Snakes And Crocodiles And Owls, Oh My!

Sometimes I hear about potentially fun things to do with our kids from other people. Some things happen annually and I know to look for them. And sometimes it is just serendipitous. That's what happened with Little Ray's Reptile Zoo. It was advertised on the radio station I listen to, and then when it also appeared as an ad on Facebook, it seemed like it was meant to be. So on Saturday we headed to check out "Dinosaurs: Past and Present."

When we arrived, there was a huge line out the doors, but people said it was moving quickly, and thankfully it was. Fortunately, our kids were pretty patient too.

When we got inside, the first animal we saw was a kangaroo. He was a little shy and just wanted to hang out in his cage.

We checked out some dinosaur skeletons instead.

Dave, Sam, and Rachel practiced being Tyrannosaurus Rexes. Then the kids checked out some caiman lizards. Sam pet one and Rachel got up close and personal with another one. I can't believe she put her face right up to glass (we won't talk about how I caught her licking it - ewwww!), and the lizard was practically nose to nose with her. They were about two inches apart. Yes, this child is scared of dogs but not huge lizards. Weird.

Since the exhibit showcased animals which were related to dinosaurs, we also saw some birds. We tested our wing span to see how big we are!

And then we encountered an owl. It was perched on its handlers hand, and I didn't realize it was on a leash, so I may have accidentally knocked over a little kid when it spread its wings and looked like it was going to take off right at me. Yerghks :() Before that little incident, Rachel was all excited about the owl, but after that, she hung back and wouldn't go near it.

You can tell Dave is thinking, "Please don't fly at my face!"

Sam needed to hold Daddy's hand to be brave. It was around this point that I was imagining a movie nightmare scene where all the animals escaped their cages and it was complete and total chaos. I was also wondering why I'd thought this was a good idea in the first place.

Then we discovered Jack, the kangaroo, had decided to venture out of his cage. Rachel was completely entranced and watched Jack take a bath. Sam and Dave, after a few minutes, made their way over to the Reticulated Python. I wasn't even going near its cage but Dave wanted to take a few pictures. Afterwards I found out that the python was out of its cage and SAM PET IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Please tell me who thought that was a good idea.

After the python petting, we decided we were ready to go. This exhibit was really amazing, if you're not freaked out by snakes, birds, and crocodiles. In other words, if you're like me, take your husband up on his offer to go without you. Next time, that's what I'll do :)