Wildpark

Yesterday I’d noticed a sign for something called Wildpark and I thought, “Hmmm, that sounds like something in English. Plus it maybe sounds like something we might like to go to.” So today we went looking for it, whatever it was. What it turned out to be is this fantastic zoo/park/playground thing where Wee Laddie and I spent a busy couple of hours. It was a lot of work, taking him through it… but he had a great time! It was this big open park with several different playgrounds interspersed with fenced in areas that housed various animals… these hairy Scottish cattle, moose, wild pigs, elk, etc. And they had a petting zoo! I had to laugh while we were there. Last year I took Wee Laddie to the petting zoo at Belleview Park in Denver. They had a limit on how many kids could be in there at once, and once you came out they had a little hand-washing station, complete with antibacterial wash and the whole nine yards. Here, there was nobody staffing it. It’s free, you go in the gate whenever you want, but don’t expect to be able to wash on the way out.

Wee Laddie attached himself to one of the goats and was walking all around with his hand on the goat’s back. Very cute, and very unlike the petting zoo trip last summer, where he was a little too nervous to touch any of the animals. At one point one of the goats butted him with its horns, but he was not even phased. Oh, the difference a year makes! When we came out, we looked at some chickens in some fenced areas just outside the petting zoo. Wee Laddie was trying to talk to other people, saying, “It’s funny.” There was one woman who he kept saying it to, but she clearly didn’t understand. I was standing there thinking about what I should say. “Er spricht Englisch,” would probably cover it, but I just stood there like a lamo, just thinking it, because I’m so darned unsure of myself.

After all of that fun, we headed back home.

This was a rough night as far as getting Wee Laddie to put his toys away. They say to “pick your battles,” but it sure seems like your toddler sometimes picks ‘em for you!

And Wee Laddie stayed up again ‘til like 10pm. Oy, this child is going to start having night terrors from lack of sleep!