Yesterday we loaded up the car and made the hour drive down to the Nashville zoo. As we chatted in the car and giggled about the fun we hoped to have, the back of my mind was reeling about our last trip to this zoo. It was one year ago, almost to the day, and Samantha spent the entire time screaming and crying at the top of her lungs. She wouldn't stay on the little path, was too hot, wanted to run away and generally made the trip miserable. Hopes were high for this year. Daddy was joining us this time and we had spent several hours the night before discussing tigers, fish, monkeys, and all the fun it would be to see these animals. So here we were...on our way.
The cloud cover took us from a blistering hot, sun beat day to a warm, shady morning that was quite pleasant. Samantha was instantly taken in by all there was to see and do. She held our hands and pulled us from one exhibit to the next pointing at the different animals and showing excitement. She loved the frogs in the reptile/amphibian house, and the red panda that came right up to her. She didn't understand why she could not ride the goats at the petting zoo area, but moved on quickly without major fuss. My favorite part was the sound she made trying to imitate an elephant. She had several of us standing around there laughing! She's quite good!
After three and a half hours of walking and playing we loaded up to head home. The trip was a success! I don't know if it was her age, the difference in time, or just that we hit it on a "good day." Whatever it was, I am thankful for it. It was a wonderful day with family and I can't wait to do it again!
So glad to hear that you had a great time at the zoo! That just goes to show you that sometimes you just have to try stuff again at a later time. Maybe the same thing applies to the swim lessons. Right now might not have been the right time but maybe in 6 months to a year might be perfect. You just never know. I guess you could consider this success at the zoo an example for further events. It will help give you hope that maybe if something is a disaster the first time, the second time might just not be that bad.
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