Zoo Day

I took the boys to the Oregon Zoo this morning!

 

This might come as a surprise to those who know me,  as it is a not-very-well-kept-secret that I loathe the Oregon Zoo.

Well, not the zoo itself per se (I’m not a MONSTER), but the fact that it is so spaced out, and almost always crowded, and so big that you have to spend the entire day there, or else have your child wail about not getting to see something while you drag them to the exit. (true story from a previous visit)  And oh!  The exit!  It is a million miles away from EVERYTHING, and it is uphill the entire way.  I know that sounds impossible, but it is truuuuuuue!

Anyhow, the good news is that this ended up being the least painful Oregon Zoo trip EVER!  Hooray!!

(for the record, having kids say “Zoo!” doesn’t make for the best picture.  See above.)

Seeing Samuel’s face when he saw the monkeys for the first time (and his excited “ooh-ooh-aaah-ahh!” shriek!) made all the walking worth it.

There was one moment at the end when I was going up the million-mile-hill to the exit, and I was sweating profusely and thinking that I might die.  Then, Joseph-chatty-pants asked me, “Mama?  Are skunks good at math?” and I was ABOUT to tell him to please not talk to mommy because she currently has no oxygen to talk back, when he replied, “Nope.  Because they STINK AT EVERYTHING.”  And we laughed up the last hill together.

Now I’m hoping that I will feel less guilty when I ignore them all afternoon to pack up boxes!

(12 more days)