Blurring The Lines Of Our Routine - Part II

The Zoo. AND Lunch Out.

We are members of the Houston Zoo and have enjoyed going in the cooler months, but the visiting dinosaur exhibit was pulling me to get us there even in this stifling Houston heat and humidity. That, and some fun photos I saw on a friend’s Facebook page, apparently taken at an I-never-knew-it-existed splash pad at the adjacent Hermann Park right next door. Plus? Mateo loves trains and there is a train that conveniently rides out from near the zoo entrance to several museums (right next to a park and the aforementioned splash pad) and back.

It might be obvious that I researched all this prior to going, knowing that the zoo opened at 9:00 and that the train station opened at 10:00. And one can easily conclude that we were appropriately prepared with a change of clothes, towels, sunscreen, mosquito spray, extra water, snacks, and cash. Here’s how it went down:

9:00 a.m. - We arrived at the Zoo at opening time. We went directly to the Dinosaur exhibit. They really enjoyed it, though I do believe Harper attempted to veil her fear by saying "see another one?" almost as soon as we'd arrive at any dinosaur. Overall, though, the kids enjoyed the exibit!

From there, we headed to a shaded area with tables by the duck pond and the kids at the remainer of their breakfast, intermittently quacking and tossing out whole wheat muffin pieces to the birds in the water.

After that, we made our way past the tucans. Y’all! You should hear the kids say tucan. They say it in Spanish - tucán – it’s just so funny to see these more Caucasian-than-Hispanic looking kids calling out for a tucán! From there we let them loose (strategic, by the way: walking equals getting them tired) to run around the elephants and giraffes, their favorite part of the zoo.

After that, we piled them back in the stroller to head out, catching a glimpse of the red panda exhibit on our way out. The one I’m convinced is a stuffed animal because it is always curled up in the same spot. As I strolled the kids from the Zoo to the train of the Hermann Park Railroad, Jennifer stopped off by the car to pick up the dry bag with a towel and more snacks.

10:00 a.m. - The train ticket booth opened right at 10:00 a.m. and then we boarded the train and passed the time by giving the kids another small snack. By 10:15 a.m., we were off!

10:15 a.m. - The train left the station. Mateo was mesmerized. We traveled through the park for about fifteen minutes before seeing the playground and splash park. We got off there, near the Museum of Natural Science, and played for about an hour. I think. I don’t know. We kinda lost track of time.

11:30 a.m. - We caught the train back at the same spot and made our way back to the entrance at just the right time. And by just the right time, I mean Mateo was having a noticeable meltdown because we didn’t let him shoplift a Thomas & Friends train from the Gift Shop. The Gift Shop you were forced to walk through in order to get from the train to the parking lot. Right there on a big rock at the entrance of the zoo, we stripped their wet clothes off, and then Jennifer wrangled now two crying kids into the stroller while I went to the car to fire it up and cool it down. It was already 96 degrees outside and I know I don't like getting into a hot car. A quick change of the kids' clothes and diapers in the back of the SUV and we were on our way.

12:00 p.m. - This is around the time they are usually being tucked into bed for a very necessary nap. And here’s where the smudger comes in: instead of going home (a 20 minute drive), we went to a nearby Luby’s for lunch. Because hello, are not all Luby’s restaurants loaded with screaming kids, frazzled parents, and the elderly who can’t hear any of it?

We knew they’d be somewhat cranky (which is why I brought some emergency goldfish. And the iTouch), but also knew they’d be hungry and that it was easier to lunch>home>nap rather than home>lunch>nap.

1:15 p.m. - Home sweet home. The naps sucked, by the way. At least Harper’s did. Even with me trying to nap with her. But an afternoon of swimming at PawPaw Jimmy’s kept them busy enough to be unaware of their exhaustion and we coupled it with an earlier bedtime.

I should note here that while a four hour outing isn't really a big deal, it was pretty monumental for us considering that up until this point, our typical zoo outing would last barely two hours. Round trip. So, success!