The ZOO can teach you so many things...

They say that second-borns get to do things at a much younger age than do first-borns. This was certainly true when Davis enjoyed a trip to the San Antonio Zoo at 5 months old, when it took us four years to take Jack Everett. But, when our good friends Duane and Elisa came into town, we were thrilled to be invited. Since I have Davis in a post-RSV bubble, I kept him strapped in his carrier the entire time, mostly covered up. I should have gotten him out to see the animals, but I was so worried about germs. Eventually, my friends predict, I will lighten up about this. We shall see.

Jack C. (4), Cason (6), and Jack G. (4).

Yes, we had a pair of Jacks with us, both of whom had to answer to their middle names the entire day. I bet they thought they were in trouble most of the time. At one point Cason said, "Come on Jack Thomas and Jack Everett! Follow me!" For the most part, if they were into any mischief at all, simply saying "Jack!" would quickly correct the behavior of both.

A favorite was the Brown Bear swimming in the pond. When he got out, however, I was a little surprised to see how long his claws were. (Click on photo to see a close-up.) I felt so bad for the big guy. If he were in the wild, where he truly belongs, those nails would be naturally sharpened and filed. This is why Darin can't visit zoos, he feels bad for all the animals. I just put that thought out of my head, and we moved on.

Three of the kids' favorites... Gertrude the Rhino, the sleeping kanga, and Lucky the Elephant.

Elisa and I especially enjoyed the Butterfly Exhibit...



... and the giraffes...

And then, there are the gift shops. Jack knows: Mama does NOT buy anything at the Sea World or Zoo gift shops. Period. Nothing. Well, by the end of the day, it had gotten so sunny and hot that his face started to get sunburned. I decided to buy him a San Antonio Zoo sunhat for $5.95. He begged me, "Please buy me this Zoo Expedition Playset! Please, please!" I said, "NO Jack, and do not ask me again." He replied, "Can you take a picture of it and e-mail it to Pops and Mamaw so they can get it for me?" You have got to be kidding me. That is ridiculous.

Anyway... what was I saying?

All of a sudden, Jack Thomas comes around the corner with the most awesome huge leopard snake from the Gift Shop. (His good friend has the exact same big snake and Duane and Elisa had promised him that next time they came to the San Antonio Zoo, he could have one. They had already had this discussion on the way to the zoo.) Well, all of a sudden MY Jack says, "I didn't even want this hat. I wanted a leopard snake." Great. His bottom lip starts to quiver and he does his best not to cry. He puts the hat into the stroller, crosses his arms, and says, "Let's just go home." Oh, here we go.

We were all on our way back to the house to play for a few hours and I could just picture MY Jack watching HER Jack play with his awesome new snake. It was not a pretty picture. On the other hand, I was adamant that we do NOT buy toys at theme parks and I had already said NO. I am committed to being consistent. Jack is going to have to learn that he can't always have what his friends have. Life is not fair.



Okay, so I am not proud. It just broke my heart that he was so disappointed and I didn't want to ruin this rare visit from our friends over a $9.95 (I know, ridiculous) snake. When I gave it to him, his frown instantly turned upside down, he put his sunhat back on, and got all excited. His instant transformation irritated me. I had been played. So, I told him... "Mommy did not buy this for you. Mommy does NOT buy toys at Gift Shops. Mamaw gave Mommy some money for something special for Jack. She told me to pick something you would really like, so I picked the snake." He smiled, "We will have to call Mamaw and tell her thank you." Yeah, we'll have to call her alright.

So the kids left happy and the Mommies left happy that the kids were happy. When he took his snake to show Aunt Mel that night she asked him incredulously, "Your Mommy bought you that snake at the zoo?? She sure must have been feeling generous!" She knows me. He replied, "She said no, but I cried and cried until she said yes!"

Oh, perfect.