Crabs for C week!!

We started with C week right after we got back from the beach.  In fact, our last night on the boardwalk, we go the kids Hermit Crabs for C week.  Call me obsessed, but it was the only way I could justify in my head buying the kids these UGLY animals.  Ava picked hers out with a pink shell and she named it "pinky" and then Christian picked his out and he named it "bumble bee" since it's shell was yellow and black stripes.  They were so cute.  They even decided they wanted the crabs so badly, they offered to give up their nightly ice cream cone so they could get the crabs.  Ava put their cage in her stroller and pushed it back to the condo.  She was so worried about them and had nothing to do with anything else the entire evening because she had to take care of her pinky.  She wanted to touch them and pet them, and wouldn't leave them alone.  She informed her pappy, before she went to bed that night, that she would not be able to go and look for sea shells with him, as she had previously promised, because, "I have to get up and feed pinky and bumble bee and get them water.  They need me."  He understood and told her that was fine.  :)

The saddest part was when she went to bed, she kept having dreams that crabs were pinching her and we had to reassure her numerous times during the night that she was fine and just dreaming.  The next day she wanted to hold the crab and she took the liberty to do so.  Next thing I know, she is crying and I hear a crash sound.  I look and Pinky pinched her finger, drawing a small blood drop and she pitched Pinky across the room. I had to save Pinky and then console the little Ava.  I knew it didn't hurt as badly as she was letting on.  Finally, she told me, she wanted to take Pinky back and get another one cause this one didn't like her.  It pinched her.  I got her to admit she was hurt because she really loved Pinky and she thought Pinky didn't like her.  She cried for awhile and it was so sweet.  She said, "I am her mommy and she doesn't like me."  I used this to talk to her about how I love her and sometimes she says mean things that hurt my feelings, but that doesn't mean she doesn't love me and the same with Pinky.  Pinky was just scared and so reacted in a pinching way.  She was consoled and now loves Pinky again.  :)