Zoo Day

My sister called me this morning to invite us for a last minute day at the Hogle Zoo. Usually, I would say nope, but I'm not really usual anymore, and so I said, You Betcha! However, I had one caveat: ALL of the laundry had to be put away before we could go. All 6 loads. I washed/dried everything yesterday, so all we had to do was put it away. It took us over an hour to get it all done, but we did it! It felt so nice to leave the house knowing that at least something was finished.

Things I learned at the zoo today:

1. My kids are getting easier and more fun as they get older.

2. Caged animals leave me conflicted: Educational value = good; caged animals for our entertainment = bad.

3. Baby lemurs are adorable!

4. Scantily clad (a.k.a. skanky) teenage girls with too much make-up and obviously too much time on their hands are now hanging out at the zoo. Apparently, the zoo is the new mall. Because that's where all the guys are now?? I was so tempted to tell them they were worth so much more than they realized.

5. Packing a loaf of bread, PB, and some plastic knives --instead of making the lunch --saves a lot of time in the morning rush.

6. Experienced parents are resourceful and prepared. The following awfully hilarious story (awful because of what I had to do, but hilarious because of...well, what I had to do!) is my case in point:

We had driven up to my sister's apartment so we could caravan to the zoo. Instead of stopping, though, she was ready for me and I just followed her back out of her complex. As we left and started to get on the freeway again, #4 yells out, "I've got to go potty!" Since my sister lives less than 15 minutes from the zoo, I asked him to just hold it. He did. And did. And did.

When we took the exit for the zoo, we suddenly hit some construction traffic --very stop-and-go. We were sitting in the stop part when #4 started freaking out that he was going to wet his pants. I asked the kids if there were any water bottles empty. No. I looked about frantically. Traffic was still stopped. I saw a roll of paper towels on the floor.

I told #4 to get out of his seat belt and stand up (his car seat is behind the right-passenger seat in our mini-van) and pull down his pants. I grabbed the paper towels and wrapped a gazillion paper towels around my hand and then I stuck it right on his (for lack of a better word and to keep the crazies away from my blog) area. I then told him to pee!

He did! He got it all out and the kids in the back were both mortified and in awe and I was able to get all of the pee on the paper towels (Kirkland Signature brand works great! Thank you, Costco!) and then just as traffic started to move again, he finished, and I made him hurry up, pull on his pants, and get buckled back in. Voila! I had avoided a catastrophe just minutes before arriving at our destination.

And I couldn't stop laughing about it.

What a good day! Time with the kids at the zoo, awesome dinner at home (with Brandon, of course), and the laundry done. And sunshine! Lots of sunshine. Oh, and to top it off? My brother called (my soldier brother who lives in California) to tell us that his wife had their baby girl just a few hours ago! This is their third child, but first girl. Our first niece! My youngest brother's wife is also expecting a girl (their first child) within the next few days. I love it!

Seriously, I am feeling happiness right now. I like it. I hope it stays!