Omaha Zoo

We took a family trip to Omaha on July 17 and 18.

We spent all day Friday at the Omaha Zoo. The big kids, especially Noah, really love animals, and the zoo is one of their favorite things to do.

The kids had fought like cats and dogs all week and had been lectured extensively about being tolerant and kind so as not to ruin our zoo trip. Then on Thursday, Sophie came down with a nasty cold and was up a lot on Thursday night. When we took off on Friday, I was a little leery of how things would go with three combative children and a sick baby, but the trip was fabulous!

Everyone behaved wonderfully in the van. Sophie slept all the way there. The weather was ideal - about seventy degrees, sunny, and breezy. Sophie loves nothing more than she loves her stroller and being outdoors, so she was in heaven. She did not fuss at all, even though we were there for six hours or so.

Noah's favorite is the rhinos, Peyton (and BA) likes the chimps, and Sadie likes the giraffes. Although Sophie didn't tell me so, I'm thinking she likes the tigers, because when we were looking at a tiger that was only about three feet away from us, she pointed and growled at it. Very funny stuff. The animals were active and entertaining on this particular visit; I think they were enjoying the reprieve from the heat and frolicking around more than usual. The crowds, even though it was a work day, were almost unbearable to me, though. I hate being around that many people, especially while trying to corral four kids and navigate a stroller.

In true June Cleaver fashion, I had packed bologna and cheese sandwiches, lemonade, chips, granola bars, and other treats for everyone and brought them along for a zoo picnic. Zoo food is not tasty and is way overpriced. Sophie started yelling for food and doing sign language for "eat" around noon, so we found a table and ate. I tried giving her a bite of a sandwich, but she insisted upon holding it herself. I was sure she'd just take it apart, play with it, and then drop it on the ground. But that kid ate the ENTIRE half a sandwich all by herself. I was so amazed. Some days she just acts like a regular old grown up kid. She was awfully proud of herself, too. Everybody thought this lunch was delicious, especially BA, who had three sandwiches throughout the day.

After wearing ourselves out at the zoo, we headed to our hotel for the evening. I forgot how exciting it is just to sleep at a hotel when you're a kid. That seems like a vacation in itself. We went and had a really good Italian supper at the Varsity Cafe, then went back to the room to relax. The kids were squirelly and wouldn't settle down, but that damn BA was asleep by nine, leaving me with four wound up kids and dead tired myself. I didn't get them down until after eleven.

The next morning, we enjoyed a free hotel breakfast, then headed out for a wonderful day of shopping. The girls and I shopped at the outlet mall in Gretna (which I can't recommend - it's hardly got anything open anymore) while the boys went to a baseball card shop. There was a minor explosion between Noah and Peyton during this time. But some guidance from good old Mom and a little time out from one another rectified the situation, and that was really the only major problem we had with kid behavior on the whole trip.

After buying out the Carters store (Holy guacamole, could they make cuter baby girl clothes?), we headed to Cheeseburger in Paradise for lunch. Good Lord, this is my favorite place to eat in Omaha and maybe on earth. It was so delicious that I'm still thinking about it. They have crunchy little sweet potato chips that I smother in ranch and the best burger I've ever tasted. The service and atmosphere are excellent as well. It's a good thing there isn't one in Sioux City; I'd be there at least weekly.

Then Sadie and I went to Archiver's (scrapbooking store) while BA hit another card shop. The boys played their DS's and sat with sleeping Sophie while BA went into his shop. Sadie and I found lots of little scrapping treasures, and BA hit pay dirt at this card shop. He bought over 10,000 cards there and was downright giddy about the deal he got on them. It was irritating that there now was no place to put the stroller (or my ass, since he had parked the cards on the passenger's seat), but it's so much fun to see him get enthused about something. He doesn't get worked up about many things, and it's a blast to see him act like a little boy over this hobby that he really loves.

We had treats from Cold Stone Creamery (yummy), let Noah buy a DS game at Game Stop, rearranged the van, then headed to Tuesday Morning (which just closed in Sioux City, damn it), TJ Maxx (also closed in Sioux City), and Burlington Coat Factory. We had minimal luck at those joints and were getting tired.

We next went to Pottery Barn Kids. Sadie went in with me and was really enthralled with their store setup - all the adorable little bedroom displays. We found a few treasures there, including a rechargeable owl nightlight, a new crib sheet with owls and trees (incredibly soft), and a book. While we were shopping, BA got Sophie out of her car seat to walk around for awhile and have a break from being strapped in. After having a great time walking a bit, she led him over to the back of the van and pointed at the trunk, grunting. He asked her what she wanted, and she replied, "strolley", which is what we call the stroller. He was so proud of her communication skills and talking, and he couldn't wait to tell me about it. Of course she got her way, and he was strolling her all over the parking lot when we finished shopping.

After that, we headed home. We ate McDonald's drive-through on the way, and the kids didn't make a peep, didn't complain, and didn't fight. It was so impressive. We didn't get home until after eleven. I had fun shopping and eating at my favorite place, BA was thrilled with his baseball card purchases, and the kids have wonderful zoo and hotel memories. I'm so glad we went.