Lions and Tigers and Bears...Oh My!

Ok, well skip the lions and tigers, but we had bears, Uncle Ivan, Dylan and Zoe on this trip to the zoo.  We packed up for a day and headed out about 100 miles or so to our state's zoo.  This was the kids first trip to this particular zoo so it was exciting to see their reactions. 

Unfortunately for D&Z, the animals all have very nice and very large habitats which is a bit hard for toddlers.  These wonderful settings for the animals can make it hard to even view the animals and also creates a good bit of distance between exhibits which means "boring" for toddlers.  While the kids enjoyed seeing the animals we were able to visit, I think some of their favorite things were the attractions between exhibits. 

Mommy and Dylan at the Elephant Exhibit - Mommy loves elephants! And since Mommy is usually behind the camera, it's nice to be in front of it for a change.  (Thanks, Daddy for taking this shot!)

Wait!  Is Dylan hugging Zoe or holding her to keep her safe?  What a great big brother!

Dylan is taking him and Zoe for a ride on the Elephant Tracking Helicopter

Do we have a future pilot on our hands? 

D&Z loved climbing all the animal statues, but for some reason these beetles were Dylan's favorite. 

Zoe cooling down in the mist.  I didn't think we'd ever be able to get her away from the mist spray.

The Crocodile Hunter Dylan

Check out this handsome dude on the carousel!

Dylan rode on a gorilla.  That was his favorite animal at the zoo.

Zoe picked a cheetah to ride on.

The biggest hit of the day was the chalkboard wall in the Kid Zone.  They had barrels of water with paint brushes and tons of side walk chalk.  Dylan painted that wall a dozen or more times.  Zoe drew on the wall with chalk and then painted over it.  As soon as parts of the wall were getting dry, they'd paint those parts again.  What a great entertainment idea.  I know the kids spent at least half an hour doing this.  We were the ones who told them it was time to move on. I'm need to find out how to recreate something like this at home.

Oh my, what a great and wonderful trip!