What a Zoo!

So Caroline and I loaded up the boys on Thursday and headed up the road to visit Gwen and go to the zoo. This was Reeves and Bennett's first visit there. I must admit, it was just a little bit overwhelming. Even though there were three of us adults there, we were outnumbered 2 to 1. Of course, when you factor in the 400 field trips that were there that day, the ratio goes completely out of whack. Maybe it makes me a bad person, but there was just a bit too much humanity there on Thursday. Is it wrong that I began to loathe the school children who were running around yelling and screaming and generally enjoying themselves? Probably.
It was a nice visit, and I definitely want to go back, but honestly, I enjoyed the company much more than the actual zoo. It was almost too much to keep up with the stroller (and infant strapped therein) and Reeves. Thank heavens for Caroline and Gwen because more than once they had to take off after my older child as I got trapped behind a group of Tweens. I hope Reeves appreciates as much as I do the fact that he is still alive because of these friends.
One thing about the zoo or the aquarium or any place where the principle is to look AT things behind a fence or glass is that the pictures are pretty much all the same - the back or sides of the children.
I didn't notice it until I was just looking through all the pics I had taken. It is a rare and special photo when you can actually capture the wonderment in their eyes at a place like this. I think I need more practice.

Of course, Reeves had to stop and ride his current favorite animal, the dinosaur.
I just don't have the heart to tell him that they're extinct. Hopefully, movies, books, and toys will continue to suffice for him. We headed to Gwen's for lunch after the zoo. This was perfect. The children got to eat their lunches without any more distraction than that which they created for each other. Poor Clare hardly got to eat anything as she so kindly offered tastes of her waffle to the two boys, and they promptly gobbled them up. Pinky was able to crawl around and play. Bennett got to be freed from the carseat and stretch his spine a bit. And Wesley got a much needed nap in his own crib. However, as nice as it was for the children, I really think Caroline and I got the sweetest part of the deal. Gwen had made awesome enchiladas for us. They were delicious, and it was so refreshing to be able to sit around her table and chat and only occasionally remember that we all had children loose in the house. We probably should have taken her up on her offer for a beer, but then we might never have left!
After relaxing through lunch, we made our pilgrimmage to the Columbia OUAC. That store is kind of an obsession for me. I love to find great kids clothes at great prices, and OUAC never fails to deliver. I'm thinking of doing a road trip and visiting all the OUACs throughout the southeast, much like Bryant's fraternity did with the Waffle Houses back in college. I know I would have a few takers to join me. This trip did not disappoint. My best find was a pair of Kelly's Kids madras shorts that are in the same pattern as a jon-jon that Reeves already has. Now, by the time Bennett is wearing that outfit, Reeves will be able to match. (It's really pitiful how excited I was about this. I'm kind of ashamed to admit it!)
A quick (cold) trip to Finlay Park was super fun. We sipped on Starbucks and watched the chilluns play. (As an aside, I was much less disturbed by the three or four homeless people there than I was by the throngs of people at the zoo. Maybe it's time for therapy.) This was just the final push the children needed to push them right over the edge. Well, at least it was for mine. My two cried and screamed almost the whole way home. Somehow, Caroline's managed to sleep through all that. I think Caroline and Stephen must start band practice as soon as they go to bed because I was super impressed with their ability to snooze through the noise.

Thanks, Caroline and Gwen, for a great day. I'm looking forward to doing it again soon!