So, we enjoyed our weekend with the ducks. We went to a one-year-old birthday party the next day, and the boys had a blast playing with the other kids and the balloons. I teased the mom that it was probably going to snow on her little boy’s birthday, since he was born on one of our only snowy days last year. Then, it did! More snow on Tuesday that week. I am ready to wear my Chacos!
The next weekend was fairly mild, but the boys had been sick, and Patrick too was still feeling crummy. I decided to get them out of the house for a zoo trip, even though it was giving us a light misty rain. I wasn’t really looking forward to taking them to the zoo by myself, so I called a friend to see if they wanted to go to; and just to show how desperate I was feeling, I said, “If you don’t want to, can I take your kids with me?” I ended up the proud chauffeur of four kids (ages 9, almost 5, almost 4, and 3.5) to the zoo. It was perfect. They all talked to each other instead of asking me complicated questions while I was driving. The oldest passed out snacks for the younger kids, and they all got excited about walking around to the different exhibits.
I really like these kids. They’re the right age for another person to take somewhere, they know who is in charge, and they also know how to have fun. There was a volunteer near the naked mole rats, and the kids were absolutely enthralled with the exhibit and the factoids that the volunteer was giving them: a naked mole rat just falls asleep whereever in the tube, and the others climb over it. It doesn’t hurt them because their bodies are like gummy bears. I could really take or leave those things, but the 9 year old declared he wanted a colony for the basement. We visited the elephants, orangutans (boys were excited to see one picking its nose), and the reptile house before getting too tired to continue. If I’d known that it wasn’t going to be too rainy, we could have tried to see the baby panda. Next time.
Lessons learned: Four kids were definitely easier than my two. Snacks made the day, as usual. The best time to go to the zoo is on a semi-rainy day. Other kids provide entertainment when the animals are hard to see.
The next day, it snowed again! That was March 30th, if you’re counting.
Academic Leigh Speaking 
When I was 9, I wanted an otter. I was willing to share the bathtub.
GFH