Monday, September 29, 2008

The Zoo, Zoo, Zoo!

When my sister was little she LOVED Raffi. LOVED him! If 4-year-olds plastered their walls with posters, he would have been hung next to Barney and Macaulay Culkin. (For those of you unfamiliar with Raffi, picture the Elvis of children’s music…)

“Going to the Zoo” was by far her favorite song and my poor dad had to endure endless rounds of us singing this audio wonder at the top of our lungs in the small confines of the car.
Mommy’s taking us to the zoo tomorrow, zoo tomorrow, zoo tomorrow!
Mommy’s taking us to the zoo tomorrow!
We can stay all day!
We’re going to the zoo, zoo, zoo!
How about you, you, you?
You can come too, too, too!
We’re going to the zoo, zoo, zoo!
Like most classics, “Going to the Zoo” is ageless so, of course, I downloaded Raffi’s greatest hits for Anna to jam to in her room. And, whaddaya know, “Going to the Zoo” is turning out to be a favorite around our house. Many a time I have heard Jason humming the lyrics to himself (and, sometimes to Anna).

Anyways, this long explanation leads to last Sunday and Anna’s first trip to the zoo, zoo, zoo! As you can imagine, there was much song singing leading up to the big event…

Anna and I met our friends Laurie and Emerson for a leisurely stroll and peek at the exotic offerings of the Atlanta Zoo. The day was beautiful and the animals were frolicking in the fall temperatures. Anna especially enjoyed the flamingos, meerkats, gorillas and pandas. Laurie and I laughed about how the zoo can challenge parents when it comes to animal sounds. I mean, what sound does a giraffe make, anyways?

The first zoo trip definitely warranted a souvenir. In the gift shop Anna selected a small giraffe who we named Gordo. When we arrived home, Gordo was out-of-sight, having been buried under a mound of diaper bag essentials. Jason met us in the garage to extract Anna from her car seat and exclaimed, “What, mom didn’t get you a souvenir – not even a giraffe?!?” To his surprise, we pulled out Gordo – he must be psychic!

We’re already looking forward to our next trip to the zoo, zoo, zoo.
You can come too, too, too!
We’re going to the zoo, zoo, zoo!


The cutest baby birds at the zoo
Amy & Anna with the Gorilla
Up close & personal with Momma Panda
Anna & Gordo settle in for the ride home

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