the safest way to do it so he wouldn't escape and become a kitty treat was the bathtub with the bathroom door shut!  It only took them about 10 minutes and ended up with "the owner" of Hammy standing on the ledge of the bathtub freaked out asking his "big" brother to help.  Austin to the rescue!

All three of us then sat on the kitchen floor watching a little purple ball with a teeny tiny hamster rolling around.  Fascinating life we lead!

While watching Hammy roll around this brilliant conversation took place:
C: I think he's "white blind".
A: Yeah, I don't think he can see white. He just ran into my sock.
C: Just what I said, he's white blind.

The conversation continued like this:
A: Let's pop some popcorn and pretend like we're watching a movie.
C: Yeah, this hamster thing is cool.  He just rolls around in the ball.  I could watch this movie all day long.