The Zoo

It has come to my attention that certain family members of mine are a little concerned that all I blog about these days are my woes. So in an effort to reassure all that we are having SOME fun here, I present to you the adventure that was the Zoo today.



A few weeks ago I decided to go ahead and buy an annual zoo pass, the idea being that as long we go at least twice this summer it will have paid for itself. I went ahead and got the family "Gold" package to include free parking, free guest each time, unlimited rides on the train and the carousel, and a discount at the gift shop. The first time we went, it was a Saturday (and Memorial Day weekend) and we had Scott's sister Kristin and her daughter Hannah (who is Ethan's age) with us. We went at the worst possible time -- the middle of the day -- which meant that the kids were hungry and tired before too long but not wanting to leave. All in all, it was hot and not that fun for the grown-ups.

Since that was kind of trial run, I thought today would be a piece of cake. I packed the diaper bag with snacks so we wouldn't have to buy any of the ridiculously over-priced food at the zoo. I made sure the kids had their sippy cups and that I had water bottles for me and Amy. I double checked that I had our zoo pass and I mapquested the directions to get there.

Let me just state right here for the record that I am directionally challenged. I fought it for a long time, and I use to get really upset when my family would make fun of me for it, but you know what? I don't even care any more. I'm not good with directions. Partly because I usually don't pay attention to how we get places unless I'm the one driving. And partly, because without the mountains to guide me, I have no concept of where north, south, east or west is. And as you'll soon see, my efforts often involve a lot of wrong turns.

My first wrong turn was more of a missed turn. I was supposed to take a "slight right" onto this street according to mapquest, but the intersection was totally confusing because there were 2 streets that branched off to the right from this one major highway. So, I passed it up and as I was passing I realized the 2nd of the two streets was the one I wanted. And of course, the next exit was forever away and for some reason I though I could like catch up to where I was supposed to go and I followed this one road for probably a mile or 2 before figuring that I should turn around and backtrack to the right street. So I did, and the next wrong turn was due to construction. Followed by more and more wrong turns as I got more and more lost downtown until finally I pulled over into a gas station to call Scott and have him figure out where I was and how to get to the zoo (which we finally did). Meanwhile Sophie was freaking out in the backseat starving due to the fact that the 20 minute drive to the zoo had now taken us an HOUR.

At this point I was getting really frustrated especially thanks to Ethan in the backseat who kept asking how much longer and if we were lost. I was also wondering if I jinxed myself by setting out to do something fun today. By the time we got to the zoo, I was all ready to turn around and go home! Of course, that wasn't even an option, so I had Amy get the kids loaded into the duoglider while I sat in the backseat to feed Sophie and listened as Ethan and Grace had a screaming fight over who got to sit in the front seat of the stroller. Who knew this was such a coveted spot? Grace won, and then I listened as Ethan threw a full-on meltdown screaming fit while passers-by in the parking lot are watching the scene probably wondering if Amy was trying to kidnap them or something.

As you can see Ethan is still pouting in the backseat while Grace is triumphant in the front.

We finally got going with Amy holding Sophie in the Baby Bjorn and me pushing the kids in the stroller. My only goal for the trip was to get our permanent zoo pass and let the kids ride the train. Check and check. As an added bonus, the kids got their faces painted, I found the PERFECT haircut, and we gave in to the temptation of an Icee and cotton candy. And you know what? We had FUN! So here are the pictures to prove it:

Grace opted for "cheek butterflies"


Ethan, of course, opted for the "cheek butterflies" as well. He wanted to be like Grace, and I couldn't persuade him to choose something else, so oh well.

(Look how pleased he is)


The twinsies.

As we were waiting for the train, I saw the cutest pregnant lady with the cutest short haircut. Its exactly what I've been looking for, and since I'm new to the area and I don't know where to go and get my hair done, I went right up to her and asked who her hairstylist was. She was very nice and obliging and gave me the needed information, but I didn't want to really freak her out and ask to take her picture. So what did I do instead? Oh, I opted for the zoom-in shot from afar. 'Cause that surely wouldn't freak her out any if she knew. Haha. So here are the pilfered shots:

Cute, right?

After the train ride I dangled the bribe of cotton candy in front of the kids to convince them that we didn't need to ride again, and me and Amy got an Icee -- which was even more delicious than I remember them being. So there you have it! Our zoo trip. I'd like to say that the drive home was short, sweet and uneventful, but it wasn't. I'll just summarize by saying that I took a few more wrong turns, got lost a little more, but FINALLY (once again an hour later) I found our way home!

On the Sophie front, I took her to the doctor yet AGAIN this week, and got some new medicine for her. Although the cost of all these prescription was ASTRONOMICAL, I'm thinking it was well worth it, because for the first time since she's been born practically, her skin looks perfect! Or relatively so.

She's kind of getting to be a chunk!
At the doctor's office she was 13 lbs. 12 oz. and 24 1/2 inches long.

And finally, thanks to all of you for your sympathy and condolences on the part of our neighbor situation. As an update, Scott was able to get a hold of our manager, and she was actually really nice. She was very apologetic that she even had to send the letter and said that the neighbor who complained didn't even make that big a deal about it, but that she's required to write up a notice any time a complaint is expressed. So that's a relief! She just said to do the best we can. And I really think we've been fine this week. Amy has been awesome about taking them outside a lot, and we've definitely been getting out of the house a lot more.

Here's a picture Amy took of them while they were outside. Apparently she's turning them into tree-huggers.

And the kids would like to give a HUGE thank you to their friend Reagan for sending such a fun pool package and such encouraging words of advice! Thank you, thank you, thank you. Ethan has the lobster floatee in his room asleep with him as we speak.

Alright folks, thank YOU and goodnight!