I've thought often how many 'first trips' we've yet to do and I lament how we haven't done them yet and why? Then I remember. Oh yeah, we have twins and life was just too crazy then with taking care of babies and sleep deprivation. Trying to keep on top of two two-year-olds is tough. There's no picking on the oldest and saying "You know better!", as Laith only has a seven minute head start on Vivienne. I've tried a couple errands with them, telling them over and over in the car, "Laith you have to walk perfect, and I mean perfect. Hold Mommy's hand, walk like the good boy you are, and don't run off. Vivienne, Momma's gonna carry you, so please no squirming and be patient as we slowly trek across the parking lot." This never works, as I end up carrying Laith into wherever we end up and Vivienne must walk and hold my hand. Maybe they have their names mixed up...
On a whim, I decided we'd go to a farm so we could brush up on our animals and animal sounds. I've Google searched for farms a couple times, as well as petting zoos. The only items that come up are the Oregon Zoo and some exotic petting zoo. I'm not into the idea of the twins petting baby tiger cubs, giant pythons and getting close ups with true wild animals. My mom has mentioned Little People Big World is located just outside of Portland so I Googled that and found you can tour their farm. We drove just to the west of Portland, as though we were on our way to the beach, which in hindsight, I almost wish we were. On our way, I found a deli we stopped at and had for the first time in Portland really delicious sandwiches. I got Bryan the club on ciabatta and I had a pulled pork on brioche. I also splurged on a strawberry tart and chocolate filled eclair (which by the way is quite yummy but I'm an old fashioned gal and still prefer the cream filled kind). When we finally arrived at Roloff Farm, it was to see this sign:
Awesome. So awesome. I had two kiddos screaming in the car...would've had three but thankfully I'd eaten recently. As we turned around, I decided on my next whim, we'd visit the zoo. I'm so glad I did. It isn't too far from where we'd gone; it actually is off the same highway we were already on. The first time I'd gone here was with Criscell, Spencer and Alex and it was PACKED. Luckily this time, since it was after 3 pm when we arrived, the parking lot was pretty empty. We walked right in and our first view was of the bears eating.
Laith and Vivienne had a blast running up and down the boardwalks. I had to finally carry Laith for a bit to get him to calm down. Since this trip had been a whim, we hadn't brought the stroller. We decided the first zoo stroller we found, we'd rent.
Next we got to see the goats in the mini-farm the zoo has. You're able to pet the goats and Laith and Vivienne kind-of, sort-of tried. Another family was there with their kids and were being goat petting hogs. I thought it was a little rude, since their youngest looked about 19 years old. Although we didn't snag any goat fur, we did wash our hands promptly after this adventure. The zoo has thought ahead and placed a giant trough out front with sinks and soap. I was glad to see this and Bryan's germophobia was put right at ease.
When I visited last, the elephants were some of Alex's favorite animals to view. The original pen had the largest bull elephant in a pen encased by glass and you could stand right next to the giant. However, the entire elephant area is being redesigned so we didn't get as lucky. The elephants had a large empty lot between us and them. We did get to hear them trumpet a few times which is cool, as I've never heard an elephant trumpet in real life. Laith was also saved by a stranger here. He went running off in a state of excited frenzy and to my dismay I couldn't keep up. Bryan realized at just the almost-too-late-moment that the grassy area had a blind drop off. As I yelled "STOP!" and Bryan screamed "Catch him, he's gonna fall!" a stranger stepped up and swept his arm around Laith. Laith hollered like a girl, scared that some guy would grab him. I thanked the stranger profusely then went to work on my son, letting him know how upset-worried-freaked out-angry-frustrated-scared I was and thank goodness for the kindness of others.
Next came the lions. At the entrance to the lion area was a large sign saying the lion cubs could be viewed at 2:30 pm. Darn our luck. It was now past 4 pm. The lions were still out though, but far enough away for the twins to not realize they were looking at a savage beast. We got to see a cheetah also, and there were signs everywhere that dingoes were feasting and beware of your sensitivities (which struck me odd...why would anyone adverse to eating meat want to view carnivorous animals?) Several kids were getting photos of them sitting on the bronze lion statues and we went with the flow. Laith hollered at great length and now I see why. His belly button was on display for everyone. Sorry about that bud!
