Wild

Although getting the blog books was the high point of MY day (see previous post!), I am pretty sure it wasn't much more than a blip on the radar for the kids. Sure, Nikos did sit and look through it with me for a little while, but he had big plans to play in his room that were far more appealing. Oh well!

Anyway... Not too long after I dropped the kids off at daycare this morning, my parents came to pick them up and take them to the Wild Animal Park. We are so lucky to live close to both the Wild Animal Park and the San Diego Zoo-- and we go there so often that I am pretty sure my children are honorary zookeepers or something. At any rate, they had a blast! They saw a baby cheetah, they saw a big lion up close, and they "got to pet a REINDEER!!" Among many other things, of course. But my favorite was when Nikos told me he saw a spider monkey. And then, a minute later, he said, "Actually, Mommy, it was a BAMBOON!" I prefer his pronunciation, too. I think I am going to call baboons that from now on.

But back to the visit... Both kids had fun, Maya took a short nap in the stroller, and Nikos declared that the meerkats were his favorite animals (sorry, llamas!). The weather was absolutely gorgeous, too! Both kids were back at daycare in time for their afternoon naps, and everyone transitioned smoothly. Hooray!

Actually, it was pretty funny. Nikos sometimes has a rough time going BACK to Bonnie's house at weird hours. He is such a creature of habit and routine that he usually goes straight to the kitchen table, expecting breakfast, even if it's 11am. And when he's informed that breakfast is over, he gets really upset and sometimes throws a fit. So, to avoid this, I kept telling him the plan this morning. I said, "Mommy's going to take you to daycare. Then, Grandma and Grandpa are going to take you to the Wild Animal Park. Then they'll take you back to Bonnie's so you can take your nap, and then I'll come and pick you up." Apparently he was paying attention, because he walked in, told Bonnie he needed to take a nap, and proceeded to get settled in his nap spot. He never actually slept, but he laid there and rested and cuddled with his Bear. Such a funny guy! But he knew that was the plan!

Anyhow, how about a picture? My parents emailed this to me earlier. The only time they got the camera out was when the kids were playing in the children's water park area (shut off for the season). Check out those wild animals!