Goin' To The Zoo- How About You??

On Saturday we decided to take the kids to the zoo. The plan was two-fold. One- to have a fun family day with the kids and Two- to try and encourage Cali's arrival. The kids had a ball but I ended up with not the first contraction. Part two was not as successful as part one! LOL!!! We asked Marc's Aunt if she wanted to join us (she has a son Kyle's age and a son who is 15 months old) She was excited to come and also brought her niece and nephew along. So- we ended up with six kids who ended up doing great! I was so proud of all of them.
We got out of the van and Kyle kept asking "Where are we going? What is this place? Is it going to be fun?" He was excited to find out and very excited he got to push Bella in the stroller!!


He is such a little man.....

Our first stop was the elephants. Elephants are probably my favorite animal. I just love their chubby, wrinkly bodies and their big ol' ears! How much cuter can an animal get?!?!

I love how this one is crossing his back feet!

Aren't they beautiful??

Next stop was Koala Junction. A train ride through the Australian Outback...... well.....as close as it gets in Ohio................

Kyle was in heaven! He loves trains so he thought he was cool stuff on this train ride. It was so fun to watch him- his eyes were the size of oranges the entire journey as he tried to take everything in. It's amazing how you can watch a child and then look at things in a different perspective.....pay more attention to the little things................

We got to see Kangaroos being lazy............

And Sandy the Camel...........................

Bella really enjoyed the ride too!! She kept giggling because the breeze was tickling her face!

After the train ride we got to pet two donkeys.... Jenny and Annie............ at first Kyle wasn't too sure about them but then he decided he really liked them.

Awww.... Daddy and Kyle went to get Mommy some water. They are so cute.

Kyle had fun listening through Kangaroo ears.....................

These birds were so pretty and the way the sun was reflecting off of their white feathers was just beautiful..............

This tree was incredible. The sun was shining just right through the branches and leaves and it looked liked something from a dream. It gave me the most peaceful feeling and I felt so small standing underneath of it. I think I snapped 20 some pictures of it!!

Next the kids, Marc and his Aunt went down a huge tube slide that came out in the base of a huge tree where we got to see this scary guy................

He was a mechanical alligator but boy did he look real! Yikes!!

The kids then got to play in another tube tunnel. This one was a lot closer to the ground!! The ran through the tunnel and played while the adults took a little break!!! I love this picture of Bella looking out one of the windows of the tunnel. It reminds me of a little doll in a box...

Kyle having a ball running through the tunnel......................

Bella having fun and trying to cool off under the mister.......

Next stop- petting zoo! All of the animals in here were so cute I wanted to take them home. I don't think they would be too happy in an apartment though! Maybe I should buy a farm!

These sheep were so cute................

This little miniature horse was stubborn! I could not get him to look at me for anything! I guess he has learned to ignore people!!

And this little guy I feel in love with! He was so precious and my favorite part about him? He was a ham for the camera! I snapped and snapped and he just kept showing off!!! Maybe he's a fellow blogger!

There were so many gorgeous flower beds and planters at the zoo. You can get so many ideas for your own garden!! These had to be my favorite! I just loved the color!

We stopped to see the Lions next. They were lazing around too. The one lion was laying on his back and rolling around. His girlfriend never even offered to scratch his back for him. Maybe he has learned in the past not to ask!!! LOL!!!

And then we have my king of the jungle. He's very tame though- and what a cutie!

Marc's Aunt took a family picture for us. I love her because she is picky like I am and knew to take several pictures!!! This was the best one out of the bunch...........my kids don't stay still very long!!

Okay, let's say goodbye to the lions!

And go see the flamingos....................

It amazes me that these birds can hold themselves up on those skinny legs. What's even more amazing is that they sleep standing on one leg! How can they get any rest like that???

On the way out I saw this beautiful flower display of the American flag. Oh how I wish I had a garden to do this in!! Isn't it gorgeous?? I would love to sit down and talk with the people in charge of landscaping at the zoo. Oh think of how much you could learn!!!

Okay, it's getting late and we need to head home. Goodbye animals! Thank You zookeepers!

It was a fun day and the kids really enjoyed themselves. Actually the adults did too! The weather could not have been more beautiful. Boy was I tired when we left...................and the van seemed to far away!! We wanted to all go back Sunday but the weather didn't cooperate so we stayed home and just relaxed.

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

~Heather :)