I learned something important on our field trip to the zoo yesterday. NEVER, EVER, EVER feed the lorikeets during mating season! I've fed the lorikeets before and it's always been both a fun experience and a great photo op. This time, however, was slightly different. First mistake...I entered the enclosure with not one, but TWO cups of nectar. In hindsight, that was not a wise decision. Perhaps I should have suspected something was amiss when several lorikeets planted themselves on the screen door and began screetching wildly. (In retrospect, I believe it was the avian equivalent of "Fresh Meat" that they were bellowing out!) By the time I actually entered the enclosure the gig was up. In a scene remanesant of the classic horror flick "The Birds", I was immediately surrounded by the feathered menaces. i had been advised to cover the cups until I was ready to feed the birds. Yeah right!! You try covering up the cups when you have five birds on your hand pecking away, two more hoping around on your head, and one perched on your shoulder and screaming in your ear! I was all I could do to pass one of the cups off to Ken and pray that I would leave the enclosure with all of my digits intact!
After we split up the cups, the birds settled down a little and we were able to take several good pictures. We even managed to get Genevieve to hold one of the cups. Autumn, wisely, managed to con one of the attendants into holding the cup for her while she watched them eat. :) Somehow we all managed to get out with only a few wounds (one of the little buggers acutally drew blood on me!). Still...the next time we go to the zoo, I'm going to make sure I ask whether it's lorikeet mating season or not!!
Other than the lorikeet mishap, things went very smoothly on our field trip. The girls were both entertained, and managed to learn a couple of things and Benjamin actually had a pretty good time. All in all, we'll call it a sucess...even if I did have to go home with a Bandaid on my thumb. ;)
Well, it was pretty touch and go the last couple of days, but I think Benjamin is pulling through the pneumonia! Needless to say, I am soooo very grateful for modern medicine!! It's amazing to me that in as little as two days on antibiotics, the little guy goes from being held and moaning all day to his usual spreading mayhem around the house! Yes, yes...I studied Microbiology, so I'm very well aware of the workings of antibiotics. Still, it's a miracle to watch them in action! While his energy level is definitely picked up, he's still not eating like normal...so we'll be keeping a close eye on him tomorrow. Hopefully he'll be feeling up to the trip to the zoo that we've got planned for Tuesday. Otherwise, I suppose we'll be sticking indoors...maybe to EdVenture again. :)
It's been a rough day in the Clan. Benjamin was up last night with a high fever (103). Over the past couple of days he's developed a nasty little smoker's cough (and wheezing). So we took him to the Pediatrician's today and he diagnosed the little dude with pneumonia. Poor little man has been so miserable that he really hasn't eaten anything and has pretty much resigned himself to moaning all day long. I was able to give him a dose of antibiotic this evening, and although I know it's too early for it to start kicking in, Benjamin did seem to feel a little better before bed time. Hopefully his infection will respond fully to the antibiotics and we'll have our happy little man back in no time.
Okay, okay, I admit it...I was a big time doubter! But I have to say the movie Beverly Hills Chihuahua was actually a pretty good kids movie!
Background...we had promised to take the family swimming on Sunday. Much to our chagrin, when we showed up at the gym (in our swimsuits of course!!) the gym was closed. The girls were devastated (particularly Autumn) and in an awkward moment of parental placation, we asked the girls what they would like to do to salvage the day. "Go to the movies!!" Genevieve bellows which of course was immediately seconded by Autumn.
Sooo...I breath an sigh of despair when Ken tells me that Beverly Hills Chihuahua is the **only** kids movie playing. Suck it up....it's only a kids movie....if you can suffer through hours of grueling martial arts training, then surely you can make through two hours of mental mush... So went the mental processing as I stepped into the theater.
I was immediately pleased to see Jamie Lee Curtis in the role of the spoiled Chihuahua's (Chloe) mother. "Alright", I thought "this might not be too bad!" (Side note...I'm a big fan of Jamie Lee as an actress. I haven't seen all her films, but I just really like her as an actress and as a person!) The film went on and the plot thickened, eventually landing poor little Chloe in a dog fighting club in Mexico City. **Danger!! Danger!!** Huge red flags went up as I remembered that the film as rated PG. Ack!! My poor children are going to be scared for life after seeing this poor little dog abused in a dog fight. Thankfully, the producer had enough taste to deal with the topic in a mostly non threatening manner and the girls didn't even blink at the scene. :)
I won't go through the story and ruin it for you. If you don't have children...well...you'll probably have no reason to have to sit through this movie. But, if you've got kids and are in a pinch for some entertainment, then I heartily suggest this movie. It's got enough lite hearted comedy to keep the kidos entertained, while offering a fairly decent story line and a few good jokes for the adults as well.
I know what you're thinking...and before you call Child Protective Services I assure you that it is not massive amounts of blood on Benjamin's face. Oh, no...rather, this is the site that we faced this morning as we were getting ready to go to the pumpkin farm. Seems that the boy found a container of Kool-aid unguarded and obligingly set to trying to devour it before his parents found him. Soooo...if you spot a pink mustache in any of the rest of the pictures, now you know why...
Anyway, after that little snaffoo, things went quite a bit smoother. We got down to Harmon's farm and were able to meet up with my old friend from Monsanto and her family. Everyone had a great time playing on the playground, even though it was a bit on the warm side. Then we headed out on the hay ride where Autumn dutifully protected me while we went through the "Haunted Forest". A couple of photo ops and then it was time to pick out their pumpkins. Sadly, the girls were a bit weary of their paparazzi mother so I don't have photos of their picks yet, but Benjamin was glad to show off his prize. All in all, it was a really great time and a terrific start to the fall season!
