Pink Eye at the Living Desert

Poor little E, oops, I just remembered, I am no longer supposed to refer to her as simply "E" anymore. According to my oldest daughter, she would now like to be called "Huggy." I think she got a little jealous of her younger sister's cute little nickname, Cubby, and wanted to get in on the action. I don't blame her.

So let me start over.

Poor little Huggy has had the worst luck with illness striking on important days. She broke her arm just days before her dance recital last June and had to miss out on dancing. She had the flu over Halloween and missed some fun school activities. Now she has pink eye (thanks to the aforementioned Cubby, who brought it home from pre-school), and I had to keep her home from her class' field trip to a Children's Museum today.

Pink eye is so incredibly contagious. First Cubby woke up with the sticky goo and itchy eyes two weeks ago. Then she gave it to J.D., who added an ear infection to the mix. Then poor little G took the reins and added a throat infection. Finally, Huggy and I received the virus, and we are attempting to keep it away from Danny. Hands down, the worst thing about Huggy having pink eye is administering the eye drops. She hates the drops so much that Danny has had to give them to her at night when she is fast asleep and completely unaware.

Anyway, we woke up this Monday morning and she was already conscious of the fact that she was going to miss the highly anticipated field trip. I don't know how she remembered, I certainly didn't mention it! So, instead of sending her on the trip and giving every kid on the bus the gift of pink eye, I decided to take Huggy and Cubby to the Living Desert for our own little family field trip. Auntie A and Cousin Ellie came along too as a last minute bonus.

This is what pink eye looks like.

Actually, this is what a happy kindergartener looks like who gets to go on an adventure instead of moping around at home. Looks good!

This is also what pink eye looks like.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention earlier that Cousin Ellie was really the last on the list to get the itchy stuff. She was in good company. We should get a "Pink Lady" jacket for all the little girls like in Grease.

The girls walked...

...and ran...

...and explored...

...and we all marveled at the beauty of the desert flowers in bloom.

We saw plenty of wildlife, including a beautiful giraffe.

And a loose cheetah! He was incredibly tame and friendly with the kids.

Wow! Huggy is almost as tall as an adult lion!

And with that great sunhat on, Cubby is right behind her.

Way to go Cousin! You've definitely got the house cat beat, you go girl!

The three girls had a great day together. I love how well the cousins get along. Did I feel a pang of guilt for leaving G at home with the sitter? Sure. But then I noted my stroller-less car, my shoulders minus a diaper bag, and my hands filled with the hands of my five and three year old. I think that sometimes a break from the little ones is A-o.k.

Here they are checking out the storks.

We had to take quite a few mini-breaks in the shade. It was a warm, sunny day. It was a perfect day; one of the last days before it certainly will be too hot to do this with the young ones, unless I prepare myself for a day of whining and complaining.

Huggy even caught and rode this giant wild hummingbird!

This carousel is only 4 months old, and is in beautiful condition.

Cubby tamed this gorgeous little zebra. What a cutie!

The obligatory petting zoo was full of..........goats! What else? They were really cute goats, and the girls did plenty of petting.

I love this shot. The simplest things make the little girls so happy. At their age, this could be a magical wishing pool. Their imaginations are incredible!

I bought Huggy this hat halfway through the park when I realized the huge mistake these tops were. The hat doesn't help rectify my mistake too much, but she is a pretty cool "Junior Zookeeper."

I did not hear one moment of whining or complaining during this entire trip. The girls were on their very best behavior, and we had a blast. They are becoming the best of friends, and it is such a joy to watch.

We had to end the trip with ice cream. I mean, was there even a question in my mind?! No.

No, they don't allow lids or straws at this desert park. The guy behind the counter muttered something about the meercats eating the plastic. This is an accident waiting to happen, and I heard it was pretty glorious. I had gone to bring the car to the front, since everyone's legs had stopped working. Auntie A saw the whole thing go down. The icee was dropped and the red slushie stuff flew so high in the air it actually missed both of my girls and landed on Cousin Ellie. Score!

This is what pink eye looks like. Maybe those blue eyes look a little swollen, but they're also pretty happy. I had an absolutely perfect, wonderful day with my two big girls, my ever fabulous sister and her sweet daughter. Is it possible for illness to be a blessing in disguise? Apparently so.