As the kids and I were enjoying banana pancakes for breakfast this morning, I perused the newspaper. My habit is to start from the back of the main section - I like to take in the fluffy "people" news and weather before I read about the real news. When I saw that the forecast was for 83 degrees and sunny, an idea started percolating in my head. I glanced at the clock - just after 8 am - and I knew it could work. I surreptitiously packed a lunch, then got the kids dressed. I loaded them in the car with the promise of a fun surprise.
As we drove down the highway, Caleb and I played a guessing game.
Me: We're going someplace with animals.
Caleb: Is it the circus?
Me: No, but you may see some circus animals there. It's someplace outside.
Caleb: Umm.... I don't know!
Me: The name of this place rhymes with "Moo".
Caleb: Is it a barn?
Me: No. But it's an outside place with animals that we've been to with our friends Catherine, Mary, and Michael, our friends Sara, Carter, and Cooper, our friends Kailee, Aliyah, Shawn, and Eliana, and with Daddy.
Caleb: It's the ZOO!
And that's what we did. We got there during the free hour, and were able to ride the carousel and visit the Children's Zoo.
Please note that while Daisy is riding an elephant, Caleb is sitting on a bench. He almost flat-out refused to ride the carousel, ruining the fun for Daisy and me. Luckily, I convinced him to ride on the benches, and we were all happy.
OK, Daisy wins in the "happy" contest. This was when she discovered that one of the other carousel animals was a duck. (It wasn't really a duck; it may have been a puffin? I didn't bother correcting her.)
We stopped by the elephant fountain, as is our tradition. Caleb called it the "Elephant Sprinkle", which has a nice ring to it. I didn't have any pennies, so Caleb tossed a dime in the water and Daisy threw a quarter. My cheapskate self cringed, but they were both so happy about it.
Then we hit the Children's Zoo. I'm not sure how I missed that they have goats, but they have goats.
Daisy loved them! Here, she's reaching out to pet one.
And there's her response to the petting. Loved it. (Side note: apparently all she needs to get her on her feet is a zoo. Perhaps we should go every day until she's walking independently?)
Caleb was more interested in the chickens, which roamed freely throughout the Children's Zoo. I liked that this type of chicken looked like it was wearing feather bloomers.
My sweet girl, waving at a goat.
In the little learning center, Daisy really enjoyed the naked mole rats. Personally, I thought they were kind of disgusting, but whatever makes her happy...
The kids had a lot of fun at the Children's Zoo playground, too. Daisy explored with a piece of meat in one hand.
This was the first thing Caleb told Daddy about when he came home. Apparently climbing out of the hippo's mouth is a big deal. But Caleb made sure to clarify that it was a pretend hippo, lest Daddy worry too much.
This boy also tackled one of the big tube slides all by himself. It took three tries before he mustered up the courage to do it, but he finally did. He was so proud of himself when he hit the bottom, and even happier when he realized that I was watching. His comment?
"See? That wasn't so bad!"
Then, we saw the real hippos.
Caleb and Daisy had a front-row view.
After the hippo swam away, Caleb tried to hug/help Daisy, even though she really didn't want either.
Then the hippo came back.
Caleb nearly exploded with delight about the hippo. This is him stomping, squealing, and nearly convulsing over the whole situation.
What a happy boy!
Caleb asked to see the monkeys before we left, so we made one more stop. Oddly, Daisy was more interested in them than Caleb was. Perhaps these chimpanzees were too close for comfort?
Daisy fell asleep on the way home, and Caleb took a nice nap. When Daisy woke up, she was feeling a bit frisky.
That's my ear warmer for cold-weather running. I'm not sure why it was out, but Daisy found it and promptly put it on.
Funny girl.
When Chris got home from work, we took a family bike ride and enjoyed the beautiful fall weather. All in all, a great day!
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