For those of you that don't know, I hate, hate, HATE snakes. I'm sure that I never would have liked them, but my absolute loathing of them was completely solidified during my academy years when my 2 pesky, little brothers decided it would be cool to go snake-hunting and then bring the varmints home as pets. I have several horrific memories of their snakes getting out of their cages and roaming loose throughout the house (my room was next to theirs - yikes) as well as a particularly traumatic experience when Kalvin chased me around the yard with a snake. Anyway, I try to be a grown-up about snakes these days and not be so freaked out, but that all fell by the wayside this week.
On Tuesday, I was in the kitchen clearing up after lunch and the kids were playing in the living room by their bookshelves. All of a sudden, Erik starts calling out "Mommy, a 'nake, a 'nake!" My heart stopped. When Erik says that he sees something, he is usually 99.9% correct. I went running over there, yelling "stay away, don't touch it". And sure enough, there was a snake lying under one of their books that was on the floor. I don't know if one of the kids had startled the snake or how they spotted it, but Elin was crouched right next to it while Erik was kneeling on his chair nearby. I grabbed Elin and plunked her down in her highchair so that she couldn't get back to the snake and then told Erik was stay right by Elin (he didn't). I then ran to get gloves and a towel so I could pick up the snake.
Now, let's be clear, it was a
tiny baby snake, but a snake is a snake and I needed protection! I really didn't want to go through the next few minutes. I decided I couldn't do it alone, so I called Kent. When he answered, I told him that there was a snake in the house, right in the living room and that the kids had found it. Kent kind of sighed and said that he guessed he was coming home then. I told him that I was "manning up" and would take care of it, but I didn't want to do it alone and that he had to stay on the phone with me. I unlocked the front door so I would have a fast escape path. I went back to the snake which was thankfully in the same spot & I didn't have to hunt for it. I nudged the book off the snake with my foot (thinking why oh why didn't I have on cowboy boots or something instead of stupid flip-flops) and then described it to Kent. I thought that since it was all black (except for a yellow ring around the neck) that it must be non-venomous. I reached down to pick it up and it slithered away. I screamed. I tried to pick it up again only to have it slide away again. I screamed again. Realized that Kent was actually in a meeting with someone when I heard him say "She's screaming now"; I decided I didn't care who heard me. Hello - I was having to deal with a snake! Finally got a grip on the snake through both the towel & the glove and ran with it to the front door. Screaming the whole time. I dumped the snake outside in one of the landscaped areas. I stopped screaming & went back inside (calmly - at least in my mind).
I told Kent that the snake was taken care of and that I needed to go hyperventilate. I hung up and then actually did start to hyperventilate. I had to bend over & put my head between my knees. It was about this time that I realized that Erik had been following me the whole time (thankfully he didn't get underfoot); he looked at me, curled his arms against his chest, shivered and said "Ooh, 'nakes, I scared of 'nakes." Poor kid. I gave him a big hug, told him that he was super brave and that he wasn't to be scared like me. I am a little embarrassed that I made such a big deal over such a tiny snake, but honestly, I couldn't stop screaming. I had a tiny moment's temptation to step on it & kill it, but yuck. That, plus, I could picture Kalvin's horrified face in my mind. He would have disowned me and, even after all the snake terrors he put me through, I still love him. Oh, by the way, I looked up the snake later and found out that it is a ringneck snake which is non-venomous to humans, but they do bite (they have back fangs). Are they still non-venomous to little humans, like my tiny baby girl? If I had seen it bite Elin or Erik, that thing would be d.e.a.d dead. (ha, ha, I write that with utter confidence in my own ability & courage, but then I remember the screaming!)
