4 kids under 3 makes a ZOO

The zoo trip was a success! Much fun was had by all, and I got some GREAT shots of the animals (Kelsey would be proud of me)and I will download them tomorrow so everyone can see them Wed. or Thurs.

Here are some of the highlights of the trip:

*Little Dude would not keep his shoes on

*Keeley kept walking to strangers and saying hi-not good when we are chasing 2 other roaming kids

*Cole threw up in the car(apparently he gets car sick sometimes.). BTW it was MY VAN, but luckily it all ended up on his car seat and his mama. Not that I wanted Caroline to get thrown up on, but I am glad to not have to clean body fluids out of my carpet.

*Keely wouldn't eat lunch, because she wanted what Little Dude had.

*Little Dude wanted Keeley's raisins. Go figure.

*Caroline and I almost screamed at some kids to stop baning on the glass at the Gorilla exhibit, but luckily Sean saw that their father was rather large and standing there watching; so obviously he did not care, thus we just left for another animal site.

*I was stopped by 2 couples to ask about my stroller and how I liked it. I have the 2005 model of this stroller that I got for 80 dollars off ebay. It pulls to the left a bit, and is hard to maneuver if the heaviest weight is farther from the handle (so Little Dude usually sits in the back near me, and JR sits in his car seat at the front making maneuvering simple, but I figured Little Dude would see the animals better sitting up front), and overall a fantastic stroller. Esp for 80 dollars! I would not; however, pay the price for it new.
Amazing how I felt bonded to complete strangers just from talking about experiences with two children and the need to tie them down in a stroller while out and about.

*Jr slept the whole day, so I am scared he will be up all night. Sigh.

*I spent half the day pushing over 50 pounds up hills and the other half trying to stop it from free falling down the other side of those hills (on top of the kids I also had our lunches, diaper bags and drink coolers in the stroller; yes, it has that much room)

*My arms and legs are killing me. Not really a highlight, but just to let you know.

*Little Dude kept wanting to pour his water out on himself instead of drinking it.

*After he was done pouring it out, he would request more in such a way it sounded like he was going to just die of thirst, thus bringing my attention to the fact that he was just dumping the water on his lap.

*After the third time he just turned his sippy over and banged it to get the water out, I quit giving him the water. I spent the rest of the day looking like a jerk as my child begged for water. Oh the joy.

*I decided that next time we go, us parents need to bring some adult beverages to make it through the chaos.

The huge highlight of the day? For me it was a toss up between the seals and the polar bear, for Little Dude, it was riding in the fake helicopter set up near the Elephant exhibit. I think he died and went to heaven.

So, we had a major meltdown getting him OUT of the helicopter so others could have a turn. And the whole time he begged for water.

And the whole way back all the kids were wide awake, talking away, asking "WHY?", begging for water (against better judgment caved and gave him water only to have it poured out onto the van floor) and screaming. THE WHOLE WAY. Oh yea, and we had a temporary stop on the side of the highway for the throw up moments. Poor Caroline was covered. But again, I am a little glad it wasn't my carpet....

But honestly, with all the craziness, I had so much fun with the neighbors and kids; I am really going to miss them while we are in Alabama. Any amount of craziness is easily enjoyed when watching how much fun the three children had together (Jr is still to little to play and he slept the whole time anyway except to wake for food) and talking with dear friends.

Yes, Little Dude, JR and I had a wonderful zoo adventure with some of the most wonderful neighbors ever. We are very blessed.