Feeding the kangaroos

This is L feeding one of the kangaroos at Hedrick's. The whole day was fun, but this was the part that caused the most anticipation. Most of them were loose, and sat around in an area around you, but for some reason this little guy was on the other side. L felt sorry for him, and I think he got most of her sweet potato strips!

School is in full swing

The school year feels like it is finally in full swing - into the routine, have figured out my class dynamics, and I have piles of grading (which is always the real sign!). We even take our first field trip, to the State Fair, tomorrow. L is loving school - getting so grown-up. It's such a cliche, but it feels so true, that she is growing up so fast. She is currently SO UPSET because she was reading a book about the rain forest, and she discovered that some people capture male Morpho butterflies and kill them and cut their wings up to be turned into jewelry. In the book, it said those people state that since they only take the males it doesn't affect the population. She is SO indignant! "It takes males to mate, and if there are no males, then the females can't lay eggs, and so the population will decline and then maybe go extinct!" She's so fired up about it!
My sister came to see us the day before school started, and we took the kids to this amazing local attraction called Hedrick's Exotic Animal Farms. You have to call ahead for a tour reservation, and then you get to pet/feed giraffes, zebras, ostriches, camels, donkeys, horses, water buffalo, pigs, and, Most Importantly, kangaroos! The kids had a marvelous time - if you have never been there, you should try it. They are also a bed & breakfast, so you can actually stay the night in one of their animal-themed rooms.
It was such a nice thing to do - one last "adventure" before school began!