Her Favorite Birthday Gift

My sweet R just turned 10 years old.  And her grandma couldn't have gotten a more perfect gift for her.  :o)

*NOTE*  For those of you reading this on Facebook, you will need to click this link to see the video.

Happy 10th Birthday my sweet, beautiful daughter!

Merry Christmas!

My children are so creative.  They wanted to do something special for everyone on Christmas, so they practiced this adorable little song.  They wrote it all by themselves, and performed it for me.  I thought it was so cute that I just HAD to record it and post it for everyone to see.

Merry Christmas from the RichFam!  (well... most of us, anyway...)   :o)

A "Bunny" for Christmas

For months and months our kids have been pestering us to get them a pet.  I would have agreed to a cat, but 2 people in our family have discovered they are allergic to them, so that idea is scrapped.  And I am NOT inclined to get something scaly, slimy, or creepy-crawly, so reptiles, amphibians and any and all invertebrates are also completely out of the question. 

The kids finally decided on a bunny.  They are small, they are soft to pet, and fairly easy to maintain.  So, Jay and I agreed... but with certain conditions.  They had to prove to us that they were ready, willing, and able to take care of a pet.

So, we came up with the "Pet Points" system.  100 points = a bunny.  Each day, the kids need to perform extra tasks (in addition to their regular chores), that will show us that they are mature enough to handle the responsibility of having a pet.

For example:

*  If they see a stray sock sitting in the middle of the floor, even if it is not their own, they should pick it up and put it in the laundry hamper.

*  If their little sister is struggling to put her shoes on, they are to help her (without being asked).

*  Putting others ahead of themselves, etc.

You get the idea...

At first, the kids asked us how many points they had to earn to get a dog.  Imagining the messes a dog can create in a house that I strive to keep clean and orderly, I cringed at the thought and told them they would have to earn 1,000 points to get a dog.  So, the kids figured a bunny was a more attainable goal.

Week after week, they have diligently been earning points towards a bunny.  But, week after week, they have also been diligently LOSING points for bad behavior.  Yes, my children can have bad behavior, too.  :o)  At the end of each week, they seem to have just about the same amount of points as they started with.  It has been a bit frustrating for them.

So Jay and I, seeing the roller coaster of earned and lost "pet points" day in and day out, decided that we would like to teach them a more important lesson through all of this.  The lesson of God's grace and mercy.

We decided to give the children the gift that they wanted more than anything... a DOG!

We have been so impressed with their effort to earn the "pet points" that we just could not stand giving them a pet that they were just "settling" for.  We wanted to give them the thing that they thought they could never attain with their points.  Plus, since this dog happens to be completely housebroken... I consider it a win-win.  :o)

And, as strange as it sounds, Jay and I really want to name this little dog "Bunny", since that was supposed to be the pet that they worked so hard to get in the first place.  We plan on giving it to them for Christmas... IF we can wait that long!!!  I REALLY want to give it to them early!!!  :o)