Reptile Party

This past weekend, Sophie and I attended a birthday party for one of her friends.  It was held at a reptile store.  I was a little skeptical at first, but it ended up being pretty interesting.  The party included a one-hour meet-and-greet with some of the animals:  

Sophie especially enjoyed the tortoise.  I don't think the tortoise was too excited about all the attention, but the kids really liked him:

And even though Sophie wouldn't even pet most of the small creatures, she had no reservations about petting this giant 8-foot, 70-lb python:

Although the snake looks very intimidating, he was actually very calm and mild-mannered.  Several of the kids even held him (with some help, of course), but Sophie was content to stay back and watch.  Actually, Sophie refused to hold any of the animals - with one exception.  Strangely enough, the only one she wanted to hold was the giant hissing cockroach (definitely the creepiest animal there):

Sophie and I both had a blast at the party, and it was very educational as well.  We both really learned a lot about reptiles.  Even though I wasn't sure what to expect when we went (I have to admit, I was pretty sure I would end up sitting in the back of the room, very bored), I ended up enjoying it as much as Sophie did.