Return to Binder Park Zoo

 After William's Kindergarten class went on their whirlwind field trip to Binder Park Zoo, I was so impressed, I wanted to bring everyone to see it!  

So, a few weeks later we went to visit this really pretty zoo!  Sadly, the twins never made it with their Kindergarten class, because of Covid.

This year, when the first round of beautiful weather hit, I really wanted to make the trip again, but when I googled "what time does Binder Park Zoo open" the answer was May 1st.  lol.  Not quite what I was expecting.  

We were busy the first weekend of May, but as this was Mother's Day weekend, we were pleasantly free, and made the trip.

Parking lot picture, just in case we have to describe a missing child. = (

And rear-view, because my children are strange?

Grace spied an ant, and started enjoying the zoo before we even got through the entrance.

When we did make it to the counter, it was cheaper for us to buy a membership than to pay for a single day.  Turns out, we did the same thing back in 2019!  So, we are now members of Binder Park Zoo.

This post is going to have a smattering of pictures that I pulled from our 2019 trip too!  Aren't you excited? The Dodo in 2019.

Grace and the turtle had a moment,

until the turtle realized there was no food involved.

Everyone was impressed by the elphant, again!

And Grace with the elephant back in 2019.

The poison dart frogs looked totally fake.  They looked like someone put plastic in the case and called it good!  At least until they jumped.

This frog eats it all!

We paused several times for pictures on the butterfly benches!

It was a perfect temperature, so no fire in the fireplace during our visit!

Snow Leopard Exhibit.

For some reason, Alice and Emily joined the picture and stood like NPCs.

We all loved the North America bridge.

But William rocked the pose!

Seriously, did you look?

I couldn't find the Houston Zoo picture with Alice and Emily and the Lion. = (

After careful examination, we concluded that the giraffe was cut from a single piece.  We were impressed.

Prairie Dogs!  Because Billy and I didn't see enough on our way to Walmart in Lubbock.  But, I don't know that I have any pictures of them, so at least now I have one! = )

The tram was complementary, so we weren't sure what the ticket passes that we paid for were for.

William's first time on the tram in 2019!

Juliet's most anticipated animal was the giraffe, so she was really excited to see two right after we disembarked!

I wouldn't think this would be a very comfortable way to eat!

The walking paths are my favorite!

While we didn't carve our initials, there they were: Daddy + Mutti!

Feeding the Giraffe's was a highlight for all five!

Emily got a good picture!

Lots of animals out roaming around.

Despite the sunscreen we applied, Emily started to burn, so I gave her my scarf, to help as much as it could, until we made it back out to the car.  So here she is in a zebra scarf, posing as close as we could get to the zebras.

Alice was a big fan of the old tech that they had on display.

And the camouflage netting.

Juliet in her "Carol" outfit.

From this point on, we were kind of tired, and a lot silly, so many, many random pictures to follow.

This one comes with a 2019 flashback:

Pretending that William is driving:

Shhhh, they are pretending to be a tree.

Based on the new wood, we think a tree fell. = (

But now they are the tree?

It was totally posed, but I love it!

Emily turning a random valve.  Nothing happened.

William looks like he's waiting for a bus.  Really, he was just waiting for us to finish inside the shop.

A bowl that has a giraffe that looks as graceful as the giraffe that we saw.

Wire and Bottle Cap Turtle sculpture!

Once we finished in the Safari area, we headed back to the car to get part two of our lunch, and reapply sunscreen.

Emily found a very old leaf.

And the kids climbed the small hill.

Then I did, so this is the reverse view.

When we headed back in, we went to an area that we hadn't been to on either of the previous trips: Zoorassicpark!

My Alisaur in the middle of a group of Allosauruses. 

Giant Puzzle!

So, it turns out that the tickets we bought were for a tiny train ride!

Reminded us of the minecart ride, but much slower!

And Emily's pictures of the little stream, since mine were not great.

A nifty detail on the seats of the train.

All five of my dear ones playing in the music garden.

This bird was absolutely posing for us!  A very pretty bird, and he knew it!

One of the last things we did was a trip on the carousel.  I went too!  Billy did not, he got an icee instead.

The goats were happy to see Alice, and the food.

Very happy!

Once the food was gone, the goats went back to being brushed.

The bathroom was very fallout-esqe.

Saying goodbye!  We almost closed them down.

On our way back, we planned to stop for ice cream.  However, en route, Billy decided that he was actually hungry, and there was a Chinese place just a few doors down from the ice cream shop.  So, we had Chinese food, then ice cream on our way home!

It was a lovely day! Perfect weather, everyone had a good time! In fact, the next day Alice asked if we could go back to the zoo (that day!) So, we've already got plans to go again next week!

later days

Dimondale Farewell

This year, the end of year music concert aligned with the 'farewell' that was open to the public.  It was a little bit cold, but such a nice night to say goodbye to a building that saw our family grow up for 8 years!

Juliet had Kennedy lift her up, so that they could sign the wall in a 'higher' spot!

