We're Now Fish People. Apparently.

Hi. I'm Cooper. And I'm a pet hater. I'm sorry to all of you pet lovers, but I just don't like 'em. I love animals, but my home is a place for my family. If I'm going to let any loud, hairy, difficult to take care of, costly, smelly beings into my home they'd better be human and they'd better be related to me.

So Alisha's Grandma got the girls a fish tank and all the fixins for Jenelle's birthday, and we've been too busy (see: procrastinating) to buy the fish for it. Well, today I had a day off and Alisha suggested I get the tank all ready. I was all tuckered out from playing at the park and sleeping all day, so I did. So let's review: all the stuff was bought for us, so there goes my costly complaint; they're not hairy, smelly, or loud, either; and if we get the right kind of fish, they're not even tough to take care of. Sadly, I was all out of excuses, so it was off to Petsmart.

We had a blast picking out our fish. When either of the girls are given options to choose between, they both choose whichever was the last one said (Meri just points). Despite Whitman family flaw of indecisiveness, we came away with some pretty good stuff. We told Jenelle we were only going to get little guppies (see: right kind of fish) so she helped pick out the "guffies." We did, however, find out that a little Dwarf African frog was gettable, so we snatched him up. The fish lady at the store (she was knowledgeable about the fish; she didn't have gills) put my fears to rest that the frog would be lonely if we only got one by saying that when she got a friend for hers at home the first ended up eating the second.

So without further ado, we present the newest members of the household (you'll definitely have to enlarge that to see them all):


Not the greatest picture of any of them individually, but it was the only one with all of them in it (and smiling). So after getting them in their new pad we had to name them. Before asking Jenelle, we knew one would be Carlo, because she has, for months, insisted that any of her toys (and a tree in Bopa's backyard) be called it. We convinced her that the baby she got to replace her binkies could be Carla though, and we convinced her that the Red-tailed fish could use an S on the end of his name. So Carlos it is. Next, we asked Meri what the frog should be named. When she normally says "bubba" we look around trying to figure out what she means (could mean "bum-bum," bubbles, Bopa, Papa, Ball... you get the picture). This time, however, we thought it the perfect name as is. We also have a large porcelain frog that blows bubbles over on the other side who is about 7 times the size of bubba, so we named him Tiny. For the blue-tailed guffy we went between Cosmo and Pilot Joe for a few minutes (mascots from BYU and LOHS), but I liked college better than high school so I pushed hard for Cosmo (and won). Alisha's good with it though. Blaze, the poor little guy, has had a few names so far. We needed a Blazer-named fish (Alisha's suggestion--I know... I don't deserve her) and this guy has a neon stripe down his sides (plus he likes to hang out in the middle--patrolling the paint!. So we went between Brandon, Roy, Brandon Roy, Greg Oden, among others, before finally settling on Rip. Last name City. Alisha was nervous about the bad omen that naming a fish RIP might bring, so in order to extend the life of our little Neon Tetra we went with Blaze.

I left Glenn Frey last just to keep you in suspense. The yellow-tailed guffy's actual tag in the store says he is a Tequila Sunrise species. As you may or may not know, Tequila Sunrise is a song by the Eagles. The guy who sings that particular song is named Glenn Frey. Hence. Clever, I know. I do find it weird that I have a fish in my home named after the lesser-known of two songwriters for a band I don't really even like all because his species shares a name with a song I don't really like with alcohol in the title, but... well, Alisha never even heard the song 'til tonight, so it's gotta be weirder for her.

Okay, it's late and I've got to go re-join my wife and stare at the fish some more. And yes, she has been. For a while now. I knew I'd have to break down and get a pet to appease the offspring at some point in my life, I just didn't know it would be so soon. And I never thought it would be fish. But so far, (ssshhh!!!) I kinda like 'em. And so do the offspring.