The Zoo

Luke LOVES THE ZOO! He always wants to go to the zoo. I'll take a day of vacation to spend with him at the Playhouse's Friday Fundays and he doesn't want to go...he wants to go to the zoo. So in December, on a 17 degree day, Luke and I headed to the zoo. We went through the inside exhibits and get outdoors. The emu/wallaby area is closed, the goats area is closed, the playground area is closed, Africa exhibits are closed, monkeys are not out, etc. You get the picture? On the day in December we were the only visitors on the 17 degree day. Did I mention it was cold? Luke is having a good time but keeps asking where all the people are. The good news is I could let him run to his hearts content and not lose him.

Okay, so you get the idea he likes the zoo? So last Saturday I am babysitting all four grandchildren while the parents go see Spring Awakening and Grandpa goes to Kansas City to go to a train show. I temporarily wondered what I had gotten myself in for but then reminded myself I used to run a day care with six children full time with a couple extra thrown in after school. Of course I was 30 years younger, but I gave myself a kick in the behind and said I could do it! Everything went great until about 4 p.m. Luke was getting tired but I was unable to get him to lay down because I had a sleeping Jaren in my arms. Luke decided he wanted to go outside. It was cold outside (see a pattern here?) and I told him it was too cold. He informed me he had a coat. I told him I had Jaren and couldnt' go outside with him. He told me he could go outside with his sisters. I informed him it wasn't going to happen. He then decided he wanted to go to the zoo. I tried telling him the zoo was closed (I wasn't lying) and he said it they weren't, it was still light outside. I told him I couldn't get 4 car seats in my car; he said to leave Jaren home. (That wasn't going to happen either). Luckily Jeremy, Sarah, and the her parents arrived to rescue me. The twins, Luke, and I were joining them for dinner at the Spaghetti Works. However, Luke didn't want to go...he wanted to go the zoo. All the way to the restaurant he kept insisting he didn't want to go out to eat, he wanted to go to the zoo. When we got to the restaurant he didn't want to get out of the car.

So today, while Grandpa was napping, I wanted to take advantage of the 48 degree temperature so called to see if Luke and his sisters wanted to go to the zoo, which they did. We had a great time. Today there were a few more people there, but still lots of the exhibits were closed. They didn't mind because they got to go to the gift shop and get a present before we left. Thank goodness for warmer temperatures and the Blank Park Zoo.