goodbye, steve

The cousins arrived around 10 last night.  They had a tail wind and landed 30 minutes early. I was at the store and had just finished putting the last of my list into the cart. This was my very last thing on the to do list before heading to burbank airport to pick them up.  (honestly, i'm always shocked that everything gets done on days like this.)

Anyway, when i got her text, i ran to the cashiers and there were 2 checkstands open and like 7 people in each one!! pLus, they were going really slow, i could tell.  so i waited a few minutes and then asked one of the cashiers if i could just leave my cart and come back in like 30 minutes to get it.  she was super skeptical but i told her that my sister just landed and i have to pick her up and i don't want to have to shop for all of this again! so she said, 30 min? you promise?? i said, i promise!

so i drove to the airport where jami and brett and kate and zach were waiting at the curb and then ran back to the store 25 minutes after i left.  The cashier was super impressed at the amazing timing and laughed that i left my family in the car waiting for me to check out the groceries.  but, i did it!! phew.

p.s. i love burbank airport.

anyway, to the point of this post.

so we get home we were all hugging and happy and talking and getting them settled into their rooms when owen came in and said, "mom, i can't find steve."   he got the cage to introduce steve to zach.

you may or may not remember that steve is our hampster that was gifted to us about a year ago. Owen, who was originally pretty scared to hold him, has been such a good little buddy to that hampster. he liked to hold him and let him crawl all over. he and his friends would put him in the ball and then put the ball on the trampoline and let him roll everywhere. a few times ezra had him on the trampoline in the ball and i think the last time he gave him a concussion and/or broke soem feet maybe, because after that, he didn't run in his wheel anymore.  but he would always pop up his head of you put your hand in digging after him.

so owen was digging around and really couldn't find steve in the cage.  so we got a bag and carefully went through all of the bedding and discovered that the cage was empty.  oh dear.

you may or may not know that all three of our back doors are always open when we are home and i think steve may have scampered out without us knowing one day. ( i did see the cage with was a bit askew the other day.)

so, sadly, I think steve is gone.  the cleaners were here yesterday and would have found him in the house if he were here. they're really thorough.

i told owen he probably ran out (on broken feet? haha) penny's open door to the garage to play with the rat i caught scampering to the back of the garage a few days ago.

we are sad and he will be missed

And i will absolutley not confess to once floating the idea of selling steve at Rachel's yard sale a few weeks ago. ;)

Cousins are at disneyland today so we are making plans for the weekend! any ideas??


p.s. i will never shop with simon again. and i mean it. This will be very good for my bank account and our mother/son (monster) relationship.