Snowite's Life: September 2010

I'm awake with indigestion so I thought I'd blog my adventures Saturday, before I forget all the details.

Invited lots of people to go, couldn't connect up with anyone. Sarah doesn't like her dress.
Hair cut for Charly at 9:30, not prepared to leave town.
Trip down okay, gloomy skies, Sarah napped.
Drove to zoo but decided to go and get lunch, drove around for a while to find a McDonalds, eventually settled on Denny's. Get in, go to bathroom - never fun with 2 kids. Order food, Sarah needs diaper change, both kids out to van change her there, back inside. Food arrives, try to kep Sarah in one spot finally get high chair but that just makes her mad, Charly not interested in eating. Drink cups for the kids leaked so Sarah made continuous mess. Charly drank his orange juice so waitress offeredto fill his cup (that we got to keep) with water. Back to van. discovered that the waitress hadn't emptied the cup out before adding water so now he had orange-tasting water that he wouldn't drink.

Figured out where we were, drove to zoo, parked in lot D (furthest away), got everything loaded into stroller, start to walk away, decide to check for keys and discover had locked keys, and cell in van, and had slammed the door on my wallet - could see it but could not get it unlodged. Bored cell phone, then had to ask another person for AMA phone number. Walked back to the parking gate to meet AMA guy (pushing kids in double stroller) and direct him to the van, walk back to van. He opened doors in less than a minute. Got stuff and finally went to zoo. Paid for admission (kids free since dressed up) and parking (flat rate).

Charly only wanted to see a giraffe so we went to Africa section of zoo. Place was soo busy with people since such a nice day (finally) and special event day. Get to animals, Charly discovers info stations with 2 speakers that look like a phone on a cord at each, must listen, push buttons, not share with Sarah, Sarah looking at everything, her in harness, Charly running around, trying to keep the stroller with us with so many people around = stress for me. Saw giraffes, red river hogs (not pigs), lions, zebras, ostridges, other birds. Went to jungle section, saw crocodile, gorillas, snake, etc. About 4pm finally went to the playground there (enclosed area thankfully) and spent next 2.5 hours there! 3 stations = one for 0-2 year olds which Sarah loved, another for 3-5 years for Charly, and a third area for 6-12 years that kept enticing Charly. Sarah tried the 3-5 station and discovered she was too short (made her mad) and too many bigger kids.
Add in bathroom break, snack break, diaper change, other kids playing, I wasn't bored.

Finally time to leave, we were one of the last people there, which was nice after all the crowds. Found way out, back to parking lot, all the way across parking lot C to lot D, but there is a bank with shrubs and rocks separating the lots. Started walking toward the lot's exit, discovered Sarah had taken her shoes off and dropped them ... somewhere, not in sight even though the lot was empty! Oh well, continued to exit, finally found a part that was barren and not too steep so pushed stroller down to the van.

Supper time, drive to closest McDonalds but Sarah falls asleep instantly so decide to go to Airdrie's McD instead of waking Sarah to go to the McD in the Walmart. Order at drive-thru, and Sarah wakes up. Charly is demanding to go inside so take our "take-out" and go inside to eat. I had ordered salad with grilled chicken for me, 1 chicken nuggets kids happy meal for Charly. Open bag, had received an extra hamburger and no happy meal toy. Go to counter and return burger, they give me a whole new happy meal which I kept for Sarah :) Get kids eating, open my salad and discovered it was not grilled chicken but crisy, ate it anyways. Bathroom break (had to leave all food on talbe, take both kids to bathroom since couldn't leave either alone, and thankfully no one had cleared our table yet). Back in van, head for home. Both kids awake, until Charly falls asleep near Innisfail and Sarah starts to scream for her bottle which she'd dropped. Finally found a turn-off place, got her the bottle, back on road with silence but Sarah wide awake the entire trip. Beautiful drive with fall colours and then glorious harvest moon.

Home, Jeff takes Sarah to change her, I unload most of the van, put Charly in his bed (still in clothes but they were comfy ones), I collaps on my bed and fall asleep (feet/legs started to ache). woke up an hour later, plugged in baby monitor and changed into PJ and went striaght to sleep. Jeff dealt with putting Sarah to bed (she didn't stay awake long). Somehow I slept through Charly waking up in a terror, screaming in bed until Jeff could get there to calm him down, put him in his PJ and back to sleep. Woke up a couple times because of Sarah's coughing, bottle time, etc. What an exhausting day. But kids had fun, got to see animals and be out in the sunshine. So not too bad of a day overall, just lots of frustrations for me.

OK, an hour and a half has passed, Peto has finally worked enough that I think I can sleep now. Not sure if this was the garlic from caesar salad or the wine, or both, but not a happy tummy. Just the price to pay for all the great food and company at J&M's BBQ tonight.

Snowite's Life

Monday, September 27, 2010

Trip to the Zoo

Sunday, September 12, 2010

August 2010 in review