Sunday, June 19, 2011

Update on the Wetzel's from Rob

Hey guys,

Rob here. The start of summer seems to be going well.  Only a month left at K.E.C.C for Kaitlyn, then it's a month off with mommy, daddy, Nana and Paw-Paw. She's excited and so am I.  K.E.C.C. is great but just under $900.00 per month hits hard.  Full day kindergarten at Westchester will cost too, but not nearly as much as K.E.C.C.  I shouldn't complain as we have had great luck with teachers and staff.  We realize we are lucky in that aspect.

Kaitlyn just completed a week of Vacation Bible School at Concordia.  She had a great week due to the hard work of many people and a bunch of our friends from church.  Great start to summer.

We have made a couple trips to the lake and a good handful of trips to the Kirkwood Pool.  Some of you fellow pool goers have been lucky enough to see me sporting the scar from my heart surgery.  Do girls like scars?   I keep telling myself they do.

I've continued exercising at ClubFitness and can't recommend it enough.  $10.00 a month and more equipment than you will ever need.  I've kind of hit a plateau with weight loss at the 258-260 mark.  I would like to make it to 240 but this may take another six months. Again, I'm very lucky to have good docs and a great family support system, not to mention a wife that doesn't complain about me visiting the gym six times a week.

The street has been consistently steady and pretty entertaining at times.  We've been running into more mentally unstable people than usual and a few who just want to challenge the police.  (Almost always a bad idea)  I work with a good squad who is quick to help each other out when needed.  My only complaint is changing shifts every eighteen days.

Preparing for some the 2011 concert series.  Def Leppard, Foo Fighters and U2.  Not a bad lineup and I'm looking forward to some great people watching.  Give the Wetzel's a shout and we'll set up a little backyard time and maybe a roasted marshmallow  or even a s'more.

Be Cool, Rob

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

My Froggies are Dead!

For over a year, K has had two frogs living in her room in a Frog-o-sphere (PETA people I know that you think they are cruel!).  They have become a part of our family (in her mind at least).  They have gone to show and share at her school, pictures have been drawn, of them and for them.  I have been amazed that these things have lived this long and was increasingly getting concerned about when they died.  I really didn't change the water like I should of, in fear that would bring about their demise. 

These frogs were named Frog 1 and Frog 2.  They started out about the same size, but Frog 1 always seemed to get the food before Frog 2 and grew bigger (for a dwarf frog, that is.).  Despite this Frog 2 lived on, until a couple of weeks ago.  Frog 2 was floating dead in the water.  In a moment of panic, I decided to tell K that Frog 1 ate 2.  In my panicked state that seemed better than Frog 2 died and Mommy flushed it.  It actually worked and we got through the death with relative ease. We got a replacement frog (TINY, dwarf frog) and they were renamed Big Frog and Little Frog.  For a week, they seemed to be living in Frog-o-sphere bliss, until tragedy struck the tank and I found both floating motionless, white in color, dead on the rocks.  Now, real panic set in.  Rob decided he could handle this and told her.   As expected the news was met with shock, disbelief, denial and ultimately sadness.  In true K fashion,  she made the decision that they should be flushed because if buried, she would "always be sad when she went in the backyard."  Down the toilet they went and then reality set in.

The next 24 hours were filled with the following crys

"FFFRRRRRRRROOOGGGGGGGGGGGIIIIEEEEESSSSSS"
"why would God do this to me?"
"The only thing that will ever make me happy again, is if my froggies come back (not new ones) and if I can sleep in you bed."
"I will probably need to wake up during the night and cry some more."
"Where are my Froggies now............how about now?"
"This is the worst thing that ever happened to me."
and the dreaded.....  "Does this mean Sammy will die on day?"

She spent about 20 minutes sitting on the tub staring at the toilet and crying that she changed her mind about the flushing and just wanted to keep the dead frog corpses in her room. 

I had to tell her teachers that "she might be sad and need to talk about her froggies."  Things got better and she seemed to have entered into the acceptance stage of the grief process.  Then last night she wanted to write a letter to her Frogs:

"I miss you Froggies.  Are you missing me?  Our Friendship will last forever.  Love Frogs!  K"  If this kid isn't an actress or a politician, it is a waste of her talents.

I know that Rob's mom is looking down on us and enjoying every moment of this- so loved K's dramatic side!!!  K is comforted in the fact that Grandma is taking care of them in heaven now.  Until, she freaked because we still have the frog food here and they will need it in heaven..................................................