I held William up so that he could sign somewhere tall, too!

Grace and Luna marked their heights on the wall. = )

And Juliet's graduation day seems far off, but I know it's coming up so fast!!!

Many of the girls had on pretty dresses, but it was just too cold to stay out without sleeves for too long!

Juliet on a drum!

And Grace on a Xylophone. = )  She was smiling at me before, but there were people in the way, so I wasn't able to get a happy picture of her.

And the latest 'in progress' picture of the new school!

Emily was not able to attend, because she had a track meet, and Alice and William left a little early, and then I left a little early, because I had to go collect Emily from her track meet when they got back.  But Billy and the twins stayed the duration.

It was a nice night, and I must admit, I am sad that this building will exist now only in our memories.  At least they were good ones!

later days

edit 5-13-25: backdated for continuity.

Talent Show and Emily's last Middle School Band Concert

Last Tuesday, we had a double header evening.  Grace and Juliet had their second, and final, talent show.  Kennedy came home with us for a quick sandwich dinner, then we headed up to the high school.

When we arrived, I asked them to check to see if the doors were open, but not disappear into the school while I parked.   This was my view as I approached. goofballs.

The rehearsal was closed, but I got a good seat when they opened the doors.  Grace was one of the Emcees!

I took some video of her, Juliet, Kennedy, and Heleena's comedy act, but didn't snap any stills!  It was short and cute though.

**********

While I was enjoying the twins' show, Billy came home from work, then headed back out the door to get Emily and William to their band concert roll call time.  Once the twins finished, we drove straight over from the high school.

Poor William didn't get to play, thanks to his tooth extraction, but he still got to sit with his band.

I couldn't see him while the band was there, so had to take one as they filed in.

Emily's 7/8 grade band is tiny in comparison to the 6th grade band, which is good news for the band, but sad for the high schoolers.  And Emily is also changing back to our home district, so she is contributing to their dwindling numbers. = (

The saxophone section is healthy though, with four of them, which makes them about a fifth of the entire band!  They played quite nicely though, especially Emily, of course!

I was so happy that Alice got to hang out with her friend Melony during the reception!

The twins were also happy to see Melony. = )

Billy was able to leave early, since we brought two cars, but all five of my dear ones wanted to stay and socialize.  It was a late night out, for a school night, but I enjoy the spring concerts way more than the winter ones!

later days

edit 5-14-25: backdated for continuity.

Mother Daughter Tea

Sometime, early in the new year, maybe late January or early February, at one of my mom get-togethers, Tabitha mentioned that she was feeling like hosting a tea party!  I had had a similar notion just days before, so we started to play for a faraway May date!

Tabitha booked us a date with the church. Over the course of the two or three months I found a tea service set at a thrift store, for $10!, and a few teapots to compliment the set.  The set was pretty, with 13 cups and saucers.

As the date got closer, Grace started helping me plan, and create things for the party!  We pulled out a few things to put on a prize table, for the winners of the games that Tabitha had planned! = )

Grace made a Waldorf Salad.  It came out pretty tasty, though I don't recall ever having it previously.

I made some finger sandwiches, while Grace drew up a guide sheet.

I didn't have any plates that gave off a tea 'vibe' so I pulled out an idea that I'd seen years ago online, but never made!

Billy had to help me punch the final three plates, because my hands were so worn out, and Grace's hands just weren't quite strong enough for whatever finish they put on these paper plates!

Grace did an excellent job of threading and eventually had enough confidence to help tie the bows too!

The next morning, I trimmed the beautiful bush outside of my kitchen window, because some of the boughs were rubbing up against the house, and the discarded branches came with us to the tea as decor.

Grace and Lily were both excellent helpers!  They helped every step of the way.  The flowers and fans were from Tabitha's stash, and the hoop made another appearance from the basement!

Alice, Emily, and Juliet had gone to a rummage sale with my mom that morning, so she dropped them off at the tea, which meant I got to have all four of my girls there with me!!!

The food pictured is just what Tabitha and I brought, more arrived as more guests arrived, but I didn't get updated pictures.

Looking at this picture, I realize that I forgot to take the sacrificial bread off of the sandwiches before snapping it. oops.

When I found the cute little metal cups, I thought they would be perfect for the Waldorf salad, and so they were!  I also found some doilies hiding in the craft bin in the basement!

The Jello salad was really good, but meant for a bigger crowd, I think!

Everyone one got to take their teacup home as a favor, but the teapot became the prize of the hot potato game!  The other teapots also got to go to new homes, because I didn't need any of it.  I think Grace might have picked out a prize at some point though*.   I did end up bringing home the vase with the branches, and it sat on the table for another week, looking quite pretty. = )

It was a lovely, beautiful, day, and I was so happy to spend some time with all of my girls. = )

When Tabitha posted about it, I'm pretty sure she called it the first annual one of these, so this might be the first of many! ; )

later days

*which was crazy, since the prizes came from our house!

edit 5-14-25: backdated for continuity.