Day Five

The sky was blue and the sun was shining, so off to the zoo we went -- each bundled up in an extra sweatshirt under our coats, cuz it was still only in the 30s. That's what I love about having a Zoo Pass, though. We could have stayed one hour, we could have stayed 6 hours (yah, right), it's already paid for.

As we drove there, Owen asserted that the one animal he wanted to see was a jaguar, while Nora voted for a baa-baa, so we cut through the farm on our way to the rest of the zoo. Apparently, zoo livestock are winter wimps because there was no baa-baaing or neigh-neighs or even a moo-moo to be had. Which is funny, considering the African elephants and tigers are out in the cold.

Then, on our way to the big cat house, I noticed that both elephants were outside, so we went left instead of right, and ended up seeing way more animals than Owen had in mind. He'd said earlier we could see three animals and then it would be time for lunch.

We had a nice couple of hours, even with drill sergeant Owen and having to break out the threats to keep Nora in line (if you want to walk, you have to wear your hat, I'd tell her...or, if you want to hold your blanket, you have to ride in the stroller...all totally unrelated threats to their rewards, but hey, it works). There are no crowds this time of year, so I could let both kids walk most of the time (while Owen's stuffed turtle, Matthew, got to ride -- properly secured as he insisted -- in the stroller).

In this photo, we were looking at the polar bears, but Nora was yelling "lion" because she had overheard Owen and I talking about the sea lions, which are right next door. She also refused to get her picture properly taken today. A couple of times, I'd say "Owen and Nora, look at me" and Owen would turn and flash a smile, but Nora would yell "no!" and run away.


And I thought this was cute. It's like she's trying to get the thumb sucking action through her mitten, or maybe her face was just cold. (And doesn't Owen's old Dash hat look cute on her?)


We did end up seeing the jaguar, and the camels and the giraffes and the penguins, before all was said and done. Then we heading off for lunch at McDonald's, where I indulged in a Shamrock shake, something I haven't had in probably at least 5 years. Hey, I'm still on vacation. :)