Zoo-rific

There's something about going to the zoo that I equally like and dislike at the same time. On the one hand, it's the ZOO. You get to see the lions sleeping on the big rocks, the rhinos sitting in the sun, the prairie dogs digging their holes and the peacocks flashing their feathers (sometimes. They're really not all that exciting when they're not). On the other hand, I can never leave without feeling bad for the large polar bear in his way too small "habitat," the chimpanzee who sits sadly staring out through the glass and the black bear, who, at our zoo, seems to be the outcast bear and barely even gets up most days.

Big Sister E loves the zoo, though. I think most kids do. Our little playgroup visited there this week and even though we've seen the same giraffe a million times, the kids were still right along the railing watching him sit in the grass. The tiger, who seems to be a little neurotic, was doing his usual pacing back and forth along the window and everyone made sure they had a spot right up there to feel like they were inches from him (that glass is WAY thicker than inches though, right? RIGHT?) when he passed by, back and forth, back and forth. We said hello to Leroy, the zebu, who is always a friendly fellow and squeezed in a little time feeding the goats before the petting zoo area closed for cleaning.

The best parts of the zoo, however, are the attractions for children. There's a big playground area with huge rocks and rope ladders to climb, tunnels to disappear into and multiple slides for what seems to be the ultimate in kid enjoyment: sliding. There is also a beautifully-decorated carousel where kids can choose to ride animals like a jaguar, dolphin or warthog up and down, up and down while moms like me get dizzy standing next to Big Sister E as we go around. Finally, there's a small train driven by an elderly gentleman who takes his engineer job seriously and dutifully points out the 4 animals that the train goes by (it's a pretty short ride) even though the wallaby is always a sleeping lump on the ground and the red panda is nocturnal, so he's barely ever out (he's very cute though, when he is awake).
The trip ended with a picnic lunch where the kids did a great job sharing their grapes and crackers with each other and I managed to not lose too much hair to Little Sister B's clutches. And the best part? Both girls fell asleep in the car on the way home and, after moving them into their beds, they both napped all afternoon. I'd say that definitely made things zoo-rific. Zoo-tastic, even.