I spent Thursday cleaning, then waiting for them to arrive. Kind of like watching a pot boil - it takes forever when you're watching in anticipation. So they finally arrived and we had dinner and stayed up late visiting.
On Friday, we visited the zoo. St. Louis has one of the best zoos I've ever been to - and the best part is that it is FREE. There are some sections and exhibits that you have to pay for, but 90% of the zoo is free. I love it! Everyone but Dan went to the zoo and we really enjoyed it. Even Jackson had fun, and didn't have any fits except for the one at lunch when he squeezed a tube of yogurt all over himself, then screamed when I tried to clean him up. (How rude of me.) Jackson loved seeing the monkeys in the Primate House, and was captivated and pointing at the animals in the Reptile House - all those snakes and toads and tortoises and alligators.
Katie used her new kiddie camera to take dozens of photos at the zoo, too. Peyton helped her a lot, so I'm not 100% sure which photos were taken by whom. But here's one of their masterpieces. (They also took photos of the monkey's poop, but I opted not to share those with you. You're welcome.)
One of the nice perks to my sister's visits is that she always brings trashy magazines with her. I think it hearkens back to when Mom was in the hospital for six weeks. Mary and I hit the gift shop and bought all the lame-o magazines that I never have time to read... all the gossipy ones and the sexy ones and the ones about fashion (that a stay-at-home mom never even has the time to care about.) We would also buy candy bars and then go sit in the ICU waiting room to eat and read trash.
So, we've been having a good visit with them so far. Today we plan to hit Michael's to find shirts for all the kids so they can make matching cousins shirts. My 13-year-old niece is not thrilled about this. But I promised her she can pick the color she wants and write whatever she wants on it. I'll post a photo of the results later.
Oh, I almost forgot to mention Jackson's two newest skillz. (Ha.) He has learned a new word - the least favorite of all parents out there! Drum roll please... It's "NO!" Ta-da! And his other new trick is climbing onto the couch and standing on it like he conquered Mt. Everest. He really does enjoy it, although I have heart palpitations every time he does it. Especially since he tries to climb onto the back of the couch and stand on it, or he wants to climb onto the bar area behind the couch. Aack!
2 comments:
ALL of the zoo is free if you get in to the fee sections before 10 a.m.
Actually, during summer time ALL of the zoo is free if you get in to the fee sections before NINE am - not 10. The summer hours are 8am to 7pm.
For the first hour of each day at the St. Louis Zoo, the parts that cost money (the carousel, the Children's Zoo, etc.) are all free. So if you get there before the first hour is up, you can do these things without any additional cost.
The summer hours are in place May 23 to Sept. 1, 2008. After that, the winter hours take effect - 9am to 5pm, which means you have to get there between 9 & 10 for the "fee sections" to be free.
Hope this helps clarify things!
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