Good days

January and February are not the best months for Jeff. It has nothing to do with the weather or the inversion or the usual winter blahs. Work is just really crazy. There are employee reviews and department reviews and paperwork and deadlines and all manner of stress to be had. We do not see him much.
But yesterday he decided he'd had enough. He took the day off to spend time with us and escape the madness for a little while. And we had a great day. He planned it all out. We took the kids to lunch at McDonald's and let them play in the play place. They never tire of this. Then we packed up and headed to the zoo. The boys have not been to the zoo in ages. I usually take the littles on my own. But this time it was all of us. It was bright and sunny. We oohed and ahhed at the polar bear who was particularly playful. The cute baby giraffe whose mommy had a ginormous black tongue. A black tongue!The children were in awe. And of course the apes and the rooster and the pretty peacock. We stayed just long enough. And then we piled back into the car and shared strawberry and grape Hi-Chews. Hi-Chews always remind me of Hawaii and make me happy. On the way to Park City we rocked out to the new Grammy CD. We all sang along to Maroon 5 and Goyte at the top of our lungs. Even Brooks knows all the words and gets upset if Paige and I sing along during the boy parts. It's cute and annoying all at the same time. Then we get to Park City and buy crisp new t-shirts and running shoes for spring. It's  therapeutic, something to look forward to as the snow melts away and the daylight lingers. We stock up on our favorite licorice and devour an entire pack in minutes. And then the day is gone and it is time to head home. We make it back in time for a movie with popcorn and leftover Valentine's candy. It was really the perfect day. The children got along. Jeff and I were patient. We had fun together. It's days like that, good days, that make all the so-so ones bearable.