Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Hippos, Cheetahs and Aimee, Oh My! Our day at the zoo....


wishing well



hippos cuddling


lunch time




let me out!







this one's for green jello



you are about to enter the butterfly house...

i expect you to make fun of me for the color accent, KP - in fact, i invite it


our friend, Aimee, who has exceptional patience with my kids - heavy sigh - if only i had a tenth of her patience!








The entrance and exit to the Butterfly House had the double door super security so as not to allow any butterfly prisoners to escape. They gave us a big speech before we went inside about being careful not to harm them or touch their wings - they emphasized that if a butterfly lands on you, it is safe (well, duh). i think they covered some information about conservation. So we went in and looked around. Then all of a sudden I hear gasps. I looked past this college student in near tears (bless her heart) and see Gabriel stomping on a butterfly!

"What are you doing?!" I exclaimed.

"I didn't want it on me." he said matter of factly.

(don't think it ended there - I will spare you the gory details, there was discipline)

It was a little creepy and a little innocent all at the same time. Think of the little girl at the end of Kill Bill 2 where she talks about killing her gold fish.

10 comments:

Ryan said...

Wow! Beautiful pictures! Who is your friend Aimee? Can you introduce us and put in a good word for me? ;)

So Gabe smashed a butterfly...sounds just like his father :)

Mrsbear said...

Oh no! I was not expecting that story to end with a squashed butterfly. What can you do? They're still little, no malice there just logic and brute strength. My daughter once squashed a cocoon we'd been watching for days just because she wanted to see what would happen. Even when I explained the caterpillar was dead and she couldn't take it back, she had zero remorse. And trust me, I tried every guilt technique I could think of...luckily she's not out torturing kittens or anything, that I'm aware of.

Casey said...

I was kind of expecting the stomping since we have a friend whose kid killed a bunch at the butterfly gardens in VA. Oops. At least you're not the only one?!? Sorry you had a bad experience.

The elephant pictures were great. We went to the zoo last week and the animals were all snoozing. Also, I left with two hysterically screaming children and did the walk of shame. Graham has that same orange stud daddy shirt. Woot.

Ginny Marie said...

Remember, Aimee can go home WITHOUT your kids! It's a lot easier to be patient when you are not with them all the time!!

It's good to know that I'm not the only one who disciplines my kids in public. You'd think a time-out at the grocery store never happens from the way people look at me. (Maybe I'm just being paranoid!)

Sprite's Keeper said...

Your pictures are gorgeous!
He stomped a butterfly? Oh, so sad! Sprite is not happy with bugs in general. We were at a picnic and one of those general flies landed on her hot dog bun and she FLIPPED OUT. Girly girl? Oh yeah.

Krista P said...

Can you see me rolling my eyes?

Don't you LOVE taking your camera to the zoo?! Felt like I was there with you...wish I was

Cassie said...

I wonder if that college girl would have freaked out if she saw him step on an ant or a roach. They're kids. Not that it shouldn't be addressed, but it happens. And it sounds like you handled it well.

Those pictures are gorgeous! I especially love the drinking fountain and hippo ones. =)

Becky said...

Oh no! I hope nobody was too traumatized. I guess if you're a kid, you're like, "Why are we acting like it's okay that these bugs are all over us!"

I love your elephant pics!

Pearl said...

OMG! I would have been so mortified!!! Last year we went to a butterfly festival, that sounds similar to the butterfly exhibit you went through. The butterflies (or their cacoons) are flown up from South America I believe since they could not survive our climate. Oh well, things happen. It isn't the end of the world, but could definitely see the upset. Oy!

Also, much easier to have patience with kids you don't live with! You can spoil them, and then just leave. Ha!

Laufa said...

Beautiful pictures!! Love the elephants! The butterflies were so vibrant.
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