I was reading some of my favorite blogs earlier and realized that I haven't really given updates on the day to day life from our wonderful home. So here goes!

Jordan's pets update:
While we were in Uganda Jordan's crested gecko, Rosie-Buddy, died and we don't know what the cause was. I feel horribly guilty for not ensuring that every detail was relayed to the friend from church who was caring for her. (I think it may have been dehydration..) By the way, Rosie-Buddy was too young to know the sex yet so we thought since 'it' was a rose blush color "Rose Bud" would be a good name for a girl but "Buddy" would be appropriate if it turned out to be a male. So somehow Rosie-Buddy stuck. We all miss 'her' and haven't had the heart to replace her with another crested gecko yet.

Let me backtrack a little. Jordan's first real pet, besides fish, was a Russian Tortoise named Celly. His next pet was a Yellow-Plated Lined Lizzard named Lizzy. Then came an Ocillated Skink named Small-Fry and then the above mentioned Crested Gecko, Rosie-Buddy. This past Saturday we added a Okeetee Corn snake which doesn't have a name yet and may never get one....

First incident was while Jordan was in Idaho visiting family, I came home from work and Lizzy had died sometime during the day. I tried to resuscitate her but it was too late. Then later last summer as Celly was getting too big for the indoor tank I read how to keep them outdoors and so we built a pen for her outside. There was one tiny little area near the A/C unit that I had not gotten around to shoring up securely and wouldn't you know it she escaped after something knocked the fence in from the outside (probably a squirrel or cat). We are still praying that she is hibernating somewhere safe to return in the spring. However, since I am the reason Celly escaped this past summer I am really feeling bad for my son who every pet he has had and been attached too has been lost or died. Then as already mentioned Rosie-Buddy died while we were gone... Then a day and a half after getting his first snake... you guessed it!

Mom (yes, that would be me!) left the lid unsecured after putting the thermometer into the tank and now the Okeetee is nowhere to be found. It is not as weird as I thought it would be having a snake loose in the house but I feel AWFUL for my son!!! Of course I have PROMISED him I will buy him another snake (he had bought it with his Christmas money) and I will also replace the gecko but it doesn't make the feelings of guilt go away. I have talked with two reptile experts who have said it is still quite likely the snake will show up especially in the next couple of days as it gets hungrier. So we are all praying that God will keep the snake safe and healthy too until we find him.

On a happier note, Small Fry is healthy and thriving but very unsociable. We also were BLESSED with another Yellow Plated lined lizzard named Leo from our friend at PetSmart, Amy. Amy had fostered Leo and she was so sad when Lizzy died that she told us Jordan would give Leo much more attention than she could with so many other critters to care for so could we please take him off her hands. Bless her heart!! Leo is healthy and thriving and loves to be held but doesn't like a lot of fast movement as he is prone to motion sickness.

Jennifer is still praying we can get a puppy but with Jordan's allergies it is looking very unlikely. She asks every other day if I will call his allergist for more tests on specific breeds to see if there is possibly one she could get for a pet. She may not have a pet but she definitely has her own interests.

Jennifer loves to read! I don't think I stated that correctly. Jennifer LOVES to READ! Now she has surprised me to no end by proving that not only is she an excellent reader but she is a very talented and creative writer. She will be entering four (that is the maximum she can enter) poems and short stories in the Writing Contest at the library. I think she will be very pleasantly surprised at the response she gets because she thinks I just say things nice because I am her mother.. She is blossoming into a beautiful young lady who loves the Lord and cares for others deeply. I am so proud of her!