Saturday, August 30, 2008

See Ya Later, Alligator

Evan has been having a hard time since his older brother and sister went back to school.

I can't tell you how many times a day I hear "Mom, I'm hungry!"

I keep telling him he isn't hungry, he's bored. He then, of course, falls to pieces and in the whiniest voice imaginable (that no one on this planet can decipher) tries to explain to me that he is STARVING and that if I don't feed him immediately, he will die.

I caught him yelling at his 15 month old sister because she wasn't playing dinosaur the right way (as in, she was grabbing the T-Rex and waddling over to the garbage and throwing it in instead of sitting down and making it eat the triceratops).

So last week, Tracy and I decided to take him over to the park to go "alligator hunting."

There is a really great park close by that, never fail, supplies an abundance of alligator sightings.

Now, it was Tracy's idea to go do this. I am not sure why I agreed to it, as I am a big scardy cat and constantly in fear that one of my children is going to be eaten by an alligator. And at this park, you don't stand on the edge of the lake and stare out at the water, hoping to catch a quick glimpse of a gator. You walk out on raised walkways OVER the water as the gators swim around you.

As you are walking along, there are little "piers" that you can go down that take you even farther out over the water. Each of these little piers are covered on the end and have a picnic table. You know, so you can sit and eat a last meal before being devoured by a gator.

As we walked down the walkway, this is what we saw:

A big blob of dried mud.,.....? That's odd, right? Well, it led to this....

Now, call me crazy, but that TOTALLY looks like a gator decided he was sick of swimming and wanted to go for a little walk, right?? (Oh, and I assume all alligators are men because they are ugly and mean)

It freaked me out. I looked over at Evan, who was standing about 5 feet from me. HE looked like gator bait, to me! I made him get up on the picnic table as I investigated the gator track. Tracy was at the end of the pier, looking out at the water.

"Ha! Someone lost s shoe." she said.

That's when the light bulb went off! I bet someone fell in the water (a genius I'm sure), lost their shoe (and probably peed their pants) and tracked the muddy print (probably intentionally making it look like an alligator had done it to scare fraidy cats like me) as they slithered back to their car, sans one shoe.

We stood there for a minute and, out of nowhere, up pops this gator. He was probably about 5 feet long or so. He just sat there at first. Floating about 20 feet away from us. Staring at us (probably trying to figure out which one of us he should eat as the appetizer).

He started swimming towards us. I made Evan get up on the picnic table again. He stopped, about 2 feet away from us. He just sat there (probably trying to decide which one of us he should eat for his entree). Evan kept saying "There it is! I see that al-e-gator! That's my first al-e-gator." It wasn't. He has seen like a million of them. He's weird sometimes. I let him get down as long as he promised to stand RIGHT beside me.

Then, the gator started moving. He swam under the wooden pier we were on. We could look through the slatted bottom and see him. He swam directly underneath us. If my arm could fit through the wooden planks, I could have touched him. I made Evan get back up on the picnic table. He kept saying "I can't see it! I can't SEEEE it!!" I ignored him. Evan was not on the menu!

Ok, so I did actually end up letting him down, but only after Tracy practically laid down on the walkway to peer through the little slats (and get a good picture)

And I figured she would, at the very least, slow the gator down long enough for me to throw Evan back up on the picnic table if he attacked. And YES I did actually think all of this while we were standing there.

We stayed there and watched him for about ten minutes. Then we left and headed back home. The whole way home, Evan talked about how he had just seen his first al-e-gator. It was "al-e-gator this and al-e-gator that."

I was so glad he had had a good time and had forgotten, at least for a short time, about being lonely. We walked through the door at home and he was still talking about the alligator. He climbed up onto the couch and he looked up at me with his adorable, green eyes and said "Mom! I'm hungry!"

25 comments:

Amanda B. said...

That was so funny. I love the way you write! :) I can so hear him saying he is hungry. I have that same problem....I understand completely...

That park is very cool though! I am sure I would have been a bit freaked too, but you certainly don't see parks like that in Ohio!

Kellan said...

What a great story, but ... that was definitely a alligator trail up on that pier - DEFINITELY! It would have made me very nervous.

Have a good weekend and stay away from the gators! Kellan

Jennifer said...

Eeeek!! I can't believe you were willingly that close to an alligator!! Next time you should bring some RAID, or pepper spray with you ;)

Kaci said...

LOL! Boys are always hungry! LOL! That was great! Have a good weekend!

