Verse of the Day

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Taking Wild Life to the Wild Life Zoo






So... my parents and grandmother came to town to meet the new kiddos. The kids were so excited to meet their grandparents and great-grandma! We had a wonderful beginning....

The following day, because the interaction was so positive and fun, we decided to explore the WildLife Zoo and Aquarium in Goodyear. As usual with any outing, I warned the kids to stay close to us, attempting use my horribly-pronounced Amharic to caution them to the many dangers of the park. Every kid held an adult hand; every one wore a bright smile and ventured into the exciting environment that is the zoo!
As evidenced by our first photo near the entrance of the zoo, minds were racing! Why are we posing for a boring picture when there are things to do? animals to see? popcorn to be eaten? Also evident in the photo is B.--- standing a good couple of feet from the rest of the crew. Ah... a sign of things to come....

The wonder that fills a child when he or she first sees a lion--- when a child first sees a stingray--- when he or she first sees a boa--- it's so amazing! I had praises on my tongue throughout the afternoon; who am I to have such a great privilege to introduce so many kids to animals, to books, to the wonders of the world, to our Lord Jesus Christ? My heart overflows with joy....

And then, of course, you know you just have to come back to the hard realities of taking 7 kids to the zoo. One who refuses to stop throwing dirt. One who refuses to eat anything but animal crackers. One who refuses to look at the camera. One who refuses to leave the lion exhibit. One who refuses to use words and forceable picks up another child who's lagging behind--- carrying her like one would carry a heavy log... except logs don't kick. One who refuses to listen and prefers to keel over and scream bloody murder. One who's pouting for the umpteenth time, and attempts to get the grandparents to empathize with her. One who's getting oh so bored. One who refuses to wait her turn and pushes another little girl in the bathroom... then tells Mommy to just be quiet when I correct her for her rudeness. One who refuses to walk with the group and runs off just as we try to leave the park. And the list goes on.... Such are the great joys and struggles of parenthood!

Was the zoo worth it? Ask me next week.



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