Spring Break - Day Three

This day could not have been better if someone else had done all the planning and I had taken credit for it. It was, in a word, perfection.

Seeing as this is Spring Break and all, and we weren't able to get out of town like I had sort of hoped to do, I have wanted to do stuff with the kids that we ordinarily can't do while they're in school. I mentioned that Monday was Movie Day, and yesterday we were going to take a trip to the Fort Worth Zoo, but it ended up raining cats and dogs (and maybe even a few turtles and hamsters) ALL DAY LONG, so we had to scrap that plan. We ended up going to the library, where Darcy got so many books that she maxed out the limit on her card, Peyton's card, AND Sawyer's card, and had to put the overflow on to MY card. Have I mentioned the girl loves to read?

After we got home yesterday afternoon and I started wondering what we could do with our Wednesday, I remembered that our COSI membership is still valid until the end of May. Having a membership means that we are eligible for free admission to organizations that offer reciprocity (I love that word!), so I turned my attention to the Museum of Nature and Science. The kids invited their friends Grace and Hunter to join us, and we planned to make a day of it. I got on the Internet and printed out the necessary maps and driving directions, and immediately dread set in. I'm sure that once I actually visit the MNS I will simmer down, but on paper the whole thing just looks downright complex. Multiple buildings, set who-knows-how-far-apart, and only one restaurant in the immediate area, and an expensive one at that! With six hungry kids. In the pouring rain. I smell a catastrophe.

So today dawned bright and clear and dry and I hopped in the shower, trying to ignore the feeling of apprehension that was creeping over me. I lathered my hair and . . . wait a minute. Did you say bright and clear and DRY??? We can go to the zoo!!! We're not locked into the Museum of Nature and Science! We can do anything we want! And today's weather was absolutely PERFECT for a visit to the zoo. It was warm, the animals were out in force, they were active, the crowds weren't too awfully bad . . . it was great.

My heart dripped all day seeing as it was perpetually melted, watching all the kids fawning over Sawyer. I don't know why that is such a big deal for me, but it is. It just warmed my heart to see the five oldest kids being so deferential to Sawyer and treating him, not necessarily as an equal, but certainly as a friend (albeit a short one). I'm accustomed to my three being partial to Sawyer and all his charm, but it was so sweet to see Hunter and Grace, who are new to our world (All Sawyer, All the Time!), being so solicitous. Grace gave him countless piggyback rides (she offered, people, she offered!) and Hunter, bless his heart, would put his arm around Sawyer's shoulder or rub his head in a way that was eerily familiar--oh yeah, our WHOLE FAMILY does that!

I was trying to decide on one highlight of the day, and immediately decided that if you asked each child, you would probably get a different answer. We were all thrilled to see a baby giraffe cantering (galloping? loping? ambling? What exactly do giraffes do?) back and forth in front of his mommy; our spines tingled when "Leo" the lion roared just like you hear in the movies; we loved that almost every cage or enclosure provided yet another attraction, whether it was a milky eagle owl or a colobus monkey or a rare white tiger; we relaxed as we took a scenic train ride and observed various animals at a distance; but perhaps Darcy's highlight will resonate with my readers more than any other: We had Blue Bell Ice Cream for dessert! Now that's what I'm talkin' about!

Can you tell that Sawyer is skipping?

Grace and Darcy . . . did I mention they are the same age? They're certainly not the same height!

Peyton is trying to fend off Grace's bunny-ears attempt, unaware that her own beloved sister is betraying her!

Tyler is wise to Sawyer's ungainly attempt to give him bunny ears!

Hunter christened this lion "Leo"

Does that make her "Lea"?

This fella was cagey and couldn't stop pacing

The whole motley crew