STAR WARS at the Zoo

pre-wagon rejection

So, FW Children's Zoo has this Wild Zoo Halloween thing that they do, where kids get all dressed up and get some treats. This is the first year we decided to go...and It. Was. Awesome.

First off, both Janine and Daelynn AND Cathleen and Eilidh were able to come.  This became particularly helpful after I realized that 1) I didn't bring the stroller, and 2) the wagon I rented (even though we already have a stroller and a wagon of our own) was rejected by both children.

Hay Mazes and Witches

The first place we went was toward the corn/hay maze. Daelynn is totally Xander's suckah. She may be tired and want to put him down, but he'll look up at her, give her the "uh" and hold up his arms, and up he goes again.  She'll learn. Hehehe

Xander, as I've mentioned before, is more than willing to run off at a moment's notice, so it was nice that he was both contained and followed by Daelynn on this particular adventure.

Ainsley was pretty Momma-centric until we hit the hay maze, then she and Eilidh were off too! There was a lot of general frivolity and children running around getting exhausted.



Now, after the maze came pictures with the witch.  This exchange follows and I must share because it is still making me laugh. As with almost everything today (Halloween zoo is very popular, particularly on Saturdays), there was a line. After waiting forevah in the line, we walk up to BroomHilda with Ainsley and Xander.

BroomHilda: HELLO, Shrek! HELLO, Donkey!

Daelynn and I, staunch Star Wars geeks, are stunned. This is, after all, STAR WARS DAY at the zoo!  I corrected her, and she laughed...but the whole thing was pretty surreal.


General Cuteness


The animals weren't really on much display...this was all about pumpkins, scarecrows, costumes, and candy. BUT the penguins were HELLAactive.  Xander was enchanted. I've been to the zoo tons of times in the 15 years since I've lived in Fort Wayne and never have I seen them swimming around and playing so much. The temperature must have been just right for them. Or maybe they were hopped up on sugar like all the rest of the people at the zoo that day!

Also enchanted were Janine and the rest of the entire zoo population over my kids' costumes cuteness. We think that the glasses make Leia even cuter.

I think my favorite part of this whole trip was pointing out costumes to the kids and hearing people point out Yoda and Leia (or Shrek and Donkey) to their kids.  This is a *must do* for us until the kids declare it dead to them.

FINALLY the Force Is With Us

So, we'd been several places in the zoo, and the Star Wars stuff was pretty lost on us. We didn't see any characters (who were supposed to be around between 1-4), and I was getting antsy. Then we went to Australia, and we felt a trembling in the Force.

Then we saw a Storm Trooper.  Ainsley decided that she needed to stick her tongue out at him. I decided she'd gone method and let it go.

Once we entered the courtyard (of filth as I call it in my head because of all the parents that let their kids play in the fountain), we encountered several other characters. Obi Wan, a Gamorrean Guard, the Emperor, Boba Fett, and, of course, Vader.

Vader wasn't very method, he was actually a really nice guy who was patient with the gajillion kids who wanted to hang with/on him and or fight him. Sooo cute.

Will We EVER Visit the Zoo and Not Play with Lil Toot?!?

You know Stewart children looooove Lil Toot. Apparently, Yoda and Leia love Lil Toot too. I wouldn't have posted any of this pictures, but this one is so ridiculously cute, I couldn't control myself.

Eilidh kept trying to avoid getting her picture
taken. GOTCHA! On Lil Toot even!!