Tatum’s brain is just that. ONE BIG SPONGE! My job is to fill it with the water of LIFE and LIVING! This means, I give her as many experiences that I can while her brain develops. It is said that you “use it or lose it” between 3 and 16. If I don’t introduce her to as many things as possible, then perhaps she’ll miss out on something! Yes, I’m overthinking it, but I want her to have the world in her pocket; then she can choose from so many things vs. being limited to only what she has been exposed.
So, today we went to the zoo! God knew that we had planned this, because it was quite hazy today and pretty mild weather. I had about two hours of sleep last night, so when it was 6 am, I fell asleep thinking I’ll get up in a minute. Then, BOOM! It was 7:56! Now, this never happens, BUT it was the best sleep I have had all week. Still exhausted and groggy, I quickly got her out of bed, stuffed some food in an insulated bag, and headed out the door. We arrived there about 8:30, and the parking lot was pretty empty. Mostly minivans because the park seems to attract moms and their kiddos on a weekday morning!
She wanted to be in the stroller, so the minute we headed out, my water fell all over the ground. Great. Well, I’d just sip out of her water bottle, right!? That or buy a $5 one, so I opted for the drinking fountain. This disappointment lasted about 10 seconds because we immediately saw a cute little fox sleeping. What a great start! He was not like the foxes in the picture books we read. Gentle, small and innocent looking, and I did not want to find out otherwise.
We stopped for a quick hopscotch challenge, and off we went!
Next, UPHILL, we headed for the lions tigers and bears (oh my!). The tiger was making a meow roar sound, and it echoed! Tot and I were honestly kind of scared! That poor tiger seemed to just sigh and say, “Oh, I am ready for a change.” Yes, he’d like little Tot in his tummy!
The lions were sleeping and so were the rhinos, so not much there. Then, of course we had to find the baboons! Hilarious little guys. They really just seem to have not a care in the world except finding something in that pile of hay they dig through. I can see why being called a baboon might feel a bit offensive. They seem to be the most intellectually challenged animal in God’s kingdom.
Now, while walking around the monkey arena, a zoo lady came by and told us the bears were swimming! A mommy bear was watching her baby swim around in the water. So, we left the frog pit and headed out, THE LONG WAY. (Remember, I’m pushing her..no water!..parched!)
Oh my goodness, I was awestruck. I had never really seen this before, and it just warmed my heart to see her enjoy the bear as well. I’m positive he’d eat us right up, but for the moment, I wanted to just hug him! His mommy sat upon the rock and just enjoyed the view.
After this, the flamingos, macaws and ostriches just didn’t have the same oomph, but I still enjoyed seeing the beauty of God’s creation. We tried to get the macaw to talk to us, but he was more interested in chatting with the monkeys next door. 
It was only about 90 minutes, and we were absolutely..no, I was absolutely exhausted! So…we stopped for a water and snack.
Again, just spending time in HIS creation just made me happy, no matter how hot, tired or thirsty we were.
The puppet show we went to on Friday and the books we read about animals just make these experiences for Tot so much more fun, and for Tatum, she is just soaking it ALLLLLL in! Each week, I’ll attempt to give her a NEW experience so she can find her niche and passion. Right now, it seems to be doggies and still…trains.
I love you Tot!
