I am putting zoo pictures and Halloween pictures together in this post because it just seems right somehow.
So. I feel like we are always going to the zoo for some reason or another, but I looked at old pictures and the last time we went was in 2014. And all the kids look like BABIES! Well—even those of them that weren't actually babies, I mean. Anyway, this time we went because we just finished a school unit on Elephants. This was the second time Marigold has ever seen real elephants in…person…and she was VERY HAPPY about it.
I liked this elephant because he was putting his trunk in the same position as my stuffed elephant, Bendigo. (This is Bendigo.)
We were at the zoo without a baby (he was home with Sam), and thus without a stroller, which was pretty great. I feel like I am always lifting strollers up so babies can see over fences. But this time I just had to lift Teddy up sometimes, and mostly everyone could just SEE all by themselves! Amazing.
Being there without a baby also meant the kids could play on the playgrounds I'm always dragging them past, saying, "We don't have time; the baby has to get home for his nap." So that was pretty great too. And the zoo was practically deserted, it being a chilly morning in the off-season.
It was fun to see the big kids playing like little kids! :)
We always like to ride the carousel. It has such good animals on it.
Look at Daisy on the penguin in 2014!
And stern, forbidding Malachi. Here he is four years ago, little cherub. :)
Wow, and I can hardly even remember what it was like to have a little Seb instead of a great big one (who still likes monkeys, though).
And here's sweet little Teddy. Not even in existence four years ago. But now so, so happy to be on a carousel riding this…bunny. (Shhh. We had to tell him that's what this was, since there was no better alternative.)
Ky is unmoved by being in the lion's mouth…
…unlike Junie.
The baby orangutan was so cute.
This zebra's name was Ziggy!
And my personal favorite was the baby giraffe. He was so cute, and so small.
In fact, he looked about the same size as this stuffed baby giraffe we have at home! Too bad Ziggy can't have a ride on the real baby giraffe!
Princess Goldie
We fixed up Abe's old Rubik's cube costume, and then of course Junie and Daisy BOTH wanted to be it, so we made another one too. One solved and one unsolved.
See, he's a very NICE Darth Vadar.
Teddy in my old bunny suit. SO cute!
This was on the actual day of Halloween, when Marigold was a panda bear instead of a princess.
Can you tell these twins apart? They conveniently wrote their initials on their shirts for you.
Ky was pleased with the way he could make his cape swirl behind him as he strode along.
Oh, and let's not forget baby Ezekiel! He didn't go trick-or-treating, but he wore his Dry Bones suit for the occasion. And lo, they were very dry!
Prophesy unto these bones!
Son of Man, can these bones live? They look like they are coming together, bone to his bone, and walking—but they aren't—not really. Not without help.
Well. It was a nice Halloween! (Previous years are collected here.)
I agree--I love it when big kids let go and play like little kids!
ReplyDeleteSuch a delightful zoo outing and Halloween to view. :)
Conversely, I feel like we NEVER go to the zoo!! Even though I intend to and WANT to! (Although it sounds like your feelings of "we always go to the zoo" and mine of "we never go" have equaled a similar number of visits in recent years! :)) But we even had a season pass a year or two ago because Mike had taken some of the kids with his brother and his kids -- and it cost enough to get our crew in that he figured if we even went once more, it would make the season pass a better deal. And we intended to! A million times! But . . . it's just far enough that every time something would interfere and before we knew it our pass was expired. Booooo.
ReplyDeleteThe girls' rubix cubes are superb! And Malachi is a perfect Darth Vader! Even his walk looks right. (I also loved the little scuffed baby knees in the last picture.)