More Zoo Pics

Okay, so you might say, "Hey, don't you guys do anything but go to the Zoo?" Well, honestly, the winter is a great time to go! There aren't so many people. It's not a million degrees outside. And the animals are TONS more active. Even the kids enjoy it more!

So, put up with a few more pictures and perhaps someday we'll add some different activities. Springtime always brings more days at the park and more fun outside (like shooting).

Jack actually didn't let me take the picture. It's one I had to sneak in while he wasn't looking. But he wanted to ride the alligator! This one looked pretty harmless to me. And Jack insisted I take a picture of the tiger. It had been walking around growling all the time we were walking up the hill to it's cage. As soon as we got to the big window, it sat down. RUDE!

This is the second attempt at getting Joe into his namesake: Turtle. The first one showed him sprawled on the ground on his nose. We didn't realize the shell was sloped slightly down and he slid from end all the way out to the wood chips below. He was a good sport about it, though!

See the two fingers in the background!? It was all I could do not to giggle and set the girls to looking away from the camera. Thanks, Daddy! Those are two cute girls!

And last, but not least, comes John. He had a blast jumping off of the pillars that hold the giant spider web. He thought it was great fun. Who needs fancy and expensive toys? Just get some thick rope, pound some logs into the ground, and you've got a boy's dream playground.

A Winter Zoo Day

Okay, so we decided to do something for President's Day that we've never done before. We took a trip to the Hogle Zoo. There's been hardly any snow at our house (not unusual for a place by a lake) but the zoo had a foot on the park where the kids HAD to play! Ah well, they had fun.

There weren't too many animals out and about. All of the African animals (elephants, giraffes, primates, etc) were put away for the winter and we couldn't see them. Well, that is except the ostriches. Weird, if you ask me. But the tigers were lazing around and the Amur leopard was pacing. So, at least the big cats were actually doing something. Normally, they just lie in the shade and pant during the summer time.

Jack walked most of the way, choosing only inopportune times to get out of the stroller while I was pushing it. But he had some fun this time and wasn't left home to nap. The zoo wasn't even that busy. We got front row parking! It's amazing I got some good shots, since I the sun was so bright and I couldn't see the display on my phone! I was just hoping they turned out okay.

Zoo Day With Three of the Kids

On a whim, and because John had been begging to go, we decided to go to the Hogle Zoo. Shawn was home working on school stuff and "volunteered" to "watch" Jack take a nap. That made it so much easier for me to get around the zoo. The kids asked where the red wagon was (that has been a constant companion for the past two years) but we didn't have to take it this time! Everybody walked! Ah, such freedom from a stroller or a diaper bag! Sorry, Jack...we didn't really miss you. Love ya!

We had such a good time taking it slow and looking at whatever we felt like seeing. Bekah was excited for the baby elephant. John wanted to see poison dart frogs (Kelsey plugged her nose in the animal house). And everyone wanted to ride the train at the end. There was hardly anyone at the zoo (poor Shawn would have LOVED this part of the day!). So, we got some good pics to prove the fun we had.

We were the only ones on the tail end of the train. The kids thought it was great fun to be by themselves. And to show how empty the zoo was, check out the following picture of the parking lot. Usually, it's packed and you have to search for a place to park. This is what it looked like as we were leaving the zoo at 1600 (one hour before the zoo closed).

This is what Shawn would have loved. Ah well. I did think of you!