uh, hello? any body in there?

SO, it happened. i broke down and bought a hamster for elise. i couldn't really say no after a wonderful friend of mine sent a HUGE box filled with every hamster cage, contraption, food etc. made for a little critter. we went yesterday, got a sweet brown little girl, and brought her home to her new pimped out crib. (literally, the cage is huge! just look below) within seconds, michelle was all over it. trying to mess with the doors, poke at it, scream at it, whatever you can do to give a rodent a heart attack, she did. elise was a bit better, at least listening to me after the fourth time to leave the poor thing alone and give it a chance to collect itself.

we ate dinner and left to take the mister to the train station. when we got back though, this is where the drama kicked in. it seems that michelle YET again opened the cage door, only this time didn't close it and off we left. we ran our errands and made our way back into the house where the girls immediately went straight for the hamster. only we couldn't find it. panic started to creep into my stomach at the thought of some small animal pooing and peeing in my house. let alone having to calm down two hysterical girls. i went through that cage inch by inch, i searched the tubes then we moved on to the house. we looked under chairs, bookshelves, couch, tables all the while me angrily lecturing my children about "this is why i tell you to be careful, to not open the cage, to LEAVE THE HAMSTER ALONE!" but it was no where to be found. after a good 45 minutes search i gave up. both elise and michelle lost it. they just sat down and cried. then michelle looked up at me and said, "Jesus will find the hamster." so, i asked elise to say a prayer. she prayed that we could find the hamster, that it would be safe and happy. then, we searched some more. still no hamster. by this point i was tired of looking and just took them down to bed. they still cried and moaned and i still chastised them for not listening to me. michelle said her prayer and again pleaded to Jesus that we would find the hamster and in my mind i humbly BEGGED that he would give us a miracle of having the hamster run out from where it was hiding so that we could catch her. i tucked them into bed and came upstairs. i once again went over and looked into the cage, and there was the hamster. i'm not even joking. there in the locked cage that i had combed through every inch of, was the hamster staring back at me. i called for the girls to quickly come up because the hamster was back. we all couldn't believe what we were seeing, and we said a wonderful prayer of thanks. elise even said in her prayer to help her listen to her mom and not mess with the hamster cage. we all went to bed with a wonderful spirit.

then i woke up this morning to the most annoying sight. elise and michelle messing with the hamster cage and the door open. WHAT THE CRAP!? uh, hello? what are you THINKING? do you NOT remember what just happened last night? geez, i am soooo irritated i just want to take the dang hamster back. i reminded them that Heavenly Father helped them last night, but he can't keep helping them if they don't do what is right. just pure frustration. i hope that this will help my girls learn some responsibility, but i have small hopes. i actually think i will end up regretting this, and spend far too much time taking care of this hamster. sigh. crap.