Another Trip to the Zoo

We had so much fun a couple weeks back...


that we decided to go again.

It was hot and sunny, which always gets to me despite the many water bottles and Tylenol, and it was crowded- I really do think that this time everybody AND their neighbor decided to go to the zoo on the very same day. The parking lotS were full, the nearby on-street parking was full, we ended up parking a very log walk away, uphill, both ways, ok, maybe not both ways, but have you ever tried to push (more like pull back on) a heavy stroller while going down a fairly steep hill on a path through an urban park? We got our exercise, I'm calling it phys ed for the day, maybe enough for several days.

A leopard gecko, I think she said it was. The zoo has this summer program with all of these teen volunteers with education stations scattered all around the premises. They told the kids about how these little lizards can 'release' their tail if they need to escape from danger, but they weren't willing to show us how that little trick worked... oh well, maybe there's a video out there somewhere I can let the kids see... Hey, here's an interesting video- Robert Full: Learning from the gecko's tail... okay, that's fascinating, not a tail falling off, and a brief mention of 'evolving', oh, and some hommage paid to 'our new president', as if he has anything to do with the advancement of science... I do believe there are a great many secrets locked in nature, and I believe in the Creator who put them there, all in all, a fascinating 10 minutes.

Miss G, enjoying the giraffes, her current favorite animal.

In the end, just after enjoying the final "Sparky the Sea Lion Show" for the day, I was none-too-sad to leave. We always have fun there, but the sun, heat, & crowds were doing a number on my head and there were several rounds of the quiet game played in the van for the next hour...

My older boys, a handsome couple of guys, if you ask me, or even if you don't.

Enjoying them,
because of Him,
ali

A Trip to the Zoo

We love the Minnesota Zoo. (Have you been to http://www.whopooped.org/?) It's a really, really, great zoo. It's also a really, really, long drive for us to get there. It's also not cheap. When there were three of us, it was not really a big deal, but now that there are nine of us, well, we could pretty much buy a season pass for what one visit would cost, and that's more than I wanted to shell out last week.

Fortunately for us, there is a **free** zoo in the Twin Cities, and it happens to be not too far away from one of the clinics we happened to visit recently for asthma check-ups for two of our girls.

I love the water in this picture. It reminds me of some lovely impressionist paintings...

Como Zoo & Conservatory will always hold a special place in my heart- we were married in the Conservatory! It's a lovely place.

We hadn't been to a zoo in quite a while; I think Little M, now 2 1/2, was a wee nursling in a sling the last time we managed that kind of animal kingdom fun. The kids were so excited when I mentioned where we'd be going that morning before the dreaded doctor visits. Really?! Really Mom?! Oh, boy!

It is always so precious to me to see the looks of awe and wonder on the youngest ones as they see their first live flamingo, giraffe, gorilla, or zebra. Toddlers and preschoolers could stand and watch ducks and flamingos swim and splash around for what seems like hours before they even remember you have snacks in your bag... You do have snacks in your bag, don't you?

We've had cats for years, and the little ones LOVE to watch them play and pounce around, but that can never compare to Three-Toed Sloths, or Tamarins, or these...

Or Butterflies!! This is the first time we've made it to a butterfly exhibit, and, oh, my, it was one of the most fascinating things I've ever seen. We could've spent all day in that special tent-like structure, which happened to look like a giant Monarch caterpillar (scroll down on the link). So cool.

Baby J, letting a butterfly touch him, so sweet...

I loved the signs! This one was on the way out...

Something I always love to see, the way a big brother looks after and helps a little sister- so sweet. I love my kids!

'Twas a good time.

Enjoying them,

because of Him,

ali