Zoo Take Two

I remember about this time last year I took all the kids to the zoo. (At the time, it was just 3, and I was pregnant with Amaryllis.) I had potty trained Jericho earlier that week, was hugely pregnant, and alone at a zoo. I still can't figure out what I was thinking, but this trip was much easier! ;) (It's amazing how much not being pregnant makes things easier in the physical activity department.) My sisters and my mom went this time too, and the hooligans loved having their "cuzzies" with us.

This zoo isn't the biggest or the fanciest, but the kids don't really know the difference. It has lions and tigers and giraffes and penguins and lemurs. So basically, the whole cast of Madagascar except for Gloria. It'll do. Feeding "Melman" (a giraffe for all of you who don't have children who have made you watch Madagascar 438 times) was definitely a highlight. In a "ew gross he licked me that's so cool" kind of way. Giraffe drool is just as bad as kid drool if you ask me. The hooligans were definitely shocked that someone drooled on them. Can you imagine? I never get drooled on.

They were of course "tired" of walking in about 5 minutes, but not too tired for the playground that's somewhere in the middle of the zoo. (Funny how that works, right? My 7 year old legs cannot move another step please push me in the stroller and let the baby walk but I am suddenly full of energy to climb and run and jump when someone says "playground".) They rallied after we had a break and some ice cream, and were able to make it through the rest of the zoo with only minimal "I'm tireds".

We did have a small meltdown at the sky safari ride. It had nothing to do with the ride (which takes you over all the animals) and more to do with someone missing daddy. He got really quiet after Billy sent us a picture of him making a sad face that he couldnt be with us, and then once we got off the ride started bawling. He cried for a few minutes but then drowned his sorrows in an ice cream cone as big as his head (if you know Jericho, you know that was a big ice cream cone) and then moved on to scare the birds in the aviary.

All joking aside, I had so much fun with the kids. I love being able to go and do things with them like this. (I mean, what's the point of homeschooling if you can't go and do stuff when you could be in school, right?) I love the hands on learning, and the time spent outside together. As funny (and occasionally disastrous) as outings with 4 children are, I hope that these will be some of the memories that stand out as they grow up. Although hopefully Judah, my niece, won't remember how horrified she was when a bird landed on her head. Although there's no way we will forget it for a long time, since we are still laughing about it 3 days later.