LIons and Tigers and Bears

And it wasn't at the Circus. Mom took the kids and I to the Wilderness Trails Zoo today. It's local and kinda small, but was a very nice outing. Despite mom having a migraine, me having cramps like that of labor pains and the scattered showers, it was a nice trip. The kids loved seeing the animals. We didn't take many pictures, though. We got to see camels and lions, bears, river otters (which are amazing to watch swim around and play), cougar, foxes, monkeys, and more. Oh and a black swan. So beautiful! But this zoo is small and the habitats are kinda sad. I much prefer the larger zoos where animals have much more room and much more of a natural habitat. But, this one is closer to home. Next week we may venture to the Saginaw Children's Zoo. It's larger (though not as large as the Detroit Zoo) and has a lot of nice things. And it's cheaper than the Wilderness Trials. Go figure. And on Tuesdays, they offer half price admission. So, what a deal. IT will cost $3.50 each. Then, if we want to ride the train, it's 2.00 each. Today's trip was kinda last minute and we weren't sure we were even going to go when mom woke up with a severe headache. But, we decided to give it a go. We are down to one vehicle for the household, so have to make hay while the sun shines. They have a petting area at this zoo and Sebastian was real hesitant to touch most of the animals. But, he spotted the turtle and was fascinated. He didn't want to leave the turtle. I think that and the otter was his favorite. He wanted in the cage with the otter. Makenneh just loved all of it, probably the birds and the big cats the best. It was fun to watch them run ahead with excitement as they looked at the animals. They each got a peacock feather to bring home. They collect them from the peacocks and then sell them in the gift shop for fifty cents. They are so pretty, hard to resist. The kids (and the cat) love them.

We let my cousin Desiree stay the night tonight. Makenneh just adores her. Well, we aren't going to let anyone stay on a weeknight again. It is too hard to keep the kids quiet while my dad and Jeremy are sleeping. Jeremy isn't a worry so much because once he gets to sleep, he sleeps through just about anything. But my dad is a different story. And he is a bear if he gets woke up. So, after the craziness of tonight, I have decided not to do this again with younger kids. I say younger, but Des is 12. And it's not so much that she is loud, it's that Makenneh is loud, doesn't want to go to bed, and then the whole, 3s a crowd issue. The neighbor girl who usually plays very well with Makenneh, was over and there was a bunch of girly whines, drama, etc. Blah. Of course, it doesn't help that I am just irritable and moody with PMS.

Well, I am fighting to stay awake, so that's my cue to cut this off and head to bed.