Lions and Tigers and Panda Bears, Oh My!

Today we went to the zoo with a friend that was savvy enough to buy a family pass. Since her family is (currently) smaller than the people that can get in on the pass, she takes different friends with her. Today was our chance, and I think it was the most fun I have had at the zoo in ages.
First off, it was cool. Usually we go when it's already hot. Today was a cloudy 62 degrees, and it was great. There were no school groups or daycare groups to try and avoid. In fact, it was as empty as I have seen it! Lots of times if you go, the animals won't be out or active, but I guess it was the cooler weather- they were all pretty active.
I think the best thing for me was that the kids were old enough to enjoy it. It held their attention (mostly) and there was minimal whining about hunger and thirst (but that may have been because it wasn't 800 degrees). And the SUPER BEST thing? They can all potty on their own. I still help my 3 year old, just so she doesn't clean the floor of the stall with her pants or fall in the toilet (bc that's happened before too), but the other 2 I just pointed at the empty stalls and told them to go for it. (Public bathrooms by the way, GROSS ME OUT to the MAX. But skin washes, so I just try not to think about it and then pop them in the bath as soon as we get home.) It was great. So much easier than one or two in diapers and one to help potty. Or like last spring when I had to help all three pee. Not because they all needed help, but because they had all recently been traumatized by the toilets from Hell an automatic flush toilet and refused to urinate without me in there.

Here's a recap:
Jadyn's favorite: Panda. And watching the elephant poop.
Ava's favorite: Reptile House. And watching the elephant poop.
Hadley's favorite: Birds. And watching the elephant poop.
Mom's favorite: Kids who pee alone. And watching the kids watch the elephant poop.

Notes n stuff

So my oldest has had quite the funny week. Turns out she's been getting sick, so maybe that's made her more hilarious than normal. Here is a highlight reel of her week:

"Don't tell Mom, but I think I'm turning into a mermaid." [Yes. Don't tell Mom. She'll never figure that one out- not even when you grow fins or refuse to get out of the bathtub. Also? I have NO idea what she meant.]

She was playing 'orphanage' with her sisters. Which I know sounds weird, unless like us, you know a dozen or so adopting families, and then my guess is playing 'orphanage' is a way to show how you want to help. That's my theory. They also play 'Oksana', where they specifically adopt HER, but that's another story.

So, anyway, they were playing 'orphanage' and I guess my youngest daughter stopped playing along with the 'rules', and J said, "You better behave, or I'll send you back to the orphanage." Um, yeah, not how that works. And please never say that again or we'll end up on the news. Or Dr. Phil.

She has also realized this week that not only can she READ things, but she can....wait for it....WRITE. She is writing EVERYTHING. She wants to send cards to everyone she knows. She also wrote her first story called (this is her own spelling) "Helow. This is my storey." Then she wrote Gabe a silly note that said, "I think yr her loox wared." Which is of course "I think your hair looks weird."

But to top off the week, she wrote a note for Hadley and then stuck in under her pillow so that we found it at bedtime. She wrote, "From Jadyn to my chnookooms Hadley". I had to Google how to spell 'snookums', and we all say 'shnookums' anyway, so I think for a 6 year old, she did really well with that word. And her littlest sister was thrilled and it made my heart a big wad of goop to see one daughter go out of her way to show love to another.

Great ending to a mediocre week, in my opinion!

Because they DO say the darndest things......

I really love all the funny things my kids say. Even if it's just a mispronounciation. (Holy Cow! I think I just spelled that right!) Super H has several. Like instead of  'sunburn' it's 'sun bite' and it's not the 'post office' it's the 'poke office'. She also likes to eat 'hag-u-bers' and sing about being a 'scall-u-wab' and sit in my 'laps'. That's right. If you have two legs, you must have two laps.

The older two are at the point where they just say funny stuff without trying to be funny. Like the other night, they were out front and saw a HUGE group of birds fly over. So one says to the other, "Look! It's a school of birds." and the other says "Well, which one is the teacher?" "I guess that one flying by herself. They must take turns being the teacher." Or they'll ask me if there are sharks in the lake. Or octopusses. Or jellyfish. As if one wouldn't live in the lake, but some how the others could.

Hands down the funniest thing that they have come up with was the day my sister was over for a visit with her then less-than-a-year old son. She changed his diaper in the living room and my middle daughter stared out right at his 'weiner'. Then asked in the most confused voice ever, "Why does hims butt have a thing like you milk a cow with???"