Long Island Game Farm...

I just stumbled upon these pictures in one of my files, and realized I never got around to posting them.  Back in September, we got a Groupon to the Long Island Game Farm.  It was a small farm that was very hands on.  You could feed baby goats bottles, feed Giraffes by hand, even llamas, buffalo, donkeys, you name it.  My kids were loving it!

It was a really fun day, and makes me miss our adventures before the long school days begun.  I really do have the best little buddies in the entire world.  I couldn't pick better (little) people to hang out with everyday.  

Free Day Fail at the Bronx Zoo...

Back before school started, I decided to try out "Free Day" at the Bronx Zoo.  We took advantage of all the free day's in LA, and while, yeah, they were busier than normal, they were never out of control or too much to handle.  That being said, this free day was out of control, and way too much to handle!  

We drove into the city that morning and arrived before noon.  The parking lot was already full so I had to drive several blocks away and pay for parking in a "private" lot right by some project housing.  (I hope my parents aren't reading this...they might flip!)  The Bronx isn't touristy like Manhattan, so even the walk to the zoo was a little bit nerve-racking.  I was busting a move to the zoo like no other.

We arrived to complete mayhem!  Anybody and everybody could come in, and anybody and everybody did come in.  Transients found a new bench for the day, hoodlums found a new hood for the day, and every school kid within access to the zoo was most likely there.  There I was, with Remmy in the bijorn, and my other two in the double BOB at a standstill.  I literally couldn't get through at times.  New Yorkers aren't exactly discrete either, so people would be looking at me from four feet away and say, "What does she think she's doing?  How is she going to get that huge stroller through?"  I was thinking the exact same thing.

It didn't help matters that the second we arrived all of us had to use the restroom in an urgent way.  We searched out the nearest bathroom (one of THREE in the entire zoo) and found the line out the door, and down the sidewalk.  No strollers were going in those bathrooms either, especially a double-wide, so I collected all my belongings and strung them from me like a coat rack.  Don't picture, or do, me trying to use the restroom in one stall with all my belongings hanging off me, while my babe hung off the front.  Too much info...sorry, it helps explain why this day was such an epic fail in my book.

We'd been at the zoo for over an hour and a half by this point and hadn't seen one animal.  Finally, we stumbled upon the polar bear, a spot opened up (that I could fit in) and we saw....um, a green polar bear? "Mom, why the polar bear green?" - Dieter  "I have no idea buddy!" - me

The rest of the day followed suit.  We averaged about 1.5 animals per hour, but to be honest, the people watching was probably better anyway.  Nicki Minaj look-a-like?!  Yes, please.

The best thing is, my kids favorite part of the whole day was the lego animals exhibit!  They didn't need to see any live animals to make the day great.  The lego animals were perfect for them.  Plus, they could touch them.  Leave it to my kids to always see the silver lining.  Kids are the best.  They don't notice the sweat running down your face, or the worry lines forming on your forehead, they just have fun even if it means standing on the top of the stroller to catch a glimpse of a giraffe's head, or the back of a gorilla.

So, the moral of the story is...fork out the money and skip the free day!

 Oh, and Remmy was there...being the perfect little baby that she is!  I think she had a good time. What do you think?

Zoo Day...

We enjoyed a fun, HOT day at the zoo with the Batemans, Grandma Jan and Grandpa Matt.  We enjoyed the new Arctic exhibit, the bird show, and the carousel.  We finished the day off with lunch at none other than Ruths!  I, of course, filled up on mile-high biscuits and diet coke.

Checking out the sea lions.

Riding the bald eagle with Grandpa Matt.

My little thumb sucker.

Trip to the Zoo...

We have been fortunate enough to be in Utah the same time the Browns make their twice-yearly visits. We overlapped for a few days this trip and had a blast with the "Virginia cousins". We spent one hot afternoon at the zoo, although the Virginians thought the 100 degree heat was nothing compared to heat with humidity like they have back East. The kids were pink-cheeked and sweaty, and we all sought out the misters and fans.

It has been so much fun having Mitch around this week. He has had such a crazy schedule this summer, the kids would go from Monday to Thursday or even Friday without seeing him. We have all been spoiled with "Mitch Time" that I'm afraid to go back to California. Luckily, we can see the light at the end of the tunnel, and hopefully things will start to calm down a bit - If Mitch lets them. ;)

Thanks for the fun day at the zoo!

San Diego Zoo...

Mitch's sister and her family are in town while her husband attends a medical convention in San Diego. So, last Saturday we drove down to hang out with them for the day at the San Diego Zoo. It was so much fun to hang out with them, and check out all the animals. Finnley loved seeing Carter again. We had been talking about seeing Carter for a few days, so when it finally happened she was gitty. So cute! We rode the Sky-ride over the zoo - this was definitly Finnley's favorite. Besides freaking us out my moving all over, she kept saying "this fun mom, that fun dad". We are excited to meet back up with the Kringlen's this Friday for a fun day at Disneyland.

Ignore that messy black-licorice face, and just look at the beautiful zebra in the background! :)

These two were so cute! Finnley doesn't always like to sit in her stroller, but she is fine sitting on the foot rest because she calls it a "bike". Anyway, she thought it was great when Carter sat in the stroller, and she sat on the "bike".