Monday, August 11, 2008

This place is a zoo.

Timothy starts work on Monday, so we decided to make this week the Evans Family Week o' Fun. Not that every week we spend sitting around the house doing nothing isn't loads of fun. But this week we decided to pack every day full of fun things to take advantage of Timothy's last few days of freedom before The Firm steals him away and we never see him again.

My parents had given us some mad money that we were instructed to use only for "fun and frivolous things". So we decided to spend it this week, starting with a trip to the Dallas Zoo.

We are loving the newfound freedom of Alex's one-nap schedule and took advantage of it this morning by getting to the zoo early, around 9:30am. It was pretty overcast with a chance of scattered showers, but with the scathing hot temperatures typical of Dallas, we thought a day like this would be better than one where we'd end up baking alive. Turns out, we were about the only ones who had that idea and basically had the zoo to ourselves. Some of the animals didn't even bother to show up. But most did, and we really had fun pointing them out to Alex...

...who didn't seem to notice they existed. The animals were lethargic because of the weather and the time of day, and most of them were hanging back by their enclosures, so I think it was hard for Alex to really see them. He reacted more to the animals that were more visible, like these giant tortoises...

...and these African penguins.

It rained on and off the whole morning, but it was hardly more than a sprinkle, and it helped to keep the temperature down. Around 11:15, the humidity and the lack of nap and the comfy stroller ride started to get to Alex and he dozed off a little. But the next stop was the Children's Zoo, so we shook him awake and prayed that he would get a second wind when he saw all of the farm animals that were just begging to be manhandled. Which he did. After harassing the potbelly pig for a bit, he got to pet a guinea pig and a horse.

Then we visited the Koi fish.

Before we left the Children's Zoo, Alex "baaa'ed" at some sheep and then got stuck in a giant spider's web.

We pulled him out before the giant spider got him and headed to the monkey habitats. I'm not sure Alex even knew there were monkeys there, but he sure was happy to get out of his stroller and play with the fence.

But honestly, I think the highlights of his day were trying to master the drinking fountain...

...and playing with his dad's hat...

...and plain ol' being a goofball.

By now, it was past lunchtime and naptime was closing in, although you'd never know it by Alex's attitude. Can I just take this second to brag on my child? With the exception of the occasional hissy fit, this kid is the most well-natured, easy-going, charming, and overall wonderful child on the face of the earth. He makes family outings like this such a joy, and we are so thankful to be able to do things as a family and not have to worry about our child having a meltdown. I know you think your kid is pretty great, too, and I'm sure he or she is, but I gotta tell ya, mine would give 'em a run for their money.

Anyway, we had planned on having lunch at the zoo, but after Timothy paid $3.50 for a stinkin' bottle of Powerade, we decided we'd go somewhere where we'd get more bang for our buck. So we piled into the van and hit a Mexican joint down the street from our apartment. Alex continued to be a complete ham, conversed loudly with every employee and customer in the place (literally, he directly addressed every single person in the room), and had us cracking up the entire time we were there. By now, it was 1:30, and by all rights, he should have been a complete mess. But not our Alex. He was visibly tired and zoned out in the car on the way home, but he never once whined or fussed or acted anything but adorable.

So it was an incredible day, one of the best we've had as a family...maybe ever! We are going to press our luck tomorrow and check out the Children's Nature and Science Museum, and then Thursday and Friday we will be heading back to Fayetteville for Alex's final blood draw for his immunization study.

Today also happens to be Timothy and I's 7 year anniversary. So it was a great day to have a great day, albeit not an incredibly romantic one. We attempted to make up for it tonight by ordering Chinese and watching the Olympics. I don't know about you, but I find orange beef and men's gymnastics terribly romantic...

3 comments:

Alison said...

What a great family day! Congratulations on the 7 years of marriage!

grammy said...

So glad ya'll had a great day - The pics are hilarious. Have fun at the museum. Poppa and I will be spending our 31st anniversary today visiting Wheeling, WV on the Gold Wing while having an off day in Ohio cheering for our Houma Hogs in the 16-18 Babe Ruth World Series. We're having a great time but wish ya'll were here. Wonder how far it is from Newark, OH to Dallas, TX and then back to El Dorado. I think I will just have to look that up. Luv ya

leah said...

Love all the pics...as always. Just make sure to watch Alex with the horse. His dad does not have good experience with those....thrown into the mud as a child...into the ground as a teenager.....yeah maybe you shouldnt let him around horses :-)