We had a great opportunity to go to St. George with the majority of the Davis family. As part of the trip, we spent an afternoon at the wildlife museum. I think all of the kids loved it, but Parker was especially happy to be there. (He LOVES animals. I think he absorbed everything the tour guide told us.) The museum is filled with hundreds "stuffed" animals from many different regions all over the world. The tour guides taught us about many different animals and areas of the world. (Useless fact, did you know that an alligator's snout is rounded and that a crocodile's snout is pointed.)
After the complete tour of the museum they had an activity for the kids too.
They all worked hard on their coloring project.
Let me pause here to tell you the creepiest part of the museum. You would think that a museum filled full of dead animals would be pretty creepy, right? The animals weren't all that bad. In fact, the animals were quite interesting. They worst part of the whole tour were the two education rooms. In one room they had a few animals that had been prepared so that the kids could feel what their different pelts/skin felt like. (The bear cub in the picture above is real.) I will look at dead/"stuffed" animals all day. But don't ask me to handle one. YUCK!!!
(What do you call animals that have been to a taxidermist. I know that "stuffed" isn't the right term. . .)
The second creepy room was filled with dead bugs. They lure you into the room by putting the most beautiful butterflies in cases on the back wall. It wasn't until we got inside the room that you can see all the other disgusting creepy-crawlies. They even have the sound of cicadas chirping in the background. It gave me a MAJOR case of the willies!
DOUBLE YUCK!!!
I must admit, I think that the boys thought touching the animal pelts was pretty cool. Especially because they got to dress up in camouflage to do it.
To tell the truth, I think the bug room was particularly yucky because the day before this I had a little run in with a scorpion. That's right ladies and gents. A SCORPION! I could drag this story out, but I think I'll just hit the highlights.
-Jeremy, Avie and I went shopping.
-I piled a bunch of clothes on top of the stroller. (With Avie in it.)
-I left Avie with Jeremy, took the clothes and went to try them on.
-I noticed something crawling on a pair of jeans as I was taking them off/hanging them up.
-I realized what it was.
-I FREAKED OUT!!!
-Got dressed. (without screaming in terror.)
-Poked my head out of the dressing room and flagged down a store clerk.
-The clerk gasped.
-Caught it, and took it out.
First of all. It was only a small scorpion and it was a creamy color. (It was about as long as my pinky finger and it was a creamy/off-white color.) I found a little reassurance in this.
Until I found out that these are THE WORST KIND!!!
It was at the wildlife museum that they taught me that the smaller/whiter the scorpion is the more deadly it's venom is.
Lovely.
Just lovely.
I realize that no one likes little creepy-crawly things but I think I am forever ruined. I am still having horrible nightmares about little legs crawling all over me and Avie. Thank heavens I took the scorpion with me to the dressing room.
Okay, okay. We really are alive. We've had a very busy couple of months.
Isn't Avie the cutest baby ever? I snapped this picture at the perfect moment.
Avie enjoyed the ribs we had one night for dinner. Yum!
Avie is also learning to color. She is fascinated with drawing. Especially if markers are involved. Watch out Picasso. . .
Parker is my tough builder guy. The side rail for his bed broke awhile ago so, the two of us decided to build him a bed. He did great with the nail gun and the drill (with a little help of course.) I think we have a little contractor on our hands.
