Bye bye, Bei Bei!

We spent A LOT of our time at the National Zoo. It was just a little over a mile from our house, and it was such a perfect place to spend a few hours on any given day. We went when it was hot, when it was windy, when it was below freezing...we were very committed to our relationship with the zoo.

One of our favorite habitats to visit was the Giant Panda enclosure in the Asia Trail. While we were in the District, the zoo had three giant pandas: Mei Xiang, Tien-Tien, and Bei Bei. Mei Xiang and Tien-Tien are pandas that have been loaned to us by China, and Bei Bei was born here in the States at the zoo. Part of our panda loan agreement with China includes that, if a panda cub is born here in the States, we are obligated to return it to China when it turns four years old. Bei Bei had his fourth birthday right as we arrived in the District, and he left the zoo to head to China in early November.

Thanks to our zoo membership, we were able to snag tickets to attend the "Bye Bye, Bei Bei" extravaganza that the zoo held in his honor before he boarded his fancy jet for his journey. The morning of the party was FREEZING. Literally 30 degrees. It was so cold, but we were determined to go, frostbite or no. We bundled up to the hilt and made our way to the zoo!

We made our way through the zoo and the lines and the crowds, collecting our free memorabilia along the way, and took our farewell snapshots and said our final goodbyes to our favorite panda.

Claire was determined to have a good time...Lily was just miserably cold. That's my scarf she's wearing. She also had a blanket at one point. (Once the weather got cold, I kept a few kid blankets in the basket of the stroller any time we went anywhere. It behooved me.) Also, Brynnie insisted on being worn, so I was wearing her in the Ergo carrier.

Hats, backpacks, buttons, postcards...we got the lot.

He got cold and moved inside, too.

Part of our ticket the event included a hefty discount at the gift stores, so we came home with three stuffed pandas named: Mei Xiang, Tien-Tien, and Bei Bei.

Sporting my admission sticker.

I dressed everyone thematically in panda-wear, even if you couldn't see it under all the layers.

It was truly SO COLD, but we really did make a fun memory. Brad and I were exhausted and questioning the wisdom of going/having gone...but overall, much like the bulk of our outings in DC, we're glad we did it.

Please note that Lily was cold, but it was not because her parents were negligent. She was wearing the following: tights, leggings, two pairs of socks, a long-sleeved shirt, a dress, a puffer coat, gloves, a hat, and boots. Plus a blanket and my scarf. She was appropriately garbed. Her histrionics, however, would lead you to believe otherwise. LIES.