Are you crying Mommy?

Tonight our family was taught a hard life lesson that comes with owning a pet. After spending the night celebrating dads and a couple of birthdays, we came home to a nonliving toad. Tim noticed it first and called me to come check it out. Leah and Elizabeth overheard Tim and went with me to see. Spotty was perched up against the wall of the terrarium appearing to look out at us one last time. At that moment I wasn't sure how to feel. Quite frankly I had been preparing myself for this day for years (Spotty lived almost 8 years with me), but the tears still flowed. As a family we walked back behind our house to a place where Tim dug a hole to bury our beloved frog. Making the situation quite comical Elizabeth stated that we would need a big hole to bury Jazmin in...something I am not looking forward to doing. After Tim covered up the hole with dirt we talked about keeping him buried and what would happen to his body. Then later before I kissed Elizabeth in bed she said, "Mommy, do you think Spotty is up in heaven with balloons up there for him?" As tears welled up in my eyes I told her that was a nice thought and I walked out of her room. I am amazed at how long such a little creature can live and am thankful that our family was able to experience this together.