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Sunday, April 20, 2008

Lions, Tigers and Bears, Oh My! - (Post 6)

Our trip to the zoo went great! Kayley had a blast as did her friends Blake and Leah. Actually, Kelly, Alexis (Leah’s nanny) and myself had a lot of fun too. It’s even safe to say that Tony (the family driver) had fun too. It was a long day and a lot of walking was involved but everyone had fun, which is all that mattered. If anyone else has ever been to the Bronx zoo then you know it’s pretty huge! It’s not possible to cover the entire zoo with young children all in one day. I’m sure some people try but we didn’t. We did see so much though. Kayley’s favorite thing of all was the butterfly garden! She couldn’t get enough of it. If it had been up to her we would have stayed there all day. The kids also did the camel rides. Leah was a little nervous about getting up on the camel but Kayley convinced her it would be fun. She’s so fearless. She couldn’t wait to get up there and didn’t want to get down. We saw so much that it’s hard to really pinpoint only certain parts of the day. It’s a great zoo to visit, if you ever get the chance to be in the area I highly recommend you go. Kids and adults will enjoy it!

If I had to pick my favorite part of the day I would say it was visiting the tiger exhibit. I have a weakness for all big cats so I was looking forward to visiting this the most. We were able to time our stop at Tiger Mountain to see the zookeepers working with the tigers. They do this daily at certain times and we wanted to catch at least one of them. It was great to see. We also caught the bee-eater feeding in the World of Birds exhibit. That was really interesting to see. The zookeepers toss live crickets and the Bee-eaters swarm to catch them mid air. It was very entertaining. The kids loved all the birds they were able to see. Blake was fascinated by the Toucans; he didn’t stop talking about them for a while. Some of the best pictures of the day came from the bird and butterfly exhibits. Of course we took pictures of everything though. We took some great shots of the kids that I can’t wait to get prints of. It was definitely a lot fun. We plan to go back again this year to visit the other exhibits we didn’t get to see. Plus they are opening a new one this summer that sounds really good. Like I said before, if you get the chance to go, do it!

The kids were tired after our long day and Kayley wasn’t up much after we arrived home. She ended up in bed around 6:30pm. This is really early for her but she was so wiped. I’m sure she will be talking nonstop about our day tomorrow. She told me today that she wants to live at the zoo. After we saw the zookeepers interacting with some of the animals she decided she wants to be one. She announced to our little group, “When I grow up I’m doing that!” It was so cute to see her excitement at all the exhibits. All the kids were just mesmerized by the beautiful animals in front of them. Just seeing that makes up for sore feet and tired bodies. I’m sure many of you who have children of your own understand what I mean. I love when she is able to just enjoy herself without her mother being around to ruin it for her. She was even encouraging her two friends to have fun. Leah got pretty cranky after a while but Kayley somehow was able to make her happy again. She’s such a sweet little girl. She’s just so happy and wants everyone around her to be that way too. She tries so hard to make you smile, but honestly it usually doesn’t take much. You can’t help but smile.


Since our day was jam packed with activities and we weren’t home much Mrs. K didn’t even have a chance to be mean to her daughter. Actually, I think she saw her for a total of 10 minutes today, and not even all at once.

Mr. K is due home tomorrow. I haven’t heard any word if he really will be or not. Mrs. K hasn’t said one way or another. This is another thing that is odd compared to previous trips. Usually she seems to tell everyone twenty times that he will be arriving the next day. She hasn’t said one word. Tara said he called today but the call only lasted a few moments. So your guess is as good as mine if he will be here tomorrow. I’m hoping he will just because Mrs. K will be on her best behavior. The only real downside to him being home is the late night fighting that wakes Kayley up. I’m not sure what is better though, them fighting at night or her coming home drunk in the early morning hours. It’s not good either way. No one wins in either situation so I guess it doesn’t matter. I just hate having to clean up Mrs. K’s messes. Whether it’s having to convince her daughter that she doesn’t hate her or having to literally clean Mrs. K up off the floor. Sometimes I think they should hire another nanny just to take care of Mrs. K. That way it can be off Tara and my shoulders. That sounds good doesn’t? Oh, if only.

Anyway, I’m rather tired myself and need to finish up a few things before heading to bed. I hope everyone made a smooth transition over to this site from blogstream.com. I apologize for the move but this site gives you and me much more freedom. On this blog, anyone can leave a comment even if you don’t have an account. It also allows me to customize the page much more then the other site did. I can make it more my own. It’s still a work in progress but it’s getting there. I will be on this site for good though, so you don’t have to worry about another move. I hope you all will continue to read and send me your thoughts. I love to read them and I enjoy reading your opinions. I will also still answer all of your questions, either through a message directly to you or in the blog itself. So ask away! There is also an option at the bottom of the page to subscribe to the blog, if you’re interested.

If you don’t mind, please answer the poll located in the top right corner. I’m interested in how you found this blog since I’ve been told a few different ways. It’s not mandatory obviously but it would be appreciated. Thanks!

Mady

1 comments:

Anonymous said...

Mady,
Just to let you know, I have voted, but will tell you that I started reading through a mention on CL. Where to begin...first a huge thank you to you for loving this little girl. And also to your friends and family who are supporting you through the day after day drama and sagas that you experience. I worked as a nanny for several years - mostly part-time, and never live-in, but can understand and relate to much of what you write. I too fell in love with nearly each child I worked for, and agree it's impossible not to. I had such a hard time loving the kids and handing them back to the parents at the end of the day...it was a huge reason for me wanting to start a family of my own when I did. ( I'm married now w/ two of my own..4 and 2). I can see why you feel you have to stay...even if noone else can. And it really has nothing to do w/ the perks..it's simply because you have a huge heart..and that's why you are drawn to this kind of work, with hopes of becoming a teacher. ( I am K-6 certified in CT also!!) I would never begin to suggest when would be a good time to leave..not sure for your little Kayley that there will ever be a good time for you to go..but when it's right for you, when you feel you need to move on to fulfill your own needs - to pursue college etc.. I might suggest speaking up to the parents about getting Kayley into school..even if it has to be a pricey, socialite move...at least in the end run, it will get some stability into her life, and some constant friends as well. I have thought since reading that it might be a thought to contact a social service agency too...just to see what options are out there..it might open up her parents eyes - and make them step up to the plate as being a mom and dad - for once in their lives. It infuriates me that there are soo many people who cannot have children, and then there are people who have them because it's "the thing to do to keep up w/ the Jones'" It's sick...I'm glad that you spoke up to Mrs. K about Kayley just wanting to say good morning..maybe more of that will sink in..doubtful..but we can be hopeful. LOL...ok..I have to go..hope your day goes ok today...