She lived a good life.....

We were out of town for the weekend and Dorothy (Violet's goldfish) was left to fend for herself. We have been successful before leaving her up to 4 days, but this weekend something must have been different. We came home to an eye-bulging, bloated fish. Nate gave Dorothy a quick burial at sea so that Violet could remember her the way she was - happy, carefree, and swimming. This morning we told Vi that Dorothy had died. We explained to her that the house was hot and that we were at Grandma's so we couldn't feed Dorothy and she died. A few minutes ago Violet told the Occupational Therapist this, "Dorothy died. She died because I didn't feed her before bed." I tried to remove Vi's guilt by assuring her that it wasn't her fault, but she is pretty convinced that she is responsible.

This past weekend was our last road trip before Anara's surgery. Friday we tried to do something Fall-ish despite the insane heat. There might have been pumpkins, apples, and piles of straw, but it is difficult to get into the spirit of the season when you are sweaty and dehydrated.

Sunday we continued the tradition of our Fall Family Fun Festival. Since it was 92 degrees outside, we sat near the baby pool instead of the campfire. Nate figured out that if you warmed up by the fire while roasting your hot dog you could overheat enough to pretend it was cool outside when you walked away. The Fall Festival is a celebration of a couple family birthdays and an opportunity to hang out with extended family. It was the first time several members of our extended family got to meet Anara. I forgot about taking pictures until everyone was packing to go (I should have given the camera to Clarissa).

That was our weekend. We arrived home last night to an 81 degree, stinky house and a dead goldfish, but it was still home sweet home.