Polar Bears and Dorito Sandwiches

 We knew it was risky choosing to go to the Omaha zoo on Memorial Day weekend, but really wanted Ryan to have a chance to see more than just the aquarium, so we braved the crowds on Sunday. My best advice is to go early (at opening), park by the North Entrance, and use the North Entrance. There were at least 200 people waiting for tickets at the main gate, but only about 20 at the North Gate. Also, bring lots of cold drinks and food in a cooler that fits in the bottom of your stroller.

And wear a hat, although you don't have to go crazy like the lady behind me in line who explained to her 3-year-old (in a 3-year-old voice) for 10 minutes that he needs to wear a hat because EVERYONE wears hats at the zoo. "Look, that man has a hat and that boy has a hat and that girl has hat and I have a hat, and YOU have a hat. We ALL wear hats." I wanted to turn around and go, "Listen, Lady... I am not wearing a hat, so not EVERYONE wears hats. Yes, some people wear safari hats with a neck drape to match their hiking boots even though the entire zoo is paved, but that doesn't mean everyone wears a hat." And to the kid, I would have said, "Listen kid...you should wear a hat, like your mom says...it's a good idea, even though your mom is a liar."

We got to hit all the major things we wanted to see and even though it was 96 degrees, it was bearable with the misters and with alternating the indoor attractions with outdoor. We skipped the desert dome, butterfly house and rainforest. (Did I mention it was 96 degrees?) Ryan's favorites were the gorillas, chimpanzees, the swimming polar bear, and the koi in the lagoon! Most of the other animals were just sleeping in the shade since it was so hot!

We took a lunch break in the picnic area by the zebras to eat the lunch we had packed and Ryan created a new food-- a peanut butter, jelly, and Dorito sandwich! PB,J&D, I guess!

At 1:30, we decided we'd seen enough, so we drove home, unpacked, and then headed to my parent's house for supper with my sister's family. A pretty bad storm ended up blowing through, so we spent some quality time in the basement before making a break for home. The kids had fun playing "Slap Happy" and not posing nicely for pictures.

It was a fun 2 days, but I was sure glad I had Monday off!