Catching Up

Right now, we're cozied up in the house waiting for Tropical Storm Isaac to pass.  My house is clean and all the laundry is done in anticipation of a power outage (which we haven't had) so it's a perfect time to catch up on this very neglected blog. Lack of time and internet kept me from posting much while we were away this summer and in the week I've been back, I've been sick and trying to unpack, reclaim and reorganize my house.

While this summer was very stressful and difficult for a variety of different reasons, there were also some really nice, memorable moments hidden amidst the chaos. One was a trip to the Syracuse Zoo with my two youngest girls and a friend.

Trying on a real tiger paw!

Aravis loves animals and loves learning about them. One of the things I like to do at places that have lots to see and learn is to take our time, taking in as much as we want before moving on to something else and skipping what doesn't interest us altogether to make more time for what does.

I'm always torn between feeling badly for animals in captivity and glad for the chance to experience being this close to nature and I definitely felt both here.

 Our favorites were these Fennec foxes and the sand cat below. We have loved Fennec foxes ever since we saw them on Planet Earth (or maybe Planet Earth Extremes) a few years ago and the kids researched them, trying to find out if they could get one. Turns out for $1000 or so you can. But, while they are absolutely adorable, they don't seem to make great pets. They were very cute and fun to watch though.

These pictures are hard to see because of the glass and lighting but I thought this sand cat looked more like a cartoon character than wild beast. This guy must have been on guard duty.

 But THIS was by far my favorite moment!

......and this.

(We also saw a nursing faun and nursing cows on this trip)

Xury loved seeing all the "Bellas".

Our dog's name is Bella. Bella was her first word and anything with four legs, from the elephants to our hamster, are Bellas, as far as she is concerned.

After the zoo, we stopped at the mall to pick up my older two, eat some Pizzeria Uno and Xury had her first carousel ride. 

It was a great end to a great day!

And here, the sun is peeking through the clouds. Isaac has not given us much trouble. With six people inside all day there is definitely more damage inside than out. I'm predicting the rest of the day will consist of  Barbies, games, tv, and family time. Right now, I'm going to go get my hair done by my favorite nine year old.