Zoo!

Near the end of April the four of us went on a field trip to the zoo with Eli's preschool.  We hadn't been to the zoo since August, so the kids were BURSTING with excitement.  Eli counted down days over a month in advance.

When the big day arrived, we totally lucked out with PERFECT weather.  This spring has been so weird, with warm days very intermittent among cold and rainy ones.  It was a "rain or shine" trip, so how happy we were with sun and warmth!

We met at Eli's school and rode the bus to the zoo.  That added to the kids' excitement, and was also nice for David to not have the stress of driving.  Eli and Clara sat together and were so happy bouncing along.

What was also really nice was that we were able to be completely on our own at the zoo.  We just had to meet back at the bus at the given time.

We had the BEST day!  It was not too crowded, and we saw EVERY animal out!  I couldn't believe how we kept seeing one great shot of an animal after another--elephants, polar bear, eagle, etc.

I think David, Eli, and I all managed to pet a shark.

Kids loved watching the animated penguins!

The tiger came up right against the glass in front of us!

Brown bear was lounging

If you look closely you can see the orangutan out climbing on their "playplace."

Flamingos are such funny-looking creatures!

Clara LOVES holding Eli's hand, and he's (generally) pretty obliging.

Watched the cheetahs do their laps

Eli's favorite part is by far the cheetah race!  He would do it over and over and over again if he could.  He always starts in a runner's stance and keeps a huge grin on his face as he goes.  So fun to watch him and his excitement!

Clara talked a lot about the giraffes afterwards.  She really enjoyed them.

Ended with a train ride before heading back on the bus!

I'm so glad the four of us could take this fun outing together!  A very enjoyable day had by all.