you know it's been a long time since your last post when ...

You can't remember the Web site on which you blog. :) Whoopsie!

We visited the 'free zoo' last weekend (not this past, but the one before that) -- we saw the doggies and the kitties and the birdies and the mousies and the things that are reptilian and the fishies. Even some that were called 'Mickey Mouse' fish because of the markings on their tails!
This particular free zoo is called PetSmart. I suppose in D.C. it's just called the National Zoo. But ours is called PetSmart.
Maddie loved the doggies. She was freaking out, but in a good way, when we stood on the other side of the glass, watching them play (they're not for sale, but there either for obedience class or doggie day care). Lizzy wanted to go in and play with them. But I said we weren't allowed.
Then Maddie cleaned the floor some by crawling around a lot. That girl can scoot! And she is not afraid of much. Except for being torn away from Mommy or Daddy. That's about the only thing that makes her cry. Except for going 'bounce bounce SPLAT' at the bottom of the stairs. But we try not to let that happen more often than once a week or so.
We saw two wee kitties that particularly caught our eye. They were brothers, and really cute. One was a whitish yellow tabby, and one was a gray/black tabby. Matt said we could perhaps adopt them if we allowed him to name them after (cartoon) ninjas. But when I said okay, he changed his mind.

Lizzy had a birthday party this past Saturday. On the way home, she said, "Mommy, why don't WE have a pet? (the people hosting the party have a 120-pound pony -- er, golden retriever). We must be the only family that doesn't have a pet."
"I don't know, honey," I said. "I wish we had a pet, too. But at least we have Maddie!"
That answer doesn't seem to satisfy Lizzy.

In all seriousness, though, little Maddie reminds me sooo much of having a puppy. I even call her 'puppy' sometimes. She smells better than a puppy, though, I think.
She has a little dish that we put food in and put on the ground (sometimes -- hey! We can't hold her ALL the time, and I'm just talking about dry snacks, not dinner or anything), and she started yesterday kind of falling forward and putting her face into it to eat.

Perhaps it's time to find a different term of endearment for her.