Part 2 of the snake post

You may remember that Jack and I had a run in with a snake last week. Ever since I ran away from it screaming like a little girl, he has been on my mind. I may be going crazy, but I think Michelle actually hissed at me with a forked tongue the other day. Anyway, I have been determined not to let this snake get the best of me. Last weekend Jack and Michelle had a Mommy-Son afternoon, so I went back to the park to confront him since I wouldn't have to put my 2-year old in harms way. So I went back there, fully expecting (i.e. hoping) not to see the guy. Sure enough though, he was right where Jack and I saw him. I was prepared for him this time, so I did not need a change of shorts upon seeing him. I took a couple of pictures to prove to myself that he was real. I don't want to say I conquered my fear of him (because I haven't), but I did want to post of a picture of him so you could have a visual of the snake in your minds along with the visual of me freaking out and running. There he is above!

Seriously though, the wildlife refuge where the Super Cobra Constrictor Boa Pit Viper Thingy lives is really a beautiful place. Jack and I went down there again today to walk some trails and get some exercise. Jack loves walking the trails and playing on the beach. We were the only two people for miles around, so it's really peaceful (aside from the obvious snake infestation). Michelle and I like the picture of Jack walking with his hands behind his back. He looks like he is deep in thought about something.

Anyway, if we don't post again before next week, we want to wish everyone a very safe and Happy Thanksgiving!

Snakes and Prison Breaks

Today was a rough day around here. First of all, all three of us have been dealing with colds. Second of all, the time change last weekend is still messing with us. Jack has been getting up early and his naps have been sketchy at best. Somehow I think we adjusted to the 15 hour time change from Vladivostok better than a simple daylight savings time change. Anyway, I digress. Back to today.

The day started out like the other day this week, with Jack and I a little cranky since we were both up early. Morning nap was only a half hour which was fine because when he sleeps just a little in the morning, that usually means a decent afternoon nap. So, we get dressed and go out to play and have lunch with Mommy. When we get home from lunch, Jack seems tired, so I take him to his room where he pretty easily falls asleep (a good sign for a good nap since he is often tough to put down for an afternoon nap). So, once he is down, I head to the bedroom to watch a little TV while monitoring Jack in his crib on the baby monitor. When I check on him, he is laying down and moving his hands a little, but still in the same position I left him in so I fully expect a good nap. I turn my head to the TV and almost instantly I hear a "crash" followed by instant crying. I flew to his room so fast, the dogs didn't know what happened. I open Jacks door to find him sitting on his floor. This is the first time he has ever gotten out of his crib on his own. He was okay, but it was a little unnerving to think about what might have been had he landed differently. We often joke about how we can't take our eyes off Jack for a second or else he will get in our car and drive to Chuck-E-Cheese by himself. Today it wasn't a joke.

After calming both he and I down, we decided to go for a little drive to a really cool beach side state park we recently found. The park has a fishing pier that juts out into the Atlantic as well as a cool playground and nature trails and stuff. I was nervous with Jack on the pier since he had just pulled a "spiderman" and scaled the walls of his crib, so I let him chase birds for a minute then we headed to the playground. After some good playground time (pictured above) we set out on a little nearby trail. I saw a sign that said "beware of water moccasins" but figured maybe it was too cold for snakes to be out. WRONG! Not three feet from the sign, and right where Jack and I had just walked, we saw a snake that was a spitting image of the one on the "beware" sign. So, I quickly picked Jack up and we headed to the car. There is no photo proof of the snake because I was pulling a George Costanza and knocking people out of the way to get away from it.

What a day! I hope the "father of the year" voting isn't today or I may not win with Jack pulling his prison break on my watch AND me walking him near a venomous snake in a matter of a couple hours. The good news is I get a shot to redeem myself tomorrow. Not sure what we'll do, but we may both wear safety bubbles around the house tomorrow.