Dreamnight At The Zoo

This last Friday we were able to participate in Dreamnight at the Zoo at the Rolling Hills Zoo in Salina. We had heard about this last year but weren't able to go. The purpose of Dreamnight is to "provide a free evening at the zoo for children with chronic illness or disabilities." We had received an invitation to go from The Boy's school. I didn't sign Little Miss up because I wasn't sure if it was only for school age kids. Next year I'll know better. The Boy got a t-shirt, stuffed animal and a little disposable camera. We let him and Miss Thing take turns taking pictures of whatever struck their fancy. I haven't taken it in yet, I'm excited to see what they've come up with.

When we first got there we had something to eat. Hamburgers, hot dogs, salad, fruit and chips. Plus they had a little ice cream treat. Which you can imagine my kids were all over. The Boy was getting a bit possessive of his treat, especially when his dad would reach over every now and again and have a sampling. He started covering up his ice cream between bites. You know, added protection.

I had never been to that zoo before. It is a beautiful zoo, and it is pretty big too. Next year we'll plan better and take our double (wide) stroller. Miss Thing was having meltdowns (she's having shoe issues lately, I can't find any that fit her long but skinny feet). We tried out best to distract her, and much to her surprise she did in fact live through the evening.

The Boy was most concerned with checking out the apes and the monkeys. Sadly we couldn't find any monkeys. But the apes. He could have stayed there all evening.

Oddly enough both of them were very concerned about the little map of the zoo. They each had there own and as we would walk they both had to be consulting them. Sometimes we had to stop and check it out, just to find our placement. They just could not leave them alone. I'm not sure what was more interesting, the animals or the maps.

David could have stayed and watched this guy and his buddies the whole time. They didn't seem to be too thrilled that they had to be inside while they could be outside. Other than that I'm not sure what was so fascinating to watch. They were huge, though. This guy was without his horn, we didn't even figure out why.

I, on the other hand, could have stayed and watched these slightly friendlier looking animals.

We had such a great time. And it was fun, for me, to watch my kids' reactions to all the animals. Miss Thing, for example, spotted the pink birds (flamingos) almost as soon as we got there. She was quite taken by them. Little Miss did great hanging out (for the most part) in her stroller. Along for the ride. I have a feeling that isn't going to last too much longer.

There were a lot of people there, too. The whole experience for me was less about the animals and more about the people I saw. I noticed varying degrees of disabilities. I couldn't help but stop and count my blessings for what I have. While it's not always easy for me to have these beautiful children, that I do. I don't think I could ever, or would ever, change them for the world. They are such a blessing and constantly teach me what love and forgiveness really means.