We went to the Zoo today, in downtown Nofolk.
The occasion was a playdate for Chloë and her friend from Brownies, Claire. Debbie, the mom and our (now former) troop leader, had suggested it for them and for some adult talk. Everyone joined us except her husband. They came to our house first, and it was decided that Chloë would ride with them to the zoo, once we installed her booster seat. The girls loved that and had a good time singing songs in the back of their van. When we arrived at the zoo, after stopping to fill up Vanna's nearly-empty tank, there was Claire absent-mindedly rubbing sunscreen on Chloë! (Oops, we'd forgotten it.) This is a crappy picture of it, but the scene was really sweet.
Just inside the entrance is this big patio filled with fountains. Since it was a hot day, about 95º, the kids went right for them. We should have brought bathing suits but forgot those too! No matter, they had a great time getting soaked in their regular clothes.
It looked so refreshing; I really wanted to join them.
Finally, Jack 'manned up' and headed for the water. He got as soaked as any of them!
Finally, we left the fountains and started stalking the elephants. This was the first critter we saw. Sophia, who is enamored of all birds and especially penguins, was surprisingly unimpressed. Maybe she didn't realize it was a bird, because of the size?
This little guy was so close to us. The giraffes were really friendly today. They came up close in order to be admired and adored.
All the wild pigs were hot and lazy. They did nothing but snooze in the sun.
Still hunting for elephants - nope, not this one!
You can pretty much count on finding these African crested whatchamacallits at any zoo, nowadays!
There we go! Phew, they were stinky today. This was right before he took a gigantic turd, too. The kids enjoyed that spectacle.
Claire was in daredevil mode today and climbed this termite hill several times before her mother coaxed her down. My girls attempted it but were unsuccessful. Whew.
Turtle head
Claire was fascinated by the monitor shedding his skin.
Two tiny red foxes, cozied up together. So cute!
Adorableness was in abundance at Meerkat Manor!
Claire, Chloë, Sophia... and some other kids stop for a quick ride.
Two good buddies, Chloë and Claire. Claire will fer sure be invited to Chloë's 7th birthday sleepover in September; that will be a very limited guestlist, this time!
Cutest Baby Ever, little Margaret takes a breather from stomping in puddles.
The prairie dog habitat was another rich source of amusement for us. Up, down, up, down, in, out, in out...
Wait. That did not sound right. Anyway!
Another photo-op for Sophia and Chloë
We're pretty cheap. Instead of buying the kids some feed, Rob just scooped it all up off the ground for the goats. Hey, there was a lot down there.
That had to be a pretty strong fence; this guy was one eager beaver!
Comin' at you like a spider monkey!
My three favorite tushies!
This bitty praying mantis suddenly landed on Debbie's head!
"Good Lord, Mama, what is that thing on your head?!"
Finally, thank God, we made it back to the fountains! It was SO hot!
It was pretty funny when the girls started standing over the fountains and letting the water come up their shirts. It looked sooo good, Debbie and I ran through them a couple times each, too! Ah, relief. I forgot to take my keys off, though, and soaked the 'boop-boop' for my van. The alarm kept going off for hours. I'm sure our neighbors loved that.
After a long time in the fountains, we agreed they would again drive Chloë home. We went as fast as we could, stopping to pick up lunch on the way, and made it there just after they did. Soon, we'll get together again at their house for another playdate. It was lots of fun!
After lunch, we all took naps. I was so tired, and the kids slept well. I don't know if Rob did, but when Chloë came down and woke me up, apparently he'd been puttering in his truck for a couple of hours. Don't know what he's going to do when it's time to sell it and get his motorcycle!
So guess what? I sold my first tutu on Etsy today! I'm so excited!! I'm going to make more tutus this week, along with the little knit baby outfit I'm making to list. I guess you could say I'm taking a break from CARE Package right now. I think I will go back to it and continue on with the charity for a few more years, but right now I just need to take some time away. It was a thrill to see that sale this morning; I was beside myself. yay!!
Well, off to bed, then. We have our own little zoo to run tomorrow.
Fin.
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