The Three Musketeers go to the Zoo.

Ben was gone last week at a conference in Monterey (for the SECOND time this year; what a terrible job he has, huh?) and by Thursday, the boys and I were getting very stir-crazy. We'd gone to parks, jump places, and done all sorts of things to stay busy, but we needed something else to make Thursday go by fast... because Daddy was coming home on Friday! I recklessly decided to take them all to the Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia, SC. Crazy? Perhaps. But they had new haircuts and really, the best thing to do with a new haircut is go to a crowded public place to show it off. You totally agree, yes?

Eli is such a curious soul- I love it! He likes to inspect things and see how they work. In fact, even here at home he'll stoop down and poke dead bugs while his big brother runs away screaming. He was very fascinated with the animals and might have bear-hugged this enormous tortoise if I hadn't stopped him.

Gabriel is Mr. Impatient, just like his mother :) He loves the outdoors, but when it comes to stopping and looking at things, he's done after 5 seconds. So we'd pause to observe an animal and he'd take a glimpse, turn to us and say, "Alright, let's go, Mama! Let's go, Eli! Let's go, Noah! Hurry up!" However, he really liked seeing the snake in the photo and was equally as enthused as his brother when the tiger started growling. Also, he was very grateful for the way over-priced Tummy Yummy drink I bought him at the rip-off store snack shop.

Noah spent the time at the zoo doing what he does best: being cute.

We spent several hours at the zoo, and you know what ? My kiddos were great. It was hot and they were under strict orders to stick close to me, but they were very obedient, threw no tantrums, and were very cooperative about potty breaks! Hooray! I'm so thankful to have such good sons and we had a wonderful time. It's one of my favorite memories to date with just my boys and I.