Drizzly Zoo Trip – The Reluctant Grownup

Faced with the prospect of a rainy Saturday with the kids by myself, I contemplated staying home – them destroying the house, fighting, bouncing off the walls. I contemplated the aquarium – eleventy million people, kids scattering in three directions and being swallowed up in the crowd in seconds. So I settled on the zoo! Rainy zoo days are the best days – if it’s not pouring, the trees keep most of the rain off, and it’s empty of people and full of animals who come out and enjoy the Not-Heat for a while, before the sun comes back out and makes us all feel like we’re in a double boiler.

I pulled out some ponchos that I purchased in 2013 for our Disney trip that we hadn’t ever used, and the boys predictably fought over who got to wear which one. The red ladybug poncho was the favorite at first, but in the end the green frog, orange penguin, and blue sports theme won the day. It fit Craig pretty well (though his kept spinning around so his face was covered up, and he’d just stumble around, apparently unconcerned that somebody turned the lights off). Jack – not so much! As my sister said when I texted her this pic – “where’s the rest of Jack’s raincoat?”

We got in when the doors opened at 10 am, and headed straight for the frog exhibit. The boys agreeably posed in the somewhat random Macbeth sculpture.

Double Double Toil and Trouble. That could be their new names. Guess which one is "Trouble"? — Double Double Toil and Trouble. That could be their new names. Guess which one is “Trouble”?

We stopped by a tortoise that had been brought out to run around on the grass under the watchful eye of a few zookeepers, and with my split second mom reflexes I saved both the tortoise and my 2 year old from and encounter that likely would have been unpleasant for both, and certainly would have ended in tears. Then we headed to the monkeys and elephants, all of which were out and frolicking in the drizzle. Craig found a puddle and leapt into it, soaking his shoes and shorts, then demanded I pick him up so he could see the “e-phants.” Mmmmmm, muddy wet boy, come into my arms so that we can both be filthy and damp.

It was great. The rain came and went, but it never got particularly torrential, and once I gave up on puddle policing, the boys had a great time ranging around the largely empty zoo, stomping in puddles and making animal requests (“let’s go see the [insert 3 different animals here, forcing me to pick, causing two meltdowns]” x infinity).

Two boys pretending to be lizards, one boy keeping a watchful eye at all times on the big lizard

We were members here for 3 years before we moved to Alabama, and have been members for the 6 months since we’ve been back, and yet I had never been in the reptile house. We did it today. Jack practically climbed back into my womb, he was so frightened of the reptile house (especially a large plaster cast of a giant snake suspended from the ceiling). It was not my favorite place either, let me tell you – I’m not as terrorized by snakes as by spiders, but this subconscious Mom-Alarm button goes off every time I see my children near a snake’s giant venomous head, even when a huge slab of glass separates the two. This little two-headed number was particularly creepy, but they insisted I take a picture of it.

Siamese twin two headed snake of my nightmares

We took a brief break from the minor trauma of the reptile house, then headed over and got some ice cream for lunch. Because, why not.

Taking a rest break on the komodo dragon statue

It took Craig seven hours to eat this tiny cup of ice cream

Then we came home and the boys had corn dogs for lunch, then the Beast Toddler took a nap. The big boys chilled and watched tv while I cleaned up the house and kitchen, and then our neighbors came over for a bit after Craig woke up. The girls are a 4 year old and twin 2 year olds, god bless their parents, and these popsicles were probably a mistake. The big boys managed, but the three littles could not figure out how to push up the popsicle from the bottom, and there were lots of tears. Ah, well – we tried.

Three of these children are two years old! And none of them are particularly skilled at eating popsicles.

We played at our house a bit, and then we had dinner at their house, and then we all came home and I put the boys to bed and collapsed on the couch. Now it’s Sunday morning, and Jack wants help building legos, Liam wants help building a dinosaur model, and Craig wants help building a Marble Run course. So I’m just gonna go divide myself into three people and handle that.