the sleppys

Lots of good stuff happened this week. For one thing, I’m having a Jerry & Joe’s extra large cheese pizza with a dozen garlic rolls for dinner. Well, not by myself, but I could if I didn’t have to share with the family.

On Wednesday, I had all of my students cancel, so that left room for my uncle and aunt to tour the zoo with the kids and me. Hooray! We got there at 9:30am and waited for the gates to open. We have a yearly pass, so the kids and I got in free of charge (but not really as we paid an arm and a leg for that pass). My aunt and uncle hadn’t been at that particular zoo since the Serpentarium was open.

We saw the giant tortoises, warthogs and the new babies (awfully cute, literally), and tigers. Some animals were too uncomfortable to come out. It was a muggy day, overcast, and threatening to rain. The tropical animals, such as the flamingoes and gibbons, were making joyful noise unto the weather. Most of our time was spent in the Children’s Zoo, where there are air conditioned rooms indoor exhibits.

The aviary was particularly beautiful. We opened the door and found a hundred fish of all shapes, sizes, and colors greeting us. It did not make sense at first (fish, in the aviary?), but we walked through another set of doors. A zookeeper told us to stay on the path and not to run (it was really wet). Having read Little Red Riding Hood a gazillion times, I obeyed and made sure that the kids obeyed as well. Several dozen types of birds, including a pair of six feet tall cranes, walked up and across the path, which surrounded the pond and waterfall where the fish were. Toward the end of the path, we saw two Great Indian Hornbills that were hopping up and down the branches of a tree. Don’t worry: Although they were at eye level (we were standing on a bridge), their tree was beyond arm’s length and was enclosed in mesh. What a sight! Should have taken pictures. *slaps forehead*

We ate some food. We saw the meerkats (which look much bigger on television, my aunt had commented). There was also a petting zoo of small farm animals such as the pig, turkey, and rooster, but we didn’t go inside. The boys were getting tired, and it started getting hot.

Around 1:30pm, we made it back to the car and said our goodbyes. It did not rain as I thought it would. It did not even sprinkle. Before we left, we saw a banteng that was stuck in the concrete. Ty wanted to pose with it.

His shirt reads, “I [clover] St. Patrick’s Day,” and he loves that shirt.

We went to my parents’ house yesterday. A total of 12 adults and 6 children were in and out of the pool, munching on appetizers in the kitchen, and basically having a grand old time. Ty hadn’t been in a pool for two summers, and he does not know how to swim. My dad was teaching him to kick his feet in the water and encouraging him to wet his face. Ty has a crazy thing about wetting his face, so that didn’t happen. But he accustomed to the water quickly. Kyle and Taylor didn’t want anything to do with the water for the first couple of hours. I didn’t go in for lack of swimsuit. Kyle had a swimsuit but opted for skinny dipping instead. Taylor, well, she just was not at all interested in the water.

We ate and drank and ate and drank. My little brother (who is 26) came with a martini mixer and was a hit with the ladies (as he has been since he was born). After three of those, I was feeling happy and uninhibited. But I didn’t go swimming, of course. And I kept counting my chicks, one, two three, every seven seconds.

Toward the end of our meal, my dad presented an award to his older brother (who never had children of his own but was a father nonetheless to his younger siblings). I learned that my uncle raced cars when he was younger. Being Nascar fans, Dear Husband and I were very much impressed.

A few more hours in the pool called for ice cream sandwiches. I usually don’t eat that kind of stuff nor do I let my kids eat that, but, hey, it’s a party. My mom told me a true story about gnomes, yes, gnomes. And we said our goodbyes.

We had a great time. I hope we can hang out in my parents’ pool more often, especially if my brother brings the martinis!