The Bell Is Ringing

If you had asked me five years ago about family traditions, I wouldn't have much to say. The kind I remember from Growing Up, that is. We did the same sorts of things everyone else did, aside from the song and dance routines we devised to convince my dad to do just about anything, ranging from letting the girls go to the mall to driving someone to the video rental store. Those were good. But other than that, it was just normal stuff.

But lately, my mom has become a different sort of person (in a good way--an interesting way). She has become interested in new things, and one of them is establishing family traditions (along with other things, like starting new collections and shopping like a fiend). One of these is The Bell. At family gatherings when we sit down to eat, anyone with an announcement has to ring the Announcement Bell to signal the general quiet (which, now that there are something like 6,000 grandchildren under the age of 15, really doesn't happen unless the bell rings). So, mom, consider the bell rung. I have announcement to make.

We are pleased to welcome a new member of the family. Her name is Willa the Veiled Chameleon. So far, she doesn't seem to have many superpowers aside from Ginormous Appetite (Jonah thinks she's eaten 20 crickets today alone--talk about a food budget, eh?) and Ability to Climb Seemingly Smooth Surfaces like Jonah's Face.

Here she is hanging out on Jonah's finger. Isn't her curled tail so cute? Yeah, I know. Adorable.

The lady we bought her from at the reptile expo said she's about one month old, and she'll be full grown in seven months, when she'll be about seven inches long. (She also sold us 500 crickets for $9, which considering Willa's previously mentioned eating superpower, was a great deal. We'll be looking for more of those good deals, as Willa is not going to be eating a whole box of crickets from the local pet store each day--at $3 per box.)

So welcome, Willa. I hope you live a long and magnificent life. I vow to keep all rubber lizards far from your delicate (voracious) jaws.