Doc and Jing..

Earlier this week, we had to say "goodbye" to our two little hermit crabs that I've blogged about several times. Pretty funny story...
On Sunday, Adam had to leave for a few days of house-hunting in VA. Elise was looking closely at her Hermit Crab cage and made some comment about, "Mommy, you need to clean their cage, it smells like yucky poopy.". I half-listened to her and responded that I'd clean it later that day...no big deal. After the girls went to bed, I went over to the cage to clean it and realized it smelled WAY WORSE than just "yucky poopy"...it smelled like rotting, decomposed crustaceans. Both of them. I don't know how/why, but they were both dead. Gross. So I just went to bed and left them there- what's one more day, right!?
On Monday during naptime, I disposed of the bodies, cage, rocks, etc...that's just not worth saving (even for cheapskate ME!). I then spent 1/2 of naptime figuring out how I was going to explain to Elise the details of life/death/cycle of living things/heaven/God/etc...we talk often about God and Heaven, but she's never personally dealt with anyone she "knows" (pet or human) dying. Ants and mosquitos don't count...So, I talked to some friends and family, got some good ideas on how to "break the news" to her, how to explain death a little, etc...and went to get her up early from nap. Here's how it went:

"Elise, can we talk for a few minutes about something serious?"
"Sure, mommy."
"Sometime today, sweetie, Doc and Jing died and went to heaven."
"They did?"
"Yes, they're gone now and in Heaven with God."

...then, I waited for the great theological discussion that would follow. I was pretty excited about it, actually. I couldn't wait to begin talking deeper with her about God, Jesus, life, etc...
Her next reply:

"Ok, can I go potty now?".

And that was it.