Thursday, October 10, 2019

Scarlet (and maybe a little green 💚😄)

So Daddy did it. And he made it a big surprise. On Zane's birthday he surprised V&Z with a joint birthday gift. Zane had requested Chick-fil-a for his birthday dinner. As Daddy pulled in and I hopped in the van to leave to pick up the food, Daddy pulled a box out of his car.

I then realized Adam had stopped on the way home from work to buy the kids a ball python. But I asked Daddy to wait to surprise the kids until I returned home, since Zane came home from school with a pounding headache and threw up from feeling so bad, I didn't want the adrenaline rush to set him back before I got food in him. Daddy understood.

But Daddy could hardly wait too. And so while the kids started to eat and Vanessa was gabbing a hundred mph, he casually walked in with the snake wrapped around his arm and just leaned over the chair. It took the kids about 5 to 10 seconds and below you can see where V's eyes lock in and start to process what Dad had in his hand. You'll also notice how Zane was trying to keep it together and how he processed the surprise and shock -- his facial expressions say it all for him!

The kids fell in love. And because it was Zane's birthday, he got to name her, so he named her Scarlet. The kids are visiting with her in the mornings and holding her a ton in the evenings. She seems to enjoy their love for her. She's small, maybe 12-15 inches long, and about 8 months old. She can grow up to 6 feet but will keep to the size of her terrarium.

Vanessa immediately started messaging all of her friends, some of who are not sure they will come for a visit with a snake in the house, and others who want to come over just to touch her to feel her skin. These discussions and responses reminded me that my own father refused to visit Adam's and my first house as long as there was a snake there -- Adam's ball python Frankie, which he received when he was 17 years old. I laughed because I recently couldn't remember why my parents rarely visited our home in Gallipolis and figured it must've been the amount of time we spent at theirs, and then now my dad's refusal came flooding back.
When it came time to feed Scarlet. the kids were eager. Once Scarlet grabbed hold of the mouse, Vanessa wasn't quite sure she likes to witness the process. Hendrix thought at first that he needed to help the mouse. He ran off to get toys to offer to Scarlet, possibly to try and distract her from "playing" with the mouse too hard. What a sweet guy.