Leah said...

what a neat outing!!!! Scary, but neat! That's hilarious that he chimed in about being hungry as soon as you were back home again.

I remember the first time Jared was home while his oldest sister was off at school. He looked like alittle lost soul wandering around the house wondering what to do. Connor, on the other hand, doesn't give a second thought to where his siblings are when they aren't around, adn just simply enjoys the heck out of him time alone! LOL

quick go feed the kid before he dies of starvation (or boredom)

Beth Cotell said...

I am not a fan of alligators. Plust I'm a big scaredy cat so I probably wouldn't even have gotten on that lttle pier!

Anonymous said...

EEK!!

When I lived in GA, there were many gator sightings. The news would sometimes warn people to keep their small pets indoors because of the gators. Did you see any manatees?

I can understand how Evan feels. Now that my oldest two are in school and the baby still naps a lot... I find myself bored on occassion!! What do I do? EAT!

Betsy Hart said...

I am with you there!! I am scared of aligators over here too and they aren't anywhere near by. I can't imagine taking a kid to a place where they are!!

Unknown said...

Are you telling me you went ON PURPOSE to a place that you know al-e-gators live? My non school age kid is really bored too but I draw the line at live al-e-gators to entertain her!!! :)

That being said -- I totally think that was an alligator trial on the peir. I would have screamed like a little girl :)

Damama T said...

OH MY! I agree with UT Mom- that was an gator trail on the pier... or the drag marks from the guy whose leg the gator bit off just before spitting out the shoe which was the only way the guy was able to try to drag himself back up onto the pier from the mud and pull himself along leaving a muddy trail that ended in the gator finally getting the rest of him since the leg appetizer wasn't enough to satisfy him.... Or maybe I just have an overactive imagination... maybe. AACK! Dang! Now I'M hungry. LOL!

Damama T said...

OOPS! Got so wound up that I forgot to click the "email me" button... clicky now.. ;o)

dawn klinge said...

I'm beginning to believe that people who live in Florida are much braver than the people I know around my neck of the woods! I am so impressed! I love that your little guy had so much fun...and then asked for food as soon as he got home. ;) Funny kid.

Shan said...

Sounds like a great adventure, but I can't believe you went..... from one scaredy cat to another.

the dragonfly said...

Oh...you had me laughing out loud through most of that! My favorite part was the bit about having a last meal before being devoured. :)

p.s I left you an award at my place!

:)

Porters said...

okay, way to crazy for me. I would have been out of thereonce I saw that mud trail all the way down the walk way. Your a much better mom. I would have ran so fast to the car and never looked back but what a cool story he has to talk about with his bother and sisters.

Bonnie the Boss said...

Just one shoe? My overactive, paranoid mind would have immediatly thought alligator bait! I am glad no one got eaten. My boys would love it. I would have to send them with their dad.

Bonnie the Boss said...

Just one shoe? My overactive, paranoid mind would have immediatly thought alligator bait! I am glad no one got eaten. My boys would love it. I would have to send them with their dad.

Cecily R said...

Since I am a girl who has only seen a gator behind glass in the zoo or in a book that would have made me pee myself right then and there. I would have FREAKED out. And then missed all those photo ops you took. I am such a wuss.

Unknown said...

yeah, there is NO WAY, I would have gone...I am creeped out just reading this entry...*shivers*

desirae said...

OMG... You are nuts.. They would have had to drag me to that park.. When I envision park, I envision play ground equipment, walking paths, and the occasional squirrel.. Certainly not an alligator.. I was scared for you.. I think I probably would have had a panic attack.. Maybe the picnic tables aren't there so much to enjoy a nice PB&J as they are to save small children from being the PB&J.. lol..

Bonnie B. said...

That is so funny. Love how you plan to sacrifice your friend to aid in your fast get-away. And I thought my 4yo was the only one who constantly complains about being hungry!

Mom said...

Ok I was freaked out as I read your story and looked at the pictures! Glad you didn't get eaten !

Anonymous said...

Still hungry. Well, that figures. :) Margie

everyday katie said...

I want to pee my pants just reading this. I would not let anyone talk me into even going to that park. We get lizards here and that is bad enough...They might as well be mini-aligators because I'm scared of them, too.

My middle child can't adjust to his brohter being gone either.

Jenny said...

What the crap were you thinking? Seriously, I am such a whimp! I was laughing throughout the whole story 'cause you just crack me up! I don't think Evan will EVER forget that!