Trip to the D.C. Zoo

My friend Kristin and I took our kids to the D.C. Zoo today. It was my first trip into the city without Mike. It was an adventure. Anna was great she was very obedient and very excited to see the pandas and her favorite animal the elephants. She drew a picture of a panda in her sketchbook while we were trapped up a against the panda enclosure fence. Bottlenecks at the zoo are no fun! But at least we had a great view of the pandas while we were trapped. It was a pleasant temperature 72 with a breeze. Kate enjoyed it. We showed Kate some gazelle and she pointed and said "Moo". so she sort of got the idea. Since she is 20 months old and exploring her boundaries and independence we experienced much screaming on the metro and at the zoo over being confined to the stroller or even holding our hand. I'm positive the people on the train were glad some of the train noises masked the screaming noises. They were probably even more pleased when we left the train. Kate has no fear. She wanted me to put her in the enclosure with the the lions and the gorillas. As I would lift Kate up to see into the pit she would point and say "NOooooo.. I go.... Go.." She was funny. It was a very nice zoo with the animals easy to view and with lots of trees and vegetation. The best part it was free. We packed our lunch to save money. So it really only cost around $10 for metro fees and parking at the station plus gas. It was awesome. The girls were exhausted. Kate slept the entire Metro way home. Thank goodness it was starting to get busy at 3:00pm. Kristin and almost didn't get off the train in time, with the crowds and 2 strollers. Thanks to the kindness of 4-5 different strangers our day was made easier. I had prayed this morning that God would watch over us and that I would not worry about all the details of the day. ONe Man caught Kate's sippy cup as it almost rolled into the crack between the metro platform and the train we were boarding. Another man opened up a construction area along the sidewalk so we wouldn't have to walk in the street. 2 men helped us get off the train when it was busy. A Real Estate Man and woman helped us get on the elevator going down to the metro. Their faces are very clear in my mind. These were people who went out of their way to help us . It was hard to believe that we were in a city and not in a smaller area. It made we feel good about people. I normally assume the worst about folks especially when they are strangers and in a city. Anyway here are some pics my friend Kristin took. Enjoy!