Blake groaned as he felt a little body jump on top of him early on a Saturday morning.
"Wake up!" His 6 year old screeched excitedly, they were going to the zoo today since Sadie had received a great report card.
Blake moaned and pulled their daughter up to the pillow, laying her in between himself and his still-sleeping wife.
"Honey, the sun isn't even up yet. Lie down and sleep a little longer." He mumbled and Sadie pouted but snuggled under the covers, reaching over so she was cuddled against her Fathers warm chest.
Blake wrapped his arms securely around her winter pyjamas and closed his eyes again, they were both asleep in minutes.
A few hours later, just after 8am, their sleep was interrupted again when an almost 3 year old Max's little feet could be heard running down the hallway. Miranda opened her eyes and smiled when she saw that their daughter was asleep between them. Within seconds, Max ran in to the room with a huge grin on his face, he was just as excited as his sister.
"Morning Baby!" Miranda cooed and lifted him in to the bed, laying him on her chest and giving his blonde head a kiss.
"Morning!" Max replied over enthusiastically, making Miranda laugh.
The commotion woke Sadie and she suddenly had two very excited children on her hands.
"When can we go?" Sadie asked desperately and Miranda sighed.
"Why don't you wake Daddy up? We need to have breakfast and get dressed before we leave."
Sadie sat up and shook Blake's shoulders enthusiastically.
"Daddy! Daddy! Wake up!" She called and Blake moaned, reaching out and tickling her sides, sending her in to a fit of hysterical laughter.
"Alright, everyone needs to calm down!" Miranda eventually intervened, she was starting to get a headache and they still had a long day ahead of them.
They all climbed out of bed and headed downstairs, where Blake made everyone toast, while Miranda poured some cereal in to bowls. Sadie and Max were both bouncing up and down in their seats while they quickly ate and then looked up expectantly at their parents.
"Are you finished?" Miranda asked and they both nodded vigorously.
"Alright, bowls and plates in the dishwasher and then upstairs to get dressed." She commanded and they both rushed to clear the dishes.
While they were cleaning up, Blake quickly snuck in a quiet moment with his wife. He placed his hands on her waist and kissed her gently.
"I didn't get to say good morning." Her murmured against her lips and she grinned.
"Well, good morning Mr Shelton." She whispered and gave him another kiss before following their children upstairs.
Miranda helped both her children brush their teeth and they each took a child to get ready. In Sadie's bedroom, Miranda dressed her daughter in fleecy leggings, a singlet, a warm sweater and then made her put on a coat and beanie. It was winter and she didn't want her getting sick. Once she was dressed, Miranda helped her in to a pair of thick winter socks and put warm boots on her feet before handing her a pair of gloves and a scarf to carry out to the car.
Once Sadie was ready, she sat on her parents bed and waited while her Momma dressed in some warm winter clothes and then they both headed downstairs. Once Blake and Max were dressed they all headed to the front door and Blake grabbed the keys to the truck.
When both kids and his wife were all safely buckled in, Blake turned around and gave the kids a huge grin.
"Who's ready to go to the zoo?" He asked, pretending to act casual and both Sadie and Max shot their arms in the air urgently.
"I am!" They both cheered and Blake laughed before pulling out of the driveway and driving in the right direction.
The second they pulled in to the parking lot, Sadie and Max both started bouncing up and down in their car seats in anticipation and they were about to burst when they were both lowered on to the ground. Once everyone was out of the truck, Blake assembled the stroller and put their things in the basket underneath. Max was getting a little old for a stroller, but this was one of those occasions where it was better to wheel him around when he inevitably wore himself out.
Both kids were told to hold on to either side if the empty stroller while they walked through the front gated and paid the admission fee. When they got through the entrance with their tickets, Blake steered them off to the side for a second to organise them. They all had a look at the map and they planned out where they wanted to visit and made sure everyone was rugged up, it was a particularly cold day.
First up, they all wondered over to the lions, were Max dashed over to the safely glass and stared with wide fascinated eyes as the big cats moved around their enclosure.
"Daddy look!" He exclaimed excitedly and Blake grinned, crouching down so he could put an arm around his son while they admired the animals.
Next off they visited the giraffes, which Sadie thought was pretty neat, she asked a million questions that neither Blake nor Miranda knew the answers to. At each enclosure, both of the kids would watch on in complete fascination at the animals in from of them, both of them had visited the zoo many times, but they were equally excited each visit.
Later on when they were watching the seals swim through the water, Sadie looked up and asked her billionth question that day.
"How do they make seals?" She asked curiously and Blake looked at Miranda, they were both trying their hardest not to laugh. Blake didn't know what to say, so he figured a stupid little Dad joke would suffice.
"Well Honey, Sometimes when a penguin falls in love with a panda, they decide to have a baby, and that's how they get seals." He said with a straight face and Miranda burst out laughing, followed quickly by Sadie.
"Daddy, you're silly." She said in between giggles and Blake pretended to look offended, making her giggle harder.
While they were leaving the seals, Miranda noticed that Max was looking sluggish and fed up, so she pulled them in to a cafe and Blake went up to the counter to get everyone some lunch. Max only took a few bites before he started to fall asleep in his chair. He was used to having naps at this time, so Miranda lifted him and laid him down in the stroller, pulling the hood down over his face so he could have a nap.
After everyone else had finished, they threw out the rubbish and Miranda put Max's apple slices in the stroller basket for when he woke up since he had barely touched his lunch. Sadie was getting tired too so Blake put her up on his shoulders while Miranda pushed Max. Next up, they took Sadie to the dolphin show, which she thoroughly enjoyed, gasping as they performed tricks in the air and splashed back in to the water.
By the time the show ended, Max was sitting up and nibbling on his apples and Blake was carrying Sadie again. They figured they would take the kids back home before they got too tired and grumpy, but they had one more place to stop first.
The whole family wondered back up to the main entrance and walked in to the exiting gift shop. Once inside, Miranda got Max out of the stroller and she crouched down in front of her children.
"Since you were both so well behaved today and listened to Mommy and Daddy, you can each pick out a stuffed animal to take home." She informed them and they both started running around frantically trying to pick out the perfect souvenir.
Max quickly settled on a lion, they seemed to be his favourite animals to see when they had zoo days. Sadie took a little longer, scanning the shelves carefully, finally picking up a stuffed animal and taking it over to show her parents.
When she revealed the seal, they both laughed. They had a feeling that she might have actually believed Blake's little biology lesson. They would have to deal with that later, but for now they were content rewarding their babies after a perfect day out.
