Hiss-terics over the Serpentarium!

Last week was our final week of Summer...boohoo! So I wanted to do some especially fun things, we went to the movies one day and Disney another, but the highlight of the week was the serpentarium...We have passed this place probably hundreds of times in the over eight years we have lived here. It is literally 4 minutes away and now after going there I wish, for our safety, that it was a little further away..


Lizzie and Rett are best of friends they used to loathe each other, but have made a turn for love, which is great! They will be in the same pre-K class starting on Wednesday...


They do venom shows everyday at noon and three...First they bring out some for everyone to hold...He said these were not deadly, but it would bleed and hurt if they bit...


It used to not be behind glass, but then someone was bit...that must have been an exciting day! They milked between 6-8 snakes, all deadly snakes! What was frightening was how many snakes they had...hundreds!! and most were very scary ones...mambas, cobras, rattles,cottonmouths....


kind of like milking a cow...right?...although when you milk a cow I'm sure you don't have to worry about losing a finger!!! His pointer on his right hand is a little nub!...


This big guy was a little alarming...I was standing with nothing but a dinky chain link fence and two and a half feet separating me from this 10ft gator... there must be some sort of law prohibiting this...


"Crikey, look at this croc she's a beauty!" Rett loved the crocs...


You can feed lots of turtles in the turtle habitat (more like a pool with a hose for a fountain)...


It is a great find and we will be sure to go back...And now everyone who visits is going to have to go to the serpentarium! Hooray! Good times!

Nail Salon Humor

This is so funny! My friend, Catherine, showed this to me when she was in town and I can't stop thinking about it! It's not that funny at the beginning, but then it gets hilarious!! She does such a great job!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsWrY77o77o

Now back to our regularly scheduled programming!!

Between Girls Camp and Youth Conference Stake YW's has owned my bootie! I'm so happy to be done with all of it so that our Summer of F-U-N can continue...


I didn't know where Rett was one afternoon...
but I found him hiding out with stolen goods...
The cupcake made him do it!


I was able to have a quick visit with my best friends,
Catherine (and her adorable boys)...


and Hilarry (and her adorable roommate Jaime).
Both were very short visits...but I soaked in every last second...
I could literally spend days on end with them and never be tired or stop laughing...
(pardon this pic, it was smack in the middle of girls camp
and I knew I looked horrible, so I decided if I made a stupid face
it might camouflage how bad I looked...)



We had a fabulous 4th of July...Bobby and Vesna and family (including 3 dogs)
ended up coming up last minute as well as the Melick family and thanks to our steer, Westin,
in our freezer and a couple jet skis we were able to have some yummy food and fun! It actually looked like a dog park, the pups had a blast, but we are now questioning Rocky's sexuality...he seemed to really like McGraw...It made for some great entertainment though!

The hit of the night was definitely the sparklers...the kids loved them...


We couldn't light these things fast enough!!


Rett kept asking to do "sprinklers" all day...he was a maniac with them...


We all watched fireworks from the backyard...they were going off all around the lake...It was one time that we are so happy to be living around a bunch of rednecks that love them there fireworks!!!...


We were surprised with a visit from Eric, Karen, Edesse, and Brynn...We love them and were so happy that they came by! They had been down in Miami for the 4th and decided to have a pit stop on the way back to Gainesville. Their girls are seriously the cutest girls!
Emree just LOVES Edesse!



And sweet little Brynn...she loves dogs, so she was in dog heaven at our house with all five dogs here!!



I'm so glad they stopped by, I just can't get enough of these girls!!!
I mean look at this adorable face!!!

Salsa, Hip Hop, Broadway, Argentine Tango, Venetian Waltz...

So our favorite Summer show is back on!! Emree and I stayed up last night and watched it. I just love it! It makes me so happy...highlight last night was the broadway number by Katee and Joshua...I love Twitch, and I love the blonde girl from Utah...I was on the edge of my seat during the Salsa number with the girl from Miami. I wanted her to do good...she managed to do good but, I think her partner stinks! I lost my breath when she went up on his shoulders, I really thought he was going to drop her! Emree and I love Mary Murphy, one of the judges...she is hilarious! You never know what craziness she's going to say! If you haven't started watching it you should! I put a SYTYCD song on my playlist on the bottom of the blog...Fuego...if you can listen to that song and not get up and shake your bootie, you have a problem!

Sun, Sand, Sickness...what?!

We started the week off great! Monday we drove down with Chica...My parents had a little surprise...A new dog! She's adorable! They rescued her and named her Ami...so my Mom can say, "She's my Ami (Miami)!" Chica and Ami became crazy playmates right away...

Tuesday was of course Last Chance...notice the mess on the floor behind Emree, that's how the whole store is! A mess! A wonderful glorious mess! I get excited just thinking about it! The kids tolerated it very well...

Wednesday was a little more shopping...Marshalls, another fav, who can resist trying on those crazy hats?...and Kung Fu Panda...Hi-yah!

Wednesday night was horrible...it consisted of Emree being so so so sick! Poor girl, all night long! She started feeling better Thursday afternoon and was dying to go to the beach...so we did! Gotta love my parenting skills!...We went to the beach that we used to go when I was little, Cape Florida. It has a lighthouse! How cute is that?!

Rye was missing out on the fun...

It was totally overcast...so no sunscreen...Hooray!

Miracle of miracles got down to just my bathing suit...those of you that know me know that this NEVER happens...decided I need to get over myself!...BTW my hair air-dried so pretty from the salt water...also decided I need to bottle ocean water...


Rye awake from his slumber was able to play with everyone! So fun!

After playing at the beach go home...guess what?! Emree has another sick night! We don't understand! She was fine during the day...weird..

Friday was spent lounging around and we went swimming in the pool...And no your eyes are not deceiving you...I am in a bathing suit AGAIN!!...I'm on a roll...The kids love to play with Popi in the pool...It's kinda of crazy to be in the pool that you played in growing up with your kids...I could have closed my eyes and been ten again trying to synchronize swim with Catherine...

We came home Saturday...me driving home while I was sick!...We left Nana Banana and Popi with a little souvenir, our disgusting germs! Sorry!...Rye and Rett have now had it since we have been home and I just know Joey has it coming...sucks to be him!!!

Just wanted to add that my Mom deserves Nana of the Year Award...we came down, she was already feeling down from a horrible fall...then we make a disaster of her house by just being there and then on top of that we throw up all over her house!! She was in the thick of it more than I was...she was doing all the laundry and trying to get the stains out of carpets...it really was horrendous! But she did it lovingly and willingly nursing her sick little grandkids! Thanks Mom!

What time is it? SUMMERTIME!!

The end of the school year is the best time of the year! I love the feeling of having the whole Summer ahead of you!

Emree had her dance recital this past weekend...I don't know if the other parents knew, but she was the star of the show...

This was her fourth year of dance! I can't even believe that she can say that! I do love it when she's on stage...this is sad but, I love putting make up on her...She really is like my very own, very crazy, very big doll....



So You Think You Can Dance has nothing on this dance machine!...Emree also has great talent...=)



Rett is ready for Summer with a nice buzz cut...Rett and Rye's smiling faces are due to the anticipation of going down to Nana Banana and Popi's house to kick off Summer! We are so excited for a week of F-U-N!!

Update on Chica and Rocky... BFF!...


Can't wait to go down to Miami and take tons of pics this week!! Happy Summer Ya'll!!!