Zoo 2012

I love my children, I do.  

We had a lot of fun together yesterday at the National Zoo in Washington D.C.  We had scheduled this trip over a week ago and were planning on having some fun galavanting around the zoo together with my sister Rachel and her children, but some of Rachel's children came down with strep throat - bah!, so they couldn't go after all - bah!  So, I loaded up my children in the car and off we went, just the 4 of us!  Elliot was a big help in keeping track of Annaliese, as she tends to wander around being her social happy self, but with about 20 bus loads of school children scattered around, I wanted to make sure she didn't get lost in the crowds!  That, along with unsynchronized bowel movements, were the only really stressful parts of the excursion.  It was especially fun to see Elliot's excitement this time because now he can read, and he had a great time reading the maps along with way, and the descriptions of the animals - their habitats and diets, etc.  I didn't have to do hardly any reading - what with all of his energetic reporting on all of his discoveries!  But when we got home and the kids were telling all to Martin, I realized how much Vincent takes in, it's just that he's just not as verbally expressive as Elliot.  And Annaliese chimed in with telling about the monkeys...I think that was her favorite part, seeing the monkeys swinging on the ropes in monkey bar style, "you can do it monkey" she yelled with encouragement!  Elliot loved the Reptile building with all the snakes, and Vincent loved the Amazonia building with all the fish and frogs.  I loved the monkeys and birds, and cooling off under the misters!  

I'm realizing how fast my kids are growing up - it just gets more fun all the time!  I love my children, I do.