A Surprise Visit

Haley's Big Sis has a cool summer gig.  She gets to be a Zoo Teen.  It is an awesome program where kids get to volunteer at the zoo in a number of ways.  She is very excited about it.

She gets to go to the zoo twice a week all summer long.  Our zoo is not exactly close so it is a bit of a drive.  I don't mind.  I think this is a great opportunity for her. 

The thing that I don't want to do is drive to the zoo and back four times a week with Haley and listen to her cry when we don't go in.  I also don't want to go to the zoo with Haley twice a week all summer.  I plan to leave her at home with her Dad most of the time. 

Ironically the second time that I had to take her sister to the zoo her Dad was out of town.  I had to take Haley with me.  I chose the easy way out and surprised her with a trip to the zoo.

There was one little problem.  Her sister needed to be dropped off really early.

It was good news for me because I had no problem finding a parking space.  We were forty five minutes early.  Haley wanted to go in.  We could not go in of course.  We were also the first people there and I wasn't interested in standing in line for forty five minutes.  We sat in the car with Haley crying her eyes out and me alternately trying to cajole her and wiping her nose.

She kept yelling "Goats!"

After a while I decided we could get out of the car.  We basically just walked around outside the zoo.  It didn't really satisfy her.  She wanted to see the goats.  I told her that if she looked through the fence she could see the goat.  She wouldn't look through the fence.

People started to show up so we decided to stand in line.  Haley just kept saying "Goats."  The man in front of us turned around after about the twentieth time and said "Don't you want to see any other animals?"

She was quiet a moment.

"Goats."

He just laughed.

Haley enjoyed her visit at the zoo.  She didn't seem fazed at all about seeing her sister working.  We walked around following her whims all day.  We rode the train, of course.

When Big Sis's shift was just about over we started heading toward the exit.  Haley said "Store."  We went into the store and Haley chose a small plastic cougar and a small plastic african wild dog.  Her sister texted me and told me that her shift was over, she wanted to know where we were.  I told her we were in the gift shop and that she could meet us there.

It worked out pretty well, considering.  We might do that again a couple more times.  I hope the wait will go a little better.