Menagerie avec trois

So in a fit of insanity, I took all three kids to the zoo this week.  I did, however, take the leash dog backpack with a handle for a tail for Miss Runaway Tater, which helped because she got to walk a lot more, which pleased her and we didn't lose her, which pleased me.  Still, I was a bit embarrassed, Hubby and I agree it's the parenting equivalent of the cone of shame.  Oh well, you gotta do what you gotta do!

Some things I will remember next time:

1.  Quarters for fish food

2.  My zoo cup for refills

3.  Reminding the Nugget before we enter that it's train OR pony ride OR butterflies, not all 3.  Holy brat attack, Batman.

4.  That the Nugget eats 5x slower than the the others, so I need to pack something for them to do while the Nugget is eating, or perhaps even send him to a picnic table for a head start while the babes check out the nearby critters.

Some things I discovered:

1.  A 5 year old big brother will be very excited to "walk" his little sister on the leash.  He will, however, also treat her like a dog ("Come now!" "Stop!"), so Mommy will remove that authority quickly.

2.  The one who stays right by my side when walking will also not want to get out of the stroller.

3.  All the children will find a traffic cone and the misting sprinkler much more exciting than the animals or the $2/ticket train ride.

 Boys on the train

Boys on the tortoise.

Peekaboo, papparazzi!

Tater gets up close and personal with a "Caaa!"