Toledo Zoo... spurring the soap boxes. Watch out.

I'm so over my 30D. Seriously! I don't think I will ever take it to the zoo, children's museum, field trip etc... again. What the hell do I need "creative" pictures at the zoo for? My kids are too busy staring at animals and running wild. I don't care to have "great" pictures of the zoo animals (hell... I don't even care to have ANY pictures of the zoo animals!) and any "great" pictures I get of my kids standing still are of the back of their heads.

So, why can't I just have snapshots?

Because... I took BOTH cameras... my 30d (with 2 lenses... my 30mm 1.4 and 50mm 1.8) as well as my point and shoot. Took out the 30D once. ONCE. And the rest of the time I just got snap happy with my little point and shoot. Never again will Wilma (that's her name... Black Eyed Wilma) come with me to the zoo. Eww.

Anyhow... off my soapbox. I must think of a name for my little P&S. I'm thinking Little Louie. Kinda cute, no? I'm just much more apt to take pictures on the fly with my p&s. I just bought this cute little case at WalMart and its so easy to throw in the diaper bag/purse.

So... we took the boys to the Toledo Zoo. I thought it would be a GREAT idea and since Ryan had all week off (he was gone from Sun-Wed riding his dad's 4-wheelers on trails up north). The weather was amazingly perfect.... partly sunny, a little overcast, mid 70's. Couldn't have asked for a more gorgeous day.



Unfortunately, everyone else had the same "bright" idea as I did. The zoo was packed. I mean, it wasn't TERRIBLE but I was kind of hoping for a vacant zoo LOL! No dice.

Onto another soap box... wow... Ryan and I were amazed at the number of 3 year olds walking around with pacifiers, 8 year olds riding in strollers and 5 and 6 year olds on leashes! I am NOT kidding you.

First off, if your 3 year old still has his sucky at bedtime, I guess so what to you. But does he REALLY need it walking around at the zoo?

And your 5 and 6 year olds... are they not old enough to understand the concept of STAYING by you at the zoo?Sure, there were times Porter was way excited and wandered ahead of us and momentarly out of our sight amongst the crowd but never to the point where I thought I'd need a leash.

Why is your 6, 7, 8 year old riding in a stroller? We took the Chicco unbrella stroller for Hudson and let Porter walk. The entire zoo. He rode in the stroller for maybe 5 minutes of the entire day.... can you believe we saw a couple different families with their BIG kids... I'm talking around 8 years old, riding in strollers, having conversations with the parents. Two moms had 2 strollers with 2 big kids in them and they would push them up to the viewing area of the animals... the kids NEVER got out. What the hell is wrong with that picture? I mean... I look at the kids at school and I can't imagine any of my students.... any of my 6 year old 1st graders or my 8 and 9 year old 3rd graders.... riding in a stroller at the zoo. I can't even imagine agreeing to push my 3 year old around the entire zoo.

WHEW. I guess I had a lot to vent about with the zoo!!





We took a picnic lunch and the zoo had many picnic areas to eat at. That worked out perfect and saved us a lot of money! The boys LOVED the seals. We probably sat by the seal exhibit for 20 minutes. Hudson cracked up at them.




Poor Hudson... he napped on the way to the zoo but by the time we were done with lunch (we got there at 11, saw the seals/polar bears... rode the train through Africa and then had lunch... saving the majority of the zoo for after lunch) he was exhausted. He spent most of the time laying back in the stroller, sucky in mouth, cuddled up with his "banky", rubbing the silky edging on his face. We got him out a few times to see animals that he would recognize but he was so tired he wasn't that into it. He finally fell asleep as we were on our way out of the zoo. Go figure.