The national zoo was on the agenda for the day. Matt and I got up at a recent time, but we figured that there really was no point in getting there super early because of D.C. traffic. So, we took our sweet time getting the kids up and dressed.
I left one more message on the phone for Anthony to call me back. I wasn't sure if he was going to meet us there, or if he was going to stay home with his wife and sick kids.
I had Matt drive us to the zoo because I know how crazy the traffic can be towards the main city. I didn't regret that decision one bit. Matt tends to do the psycho kind of driving better than I do. Let's just say that there were many lane switches last minute, and I am sure that I heard a few honked horns.
The zoo ended up being okay, but not as fun as I had hoped. We were lucky enough to come right when a heat wave struck. So, by 10:00 in the morning, we were sweating within 10 minutes.
"MOM! It's hot! I'm too hot to walk. Can't you carry me?"
"Look at the panda."
"It's hot."
Erin starts to cry because I won't pick her up, and she has to ride in the stroller when she is too tired to walk.
We did get to see a lot of neat animals and the pandas getting fed. I just wish that it had been several degrees cooler.
Towards the end, Erin fell asleep in the stroller. That helped things a lot because I was able to spend one on one time with Ali - something she desperately needs when she is cranky. Very few people have enough patience to handle her at that point. So, Matt pushed the stroller while I cheered up Ali, talked, and held her hand.
Right before we left, we got some ice cream at one of the ice cream dot stands. That cheered up the kids for about 10 minutes...until it was gone. We ended up leaving much earlier than I really wanted too, but it was time. Everyone was cranky and hot. We were looking forward to air conditioning and lack of complaining from the kids. Really, I think that the kids will enjoy the zoo much more in about 3 years. Ali was more obsessed about her own personal comfort than the animals, and Erin was often too short to see most of the animals and required constant assistance. Oh well, I tried.
Anthony was able to get in touch with us while at the zoo. He gave us a different number to call him on when we decided where we wanted to meet for dinner that night. By the time that we got home, I told Mandi to figure out the place that she wanted to celebrate her birthday and laid down for a nap.
Apparently, Anthony gave us a number that didn't really work; so, getting in touch with him was frustrating for Matt. They managed to get in touch through his regular phone to eat at a nearby bar type restaurant.
It was fun to see my old college friend again, but he didn't have too much time to talk. He brought his kids with, and they needed to get home and to bed by 7:00. So, he spent about 45 minutes explaining the updates in his life; we walked around a pet store for a few minutes after, and then it was time to say good bye.
Since Mandi, Matt and I didn't really feel like calling it a night at 7:00, and my mother-in-law had the kids, we went out to the movie "Now You See Me" instead. It was really good and a nice ending to the night. Plus, I felt like we got to properly celebrate Mandi's big 30th birthday.
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