Trudging on after a running Laith, Vivienne took a break on a shaded park bench with Daddy. Another guy was with his daughter, who when she saw Vivienne, ran up, said "Hi! Give me a hug" and promptly gave Vivienne a huge bear hug. The other dad was mortified and apologized. Bryan just laughed, while Vivienne gave him a "what the heck?" look.
Next were the hippopotamuses...hippopotami...spelling here anyone?We saw two, one in classic zoo fashion, large bum on display, but the other climbed out of the water and gave the twins a great view as he (she?) lumbered over to the other. Laith pointed and laughed. Hippos are definitely odd looking.
Last to be seen were giraffes and some antelope/gazelle type animals. There had been a zebra, but she had passed away over the winter. She was 37 years old which is very old for zebras apparently. One of the gazelles decided to stretch out...just to go wee-wee. Vivienne kept pointing and jibber-jabbering which made me giggle as I imagined what her little conversation must be.
Here is where our trip ended. Not once did we find a zoo stroller to rent and we were wiped out by the carrying and chasing. I mentioned to Bryan we would probably find the strollers at the front entrance on our way out. Lo and behold, we did. Oh well. The trip home in the car was to the sound of much laughter and squeals then two little toddlers conked out in happy sleep. I should've thought to get a picture of their sleeping faces covered in smiles...at least it's in the camera of my heart.
A few days later, I told Bryan I'd like to make Mother's Day special by having a family outing each year. It could be simple like playing badminton in the backyard or over the top like our day trip to Seattle. Bryan did some Google searches and found a lighthouse we hadn't viewed yet just north of Seattle. We loaded up in the car with our new picnic blanket (the jean blanket I finished over the winter). Bryan said our destination city was Lynnwood. Once there, we pulled off for fuel, and Bryan got rerouted for directions to the lighthouse. We went a couple more freeway exits north, to wind up at a mall. I noticed a Macaroni Grill and pointed it out to Bryan, thinking maybe we could have lunch there. Then he smiled and pointed to a building next to it, and that's when I saw the words Cafe Rio. OMG! Yes!! No way!! It's really there right? Not a mirage? I couldn't believe we'd just driven 3 hours to have lunch at Cafe Rio. It was the best Mother's Day lunch I'll ever have. The kids got free quesadillas with a half strawberry. They both ate their lunches up which surprised me as lately, they've become quite picky.
Once tummies were full, I asked Bryan if there was really a lighthouse to see. There was, but Cafe Rio had been the true destination and the lighthouse had been a backup in case it hadn't panned out. We went a little further north to Mukilteo Lighthouse. It has a lovely park around it yet due to the fabulous sunny day, was packed with no parking left. We found a second lighthouse to see, further south in actual Seattle proper. Alki Lighthouse became our new destination. The beach was packed here too, yet there were enough roads to let us find a parking spot. We clambered out and walked the promenade and got a couple shots of the lighthouse (which is all fenced off as it's still in official use). Bryan took a lot of pictures with his really nice lens and I clicked a couple with our point-and-shoot red camera. My pictures are washed out with sun, which I don't mind as it's hard to convince myself that the sun does shine up here in the northwest on occasion. Bryan had the decency to take a picture of us through his polarized sunglasses, so you can actually see the Space Needle in the background. I had hoped to get an ice cream while on the promenade, but we didn't see a vendor and the kids started to melt down. Back to the car we went and we plugged in GPS to find a Jamba Juice. I'm glad we did, as it was perfect for the hot sunny day and the kids loved having some poured into their cups. (Yes, that's Bryan in the background...lucky shot!) We stopped off in Olympia at a park to let the kids get out some pent up energy. Vivienne had a ball running all over and Laith discovered slides. Up and down he went, over and over again. He just couldn't get enough.
I much prefer Mother's Day now compared to the one we 'non-celebrated' three years ago. Never in a million years would I have believed you on Mother's Day 2011 that in one short year, I'd be celebrating the fact that I am mother to two precious kiddos. There are times I wonder if I should've made the cut. Yet I would never, ever trade back for the lonely years before now.
