Mad Hatters at the Zoo

This weekend our big outing was to go to the Henry Doorly Zoo. This photo is a view from the new Skyfari that Heather took. My guys were too small to ride this so maybe in a couple of years. They did get to see some giraffes up close though, and Luke was a little frightened of them though on the long car ride he kept asking from the back seat, "Elepants, giraffes?" the whole way there.



To back up a little, on Sat we went to the park. This was the first weekend in a long time where the weather held out, so we went with Grandma to the park where they got to get out all of their energy! I noticed a big difference from last year. Luke can climb way to the top of the tornado slide all by himself and didn't need me to help him. Liam claimed the fire truck and spent most of his time in there.

Sunday found us at the zoo where we met up with Heather and her daughter as well as another coworker and her 2 step granddaughters. It was a little warm and I hadn't brought hats for my little guys' precious heads, so we went to the gift shop where they each picked out their own hat. They were perfect picks as they really speak of their personalities.

Thankfully I brought the stroller! I don't know what I'd have done without it.

They have new Gymboree shirts. Liam's says "Ruff Day" and has a picture of a dog on it with an eye patch. So cute! But more and more it's getting harder to find cute clothes for boys. As an aside, I noticed at the park Saturday a couple of boys, maybe age 8, who were hiding behind the slides and pretend shooting just using their arms as guns, but it was disturbing to see and I plan to teach my boys about animals, trains, being gentle and considerate. It would upset me to see them engage in that kind of behavior.

Pizza for lunch, naturally. I wasn't about to bring my own food, too much hassle. Hell, just getting out a door with all their stuff was a hassle, plus the hour's drive. I did bring juice boxes and a pop for myself, but to me it's better to pay a couple bucks more for lunch there than go through the hassle of prepping a meal to haul along with us.

Luke had to wear his hat all day. Even when we were inside the Desert Dome and the theater, he was sweating on his brow but refused to take it off :)

Mommy and Mr. Earnest...

Two regrets: I shouldn't have had Luke go on the carousel. Liam had a ball and went "whee" on his horse, loved the ride, but Luke screamed and was frightened so we had to sit in the handicapped bench for the ride. The other slight mistake was trying them out at the IMAX. they didn't have kids' 3-D glasses so maybe I'll have to find some and buy them a pair. But they didn't want to sit still for the show and so we barely got to watch it.

Luke was pumped and full of energy even after we left about 5 hours later. Liam snored the whole car ride home.

Once home though, he did not want to take off HIS hat and he's worn it ever since.

With Grandpa...oops he got a little sun even though I had put new sunscreen on him.

Since we never did find cowboy hats, these are just as well, maybe even better. They'll have them for all our summer outdoor activities.