we went to the zoo

We took the kids to the zoo yesterday. We, as in Ryan and I. It's a rare event these days that we do anything as a family of four. It is nice to have a normal work schedule again so we can enjoy our weekend together. It was also nice to enjoy an outing pre-baby...a four and two year old are relatively low maintenance and I'm enjoying it while I can.

So, the zoo. It's a small one, thankfully. Just the right size for a four and two year old. It was not without mishap (a leaky diaper on the way there) or tantrum (Mia didn't want to stop riding the carousel). And, at the end of the day, we carried two crying children to the car who weren't satisfied with their pick from the gift shop and who also fell asleep before we hit the freeway. But what is an outing with small children if there aren't problems with bodily fluids and loss of limb control? By the way, holding onto a thrashing two year old isn't easy when she really, really, really wants to ride the "kitty" which happens to actually be a red panda. 

Laci's favorite was the lion and I think Mia's favorite was riding the carousel. Miraculous since she was terrified of the carousel at the fair just a month ago. Mia also managed to look at the animals without trembling in fear, something else she wasn't able to do at the fair last month. She is turning into such a big girl lately. 

And now, here's a bunch of pictures of the back of my kids' heads, and maybe a few from the front. A few of Ryan, a few of the animals, and, as always, the disclaimer that I was in fact there, although I'm not in a single picture. Because if it weren't for me, these pictures wouldn't exist.

 

~ red panda aka "Kitty" ~

~ strangest looking tortoise I have ever seen ~