Reptiles and boats!

We had an eventful weekend. We visited our local reptile expo. I have so much fun when we go. They are small, with only about 10 or so vendors. But they have lots of snakes and lizards to look at. This time around I got to hold a big male ball python that was sweet as sugar. Wish I could have brought him home. And all of us got to hold two different crested geckos. We love those guys!! We ate at McDonalds afterwards and then headed to Bass Pro. The kids love going and sitting on all the boats and four wheelers. Speaking of boats, our final destination was to go view a pontoon boat and take it out on the water. If we liked it, we would buy it! So the kids got new life jackets at Bass Pro. They were just so excited! So the boat... We met the fella and my immediate impression was.. meh. I didn't like the looks of it much. We knew the boat was old, it was a 1991 model. But it was much older looking than I liked. The seats had cubbies underneath and they were all full of cob webs and dirt. One even completely fell off because the hinges were broke. The motor looked ancient and we were told it was original to the boat but had been rebuilt. And the trailer was dunky and looked way too small for the boat, plus it had a flat tire. We just weren't impressed. We decided to go ahead and test it out on the water though. We followed the guy to the lake. The kids got their life jackets on and we were just waiting to get on. But the guy couldn't even get it to start! We stood at the edge of the water for about 15 minutes waiting for him to get the thing started. He finally got it started and as we started to walk to the dock, it turned off and he never could get it going again. We knew this was a big huge NO!! I felt bad for the man, I'm sure he was embarrassed. But I also feel like he knew this boat was in bad shape, like he was trying to pawn it off onto someone else. That's the way the world works, but it's so rude. We won't be getting that boat. Nick found another one that is a little newer. He feels pretty excited about it because the man who owns it used it to take his grandkids out on the water. He bought it from his friend who bought it brand new. So hopefully everything works out and we can get it. I just don't want to be wasting our time and money! Nick's always wanted a boat though and now that we are able to handle the cost of one, we've figured why not! Fingers crossed! These pictures are from a recent birthday party we went to and from our trip this weekend. My how these kids are growing!!

Can it really be a year and a half since I updated my blog? Sheesh! Well, here I am to try again. I came to update on what my family has been up to, but also to mourn the loss of a friend. My best friend, Sarah Weldon, has lost her amazing husband, Rusty Fry. My heart absolutely aches for her. He was only 28 years old and they have two young boys together. I went to see Sarah yesterday and felt so helpless. I wish there was something I could do or say to help her feel better, but there's nothing that can. All we can do as her friends is be there for her. Sarah is a strong young woman and an even better mother. She's going to make it through this. Somehow. Anytime a friend or family member is lost, the world stops turning so fast and everyone goes about each day in shock. Then slowly, life gets back on track and we again forget just how short life is and how easily and quickly it can end. It makes everyone stop and think about life and death and makes them take an extra moment to hug and kiss their loved ones. Then back to the fast track again until the next person passes away. We need to never forget how short life is. We should always take the extra moment to give a hug or a kiss. I love the quotes "Never go to bed angry." and "Always kiss me goodbye." We just simply don't know when the last time will be. I love my family so much. My kids are the light of my life. They seriously drive me crazy a lot when they fight and bicker, but that's how it should be. They are healthy and (usually, lol) happy and that's all that matters. I wish I had more patience with them. I hardly remember my mom ever loosing her patience with me, and I know I deserved it a lot. I hope someday I can be just as wonderful as she was to me. Jayden loves keeping busy and is always ready to go outside and play, even if it's 95 degrees outside! His new hobby is catching lightning bugs. A couple nights ago, he and Emma and Nick caught 4 of them and we put them in a little critter keeper with some grass. The kids took it into their room with the light off in hopes of seeing them light up. The bugs found a small whole in the lid of the cage and got out! Jayden was then concerned that they were flying around in his room. I'm not sure if they ever found them! Emma is talking like a little pro. She's going to be going to Turtle Tots in August. I cannot even believe she is old enough to go to school. It seems like it took forever for Jayden to be old enough, but time really flew by with her. She is still sporting short frizzy hair and huge blue eyes. I hope she will grow some hair soon so we can start playing hair stylist! She's still obsessed with Mickey Mouse, but we have added a few new friends to the line up. Paw Patrol, Frozen and Tangled to name just a few. Oh, can't forget about Ninja Turtles. She and Jayden love the turtles and she can name them all just as easily as Jayden can. She potty trained within 1 month of really trying. I have to give credit to her baby sitter Corey for that. She only went to Corey's house for about a month before something came up and she was unable to continue baby sitting. But in that time Emma decided she would start using the potty at Corey's house and then finally at home. She was almost easier than Jayden! And he was super easy! Now I need to brag on my super hot husband, Nick! Gosh I love him. I want to cry now just thinking about how much I love him. I hope he knows it. He does so much for me, it's unreal. Just the last couple days he let me drop everything to go on a late night trip to Joplin with my friend Tara R. to pick up some stuff to take to Sarah. I was gone till almost 1:00AM and he never once complained. Then the next day he kept the kids so I could go visit her. It may not be much, but that's huge to me. Nick makes me speechless. I am struggling to put into words how much he means to me. He is my other half. He is my strength, my light, my friend. I love you, Nick. Always and forever. I've tried to add several photos but can't for some reason. It just keeps hanging up on me. I'll try again next time!