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| The type & size of the snake in my house - NOT the actual snake |
Okay, back to regular stuff. Last week, Kent had his 2nd trip in 3 weeks - this time it was budget review meetings in Kentucky/Tennessee - so he was gone Monday through Thursday. He was able to stay home from work on Friday last week, which was wonderful! We went for a family bike ride, played at a park, read stories and had a great day together. Sadly, we are still a household of illness; Erik has missed school most of the past 2 weeks as he has caught the nasty cough/cold that the rest of us are (mostly) recovered from. Elin, while over her cough, developed a low-grade fever at the end of this week which I hope is due to teething (she is still missing all 4 of her canine teeth & the lower ones look like they may be on the verge of breaking through). Having 2 kids under the weather is definitely the pits especially while being a single parent for part of last week; I am
super thankful that I'm not also sick. I do have to admit to having a rather low supply of patience, though. Why do sick children cry at the drop of a hat and why don't they tell you what they really want?! Erik has become the king of waffling this week with his asking for something, crying when he gets it and then crying when I take it back in an attempt to stop the crying. Due to Erik's cough/runny nose & Elin's fever, we decided to stay home from church & Sabbath this weekend and had a quiet family day instead. And after all the stress of the past few weeks, it was a wonderful way to spend the Sabbath.
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| Kent & the kids getting ready for our family bike ride |
We started off this week with a trip to the Orlando Science Center on Sunday with our friends, the Martin family. We visited the dinosaur exhibit and the new bat exhibit that they have (in honor of Halloween, I guess). I hate bats, too. I can't decide if I hate bats more than snakes. It's a toss-up. I remember that we used to get bats in our house when we lived in Wisconsin and Dad would chase them around the kitchen with a broom or bat trying to get them out of the house. Yuck, rats with wings. Kent said that he once had a bat hitch a ride on the back of his shirt once while he was working out in the fields; it hung on him for so long that when Kent went home, there was a clear imprint on his shirt from where the bat had been clinging to his back. That would
freak me out! Is anyone surprised that I'm not a vet or zookeeper?!!
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| The kids & I at the OSC dinosaur dig |
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| Erik hugging on Elin at lunch after the OSC |
On Monday, Elin & I went to the monthly story time at Leu Gardens in Winter Park after dropping Erik off at school. We ended up not staying for the whole time because little missy wouldn't hold still & listen to the story. She also had a near blow-out and I discovered that I didn't have anymore of her diapers with me, so she got to try out Erik's diapers that are 2 sizes too big! And yes, I had left the house with an extra diaper for Elin, but used it just after dropping Erik off at school when Elin went #2 there. It was a busy morning!!
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| Elin wandering through story time |
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| Still wandering, but getting close enough to grab! |
After our excursion on Monday, the rest of the week settled into our normal routine of school, play, swimming lessons, naps, etc (skipping over the Tuesday afternoon snake adventure, of course!). We ended the work-week with a lovely Friday night supper at the Zbaraschuk household. It was so nice to spend time with them; with our various illnesses, it has been awhile since we've gotten together with them.
Erik ended the week with a first time event - he said his own night-time prayer, all by himself! I was putting Elin to bed, so I didn't get to witness it, but Kent told me about it. Erik knelt down (a major accomplishment in & of itself), folded his hands and then he said a prayer that included "Please keep [insert your name here] safe" - he prayed this for nearly everyone he could think of, so I'm sure you were included! He also prayed that all of us would get better and that Jesus would "Help Erik go to sleep". Erik praying on his own is a wonderful accomplishment and I hope it continues! Normally, Erik is rolling around on the floor during bedtime prayers or otherwise creating a disturbance. At mealtimes, Erik has also developed a cute habit where he will fold his hands, close his eyes, say one line of the prayer himself and then peek out of one eye and whisper to Kent or I "go ahead"! It is terribly cute.
Random Photos:
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| Elin getting a phone call |
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| Still talking |
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| Solemn Elin in the swing |
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| Happy Elin in the swing |
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| One of Elin's funny sleep postures! |
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| Elin learning how to stack blocks |
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| Her tallest stack yet - 6 blocks! |
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| Playing one of her favorite games - "Pretend I'm sleeping" |
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Ha - ha - I'm awake!
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