The Church of Sea Otters and Trumpeter Swans

After weeks and weeks of thorough planning, elaborate diaper and lunch bag packing, and last-minute Museum Adventure Pass wrangling, Lili and the moms spent Easter Sunday (and the final day of Mama's week-long 30th birthday extravaganza) at the Minnesota Zoo. Highlights of our day included:

• Sunshine!
• The Mommy Macak with bloodshot eyes and sagging nipples who was clearly desperate for even a two-minute respite from her nursing Baby Macak. I feel you, sister.
  
• Mama's fervent claim that the 50-foot scrap metal sculptures across the zoo's man made pond were, in fact, living descendants of some unknown "massive, prehistoric birds of prey".
  
• 60 degrees!
• Watching Lili pound ruthlessly on the plexiglass barrier outside the amur leopard habitat, hoping to snag the attention of a very large, very tired, and probably very crabby cat.
• Minnesota Nice. From the affable young couple who volunteered to take our family photo alongside the golden tortoise statute, to the cowboy boot wearin', teeth missin' gentleman from rural Minnesota who helped the moms carry Lil's stroller (with babe inside) down a flight of stairs, zoo attendees were in fine, neighborly form yesterday. See bullet points 1 and 4 above.
• No jacket!
  
• Were Lili a bit older, she no doubt would have been mortified by the number of pictures taken and live video footage that accompanied our outing. We were totally "those moms", with cameras slung across our shoulders, searching out photo ops and filming mundane moments at the "Zoolicious" cafe. Amazingly, neither one of us was even a tiny bit embarrassed by all the Memorexing.
  
• Lili's attempt at imitating Mommy's "Oink, oink" noises while we visited the wild boars, which ultimately resulted in the purchase of a commemorative stuffed pink pig from the zoo gift store.
  
• A gentle breeze!
• Watching Lili go from 60 to 0 at the end of our fun-filled day, as she slumped forward and passed out in her car seat before Captain Eagle had even exited the zoo parking lot. Fresh air, baby farm animals, and a Minnesota spring day does a Lil (and her moms) good.

Understandably, the little chicks were quite smitten with Lili's colorful, SPF-protected sun hat (or maybe it was just her pretty face). At any rate, grey guy and his buddies made a point to hussle on over to Lili's side of the cage when she made an appearance.

Way better than T.V.

Lili making her pig face at the wild boars. The boars were not nearly as impressed as the moms.