It is spring.

I have a confession. My house looks to be the result of some terrible natural disaster. And in a way, I guess it is. I sort of began spring cleaning last week but it is rather tiresome and now there are just stacks and boxes everywhere. Sometimes I just want to give it all away.

Our test trip this weekend went rather well. Not only did we have an overall wonderful time but we learned quite a few things about travelling with the children that should come in handy next month when we try and avoid swine flu on our trip to Arizona and California.

The National Zoo was a great hit but we had to throw our plans out the window at the entrance at 10:30 Saturday morning. Who knew that the crowds would be so bad on our first 90-something day of the year. We were turned away by policeman at the gate and decided to do the National Mall and move our zoo outing to Sunday. The walk on the National Mall sent me into a fit. Braxton hicks contractions, nausea, dizziness. Hydration, relaxation and a slower pace will be absolutely neccessary in the weeks to come. I don't look forward to being so pregnant in the summertime. The Air and Space Museum was like it always is and I wonder why I'm so drawn to this particularly museum that I always find myself in when I travel to D.C.

The kids did remarkably well having little or no naps and they went to bed if not quickly with little or no fuss in the porta cribs in the hotel. It was a rewarding move that I'd packed breakfast cereal as they were in no mood to wait for Einstein Brothers Sunday morning. We made it to the zoo at 9:15 Sunday morning, they don't open until 10 a.m. The first parking lot was already full. It is a busy place. By 1 p.m. strollers had been blocked from the buildings as there were too many people there.


The kids LOVED the zoo. They pointed and said 'wow' at the pandas and the orangatan's. They loved the Tamarins and Meerkats. Oh, and the Toucans. They were adorable. They tried to get the Emu's attention. Unfortunately, we couldn't see the polar bears but we didn't have to worry about being mauled by one. The zoo is very vegatarian friendly which is always nice and I was able to get Boca burger kids meals with souvenir lunch boxes for the kids. The zoo doesn't have straws or lids however, for the animals safety. All in all, we had a wonderful time, and we will most definitely be doing the zoo again over the next few years.

So now we are home, unpacked and exhausted. And I have moved on. That's right making packing lists and taking flight notes for our upcoming trip. Three weeks from tomorrow. I feel tired already.

But first it's off to Romp N' Roll.