The Zoo

We have been trying to take advantage of Clay being home over the past and coming few weeks. The weather was beautiful last week so we decided to take Addie up to The Hogle Zoo. We took her a few times last year and she LOVED it then and she still loves it now! The weather was nice and cool so the animals were out and active which made for an even better experience. We headed towards the bear enclosures (Addie's favorite thing last year) and on the way stopped to see some elephants, chimps, gorillas, and cougars (or big kitties). We didn't get quite the same reaction with the bears as last year but she was still excited to see them. When she saw them, she very cooly said, "hi, ba" and waved her arm.

On Clay's shoulders (that's a bear in the background)

After visiting the bears, we headed towards their new Asian Highlands exhibit where the tigers and other big cats are located. We went to see the Bengal Tiger and it was sitting in plain view looking at all the people! So cool! It was nice to have it so visable- Addie thought it was great! After visiting the tigers, we found some small replica tigers for the kids to sit on and get their picture taken. Addie was climbing all over them...once we finally got her away- she kept running back towards them!

Addie sitting on the tiger!

We went and met up with Grandma and took Addie for a train ride. She sat on the seat in front of us with Grandma and thought she was such a big girl. She had a great time on the train ride! She went again with Grandma and we could hear her saying, "wheeee, wheee" as they rode past us!

Whoa! This is so much fun!

So proud! Such a big girl!

After the train ride- Addie discovered something she wasn't able to see last year. They have a water feature near the entrance with a globe. The kids love playing in the water and trying to move the globe. There are always a bunch of kids around it. Addie was having a great time getting all wet! She'd lean so far in to play with the water that her hair was brushing up with the water running down the globe! She didn't want to stop playing- even though her little hands were freezing! We had to drag her away only to have her keep asking for the "wateee" (water).

We are glad Addie enjoyed the zoo (and so did we) and plan to go many more times this year to take advantage of our membership! It's amazing how exciting something is when experienced through a child! If you haven't been for awhile- take an opportunity to go! It's fun! Go in the early spring when the weather isn't too hot! Or, if you go in the summer, be sure to go in the morning when it's cooler so that the animals are more active!