The Perfect Day

I've taken a little hiatus from blogging because I suddenly discovered how much around the house I could get done when I stay away from the computer! Amazing! Sorry if I've been behind in all of your blogged updates, and keep asking you what's going on in person when you're all thinking, "Don't you read my blog???" Ha ha... Also I run most of my work through email, so I've had a few scheduling glitches caused by me refusing to read my email... Oops. So it is with a grudging sigh that I turn the computer on again and get back to my work.

First, I haven't even mentioned our trip to the zoo last week! It was literally the Perfect Day. Not too hot, not too cold, the zoo was empty, my girls were good as gold, and it was a perfectly relaxing day. I thought I'd never, ever have a day like this. We packed up our stroller, food, and even a sling for Brooklyn (I knew she'd want to be carried - and why not? It was our day off at the ZOO!) and rode the Metro to the zoo. We met Wendi and Carter there and headed straight for the orangutans, which were supposedly expected to cross the "O-Line" (a bunch of overhead lines connecting different stations they are allowed to visit) at 11:00. We arrived precisely at 11:00, and the orangutans were just sitting there! Funny it never occurred to us that they might not WANT to do any stunts for us at that exact moment. We asked a nearby zookeeper if maybe he could bribe them. He told us we'd just missed it and they were already back! We were disappointed, but not for long...

Carter wanted to fit in, so he wore his monkey outfit.Brooklyn & I practice our monkey faces

Later, as we were walking directly under the lines, suddenly a couple giant primates went swinging over our heads! As we grappled for our cameras and tried to direct our kids' attention upward, the same zookeeper appeared (apparently he's in charge of watching the orangutans all day - we found him later sitting on a bench in front of the cage. Just watching.) He suggested that we might not want to park our strollers directly underneath the orangutans. Ha ha - we didn't think of that!
After a little stroll around the zoo, we stopped on the lawn for lunch. This is where the most amazing part of the day happened. Many of you may have had the privilege of dining with my lovely children in the past and may have observed their exquisite table manners (and possibly lost your own appetites in the process). In short, mealtimes pretty much require a garden hose for clean-up. Well, as I handed out pb/j sandwiches, apple slices, juice boxes, Kix, etc., they ate every bite and didn't spill a crumb! I was appalled! They didn't even need so much as a baby wipe to clean up! BOTH OF THEM! At home when they eat sandwiches, they open them up and eat the middle right off the bread, using their hands, and then maybe gnaw through some of the bread as an afterthought. It's disgusting. But here we were, OUT, with their mother totally vulnerable, and they decided to have a decent meal! I still can't explain that phenomenon. At least now I know they are capable of eating like human beings.

Another favorite were the elephants...

And we *finally* saw the PANDAS! (Usually they seem to be hiding. How you hide a panda I do not know.) See it? It's the black-and-white thing.
Then we found one that let us take our picture with it. (My girls are such hams.)

And that's about it for the zoo. We arrived home around 3:30, and I had taken it for granted that I'd sacrificed the girls' naps. HOWEVER, they surprised me furthermore by taking late naps as soon as we got home! I guess we were all pretty tired out. It was a wonderful day.