This wasn't your normal, run-of-the-mill zoo trip. It started off in the van. Or rather, WAITING in the van. (Notice the great smile from Eva, and the glares from Connor and Kelsey.) On the way out the door, I got the genius idea that I should actually lock it for once. The only problem is that my wallet and keys weren't in the diaper bag, but in my purse. Which I left inside.
Lucky for us, Ben drove home and saved the day by unlocking the door for us. And I grabbed some spare house keys for the diaper bag.
Once we got to the zoo (and got Eva a sweatshirt because it was FREEZING), we immediately went to go feed the giraffes. It was... okay. They won't actually let you touch the giraffes, and for your whopping $3 you get a measly THREE leaves of romaine lettuce. Which you can only tear in half - no smaller. The you hold it up while the giraffes shoots out his amazingly long tongue and grabs it from the hand of your terrified child. I longingly thought of our trip to the zoo in SC where it was $2 for a big handful for chopped up lettuce and you were on a platform the same height as the giraffes' heads so they were sticking their heads through to grab the food and we were able to pet them a little.
After the giraffes, though, it got very exciting. Connor and Eva decided to run away from us. And by the time we realized they weren't coming back they had quite the head start. Finally we blocked them in, and threatened to leave the zoo if it happened again. They were angels for the rest of the day. Sort of. After that, I guess it was a typical zoo trip - but they are all amazing if you stop and think about it.
I'm not sure who was in the strangest mood here. The rhino...
...the awkward-smile-girl...
...or the dirty-look-queen.
(Isn't she so much prettier when she smiles?)
The tiger was pretty cool, though. When he noticed I was taking pictures, he came closer to the fence so I could get a better shot. So considerate. It was amazing to be so close.
And speaking of tigers... there were some cubs, too. Can you see the two behind momma tiger?
On the way out of Cat Forest, we had to stop for the kids to do a little exploring.
And a little statue-climbing, of course. What would be a trip to the zoo without it?
This picture is my favorite.
And this is when I realized I had forgotten to brush Connor's hair. At least he got breakfast, right?
And a couple more shots of my adorable little men.
Oh! I just remembered - there was something different about this trip! I had no idea we had a herpetarium (i.e. "snake house") at our zoo! All these years, and I never wondered what was in that building...
This one is a "baby" kimono dragon.
Worth seeing, right? Eventually he'll be this big, but I doubt Kelsey would get this close then.
Finally, we headed over to the playground before we left. Terri went with the older kids to the "big" playground, while I stayed with the boys at the younger one. It was just the right size for Maddox. He had a blast like never before.
The weather was sunny, but still chilly enough to make his nose run and turn his cheeks pink.
Just call me Superman!
Someone doesn't like getting his picture taken anymore.
When Maddox is focusing really hard, he sticks his tongue out. It's so funny! He finally figured out how to use a slide on his own.
And... here's a video of the whole process of him going around, and around, and around... Pay close attention to his face when gets back around to the top. You'll see his tongue sticking out and then a priceless expression on his face when he actually starts to slide down.
What did I ever do without that little stinker?
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