zoo trip

Today I got to go along with Lio's class on a field trip to the zoo.  I had this group of little guys, and they were all pretty great.  I was a little afraid when I learned that the hyper kid had Mountain Dew and candy packed as his lunch - but he was the one who kept our group together and even insisted on holding hands most of the time!  Of course there was a totally different flow to our trip than when I'm with just Lio and Paloma.  I must have said one million times "use your walking feet", "stay with our group", but it was much better than I expected, and gave me such an appreciation for what a great kid Lio is.  The other two guys weren't really interested in learning little facts about the animals like my kids usually are.  At one point, one of the boys said, "Lio, you are so smart about animals!"  That made me really proud of him.  It was also nice to see him around other kids, just being himself.  At lunch one of the kids offered him a piece of candy (yes, the Mountain Dew kid), and Lio then offered him a cookie.  Such a simple thing, but really nice to see.
My favorite part of the day was feeding the giraffes!  We have been trying for a year to do this, and finally timed it right.  We purchased some crackers and the giraffes came right up to the fence to eat them.  Those kids have no idea how lucky they are.  I didn't even see a giraffe until I was in college, and still haven't had a chance to feed one!