Today is my darling husband’s fortieth birthday, and we took the kids out of school for a day to celebrate Sweet Babou’s big 40 properly. We drove up to the Indy Zoo and White River park to have some fun in the sun with our hun!
We rented a quadruple-bicycle-buggy-thingy (its technical name, really) and went on the three miles around the canal walk and some peddling through the rest of the park. Our buggy, unlike the one pictured below, had fringe on top. We were fringing with the best of them. Our youngest daughter was put in charge of ringing the bell to warn pedestrians that a Kramer Buggy was nigh, and she performed her duties MORE than adequately.
The only downside of this adventure was that I got hot. When I get hot, I turn the color of a pickled beet … including the sheen of moisture to complete the look.
I think bystanders became concerned. I thought about shouting, “I’m not dying I am just sweaty!” at random intervals but decided against it.
After the bike ride we walked over to the zoo, which we have a membership to. My girls love the zoo, and my husband loves to see them happy so it was a win for everyone. 
Buttercup is BFFs with a sea lion named Holly. If you put a penny against the glass of the underwater part of the seal and sea lion exhibit, they can see it well enough to chase it. Buttercup can spend a hour playing the penny game with Holly. The other pinnipeds and daughters like the game too, but not with the ferocious joy of Holly and Buttercup.
Below: Holly the Sea Lion in all her BFF glory.
We looked upon many other animals with great enjoyment, although we were saddened that the baby orangutan and her mommy were not out where we could gaze upon them. The baby gibbon WAS tho, and we all went squee at the cuteness (even Sweet Babou). We also let the girls feed the birds at the bird enclosure.
Sensing that it was Sweet Babou’s birthday, many lorikeets took the opportunity to ‘groom’ his head ‘feathers’ with their beaks. The girls shrieked with amusement to see Daddy wearing a hat of combing birds. As an extra bonus, no bird pooped on his shirt. Indeed it was a day to remember!
We’re off to home soon, where Sweet Babou will blow out the candles on his carrot cake and have a birthday beer (or two). I hope everyone is having as nice a day as we are.