Or so I thought, and then Erik got sick again last night and the weather still looked pretty bleak this morning, but I was determined to go. My obstacles of the morning were Elliot throwing tantrum after tantrum and wanting to be held constantly, I think he is teething again. Then there was Erik who said he didn't want to go anywhere and was refusing to get dressed, but a bribe got him out of the house so away we went. I figured of all the places we could go the zoo was the best idea because if they got sick it was outside and easy to clean up.
As soon as we got there I realized the zoo was a great idea, but the sky seemed so ominous. Both of the kids started getting excited when I started unloading, Elliot started making his happy noises and Erik said "I am so happy" so I was feeling pretty good about myself. Also as soon as we were outside their runny noses stopped. It is amazing what a change in scenery does to a cold.
So I am going to digress and say from a personal standpoint this zoo trip was a big deal for me. I have never gone to the zoo by myself with the kids. We live 5 minutes away from the zoo so friends are always with us, but for obvious reasons I couldn't ask anyone to join us today.
The day started off really well. Erik was super excited and wanted to walk instantly and Elliot was content to ride which makes life simpler. Also Erik was content to stay near me and follow the stroller so a very good day with Erik's wandering tendencies.
I also made a mental promise to myself to not take too many pictures because I get tunnel vision when I do photography and can't always keep the best eye on Erik. So immediately I tried to get some pictures of the boys together at the zoo. It didn't work because of course seals are way more fascinating than their mom taking another picture.
This is why today was really a brilliant day to go to the zoo. It was 62 degrees and almost raining. Where we live this is extremely rare, but it also meant the zoo was empty AND all the animals were out. I have been going to the zoo since Erik was 6 months old and we go a lot because we live five minutes away. In all my times, I have never even seen the bear or tiger and we saw both today.
As you can see by the abundance of animal pictures I did not keep my promise to myself to not take pictures. Fortunately Erik behaved so well and stuck with me and listened so I could take extra pictures. I love it when those days happen, I feel like a good mom for once instead a mom who has to yell constantly.
For being by ourselves at the zoo it was a fun experience. Erik went up to everyone and started conversations and introduced himself. It reminds me of my mom's favorite story of me when I was little. She said I would be in the grocery line and just start conversations with anyone and tell them all the intimate details of our life. That is exactly what Erik did all day.
The best part of all is my ability to take Elliot out of the stroller, give him some attention and know that Erik wouldn't run away. It was liberating and made our outing less stressful and even happy. Definitely a good day for brotherly love.
Today I used my 50mm lens. I was in a hurry to get the kids out the door and conquer tantrum and mood swings so I didn't have much time to give thought to what lens I wanted to use. Having the day to do over and knowing all the animals would be out I would probably bring my 24-70mm lens. Although with the right focus and depth of field I was able to crop and still have good tack sharp images of the animals.
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