The ZOO!

Wednesdays during July and August are Way-Back Wednesdays at the zoo. That means everyone gets in for just 75 cents, and hot dogs, drinks, and popcorn are 75 cents too. So, since we haven't renewed our zoo pass yet, I thought it would be a good opportunity to take the kids before school starts up again. (Our total cost for the day was $7 including admission AND lunch!) Plus, a friend let me borrow her Sit and Stand stroller for a week, and I wanted to go before giving it back to her, because there's nothing more irritating than hearing "I'm soooooo tired of walking!" 5 minutes into your zoo visit (and with the Sit and Stand, all 3 kids can be on at once. However, the next morning, my muscles were definitely feeling the strain of pushing over 120 lbs of kids and stroller.). The weather was pretty nice--a little humid (well, VERY humid by local standards, but not even a drop in the bucket by South Texas standards)--but otherwise unseasonably great: overcast and in the 80s!

Reid's favorite exhibits were the bats, the fish tanks, and the chimpanzees, but if you ask him, he says "My favorites were all the animals that we got to see at the zoo!" Blair liked the butterflies and all the flowers that she was just dying to pick. Sloane pointed and babbled the most for the giraffes, the chimpanzees, and the snake, and the carousel brought out a big smile! As for me, I could spend the entire day watching the chimps and the gorillas. At the chimp exhibit, I swear the chimp was trying to tell us something--he would tap on the glass and then clap, and then tap and then clap again. Darn it, if only I knew monkey sign language! Then he went over to another little girl who had one finger up to the glass and he put his finger right up to hers, touching it from the other side of the glass. And then there were several kisses on the glass. (Unfortunately, due to the set up of the exhibit, it's impossible to get a good picture because the flash always reflects off the glass.) But wow, are they neat to watch!


Reid and the one-eyed ostrich facing off. We're told she's pretty mean.
The skunks caught Sloane's attention.
And she was fascinated by the snakes!
Blair's almost as big as the bald eagle!

Fun going round and round.

Sloane really had fun going up and down on the carousel.

Checking out everything once she finally got released from the stroller.
She seems so big standing up there.
Out of everything at the zoo, Reid and Blair had the most fun with the old, empty water exhibit. There used to be sea animals to touch and feel, but now it's empty so they just played with the water and pebbles. I couldn't get them out of it!