Zoo

I was going to come up with a clever title for this post, but I'm too tired.  The twins and I went to the zoo today; it turned out to be a great trip, but it was pretty terrible in the beginning.

We arrived at that awful time when all the early-morning crowd hasn't left yet, but the afternoon crowd is starting to arrive.  All the lots were full, I got slightly lost trying to find another one, and then I ended up in a super crowded back lot near an entrance that I haven't used.  It took three tries (in three different spots) to park the van.  I borrowed sunscreen from a mom nearby because it had totally slipped my mind.  Plastic forks kept raining out of the stroller (not kidding).  It wasn't hot, until I was pushing a double stroller up the hill.  Patrick was whiny.  And then I discovered that Lilly's milk had spilled inside the cooler bag, which had leaked, soaking the bottom of the stroller and my purse (which thankfully didn't have my phone and wallet in it).

I almost left.  But I pulled everything out of the bottom of the stroller, and then left the mess for whenever we encountered napkins.  There were fewer hills.  I put my hair up.  People started leaving, so the crowds thinned a lot.  Plastic forks kept raining.  The twins fed the giraffe, which put them in great moods (and the giraffe, I'm sure).

I'd packed a lunch, and we shared a table with a mom and her two kids.  She told me that they had just hired a nanny, and asked what I would recommend the family do to make things easier (my answer: communicate. about everything.).  I promised my two a ride on the carousel after lunch; Patrick was game but started crying when it came time to actually get on.  Lilly rode a zebra.  Patrick sat on a bench (on the ride) and sulked.  At the end, Lilly put up a bit of a fuss about wanting to go again, but not a huge fit; I was glad she liked it.  I asked Patrick what he thought: "I did not like it."

We weren't back home till after 2.  Oops.  But I'm just glad it turned into a good day.