Close Encounters

Once a month the zoo is free so we went to the zoo this week. Since Brian is always the photographer we will never have any proof that he accompanies us on family outings, except that there are actually pictures of the event.

The kids had a few close encounters with animals which reminded me that my children's personalities are very different. BreeAnna and Brian were eating lunch when a peacock hopped out of the bushes not ten feet from them.

Here BreeAnna watches unconcerned as it circles them.

And here I am holding Aaron as a goat comes to sniff our stroller. Aaron likes to look at animals, but doesn't like them to be anywhere near him. Perhaps I'm being to unfair to Aaron. BreeAnna's close enounter animal did not have horns and teeth, and she may not be old enough to understand that animals can be dangerous. When the peacock came near Aaron, however, he ran around behind me and said, "I don't like it!" I am grateful to have a cautious child. I feel quite certain that if a stranger tried to pick up Aaron he would scream bloody murder, as he should. BreeAnna, on the other hand, would observe them with polite interest.

Animals were not the highlight of the trip for Aaron anyway. He could've cared less about the lions and tigers and bears (oh my). Early in the trip he heard a train whistle, and he began asking to see the train. From that point on our trip became a quest to find the train. We peered into each animal exhibit under the guise of "looking for the train." We found the railroad crossing and he stood there and watched the train go by 4 or 5 times before we coerced him to go on. I think our next big outing will be to a train museum.