January 6, 2013: I'm Going to the Zoo, Zoo, Zoo...

Our favorite photographer, Aunt Joan, snapped this leaving the aquarium

How about you, you, you...you can come too, too, too. I'm going to the zoo...

If you didn't sing this song in elementary school, my apologies. It sure has a ring to it. This song fills my mind on each zoo trip. Obviously the trips are less frequent these days given the ages of my children. In fact, this was the first year I didn't buy a zoo membership. Although I typically pass my kids' childhood milestones with ease, this one got to me.

I LOVE the zoo and have never taken this Omaha treasure for granted. In fact, I have been a bit of a snob when visiting other zoos over the year. None compare to our crown jewel. And the great thing about having it at our finger tips with family pass in hand was countless trips with varying adventures. If I felt like hauling the kids just to have a picnic lunch and stay for an hour, that was our adventure.

I even learned a trick back in the day. I would show up with the kids right before 5:00 close. We would come on a week day; an already slow traffic day. They would close the gates at 5:00 for new visitors, but the zoo rule was to allow visitors to venture the grounds until 6:00. It was my best kept secret. We felt like we had the whole zoo to ourselves and enjoyed the tranquility of our animal counterparts.

Yesterday when I asked twelve year old's, Grant and Lucas, if they would go with me to the zoo; the response was an enthusiastic "sure!". I was even more pleased when I posed the question to my very social and grown up sixteen-year-old. "Yeah, I'll go", was his response. The frosting on the cake came with a text response from Aunt Joan that she wanted to go too. We big people were perfectly teed up for an adventure.

Maternal instinct inside the fence

And a wonderful adventure it was. Joanie and I were busy taking pictures (unsure on the need as they will join the myriad of zoo pictures currently in my ownership). The boys were just as enthusiastic to get the perfect shots using their I-stuff. They had no problem wandering off together while Joan and I pulled up the rear not wanting to miss a thing.

I did quickly realize how much nicer it was to stroll through the zoo less a stroller, wagon, diaper bag, or the many other items youngsters get sick of carrying. Short a bottle of water and helping Joan with a camera bag, I was a free woman with a lighter load.

Grant noticed the time of 4:50 as we walked into the Kingdoms of the Night and panicked as Grant does; worrying about our breaking a rule. I quickly let him know that we weren't breaking a rule, but were in fact being strategic zoo visitors. My premonition rang true as we strolled through the dark dungeonish exhibit alone and later entered the parking lot as almost the last to leave. Word to the children...always trust a resourceful mother :)