Rocky Mountain Raptor Open House ~

 Saturday was Open House at the Rocky Mountain Raptor Program, so i surprised Jordyn with a visit there to meet some of their Educational Ambassadors. 

 This Long Eared Owl greeted us at the door...isnt he cool!

 Then we learned about owl pellets and all the neat things you can find inside them.  Jordyn and i are always looking for these on the island behind the house, but so far, we havent found any yet. 

 This gorgeous Peregrine Falcon was missing a wing due to electrocution, so now he lives at the facility and travels to schools and educational shows, raising awareness and funds for the program.

 This is the Rough Legged Hawk, and hes been with them for many years.  He is blind in one eye, and therefore cannot survive in the wild.  He travels to the Renaissance Fair every year, as well as schools and other fund raisers.

 Here Jordyn learns the difference between different raptor feathers, which was really interesting!

 And my favorite little guy...the Eastern Screech Owl.  Also blind in one eye, he was so tiny and cute!

 We had a great visit, and im glad we made the trip down.  After a visit to the gift shop, Jordyn picked out this cute furry owl, while i scored a t-shirt and we picked out a magnet for Daddy. 

 

 Overall, a great distraction from a conversation we had earlier that morning...thats right, the dreaded question..."Mom, is Santa real?"  Doh...shes in kindergarten for a week, and already someone is spoiling the magic!

I asked her why she wanted to know, to which she replied, with great sadness on her face..."some kid at school told her he wasnt real."  So i told her, "some people dont believe in Santa, but i choose to believe in the magic of Santa, how about you"....to which she gleamed "me too!" And with that, she finished brushing her hair and went about her day.