Alain made her first trip to the zoo this past week. We haven't taken a field trip for school in quite a while (like almost four months...hmm) so I decided it was time. Plus we needed to use our zoo membership!
Justin was saying "zoo" all morning as I was making lunches and getting things together. I had to rummage through the closet to find the car seat attachment for our double stroller. I had to pack extra clothes and bring a towel for Justin, just in case. (He had a couple of messy days before the zoo adventure and I wasn't sure how I would handle a mess at the zoo with all three kids. Fortunately, we made it mess-free. I cannot tell you
how relieved I was.) And I had to make sure I brought enough food for the boys! (See previous post!) It was close!
So we made it to the zoo and made our plan for the day. Our friends were on their way but we had a little time to see a few things before they arrived. Travis' school assignment was to pick an animal and write three sentences about what he learned about the animal. He picked the
okapi. He learned that it is striped, lives in Africa, and is related to the giraffe. It was fun to watch, and the weather was fabulous so the animals weren't so lethargic!
We went to see the elephants first. They were still in their house so we saw them through the windows. There was a mother and a baby elephant. Justin loved that there was a baby! The mother kept hitting the side of her stall and it rattled and echoed though the entire building. We didn't know what it was at first, but it scared Justin. Then we saw them lead them outside with the trainer holding the baby's trunk and the mother holding the baby's tail. Justin made the connection that it looked like a train and I was so proud of him!
Of course, I have boys, so the majority of our time was spent in the reptile house. Outside the reptile house they have volunteers who have some small animals to pet. We skipped the trantula, but Justin was all over the snakes.
This hedgehog would fit right in our family. It was peeing and pooping all over this sweet volunteer!
And an awesome iguana. Justin touched it too.
Justin spent some serious time talking with his captive audience.
And this box turtle got an earful too! Justin told him stories and sang him songs. He was dancing and waving his arms. I wish I knew what he was saying!
Okay, everyone: one, two, three, don't look at the camera!
The only proof I have that Alaina was there! She seemed to enjoy herself. Travis slept through his first trip to the zoo. This was perhaps only slightly more memorable. We'll do it again sometime soon!