Thursday, October 15, 2009

FIRST TRIP ZOO STYLE

Ash and I have been toying with the idea of taking the girls to the zoo for a while. It has been so cold though that it hardly seemed like it would be fun. However, when I woke up today, I thought it would be the perfect time to go. I called Ashley and we proceeded to get ready for a day at the zoo. It was so perfect outside, and the fall colors added a nice touch as we strolled around checking out all of the animals.

First on my agenda was getting a picture by the lion fountain. I always liked that thing as a kid, and was a tiny bit scared to get a drink from it, even though I knew it wasn't real. We later got a picture with Ava and the fountain. I think it is funny that the girls' faces are similarly unsure in the pictures.

Then it was off to the star of the zoo--the baby elephant. I am here to tell you that this adorable little elephant totally lived up to the hype. It was ADORABLE. It was doing tricks with a ball and just being genuinely cute. Then we saw the baby giraffe. Baby giraffe was a close second in adorableness in the race of cute baby animals at the zoo.

When we got to the tigers we let the girls take some time to walk around. It was kind of crazy at times, but we didn't lose either of them or have any serious injuries to tend to. They got to get a good look at the big tiger as it came right up close to them while having a rest, even growling a couple of times. The girls both liked spotting the animals, but I think sometimes they (Stella at least) liked the people-watching more than the animal-watching.

We then had a snack as we headed to the little playground that was really a "zoo." There were wild kids everywhere, and I remember it being much bigger. At first we were just going to leave, but I wanted some pictures with Stella and all of the animal-themed playground equipment. Her favorite was being a turtle. She loved it.

We didn't stay long since the girls were both totally exhausted from their fun day at the zoo. And as we drove home they were talking and giggling in the back seat about their fun-filled morning.

On a personal controversial note: Ash and I are both anti-"renewing the zoo." It drives us crazy how much money the zoo always needs, and that they spend all this money campaigning to renew the zoo, instead of using the campaign money to renew the zoo. On top of that, the zoo is NOT free. So, we definitely had some sassy comments about how much this or that cost to build, or how many millions they spent on renewing that. But I will admit that the zoo has improved since I had last been there ten years ago, and it seems to be a much more respectable establishment for all of the animals. And hey, we had fun being out and about while getting some use from our tax dollars.


And maybe this picture is silly. But when we got to the playground, I spotted this girl who fell asleep while she was playing. I couldn't help wondering where her mother was, and instead of looking for her mom, I just laughed and took a picture. I am so mean.

6 comments:

Christy said...

Great pictures! I would have been scared of that Lion fountain too... It looks like it's gonna close it's mouth the second you take a drink!
Stella's hair totally reminds me of Cali's. Strait on top with curls at the bottom. So cute!!

Brandy said...

Delightful!!!

Anonymous said...

classic zoo pictures. the turtle shell, the ape wall, I'm reliving my childhood through Stella

angelicindy said...

I love that you just call up your sister and go and do something fun. Just the girls :). You guys certainly packed in a lot for the day! I think my favorite picture is the one with Ash and Ava with the girafes. Neato!

Julayne Sallay said...

How fun. We took the kids to the zoo this week too. I like that Stella was people watching instead of animal watching. Chloe was much more interested with the fences and stairs at the zoo than the animals. Nathan was like that too at this age. Thanks for the photos.

Anonymous said...

The ape pic of Stella is too much! LOVES IT! Ashley