To Monga's House We Go

April 30, 2013

No visit to Monga's house is complete without a trip to the Sedgwick County Zoo.

The tiger exhibit is a family favorite at the zoo.  You can get up close to the tigers and still be in the air conditioning.  Win win!  Plus, tigers are Rose's best friends.

As if the tigers weren't enough, the exhibit wraps around a cool outdoor area intended to mimic a tiger's habitat.  Dale loves to run up and down the ramp nearby.

This is the face of a boy who just saw a tiger up close.

Rose was thrilled, because I let her roam freely through the zoo's playground.  She ran and jumped all over, and I tried not to freak out while she climbed way up high with all the bigger kids.

Freedom at the zoo playground!

Once the zoo had sufficiently worn us out, we searched for an artsy looking coffee shop downtown that we had once seen.  We found it!  While Monga and I sipped our coffee, Dale and Rose enjoyed playing on the front porch.

Since neither the zoo or the coffee shop wore my kids out, we played like crazy in the backyard at Monga's house.

This is the face Dale makes when he's batting.

Is she serious???

The day was exhausting, but I'm pretty sure my kids didn't go to bed early that night or sleep late the next morning.  It never stops.  Ever.

Dancing Hippos and Chimpanzee Fist Bumps

The Sedgwick County Zoo.  The place where Dale finds inspiration to become a fierce animal in order to torture his precious fragile little sister.

Look at this face!  Why would anyone want to torture her?

Oh sure, you think giraffes are harmless enough, but they have long icky tongues for licking your little sister with.

She has no idea what the future holds with her big brother.

Dale practiced being a tiger in front of the lion.  Later he would practice being a tiger to everyone on the entire planet.

In fact, he practiced all day long, crawling on the ground, making animal faces, clawing and growling at unsuspecting strangers.  Never mind that we didn't even see the tigers.

Luckily Dale never pays much attention to the gorillas and instead opts to play with the interactive TV screen in the area.

A small moment of peace for Mommy's principessa.

The hippos were dancing underwater, which meant that for several weeks afterward, I had to be the dancing hippo for my children on a daily basis.

The chimpanzees were a huge hit that day.  The baby was very interested in playing with Dale.  And by playing I mean that it wanted to rip his face off and eat it.

Hello there cute little chimpanzee!

When it was time to say goodbye, Dale gave Daddy chimpanzee a fist bump.

Peace out dude.

Things I have to say to Dale almost daily now:

1.  Dale, you are not a tiger.

2.  Please stop torturing your sister.

3.  Do you hear Rose screaming?  That means she doesn't like what you are doing.

4.  Can we be nice tame tigers today?

Why couldn't he become obsessed with peacocks or flamingos?