Saturday, October 20, 2012

Boo at the Zoo

For years Jen and I have found us at many special events that were definitely designed with kids in mind. For years we were the weird couple wandering around some outdoor event, wading through seas of waist-high children. We were definitely outcasts but luckily we were together. If I had been doing this sans Jen there probably would have been police involved.

Today we got a chance to go to Boo at the Zoo at the Bronx Zoo and we even had real children with us! For once we were not outcasts. We purchased tickets to get in but the babies were our real tickets.

Martin and Elliott in Costume Ready For Boo at the Zoo

This was a convenient occasion as it is the Wombats' first Halloween and they have about half a dozen costumes. We were able to dress them in their first costumes, these extremely terrifying and realistic skeletons, and bring them to the zoo. They were quite excited about this trip.

Jen and the Wombats at the Bronx Zoo

Elliott has started teething and we suspect Martin has as well. They've had an extremely fussy week starting on Tuesday when Jen went to work. As far as Jen is concerned they've been little angels but their time spent apart from her has been mostly spent fussing and crying between me and their Nana STIM.

Today, however, they were unbelievably well behaved. Even after a routine-smashing trip to the zoo.

Martin is Worried About Tiger Attacks

Martin got a little worried about tiger attack but that is a perfectly normal fear for a trip to the zoo. Other than that incident this may have been their most well behaved afternoon of their lives.

The Wombats Sleeping by the Passenger Pigeon Gravestone in Skeleton Costumes

They mostly slept through large portions of the zoo. Here they are clearly bored stiff by the plight of animals who have been removed from our planet. This picture was taken in front of one of the many tombstones in the Graveyard of Extinct Animals. This is a grim spot in the zoo where children can climb all over the tombstones of animals that have been eradicated from Earth completely whilst giggling.

It's kind of depressing.

The Biggest Attraction at the Bronx Zoo: Dora the Explorer in 4D

On our way out we hit the biggest jam of zoo patrons at the Dora the Explorer exhibit. It made me sad that this was the biggest attraction of the zoo but happy that the Wombats are just too young to care about going inside. Our lives are infinitely better not having seen whatever horrors lied within that building.


When we got home I began playing with the guys in their bumbos and making a motorcycle sound when I discovered that they loved it. Martin, in particular, made a crazy expression that he's been pretty fond of lately. This is the only activity that will make him make this expression on command.

Shipyard Brewing Co. Smashed Pumpkin

After a lot of feeding, sleeping, and playing we had leftover Italian for dinner and the latest pumpkin beer, this Smashed Pumpkin from Shipyard Brewing Company. This was a very nice, rich, malty beer that actually had more flavor from the pumpkin than from the spices. It was beautifully balanced and not very heavy on the cinnamon like some of these beers tend to be.

I think I'm growing rather fond of the imperial pumpkin beers this fall while the regular pumpkin beers are just leaving me a little flat.

2012 Pumpkin Beer Standings
  1. Shipyard Brewing Company Smashed Pumpkin - more pumpkin than spice
  2. Samuel Adams Fat Jack Double Pumpkin Ale - rich maltiness
  3. Uinta Brewing Company Punk'n - nicely balanced
  4. New Holland Brewing Company Ichabod Ale - heavy spice
  5. Captain Lawrence Brewing Company Pumpkin Ale - slightly sour
  6. Fire Island Beer Company Pumpkin Barrel Ale - too much cinnamon

After a ninety minute nap around 5:00 PM and a nice dinner we were feeling pretty good this evening. We were going to attempt a new technique tonight whereby we wake the babies to feed them around eleven or twelve to feed them in an attempt to sleep until 7:00 AM tomorrow morning. Given that it is 10:30 PM as I write this and they are still frantically playing and laughing I'm thinking we won't get a shot at this plan just yet.

Since they slept so beautifully at the zoo we may be in for an active evening.

Who needs sleep when you can play the Wombats' favorite game of pretending to be hungry then chewing on their bottles without eating anything while smiling and laughing?

It doesn't get much more hilarious than that.

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