This past weekend we were blessed to have Monday off in honour of the Queen's Birthday (happy day, your majesty), and so we decided we'd take off and attempt some good old family time, in one of our favourite places in Australia... Canberra. Yes, I am being serious. So off we went, like the good little adventurers we are, and had a grand old time.
Pretty much.
One of the over-the-top exciting places we went to was an aviary... where they advertised you could feed the birds yourself! Let the good times roll. To be honest, we expected some fat, lazy birds, overfed by the countless people who had walked through that day. What we GOT were greedy, fearless birds, who had absolutely no qualms about landing on any part of your body they could get to. And then they'd peck you to pieces if you didn't give them an apple slice.
And our kids FREAKED out. Well, most of our kids did anyway.
The trouble all started when we first walked in, and Lena, who LOVES birds, held an apple out for one to eat, and got her finger pecked instead. She wailed and cried (who can blame her) and that was it for her. Jarom and Conner witnessed the whole thing in horror, and didn't want anything to do with feeding the birds after that. Reid was oblivious to it all, because he had already raced ahead, and was too busy shoving apples down all the birds throats.
That man growing out of the side of my head there was the bird keeper of the joint, and for some reason, he kept coming up to me and putting birds on my shoulder. I don't know if that meant he really liked me or really hated me... but either way, he owes me a sweater... 'cause when a bird needs to "go" he couldn't really care less if he "goes" on your sweater or not. He really couldn't care less about you at all actually. I'm not sure if I like birds... 
The birds spent most of their time bothering Wes... mainly I think, because he was carrying the basket of apple slices, but apparently also because of his irresistible ears....
"Mmmmm! Delish! Who needs crummy old apples!" And so that bird sat on Wes' shoulder pretty much the whole time we were there, chomping away on his ear. You think he would have been grateful for such kindness on Wes' part... I mean, really! His ear was so RED by the time we left. But no... no thanks at all... JUST....
Nasty. I don't think Wes will ever let a bird chew his ear again.
Jarom and Conner shrieked and cried so much, that "Mr. Bird keeper" gave them an umbrella to keep them safe. And they wandered around together, nervous as anything, and giving any bird who came within ten feet of them a withering stare.
Reid was the only child who really enjoyed the experience. What a trooper.
"WAHHHH! NEVER again in a million trillion years will I let you parents just waltz me right into an aviary! How could you be so heartless? So cruel? So careless of my every want and need? I curse you! I curse you and your children!... and your children's children... and-- oh wait. Scratch that. Just curse you."