Visiting the Zoo

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Visiting the Zoo

Pictures taken June 10, 2011

With the zoo being a simple half mile up the road, you'd think we would go all the time. But we don't - not as a family anyway. On Friday we decided to take advantage of the fact that we were all home at the same time and head up there. We still split up in our travel arrangements. Ammon was ready to go first and wanted to walk. Peter was slower to get out the door (which is very unusual - it is typically Peter who is quick to leave and Ammon who is lollygagging behind) so Ammon and I headed up the road on foot while Andrew continued to help Peter get ready. It was a pleasant day and Ammon and I enjoyed the walk (even though it is a pretty brutal uphill climb).

The zoo was very crowded and people were parked almost all the way down the street. I wondered if Andrew and Peter would end up just walking most of it anyway, but as we got to the gate to enter the zoo, Andrew and Peter were right behind us. They had been able to find a parking place with no problem and the timing of their arrival was perfect.

Ammon was excited to see the "spitting dinosaurs". He had been to the zoo the previous week on a field trip and had seen some of the new dinosaur display. Peter and I had been a few weeks earlier than that, so we new what he was talking about. Andrew was just confused because he had never seen dinosaurs in the zoo. The boys were excited to show them off. Peter was braver than he had been the first time - having his big brother by his side seemed to help him feel a little more bold. But he still didn't want to get too close to the dinosaur that spits water on the crowd of people to help cool them down. He quickly passed that area clinging onto Daddy's leg and we headed to the Elephants, which is what he wanted to see most. We got there during the elephant show and watched them do their tricks.

The boys got out their maps and studied them hard deciding where to go next. The dinosaurs are scattered throughout the zoo, but have several of them clustered in one particular area, so Ammon wanted to head that way. While we were going that direction, we passed by the gorillas. There was one sitting just inside the glass and Peter and I stood a foot away from a full-grown gorilla!

Then we rounded the corner into the area that Ammon wanted to be at when we noticed that a show was going to start in about ten minutes so we got some seats and stayed for that. Afterwards, we played at the playground and spotted more dinosaurs. Soon it was time to head home for dinner. It was a short trip to the zoo - just an hour or two, but we had a good time. It was fun to have all four of us there together.

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Family Proclamation

The First Presidency and Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

We, the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator's plan for the eternal destiny of His children.All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.In the premortal realm, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshiped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize his or her divine destiny as an heir of eternal life. The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave. Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally.The first commandment that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife. We declare that God's commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force. We further declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife.We declare the means by which mortal life is created to be divinely appointed. We affirm the sanctity of life and of its importance in God's eternal plan.Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. "Children are an heritage of the Lord" (Psalms 127:3). Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, to teach them to love and serve one another, to observe the commandments of God and to be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. Husbands and wives—mothers and fathers—will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations.The family is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. Disability, death, or other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation. Extended families should lend support when needed.We warn that individuals who violate covenants of chastity, who abuse spouse or offspring, or who fail to fulfill family responsibilities will one day stand accountable before God. Further, we warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets.We call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society.

This proclamation was read by President Gordon B. Hinckley as part of his message at the General Relief Society Meeting held September 23, 1995, in Salt Lake City, Utah.