Cloudy with a Chance of Parakeet

So, Bella has been wanting a parakeet for a while now, and she has worked hard in spurts to earn one. She closed out last school year really strong and tried hard this summer to keep some scholastic focus while enjoying the break. Recently, her desire for a parakeet reached fever pitch, and she has been upset that her parents haven't made good on their end of the bargain with her. So she took matters into her own hands.

Sunday night she disappeared into her room for over an hour with several pieces of paper, a pencil, and some scissors. Later that night and the next morning, we learned exactly what she was up to. In strategic spots across the house, she had placed several handwritten and carefully cut versions of the the following note: "Can I please have a Parakeet?" In her Dad's shoes, on the computer keyboard, in drawers, on picture frames, and as you can see below, on kitchen sponges and in the refrigerator (I guess she knows my weakness for sour cream!) appeared these persuasive pleas.

Well, who can say no to that kind of diligence and creativity? So today Stephen took Bella on a daddy-daughter date and got her the brightest blue parakeet the pet store had. Bella named her Cloudy (Cloudy Blue Sky Calvert, if you were wondering what the full version was) and has been on cloud 9 herself since 11:00 am this morning.

Of all of our kids, Bella is the most fond of animals. Unfortunately, her allergies and Harrison's allergies to dogs and cats have prevented us from owning a typical pet so far (though we did have a labradoodle, named Lola, for a couple weeks about 4.5 years ago before we knew of all the allergies). For now, Cloudy the Parakeet will have to do. If today is any indication, that is just fine with Blue Girl.