And what a time it's been...

Snippets of what I want to say keep circulating in my head like a soap bubbles in a drain.

On Sunday, Steve and I packed up the kids, the car, and the stroller to head to the Philadelphia Zoo to try out our new "family package"deal. The weather was gorgeous (70 and sunny) and although Josiah was whiny and exhausted (extreme teething) we were hopeful the multitude of interesting animals would sufficiently distract him.

Being the adventurous mom that I am, it was my job to drive in order to familiarize myself with the route for future solo trips- and by solo I mean me and the monsters.

The GPS faithfully guided us through traffic and to our desired location. Being completely unfamiliar with the area, there were a few harrowing moments but seeing as the kids were too small to notice and Steve was good enough to hang on white-nuckled, offering numerous suggestions, I brushed the experience aside.

Once the kids were strapped into the stroller, sippy cups and lunches within easy reach, we joined the crowd of excited children and burdened parents towards the entrance of the zoo. The kids were wide-eyed and quiet. They kept pointing to various things like the water fountain, the fake vines around the gate, the screaming baby, the animal puppets and vendors preying on naive parents.

Our first stop was the kangaroos. They were actually extremely cool. I'd never seen- or remember seeing- a kangaroo in action. They have some serious springs in those feet! After the appropriate amount of "ooo-ing" and "ahh-ing", we scampered forward too see the next exhibit but were stopped short when the kids reminded us that they hadn't had lunch. In our effort to remember everything, we'd left later than planned thus pushing our schedule back.

Lunch was...a disaster.

Josiah ate nothing and drooled over everything. Lilly ate half of her sandwich and fed the other half to the greedy overbearing birds roaming everywhere. Steve and I picked at our food, but the soggy pb&j sandwiches were less and less appealing the more the kids whined. After throwing most of her watermelon on the ground, I announced that everyone was finished. Thus commenced lunch. Oh, and I forgot about the GIANT bee that landed right next to Lilly's head. I wish I had a story about how brave I was, but in truth, I just screamed and grabbed her. Steve had to beat it away with a paper sandwich bag.

I wanted to stop at the Big Cats Exhibit (The lions will be so cool. Just wait and see, guys!) Sadly, they didn't allow strollers.

Next, I wanted to see the Gorilla House (What? This map doesn't make any sense! Where am I? Why can't they make these user friendly!) We never made it there.

Our last hope was the Aviator Building (Birds are so awesome! Wait till you see them! You guys will love it!) Umm, yeah. No strollers.

By this point, Josiah wasn't having it.

We were those people.

Seriously.

Josiah cried and cried and snotted and cried. This kid couldn't catch a break. He was miserable. After several days of fighting his teething fever, being unable to sleep from congestion and unable to eat from discomfort, he was D.O.N.E. Steve confidently declared that it was time to go home. We walked back to our car dejectedly. Our first family trip to the zoo wasn't what we'd thought it would be. I had even packed sunscreen in my effort to win "mommy of the year" award, but all to no avail.

The ride home was-thankfully-quiet.

The rest of the evening was stressful. Josiah couldn't even nap for very long, though he was exhausted. Bedtime was a blessed relief.

I slathered on my Aztec mud mask (be jealous, ladies) and tried to relax even as my face tightened and crinkled with every passing second. It was a long time before I could think straight.

Sunday is Mother's Day.

Thank you, mom for being great even on "zoo days".

I can't believe we have Josiah and Lilly in our lives. They are the single, most amazing little individuals we have ever known. Sometimes we look at them then look at each other and just smile.

What a time its been....

Zoo pictures:

Yes. He is really yelling at us.

Lunch break.

"Hi, brother."

I like these pictures because it was the only time Josiah was happy.

Yup. That's a snot bubble. Be assured, I quickly took care of it after this shot.