Oh my . . .

Today Parker and I accompanied Audrey's class on a field trip to the Bayou Wildlife Center. It was quite a fun day, filled with pony rides, emus, ostriches, longhorn cattle, and the occasional alligator. The most memorable part of the day occurred just after we boarded a little tram that would take us through the park. Some children were given small buckets of food to throw or hold out to the animals. Parker was on my lap and Audrey was sitting across from us holding one of these buckets. After a minute or so, Audrey said, "Mommy, is that people food?" I said, "No, it's for the animals." Then Audrey said, "Then why did Parker just eat some?"

Yes, Parker was somehow tempted by the little pellets, perhaps thinking they were like popcorn you get at the movies, and to my shock, had eaten one. I had to sweep it all out of his mouth with my finger, then we were graciously offered wipes, paper towels, a bottle of water, and chewing gum, to get that yucky taste out. I asked the attendant if the food was safe and she assured me it was just wheat, oats and protein. Yummy. At least it was harmless, and Parker had skipped his Spiderman vitamin this morning with breakfast.

On the drive home, Audrey asked Parker, "Why did you eat that animal food?" "I thought it was for people," Parker answered. "It was yucky, but I can't taste it anymore." I just smiled and giggled a little. These sillies. Check out Audrey and Parker's blogs for more pictures.

One of the alligators. It was very, very big.

Speaking of big, this guy had some major horns going on. Ick. He was a little too close.