Ribbit! Ribbit!

We now have several tadpoles in custody.

I was cooking dinner last evening. We had made a deal: they help me peel carrots, potatoes, mince onions before they could play outside. So, while they were outside, I was still cooking. Alhamdulillah they also took Baby Z with them, so I didn't have to worry about a crawling baby on the loose. We still hadn't child proofed the apartment, expecting to move out anytime soon, which is turning out to take longer than expected.

"Ummi! We got tadpoles!" H exclaimed excitedly from the back porch.

Immediately my mind conjured up images of slimy green frogs with slimy white bellies leaping everywhere, into food, into the washer, dryer, and I replied,

"Please, no frogs anywhere near the house!"

First it was an opossum, and now frogs. I think we have to live near the zoo.

"But, when they grow up we'll take them away," H persuaded.

I was still busy at the kitchen sink, and all I could think of was leaping frogs, so I persisted and said no.

Later on, I saw that they had the tadpoles in a milk bottle, and they had covered the top with plastic.

"Where'd you get the tadpoles from?"

"From Nt."

"Where'd he get them from?"

"From the place where we found the beaver!"

I never knew there was a small stream in Buckeye Village before. Nt was one of the boys in the neighborhood, and just like any Americans, possess a love of animals.

"Okay, you can keep them, but make sure you take them as far away as possible from the house once they turn into frogs," I relented.

I didn't want to curb their curiosity and interest too much. Not at all, really, but there are some limits. So, what next? Oh boy, this will be a long summer!