Zoo

It has been several years since we made our way over to the National Zoo.  I don't know how many years exactly, but enough years that Ben had no memory of the zoo.  And the National Zoo really is a lovely place, it is just a ways away and it involves driving in DC - something I avoid most of the time.  However, Jason is home these days and he prefers to drive, so I was happy to suggest this trip secure in the knowledge that I wouldn't have to drive in DC.

Oh, and the weather was going to be nice (by Virginia summer standards).  Oh, and the baby isn't here yet so we are currently the parents of three kids who can carry their own water (love water backpacks!) and move under their own power for hours at a time - all ideal for a trip to the zoo.

We left early in the morning to ensure parking in our preferred parking lot and to beat the afternoon heat.  The boys did really well, although by the end Ben complained of his feet hurting.  Walking and standing on pavement for about 4 1/2 hours will do that to the best of us.

A picture of two wild animals stopping for a drink.

We covered most of the zoo, but I only took pictures at a few places because my camera phone lens doesn't really zoom very well.  One of these gorillas pounded his chest and roared for us before settling down to snack on bugs.

This elephant stood remarkably still for a picture of Jason and the boys.

This one didn't stay still for very long, but she did take a break from her lunch to come say hello.  The boys kept trying to convince her to kick the ball, but she just wanted to take a look at us.

We spent a while watching family dynamics in the lion family.  Turns out the kids like to bug the dad during his nap and he wasn't too keen on that.  Also, the wrestling of lion kids (yes, I realize that is not the actual term for them) is not unlike the wrestling of human kids (well, ours at least).  There is a quite a bit more biting among the lions.  Or at least I hope that is the case.  I am not often downstairs when the boys are wrestling...

We also watched the sea lion feeding and saw the zebras, orangutans, komodo dragon, alligators, crocodiles, small reptiles, golden tamarinds and so on and so forth.  The most disturbing part of the zoo, in my opinion, was the naked mole rats.  Aside from being creepy in appearance, their social structure more closely resembles a beehive or ant hill (1 queen, worker moles and 2-3 breeding males) than other mammals.  Insert multiple shudders here.  Luckily Jason and the boys share an interest and fascination for all living things; I just try to keep my revulsion in check with some of these creatures.

Another adventure that left me and Jason completely wiped out and the boys ready for more.  I often think that this baby has to be a girl (warning: horrible gender stereotyping ahead) because the thought of another boy is exhausting.  I try to think of activities that will run the boys into the ground only to find that I end up beyond tired and they are ready to wrestle in the basement for another few hours.