I first took Chase, Ryder and Rhett to Repticon last fall when Ryan was away on a business trip in India and they were blown away by the lizards, snakes, frogs, turtles and tortoises. I had a feeling they would want to visit again when Repticon returned to Charlotte and marked it on my calendar. Thankfully Ryan and my mom are just as into creatures as our kids, so we piled into my car and made our way to the Cabarrus Arena and Events Center to check out some of our favorite scaly friends again.
As we walked in, we immediately spotted a man we spoke with during our prior visit who offers an incredible experience. You can buy a chameleon egg and watch it hatch and then care for your new baby chameleon as it grows up after it hatches. I know our boys would flip if we said “yes” to this experience but research also taught me chameleons can be tricky to care for and I don’t think it’s a good fit for our family right now. Still super cool though, right!?
Also very cool? Panther chameleons!
This little guy had such personality and his eyes were looking all over the place as he repeatedly tried to honk Chase on the nose or grab his ears. We were all cracking up and of course Chase was loving every minute.
Repticon is really cool for kids because you can see various reptiles and amphibians closer than you otherwise can at zoos, pet stores, etc. Everyone is so knowledgeable and willing to chat with you and share more information about the creatures they love so much.
As a mom, I also got a huge kick out of listening to Chase share his passion for reptiles and amphibians with our family and even some strangers. We saw a basilisk lizard at one point and Chase was able to explain exactly why it has the ability to run across the top of water which blew my mind. Kids are the coolest.
Eventually our stomachs told us it was time for lunch so we made our way back home. My mom and I then spent the afternoon making cookies and coloring with Rhett while Ryan took the big kids fishing for an hour before rain scrapped any additional plans we had for the day.
(We followed this recipe for M&M cookies from The Picky Palate that I first discovered through a friend last year. They’re so good but just make sure to slightly underbake them because, for some reason, my batch on Saturday night got a little hard when we let them bake the whole time.)
A cozy night at home sounded perfect so we put on our pajamas nice and early, curled up on the couch for movie night and did a little crafting, too!
My mom worked on knitting a blanket for by cousin’s baby while my Saturday night project was a little deer ornament I made for the boys thanks to a craft kit I found a few weeks ago at HomeGoods.
Ryder is still very much our deer/reindeer lover so I knew he’d love it!
Sunday
Sunday was start-to-finish a very rainy day. My mom headed back to Florida early in the morning and while we were sad to see her go, it was a little easier to say goodbye because we already have our next trip planned. Knowing we’ll see my family in a couple of weeks definitely helps ease the goodbye blues a little bit.
Our initial plans for Sunday included church and lunch at our friends’ house but we fairly quickly realized neither would work for our family when Ryder wasn’t eating much of his breakfast and didn’t seem quite like himself. He was clearly feeling under the weather and spent most of the day on the couch with Pepper curled up by his side.
I’m hoping he’ll feel more like himself shortly but have a feeling we’ll be spending a lot of today on the couch home from school, too. We read a lot of Christmas books, colored a little when he felt up for it and watched Octonauts which has been all of our boys’ favorite show for years.
I also did some meal planning and food prep on Sunday while Ryder rested and Ryan took Chase and Rhett to a local trampoline to get some energy out in the afternoon. Once everyone was home, we ordered pizza and snuggled up to watch The Grinch again (the 2018 version) which is quickly becoming the boys’ favorite Christmas movie.
As for the week ahead, it’s clearly a little up in the air over here depending on how Ryder is feeling but it’s supposed to be filled with holiday events and activities so we’re praying Ryder feels better fast and that everyone else in our household stays healthy, too. And I hope the same for you and your loved ones! I know this time of year is crazy and can feel even crazier when a virus hits the household!
Have a good Monday, my friends!
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