Houston Zoo Trip

This picture is misleading. Tucker looks rather grumpy here, but in fact everyone had a great time! Yes, it was hot. Yes, it was sticky. Yes, we were drenched in sweat! Despite all of this, everyone enjoyed seeing all the animals. Tucker and Derek walked that whole zoo and still found energy for the playground at the end!



This orangutan was posing so perfectly for this picture. He just fit right into our family. Once we got up and someone else came for a picture, he turned his head and sauntered away.



Zane was ruthless at the petting zoo! We knew he loved cats and dogs, but he truly enjoyed the petting zoo more than any other exhibit! When he was in the stroller, he calmly looked at the exhibits and "oo"-ed and "aw"-ed at the proper intervals. When he got out though, he took a much more vocal and energetic response. He ran after a poor unsuspecting bird trying to "pet" it. Zane's way of petting involved arms outstretched, waving wildly back and forth with fists ready to grab a big handful of fur (or feathers in the bird's case). So, the petting zoo was perfect!
The only animals in the petting zoo were goats who were very calm and used to the turbulent kind of TLC young children provide. Zane was no exception. He was pleased as punch to have that kind of freedom and ability to run around petting every animal inside the fence. Only after Zane thrashed the goats around a bit did Derek and Tucker take a shy little pat.



Not only was the zoo cool, but our zoo experience was amazing. The animals were more active and visible than most other times I have seen them. Maybe it was the heat and humidity. Anyway, this is a cheetah that was pacing and came so close that Derek timidly backed away without realizing he was doing it! Below is a lioness. At the lion exhibit, you can walk to an underground tunnel to see them on a more "personal" level. There she was, right by the window! The male lion was there, but let's just say that he was in an awkward position that did not promote picture taking!






The aquarium was really neat. You could crawl through a tunnel to be "with" the fish. Zane and Tucker needed a lot of provoking to get through the tunnel. Good thing I didn't get stuck!




Thank you to the Houston Zoo for providing us with a fun and memorable afternoon!

Pig Party

So, the swine flu is all around us. So to ward off any bad karma or ill-will, we had a pig party! We ate Piggies in a Blanket (sausages instead of hot dogs because my kids aren't too fond of hot dogs), corn on the cob, and "slop" (salsa and chips - I wasn't very creative on that part). For dessert, Tucker and I made a Mud Pie - chocolate pudding with cookie chunks. Then we played "Pin the Snout on the Pig." Zane didn't like the blindfold. Next we played "Pig in a Basket" - throwing a pig puppet into a laundry basket at various points in the room. It started as P-I-G, like H-O-R-S-E in basketball, but Tucker already spelled PIG with his first four throws (He made one of them). In all fairness, we let the PIG thing drop and just shot baskets.



Zane enjoys the slam dunk.



Tucker likes to show off for Zane. Note the cars all over the floor. Our floor always looks like this.



Derek enjoys the dramatic wind up. He made this shot, by the way.

Last, we blew up pink balloons and had fun with them. We were going to watch a movie like, "Babe" or "Charlotte's Web" but it was a school night and they were having too much fun with the games. So, if you are stuck at home because of the swine flu, don't fret, just have a party!

P.S. Don't forget to wash your hands!