Wilbur!!!!

At our last visit to the library, we checked out a new DVD - Charlotte's Web. I figured it was a "classic" that Pearl needed to see at least once and that it would come in handy with prepping her for Baby Animal Days (and hopefully teach her that bugs, or at least spiders, weren't so bad after all). Ok so really I was just sick at the idea of having to watch another Thomas the Train episode from the library. And don't worry we still check out books, although I'm beginning to toy with the idea of NOT going back until the Curious George phase is over. My idea worked, almost too well. After watching "Wilbur" 15 thousand times in three days, we were all set for finding those baby pigs, that are "so cute" as Pearl said every time we watched the movie.We dropped Jeff off at the spring USU scrimmage game - Pearl is still convinced her Dad was playing in the game and that everyone was going to cheer for him - we picked up my mom and headed to Wellsville. Pearl was a bit confused that there weren't any baby giraffes, seeing as how we had just been to the zoo the week before. But once she realized they had baby "Wilburs" there, she was super excited! They were her favorite baby animal by far. I am still surprised she didn't chicken out once she got in the pen with them. It was so funny to listen to her pleadings to put her in the pen with the ones who were "off limits" to the public and then yell "Wilbur come out please!" when they ran back inside their little barn. We did find the two piglets that the kiddos could play with and Pearl was so happy to chase them around. She found it even more funny though when one of them pooped right next to her. Between her pleadings to take a pig home and my sister trying to sneak a baby goat in her purse, I'm surprised we left with the same number of living things as we had when we arrived!
This year was absolutely perfect for Baby Animal Days! The weather was gorgeous... not rainy or too hot. There was absolutely no crowds - I still don't understand why people go on opening weekend with 10,000 other families! It was cheaper admission, plus we had a coupon AND my mom paid for all of us to get in (I'm so enjoying the last month of Pearl being under 3 and FREE for everything), the pony and train rides were free, and they had 25 cent cookies! But the best part was Pearl actually enjoyed touching and holding most of the baby animals. Last year she only wanted to ride the ponies and was freaked out by everything else. She held the bunnies and baby ducks and actually enjoyed it. Even Ricco got to hold a baby duck! The chickens were a bit freaky to her, which I have to admit I thought the same thing. She loved the wagon ride with the HUGE draft horses too. All the animals got a response along the lines of "they're so cute" after she held them.
Ok so there were a couple other things that were also pretty fun. Like finding someone who actually weighs more than you do, even though he's not pregnant, and has a bigger butt than you do! I didn't feel so bad taking my 37 week belly shot at the insistence of my mom and sister after meeting the 2,500 lb. draft horse and pregnant burro. Finding a swing was fun for Pearl, even though you'd never guess it from her face. When she realized it wasn't a good swing for "super underdogs" and that her mom isn't really up to giving her super underdogs it wasn't so fun anymore.
Being able to put your kid in "jail" for 20 minutes guilt-free - remember there were NO crowds and NO waiting in line for anything - was AWESOME! Pearl begged me to let her stay in jail just one more time so around and around and around she went on the train. All the kids loved the caboose or jail as Pearl dubbed it. She jabbered to everyone in there like they were all friends, telling them all about her new "packrack" or back pack. It's actually one from Jeff's mission that we let her use for the trip to Logan but she has since claimed it as her own. She even told my mom that "my Dad bought me a new packrack on his mission, over there (pointing to some random thing on the side of the road)."
Kimmy struck it rich while panning for gold... SWEET, medical school is now paid for Nick! I suppose finding some gold makes up for being told you can't take a goat, calf, lamb, bunny, duck, or pig home with you. Thank heavens they didn't have the baby turtles this year! I'm not sure my sister could have walked away without one two years in a row.
But in all seriousness, spending the day with your daughter, sister, and mom HAD to be the best part of Baby Animal Days. Knowing that you forgot the sunscreen and all of us were going home pink, not so much!