April 3, 2007
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It’s been a super busy 2 weeks! Started on a weekday with an offsite at work – at a local sports complex with a catered meal from Macaroni Grill.
Then on Saturday, we went to Zachary’s preschool open house. There were a lot of science and art activities for the kids, and we ended up staying longer than we anticipated. Zachary had so much fun, we had to drag him back to the car kicking and screaming. I guess it’s good he likes preschool so much since he’s there full time!
Right after, we drove down to Safari West – a 400 acre wildlife preserve. It was so much fun - Zachary’s current interest is animals, so he was very excited and happy the entire weekend. As the receptionist drove us (via golf cart) to our safari tent, Zachary gasped and said,”Guh-raffe!” After settling in, we met our tour guide and embarked on a 3-hour safari drive. James parents joined us for the adventure since they lived in the area. We saw wildebeest, zebras, ostrich … all kinds of animals.
After the ride, we had a BBQ dinner and then headed back to our tent. We brought a playpen for Zachary to sleep in, but it was cold so we had him sleep between us … meaning that basically only Zachary slept. Aside from the kicks to the head (Zachary loves to sleep sideways), there was the electric blanket fiasco. It was so cold, I turned it on. A few minutes later, I felt it wasn’t working, so I cranked it up higher. I woke up an hour or so later, still freezing, so I cranked it to level 20 (max.) Ten minutes later, James wakes up in a panic, pulling off his t-shirt, yelping,”Arg! It’s too hot!” I respond with,”Ugh! I was sleeping. It’s too cold.” James realizes that the wires to the electric blanket was crossed! So while I was back asleep, he comes over to check the number on my side … 20 … and cranks the control on his side to the number he thought I wanted it set at. A few minutes later, I wake up dripping in sweat,”Oh my God! It’s too hot!” So finally we get the temperature right, with only a few hours of darkness left. And of course, there’s no sleeping in when you’re on a safari adventure. Even if I could have slept through the animal sounds, there was no ignoring the 2-year-old chattering about seeing the Guraffes.
It was lots of fun – and highly recommended, especially for kids. It’s much more interesting than a zoo, where all the animals tend to be asleep and/or hidden.
We got back Sunday afternoon and had Alex over for a playdate. The weather has been really nice lately!
I’ll catch up and post this past weekend on another night … lots of pictures from the Graeber family reunion and Zachary’s 3rd birthday party! (Yikes … my baby will be 3 on April 6th! He even calls himself a “big kid.”)
Comments (5)
I would have thought you to be the disciplinarian, but James’ icy stare can back any kid into a corner. I guess what I’m trying to say is “James speaks with his eyes”.
I would also like to add that you are my favorite “Animal Photographer”. Seriously – amazing. Deveopment opportunity: MOVING animals.
Ok Ok – last comment – I promise. It’s just that the suspense is killing me. I’m going to ask what everyone else is wondering: Did Zach ultimately paste up James’ face? Please share the next photo frame.
Do you work for National Geographic? Because your animal photography skills seem to tell me so….
the pictures are beautiful….the safari looks more fun than a zoo…