After Reeves' glowing performance at the church nursery this Sunday (I was actually able to sit with Bryant for almost 15 minutes, and Lee said she thinks Reeves may have "turned the corner". We'll see next week), we stopped by Marion Square on the way home. He loved it. Already a pro, thanks to Julie's soft spot for animals, with the goats, 
we made our way through the petting zoo. And I suppose Reeves knows that all that sweet feed isn't necessarily so good fo these poor animals, so he would just pick up the loose grass and feed it to them. Again, I think this is a learned behavior from his time in the country. He was even brave enough to pet the camel, which I found amazing as we had just watched it nearly attack some poor lady. I was also a bit amazed that Bryant let him pet it, and that I allowed it, but we escaped with no bite marks, and, due to my constant "watch outs!", Bryant was on high alert for any dental disorderliness from this beast.
The highlight of the day was when Reeves went on his first pony ride. I had assumed that he wouldn't be doing this as the last time it was around, for the Bud draft horses, the line was a mile long. Sunday, we were able to walk right up and have a go. He LOVED it. He immediately started patting the mane, and he held on the the horn just like a seasoned rider. Bryant told him to squeeze his legs, and he did, almost like he already knows how to get a horse to respond, sans bit and crop.
This was bittersweet for me because, as I watched my son enjoy this fine four legged animal, all I could think about was his great grandfather and how proud he would be at this moment. Whoa, Dad's dad, was truly a horse whisperer. I'll never forget watching him with horses and, sometimes, probably more often than my mother would care to know, being saved from certain injury, by his words and hands in calming a horse and allowing me time to roll away. I wish he could have seen the joy on Reeves' face and heard his laughter.
But, what am I saying, I know that he did, it's just that he couldn't share it with us. And if there's anything he taught me, it's that you always need to thank your horse for giving you a good ride. Just a good pat will do. Horses appreciate being appreciated just as much as we do.
I'm not sure why I encouraged this picture because it kinda disturbs me. "Oh, Honey, let's take a picture of an alligator eating our child! That would be great!" I'm still wondering why it was even an option for us. Perhaps it is to encourage us not to play with alligators? Who knows.
It was pretty crowded, but from what Nancy said, I don't think it was as crowded as it was on Saturday. Still, we weren't able to see the Purina Dog Show as the crowd was at least 5 rows deep. In the exhibition tent, I held one of the birds, and Reeves didn't really even flinch when it pecked at him as he tried to touch it. He also was quite interested in touching the Eastern Indigo snake that was wrapped around some man's neck, but luckily, we were able to divert his attention away from that pretty easily. Not sure Jodie could have forgiven us for that! He was intently looking at the cougar sleeping in its cage and nearly jumped out of Bryant's arms when it moved. He must not have thought it was real.It was a gorgeous day, and I'm so glad we were able to do this. It is a treat to have this event right here, and to have all these free shows and exhibitions. As anyone with a toddler knows, attitudes can be touch and go some days, and it's nice not to have money invested in things that can be ruined by a bad mood!
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