It's A Zoo Out There

Literally. But more about that in a moment.

Last Friday (yes, I know I'm behind a few days, Ok, a week), my lovely wife took a vacation day (actually a little longer) with two of her friends. They met at 11:00 a.m. on Friday morning and left their families at home until around 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, staying in a hotel for the night. There they did very important things like listen to seminars, eat junk food and talk all night long (at least two of them did).

While they were off enjoying the good life, us husbands were left to fend for ourselves and our kids. (Am I building any sympathy here? Probably not.) Two of the husbands belonging to the Brotherhood of the Abandoned (laying it on a little thick perhaps) decided to go to the local zoo on Friday. That would be Andy and I. For the third, Steve, the zoo is not so local. Sorry Steve.

So we met at the zoo at 11:00 a.m.. Two dads, five kids. Could've been a recipe for disaster. It wasn't, but it could have been. And apparently quite a number of other people thought that this Friday would be a good time to visit the zoo too.

We wandered around, looking at animals, constantly spurred on by one of the two oldest kids saying, "Come on, let's go see the next animal." We had packed our lunches and partook at the appropriate time. There was laughing at gibbons, watching the bears and the snapping turtle, getting soaked playing in the fountain, waiting for the next pass of the harbor seal, gazing at elephants and giraffes, tree climbing, and protests that, "No, I don't need to go potty."

It was a good day. God's creation is wonderful and the company of friends just makes it more enjoyable. Below are a few select pictures from the day.

Honey, we shrunk the kids


What's that over there?


Ellie: "See, I can do it too!"


I can climb this backwards


I think that's something I could out run


So this is what it's like to be a resident of the zoo


Tarzan, eat our dust!


What's that you say, it's an ape, not a monkey??


"No, my badge does not give me all access to the gibbons' enclosure." Good try though.


If the cute older kid can't get me access to the gibbons, I'm prepared to send in the really cute little kid.


He who is the wettest wins


Be the crowned crain