zoo outing

On a recent Thursday (which is our official no-school day*) we drove out to the Oregon Zoo.

The best time to go to the zoo is first thing in the morning, for sure.  We got a fabulous parking spot just after 9am, and there were no lines.  Sure, it was a little chilly on an April morning, but we were fine, even Celeste.  And of course…this was a school day for all the group schools, so we really got to take our time at the exhibits and see the animals close-up.

I hope Bunny does a blog post showing her zoo pictures.
She took some fantastic ones of the animals!

 I decided that this would be a  simple, quick trip.  We stayed in the "Pacific Northwest" exhibit and didn't venture to Africa like normal.  We had to go at Sedric's pace, which was sometimes quick and sometimes very slow.  But the older kids were patient and we all had fun.

Next time we go, I think I'll pack lunches.  We can sit on the lawn and eat, then maybe I'll send my older kids out to explore while the younger ones and I rest and play.  It's so great to finally have "older" kids!!!

The zoo is under construction (new elephant habitat) but the zoo train was still running. We caught the first run -- 11am.

Right after the zoo train, we headed home.  It was a great, manageable visit.  On our way out, the lines were really long.  Note to self: don't try to go to the zoo at 11am!!

On an unrelated note, Bunny and I were released from our duties for the evening and we got to go shopping at Nordstrom Rack!

Great winter clothes on sale--especially
cashmere sweaters, yay!

* Thursday is our no-school day.  I do schooling 4 days a week although the kids do have independent work on that 5th day.  This leaves me free to do tasks, errands, and appointments, and also lets us squeeze in field trips.  My day off used to be Friday, but it turned out that we would need to finish the week's schoolwork, so it never was really "off!"  Thursdays work MUCH better because I know I still have Friday to finish teaching.