And May God Have Mercy On Us All

Guess who joined our family this week?

Below is Sylvia.  She's clearly the most level-headed of the group--the boss rat, if you will. 

Next is Robin.  She's the most mellow, a bit of a poetic soul.  She enjoys long walks on the beach and sniffing her friends' poop:

   

Rat #3 is Nellie.  She is a complete head case:

Below is Hubs attempting to talk Nellie through a little rat panic attack.  We are watching her closely and have taken away her shoelaces and pocket knife.  You can't be too careful:

Additionally, Nellie sneezes a lot, which means we're probably all about to get the Black Death.

The Great Rat Adventure of '07, '08, and oh-sweet-Heaven-please-not-into-'09 only took place after the Dryer boys signed the document below (feel free to click to enlarge for detail, should you ever be in need of a rat pledge yourself):

The quote of the day came from Stephen.  As the salesgirl was helping us check out, she pointed out that each rat costs $7.  "Wow!" Stephen shouted.  "How are you able to price them so low?"

He's definitely not the person to take with you to a used car lot.

And never mind that if we just headed down into the sewer, we could get the rats for free.

Comments

[Alli]

Oh, my.

I laughed out loud though that you made them promise to keep the playroom clean "so the rats have a nice home." LOL!! Very clever.

[Activities Coordinator]

They're kind of cute... for rats.

Yea, for the kids.

So sorry for you.

[Amy @ By His Grace]

Keep a copy of that rat pledge! I have a boy that in a few years may be wanting a rat. Such joyful things to look forward to. I can't wait to hear more stories.

[Jeannette]

I am taking a week of vacation at Christmas. Would you like to borrow my cat Kate? She could play and then kill all three in a weeks time. She will even bring them to your feet as a trophy.

[janet]

that is too funny!! I should have thought of that before we got another dog. my oldest said he'll walk it, middle said he'd feed it and youngest agreed to pick up the poops. only one held to their bargain and it is the last one you would think. and, yes, he washed hands after too.

[Gretchen]

I think you should be nominated for Mother of the Year. I salute your signed document. Yeah...we used to have rules, too. Those were the days. ;)

[Antique Mommy]

Oh good gravy that's funny - every word!

[Big Mama]

I've always thought rats are one of the better bargains around.

[Lisa @ The Preacher's Wife]

The only way I can come to grips with this is to remember the cuteness of Mr. Jingles on The Green Mile. If you've never seen that movie - you've no idea what I'm talking about.

However, something tells me your rats aren't immortal. A fact that would totally have me doing the happy dance were I a rat owner.

:)

You are an awesome mom....

Lisa

[Ronnica]

I think my favorite part is how you snuck in keeping the playroom clean "so that it is a pleasant home for my rats." Easy way to make sure the kids have the toys picked up!

[Andi]

hmmm...they're actually kind of cute when you can't see the nasty rat tail. who knew?

[Cathy]

Congratulations, truly, from someone who loves her ratties! My boy rats are peeking over my shoulder and wondering if your girls are interested in a date? (the boys are neutered, btw) I think you mentioned before that you are in OK? Anyway, there are supposedly some good rat vets in OKC if you ever need one...down south here they're pretty scarce. Keep an eye on that sneezing...pet store rats are notorious for coming with upper respiratory infections, and can need antibiotics. Congrats again!

[Heth]

"If my rat escapes...."

Good gracious. I pray it never happens.

[Marmee]

Oh, that looks like some beady-eyed fun, alright! I laughed out loud about the comments regarding Robin, the poetic, poop sniffing rat. The signed Great Rat Document is a classic....I might have to do something similiar when we get a puppy soon for my youngest, who has issues picking up the poop of our only dog.

Kids and pets....it's a great way for them to learn some responsibility and for us to learn to chill out a little. (Does it REALLY matter if there's one more pee stain on the carpet, right next to the throw-up stain from the great flu of '02?)

Is the rat room, I mean, the playroom carpeted??

[Frazzmom]

I have to admit that we paid $250.00 for 24 hours of ICU care for our rattie. In the two years that she was with us we became very attached to her. In the end we had to have her put to sleep and buried her in the back yard.
Yeah- all that for a $14.00 rat.

[Annie]

What cute photos, and I love the description of their personalities... it was almost like you were describing me and my sisters!! My husband thinks that 7 bucks is a great deal for a rat, considering how much room and board are for a rat these days, that's a steal. I, however, would pay you 7 dollars to take any rats I found in my house!!

[~Amy]

I love the pledge. You did a great job. I'm still not a rat person. not now! not ever!

~Amy

[edj]

rather you than me, sister.

[chickadee]

i bow to your greatness. i have not given in to the rat madness though my daughter has begged.

i just ran across your article in good housekeeping. that is so neat! congratulations. did you submit it to them?

[robin]

Oh congrats on the cuties! Watch the sneezer tho' - and the others. That $7. can add up fast when they need vet care and meds.
And sneezes can turn nasty in a rattie pretty quickly.
Thanks for sharing them - they are darlings. Enjoy!

[Fresh Girl]

Awww, they're cute! Maybe you should get "Ratatouille" on DVD for them to watch...you know, just in case you're ever too tired to cook some night. ;)

[pam]

Hee, hee! I'm thinking I made need to make a couple adjustments to that agreement here very soon. We are embarking on our own rodent journey again . . . this time with Chinese dwarf hamsters. They are a little more than the rats in price -- a "fancier" rodent, maybe?

We can soon commiserate over our rodent adventures by the weekend. PetSmart here we come. (Somehow I'm not feeling all that "pet smart" . . .) We shall see . . .

God's blessings on your new additions and your sanity in the midst of it! : )

[JustRandi]

" If my rat escapes, it is MY JOB to find it."

You forgot to add:

"If I don't find it, I understand that we will have to move."

Ewww, I just got the willies...

[Melanie]

Where's the soup?

[Rhonda]

This reminds me of my best friend's daughters' pet mice. One escaped (those things are FAST!) and she looked for it for days before figuring out it had taken up residence in the walls. Ewww!

She said that mouse had just gone from pet mouse to your everyday kill-it-any-way-you-can mouse! LOL It completely escaped from the house before meeting its demise. Now she can take comfort in knowing she has added to the mouse population. HA!

No mice or rats here. We have cats, which is a good excuse for any type of pet rodent request. Nope! The cats will see them as breakfast!