When Rachel called me up and asked if we wanted to go to the zoo today, I couldn't pack the diaper bag fast enough.
So off we went, quickly discovering that lots and lots of other people thought a day at the Oregon Zoo was a good idea too. It's been a few years since I've been to the zoo, and I must admit that in a couple years I'll be all about getting the family pass so we can visit all the time. I just love the zoo. The fishy smell of the penguin cave. The musty smell of the elephant house. My favorites are the giraffes. And the elephants. And those monkeys are cute too.
[Sidenote: I remember growing up and asking my dad if we could get a monkey. He, in true fashion, told us about when he was a kid he had a monkey as a pet. A spider monkey. That he mail ordered. Yep, that was a marketing idea clearly no parent was behind (and I'm guessing neither was the ASPCA). Turns out spider monkeys don't make such great pets, says my dad. Messy and smelly and run off with your homework. Needless to say, we didn't ask for monkeys for pets after that -- but we couldn't help but ask for the story about a million times. "Dad, tell us about the monkey you owned!"]
Sydney and Livi were perfect little angels who thought the zoo was just great fun. Well, Livi thought it was fun. Syd was more interested in staring at all the other people. "Look at the sea lion, Sydney. Loooook at the seeeeeea liiiiion." She'd point at Jason and say, "Dada!" And then eat her graham cracker. Well, there is a certain interesting aspect about graham crackers...
And no trip to the zoo is complete without a trip to The Old Spaghetti Factory. Mmmm, mizithra cheese.
A perfect day, if I do say so myself.
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In other random news...if I had as much free time on my hands as this guy I think I might put to different uses. Clearly a gentlemen not busy chasing around a child, or perhaps, helping his wife do the dishes.
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Finally, Jason discovered the vehicle I always knew could be possible: the Toyota Highlander Hybrid. It seats seven and it gets an average of twenty-nine mpg. TWENTY NINE. Be still my heart. In truth, the real reason we waited to have kids is because I wanted the auto industry to have a vehicle ready for me when we needed one. I love the mpg and comfort of minivans, but the look of SUVs is nearer to my heart. Now the tricky part is being able to buy one.
