Zachy only napped fifteen minutes the whole day - despite the almost hour and thirty minute drive each way. He didn't nap on the way there. His fifteen minute nap was between the Zoo and Chili's. The guy was tired, but he is so good natured and resilient that, despite not napping, he stayed happy. I was pretty surprised that he didn't nap after Chili's since the car ride home was an hour and a half, but I guess that fifteen minutes rejuvenated him enough. Not that I would advocate against him napping, especially since he has become such a good napper recently, but I am shocked at how well he does when we do disrupt his schedule. He did sleep a solid almost thirteen hours that night.
Zachy loves to be out and about. He is easy going as can be. He laughed his way through the petting zoo, so giddy it's contagious. On the train he pointed at the different animals and said Dat with total excitement. He met the giraffes face to face for the first time. I think he was quite impressed. His monumental accomplishment of the day was....drum roll please....He went down a big slide by himself! Each time he did, he would say 'Gain and do it again, clearly smitten with his big totboy self. Mackenzie felt the need to protect him from other kids of course. Zachy had taken his turn on the slide and an older boy was patiently waiting for Zachy to dismount so he could come down, but Mackenzie, worried that he was going to hurt her little brother, yelled at him. She then became his bodyguard and put her arm around him as she guided him away. Of course, all he wanted was to do it 'Gain!
Mackenzie was in a funk early on, but she ended up doing just fine and having loads of fun. She seemed more confident that day. Less timid in the play area, braver in the petting zoo. It was fun to see. She really 'gets' the whole zoo thing. She has favorite animals. Last time it was the Zebra. This time it was the Rhinoceros. She fed the giraffes again (my favorite animals - oh they are so full of grace and beauty), one of which licked her hand and she laughed. She had a blast feeding and touching the animals in the petting zoo. She loves the train and the merry-go-round and the play area. We went in the Aviary and, because it has doors, she decided it was school and tried to get her drop off and pick up game going. She was pretty unhappy with us for not playing, but got over it pretty quickly. The highlight of her day was going on the sky ride over the zoo. It is like a ski lift. I went on it with her. She loved it. I enjoyed doing it with her, but truth be told, felt much more vulnerable than I have ever felt on things like that before, because I had my most precious little daughter with me. While we talked and looked at things from high in the sky, I could not help but eagerly await the arrival of the ground. Worth it though, because she liked it and we got seventeen minutes of uninterrupted snuggle time!
At the end of the day, the kids were in the double stroller (a side by side). This was great because we could cover more ground. Usually Mackenzie won't go in it. Zachy decided to start pester and 'hit' her. Of course, she reacted with screaming. And he laughed. I kept telling her not to react and he would stop. Gotta admit, it was sort of funny.
That was our day. It was fantastic. I LOVE the Zoo! Here are some photos from the day....
The ride there...
Why the Santa hat, I don't know!
Look at those sparkly eyes and that little smile, even with a bottle in his mouth!
Big Sister feeding the animals, while Zachy looks on.
Trying to free the caged animals in the petting zoo.
Mackenzie on the Merry Go Round.
And on the train.
Helping himself to some PB&J before conquering the Big Slide!
Going down the slide, backwards and on her tummy.
I'm a big boy now!
And that makes me smile!
Here we are...
High in the Sky!
Together in the stroller. Before the 'incident.'
Stunning and Elegant....
I HEART Giraffes!
No comments:
Post a Comment