Nadara

(Grandpa Scott--I'm warning you right now: this post is all about snakes!)

Our good friends were heading out west for a long family vacation and asked if anyone would be willing to take care of their pet snake while they were gone. I thought my kids would enjoy the experience so I offered. It was an exciting day when Nadara the ball python arrived:

Seth's face is my favorite: 

like he's thrilled to have her but terrified she might turn and chomp on his leg

Seth loved Nadara, but Catherine ADORED her. No surprise from the girl who also loves all bugs:

Aaron wasn't quite as enthralled. He liked Nadara but wasn't prone to carrying her around.

He did like trying to scare her, though (despite our lectures):

Nadara had quite an adventure at our house. She enjoyed exploring our patio and kiddie pool:

She also got to try out the trampoline and terrify our neighbor girl.

I think she actually met most of our neighbors plus everyone who came to our house.

She also got stuck in our couch twice.

It was a sad day when Nadara had to go back home. We've had to go visit her once already. Seth has also written a proposal to his dad asking permission to buy a snake. It's going to be an expensive pursuit: a brand new snake plus cage, accessories and frozen rats runs about $300. We'll see if their enthusiasm continues for as long as it takes to save up that money (they currently have about $130). If nothing else, it has inspired a new love for Catherine. She checked out literally every snake book from our library, plus has sat through several documentaries about snakes. I'm impressed she still wants one after watching about cobras and black mambas...