Worst. Playdate. Ever.

Last week, Karen and I made plans to take Sam and Aiden to Como Zoo. Both boys were whiny and sick, so we rescheduled for today.

We planned that I would pick them up, but it was too cold for me to clean out my car this morning. I called Karen and asked her to drive - no problem. Except that in the confusion, both of us thought the other had a stroller. After 15 minutes of struggling, we had both the car seats in the car and we headed off.

I had never seen the zoo as empty as it was this morning. I believe that, in large part, was due to temps being about 4 degrees. Without a stroller, we each carried a kid, tears streaming down our faces from the cold wind. We went as quickly as we could between the buildings, but nothing would have been fast enough. Aiden and Sam both cried and struggled. It isn't easy to hold a 37 pound boy, dressed in a slippery jacket, when one's arms are completely frozen.

After visiting just two buildings, we gave up and went back to the car. The boys were cold and angry. There was so much screaming and kicking and crying going on, I almost titled today's post Snot Zoo. Once we were all finally in the car, Sam continued to scream and kick the back of my seat. Karen had one arm wrenched into the back seat, trying to warm up Aiden's hands. Exhausted, both boys fell asleep during the 10-minute ride home.

The boys are now just fine. Sam cheerfully ate lunch and is taking a nap. Karen reports that Aiden is sweetly playing and chatting with his toys. We, on the other hand, are traumatized by feelings of guilt and regret.

There aren't enough giraffes in the world to make mornings like today's worthwhile.