Fun at the Zoo!

Well after walking nearly a mile to the zoo last year and dealing with crazy crowds, we had vowed we would never go to the zoo during Spring Break again.  Well, we decided to roll the dice and try again.  The weather has been BEAUTIFUL and we really wanted to do something outside.  We planned a bit better this time, though.  We had food and snacks packed the night before and we left early and got there right when the zoo opened.  We got great parking and we were able to see the popular exhibits that usually invite long lines before the crowds got there.  It was crowded towards the end, but we had a really nice time.

My three little sweeties…this was Brooke’s first outing in the stroller.  I think she liked being able to look out as opposed to being backwards in her car seat.

She was a happy girl!

Getting there early gave us the opportunity to see the tigers in a fun way.  They are usually sleeping, but we got to see them playing with their toys and splashing around in the water. 

Mikayla brought her camera with her and took pictures of everything.  She actually caught some good ones along with the silly ones that you would expect from a 7 year old.

This was the best part about going early.  We have always had to wait in a line to see the pandas and then we had to kind of hurry through so that other people could have turns.  This time we were able to walk up and just sit and watch the pandas walk around, eat and play.  This was definitely the highlight of the day.

The “phanatants” are always a favorite of mine.

I thought this was a cool pic.  One of the zoo employees was walking around telling everyone about this lizard.  The kids really liked being able to get up so close to it.

Well, Brooke was not thrilled with this plan, but I just had to get a pic of my little chicks in the birds nest.

I always love seeing the gorillas.  They just look so peaceful, yet powerful. 

Its hard to see in this picture, but this mom has a her baby wrapped around her leg and she walks around.  It was so sweet looking.  I feel like this sometimes, maybe that’s why I liked it so much.

Gavin and Kayla had such a great time together…I love how they are best friends right now.

Brooke did good most of the time, but I think there was so much going on that she just fought going to sleep, so she started getting a little grumpy.  All in all though, she did really good.  We had a couple mini meltdowns that we easily cured with some cuddling.

Gavin and Kayla got to spend some time in the petting zoo while Brooke and I watched.

The Peep Mobile!  I had to get a picture of the with one of my all time favorite sweet treats.  We got some pretty sweet samples, too!

She did finally give in and go to sleep…about 10 minutes before we left (naturally).

It was a fun day for all of us and I really enjoyed the opportunity to spend some time with my family.