Today is Superbowl Sunday, which actually means it was a great day to spend time out and about with my family--everyone else was at Superbowl parties, I guess.
Jack dropped the girls off at Beth's in the morning and I managed to get just enough work in to negate the childcare costs. Then he and I went for sushi in Folsom (so we'd be nearby to pick the kids up), and the place we chose was almost completely empty. We sat at the bar and got immediate service. Maybe for the first time in my life I was smart enough to order only two sushi rolls. I always forget how big sushi rolls are or how full I am after eating them and I always order too much. Not this time! I got two sushi rolls and Jack got a bento box and we split them and it was delicious. We chatted about politics and my very interesting conversation with Kale last night (he and Henry and Erin had come over for Tichu and then he and Henry stayed super late just talking with me). Anyway it was a very nice lunch date.
Clara points out the parrot.
We finished earlier than we needed to pick up the girls, who were still having their afternoon naps at Beth's. So we ran over to Starbucks, got frappuccinos for dessert, and enjoyed them while popping into the Dollar Tree for cheap sunglasses. Then we went and got the girls, both of whom were surprised and delighted to see us. I love that.
Seeing a deer very up close.
We drove the two miles or so to the Folsom Zoo Sanctuary, and it was excellent! Even though it's February it was about 70 degrees out; couldn't have asked for better weather. And either because it's February or because it's Superbowl Sunday (or both) there was hardly anyone there. It was very spacious and clean. I love the boardwalks they've built. And almost all of the animals were easily visible in their cages--some of them very close! In fact--just as I remember from childhood--they had peacocks roaming free around the zoo. They are so beautiful and it was cool to get to see them so close. I also liked how they had plaques at every cage explaining the animal's name and some trivia about him or her. Jane had no idea what was going on but seemed to be happy about it anyway, and Clara seemed to really enjoy it. So did Jack and I.
My height compared to a bear.
Jack's length compared to a bear.
After we'd gone through the whole zoo we decided to walk over to the adjacent playground. Obviously all the equipment is different than 20-25 years ago, but it's the same layout I remember from childhood, including the stadium next to it where we went to watch rodeos during the fourth of July. It was so surreal to be taking my own children to the same area.
Clara and Jane really enjoy the peacock photo set up.
Jack played with Clara on the playground, starting with the little kids area (which included rocking horses and "big kid" swings, and moving to the bigger kids area and even to the steeper slides. I enjoyed just relaxing on the park bench and cuddling Jane while she checked out mine and Clara's bottles, the pattern of the bench, and all the kids, parents, and pets running around. It was really relaxing and fun.
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