Birthday Party....

Last Saturday (June 6), it was our niece's (Natalie's) second birthday party. Her mom planned an outing to Tanganyika Wildlife Park as well as cake and ice cream at their house afterwards.

We were late to Tanganyika since Marc ran in a 1/2 marathon that morning. So, after he got home from the race and showered (thankfully), we left. On the way there, we were wondering if we should really be going because Luke did NOT have a good trip there.

We made a stop at a Quik-Trip for me to have my obligatory fountain Diet Pepsi. While I was getting that beverage, Luke started crying in the car. I ended up sitting in the backseat with him the rest of the way to the park. I should NOT have done that. I think it made it worse as he wanted me to hold him, and I couldn't since the car was moving.

So instead, I took sad photos of him crying on the drive.



Finally, he settled down with some Cheerios. Then, I just got a sad look, but at least he was not crying. I personally think this photo looks a bit pathetic. This was taken the day before his famous haircut.



Just before we got there, he decided to finally be content by sucking his thumb and looking out the window.



The first thing we noticed about this park is that it is a bit on the pricey side.



The entrance line seemed to move very SLOW -- at least on the day we were there.

O.K., so now -- no more complaining -- the actual park.

Since we were late in getting there for the family party, we missed a few things. But, we did see the rhinoceros up close. I personally felt sorry for him. It was a hot day, and they didn't have his pool filled up.





The penguin pool looked FANTASTIC since it was so hot out that day. It was clean and very inviting. However, I wouldn't have wanted to be in there with the penguins. They happened to be hiding in the shade when we were there.





We did also see a leopard.





One neat thing about Tanganyika Wildlife Park is the opportunity to feed birds as well as other animals. However, Luke would obviously not be old enough for that fun yet. Since we had already had a rough ride to the park and while Luke was definitely better in the stroller at the park, his mood was not up to par yet. Luke's Grandpa Koehn (my dad) was gracious enough to keep him moving in that stroller to keep him happy.

Our nieces, Grace and Natalie, very much enjoyed their time at the park.

Here's a photo of the birthday girl, Natalie, with her "Mama." (Natalie refers to both of her grandmothers as well as her mother as "Mama"). This particular "Mama" happens to be my mom -- Natalie's grandmother.



Natalie's Grandpa Miller (our sister-in-law's dad), Roger, recently had some shoulder surgery. He has to wear a "contraption" of some sort to keep his shoulder in place (please don't ask me the official name). He was a REAL TROOPER at this party -- wearing the shoulder contraption and walking around in the heat.



Luke's mood IMPROVED greatly at lunchtime. We all had a picnic lunch at the park. He was a happy camper at this point. Here's a photo of most of the gang at lunch. BTW, this park has EXCELLENT and well-maintained areas for picnic lunches.



Luke's cousin, Grace, always wants to hold "Baby Luke" everytime she seems him. So, this picnic was no exception. Luke still lets her; however, one of these days, he's not. I'm not sure Grace knows that yet.

So, here's a photo of Luke with his cousins (as well as my mom on the left and Marc on the right).



And finally, just for fun, here's a photo of Luke with Marc's sunglasses on.



Overall, and this is our opinion in this household, Tanganyika Wildlife Park was O.K. Perhaps we would've enjoyed it a bit more had Luke been a bit older or at least in a better mood. It is a long drive from where we live, and it is a bit pricey. Marc and I agree that they do have some work to do there. It is a change from the Sedgwick County Zoo -- which we're all used to around this area.

Some positives of Tanganyika Wildlife Park are a) it is well-staffed b) it is well-maintained c) the picnic areas are shaded and nice.

After a visit to the park, the rest of the family headed back to their house for Natalie's cake and ice cream. Though we would've liked to have been there, Marc and I decided to head home with Luke. He had enough, and he had already missed his morning nap. We didn't figure he needed to miss another nap.

Happy 2nd Birthday Natalie! We'll see you again soon.