Our recent day at the zoo was one such crazy adventure :) Thanks to Christa and her awesome season pass for getting us all in for free!! Despite the spring break crowds and circling the zoo parking lots for over thirty minutes, we eventually found parking almost a mile away! [and I'm not exaggerating. We asked Christa's smartphone for walking directions to the zoo]. After a quick picnic by our cars to avoid bringing everything we owned into the zoo, we were off. Two double strollers, three big boys walking, and a mile to go :) The kids did great though. Of course there were a few moments here or there, but those were expected. Honestly, there were far fewer of those then there could have been and overall the day was very successful.
The first highlight was the meerkats. I'm not sure why but the boys really took to them. They were super cute and Ryan's mentioned them several times the last few days. From there, the giraffes were the next big hit. They were hanging around right by the fence, so close to us! There was even a baby giraffe snuggling with his mommy. By far the best of the day was the panda bears. This was Ryan's third time at Zoo Atlanta and the first time I've ever seen the pandas awake. They were so playful and totally showing off for us! One of them even walked right up against the glass twice while we were watching. The kids loved it! Ryan hasn't stopped talking about the panda bears. And he even remembers the details, such as they are inside now because they don't like being hot in summer [they have an indoor area that's kept at 61 degrees]. The elephants were the other big success. They were also in great spots for viewing and one came right to the fence and looked straight at us. The kids were so cute lining up on the fences and trying to get as close as they could. And calling out "Hi!!" to the animals.
In addition to the animals, we enjoyed ice cream, riding the train, taking lots of photos, reading the map, and all sorts of other fun. Ryan really took to the park map, telling us which animal was next and always trying to plot our course. There were a few times I wanted to grab the map away and tell him to focus on the living animals in front of him! But he's so super book-smart and inquisitive and that's just who he is and I am constantly amazed by him! Ryan asked immediately to ride the train, so I showed him the train on his map and how it was at the end of the circle we were making. We cut it a little too close though; we barely made it on the last train of the day. I shudder to think what would have happened if we'd missed it; I would have been the worst mom ever for letting him down like that!
The kids had such a great time at the zoo and hanging out with their friends. The three big boys stuck together like glue and had so much fun, while Abs and her friend JJ shared a double stroller. And then when they finally got to walk, they hung out together too. Abby wore G's monkey backpack/ leash for awhile [don't judge me! I know before kids I used to think leashes were only for dogs too!]. Abby was so cute with her monkey and really enjoyed the freedom he gave her. And when JJ got out of the stroller, we had her hold onto the monkey tail. The girls thought this was great fun and it relieved a tiny bit of the stress associated with having the two of them loose!
After shutting down the zoo [you'd be amazed at how long it takes all those kids to walk up to the front of the zoo and then to all use the bathroom one last time], we made our mile long trek back to the cars. When we got home, it was straight to the tub, a quick bite to eat, and bedtime. What an exhausting day! But such a fun day with lots of wonderful memories!
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