sad day

Well Parker didn't win the contest.

Although she did come in at a fightin' #19!

But that's not why we're sad today.

We're sad for a much more significant reason...

Grampy has a turtle sanctuary at the shop.

Box turtles

Russian Tortoises

Sulcata Tortoises

A Red Foot Tortoise

A Leopard Tortoise.

A couple of months ago he found baby box turtles.

Oh the excitement!

Everyday he found a couple more.

Charlee would scour every inch of the turtle pen searching

for more babies.

Fourteen!

Fourteen baby turtles we found!

So much fun!

We'd all sit around a plastic tub watching them eat.

Watching them soak.

When the kiddoes had a bad day

they'd come in

and grab a turtle to play with.

They were doing great.

They were eating so well!

They'd munch on mealworms like nobody's business.

And boy were they growing!

Everyone enjoyed them.

Even Parker, who said a sound like "turtle"

a time or two while watching them.

But this weekend the

stupid, stinkin'

ants

got into the office and

killed all of the baby turtles.

Everyone's feeling the sadness.

Beyond sadness!

So Parker's loosing out to 18 other babies

is so inconsequential this morning.