A Trip to the Zoo

Yesterday was one of those rare days where our family had nothing planned at all. We try to have breakfast as a family when we're all together. So as the pancakes were being tossed around to various plates, Rachel asked the kids what they wanted to do today. After Katie suggested France and we surprisingly shot down the idea, Annie asked about going to the zoo. It's an interesting moment when you realize your kids are old enough for certain things. Rachel and I had thought about the zoo before, but never really considered it because one of the kids (or both in the case of the twins) was always more interested in being attached to Mom's boob for a snack than looking at the lion exhibit but seeing no lion because he hides all day in that little wooden structure they made for him.

Now the kids were all old enough to enjoy the zoo, even if I always hated them. Tommy and Timmy had gone to a birthday party before at the zoo. But they were into the idea and we decided to pile in the mini-van and go. I could just see this day being a complete disaster. Rachel was confident things would go well though, so I clung to the hope that she would be right. As it turned out, she was!

Rachel and I had been to the San Diego zoo once before any of the kids were born, and it was as hot as a metal slide in the baking sun. But today was perfect. Mostly cloudy and maybe 75 degrees. Once we got in the park, we were surprised to see that it wasn't even that busy. With Annie being only 4, I was wondering how long it would be before she lost interest. But for the most part, the animals actually showed their faces, and the kids all had a great time. It was 5 years ago that the twins had been so I think it still felt pretty new to them. We ate lunch at the "Crocodile Cafe" and other than Katie spilling some of her milk on Annie's shorts, things went without a hitch.

The best part about it was that the kids all fell asleep as soon as we all got back in the car. So the 2 hour ride home was so nice and peaceful. We asked the kids what their favorite things about the zoo were. Annie said the white tigers. Katie liked the bird sanctuary most because a little red bird landed on her head. Thank the lucky stars he didn't take a crap. Tommy said his favorite was the hippo. Timmy's favorite was Crocodile Cafe. That kid loves food way too much. I think I can speak for both Rachel and I in saying that our favorite thing was that everything came together so well and we all had a terrific time.