ménagerie

We had one more lovely day while Bob & Mim were visiting and we decided to let Eva choose an activity. Unsurprisingly, she chose the zoo (the smaller one we hadn't yet visited).

Unfortunately, there was a demonstration that had taken over a bridge and a street, requiring our bus to let us off three stops early. (This is a common occurrence in Paris.) On the plus side, we walked along a pleasant stretch of the Seine, with gardens and sculptures, and... a little outdoor gym! I absolutely couldn't believe it when I saw a group of cardio and weight machines with people working out!

These little kids on a field trip were so cute, and I was dying at the contrast between their size and the tree they were gathered around to eat.

Two red pandas sleeping. I think they look more like raccoons or foxes than pandas, but what do I know?

darling babies

There are three giant tortoises that I remember from when we lived here in 1996. You cannot tell their massive size from this photo, but they are between 100-150 years old.

These birds were cracking us up by swinging from their beaks!

This camel was doing some serious mouth gymnastics to get at the plant outside its fence. Bob and Mim helped it out by pushing it closer.

snow leopard

Eva peering into the nursery at some baby birds.

Max and Lucas helping Eva to see the large, hairy armadillo.

cool display of different eggs

A caracal! We had only ever seen these on Wild Kratts prior to this visit.

I love the little house for the horses!

I had to take a picture of this olivier (olive tree). Obviously.

This is the outside of the monkey house!

Any outing can only be improved by a carousel ride at the end.

Parc Zoologique

Eva desperately wanted to visit the zoo. The Parc Zoologique at the Bois de Vincennes has been redone and only reopened in April.

I love all of these pink blossoms strewn everywhere.

Eva as an otter.

These penguin-like birds were hilarious and stood in line to be fed.

brown&white zebra - such a cool mane!

the lion surveying his domain

I was just going to get a cute picture of Max & Eva but I dropped my lens cap, distracting her. Foiled again.

These birds have their own paparazzi.

A day with a happy girl is a good day!

Seattle, day 5

Marc really wanted to take the boys to GameWorks, which is basically videogame heaven. Eva and I were not interested, so we stayed behind and went to the pool for a couple of hours.

We then went to Woodland Park Zoo, where Katrina and Matho met us. We used to have a family membership to this zoo when Max was tiny.

It's a great zoo because it has large, realistic habitats, so you don't feel too badly for the animals.

Max used to be more interested in the plants than the animals, causing us to wonder if he would be a future horticulturalist!




I forced them into a family self-portrait. You can see Eva's thrilled about it. If it weren't for the fact that we only took two, I wouldn't post this at all, could I be scarier??

Katrina mocked me as well, but it had to be done.

I tried to get a shot that looked like Max was kissing this snake, but it didn't exactly work out.

Eva had to post on every. single. statue.

Oh how I miss hydrangeas! I wish I could grow them successfully here.

The most exciting part of the zoo was the aviary room, where birds fly around free and you can purchase seed sticks to feed them.


This bird repeatedly landed on Lucas's shoulders, which was highly disconcerting to him. I would move the bird and direct it elsewhere, but it kept returning to Lucas! Did it feel he was a kindred spirit in grey? He was not. He eventually left the room and waited for us.

Eva loved it.

So did Max! He didn't even mind when one landed on his head. He wishes he could go feed the birds every day.

Matho and Eva pretended to have penguins for adoption. Lucas was considering it.

Flamingos are really stinky.

Marc and I really wanted to go to Palomino, a restaurant we used to enjoy (mostly in our pre-parenting days). We didn't really want to take the kids, so we considered leaving them at the condo while we went, but Max wanted to try it as well. We ended up all going and sitting on the bar side, which is more casual. Eva could even lie down on the bench and no one was around to care. It was good, but not quite as fabulous as I remembered.

We showed them some of the Chihuly glass art in the building. These are whale bones with a human skeleton inside the ribs!

zoo adventure

Eva has been talking about going to the zoo for a long time, so when Marc's parents invited us to go on Friday, I had to say yes! (I think the last time I went was when Lucas was about 2.)

I wanted to go early so we could beat the heat. It was a good plan, as it was very pleasant when we got there. By the time we left, however... let's just say that Friday was a very hot day!

I'm sad this picture didn't turn out better. I loved the giraffes. I had forgotten just how tall they are! (about 17 feet)

I took this picture for you, Jill!

The kids measured their "wingspans" against an orangutan's. Max came close...

We all loved the bird show. It's amazing what they can train birds to do! It was like a comedy act going on behind, with different birds walking behind the presenter. One of the birds even flew out to the audience to collect donations and then put them into the donation box.

bird show grand finale

Eva really wanted to go on the carousel next, and Grandma obliged. When she actually got on, though, she was too nervous to ride on an animal. After she got off, she was feeling braver, so they did it again (she rode an anteater!).

We stopped to get a snack and cool off. The kids had dipping dots, but I had this raspberry lemonade smoothie and a pretzel.

Look at that evil grin!

It cracked me up what a draw this rhino statue was. The kids climbed on it for at least 15 minutes! (Kristen striking a pose.)

I loved the zebras. Later, when I asked Eva what her favorite animal from the zoo was, she said the warthog! What the?

Lucas periodically filled up his hat at the drinking fountains and then dumped the water on his head. By the end of the day, the kids were pouring water all over themselves.

We left the zoo around 1:30 and went back to Bob & Mim's condo for lunch and swimming. The thermostat by the pool said it was nearly 100 degrees. I asked the kids if they thought it felt that hot, and they all shouted YES!

Eva and I came home at 6:30 and she was so tired, she wanted to go right to bed. I was too tired to do anything but lie on the couch and watch a movie, but Max and Lucas stayed for a concert and a sleepover with Grandma and Grandpa.

Bob & Mim brought the boys home today around 4:00 -- they went on a tour of the Conference Center, walked around Temple Square, saw the movie at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building and ate at Sweet Tomatoes. And they're going to another concert tonight! I don't know how they do it, but as Jill says -- maybe we should start taking Centrum Silver!