Day at the Zoo

Monday we took a family day to all visit the Fort Worth Zoo together! Ryan has worked so much the past month (well, the past 3 years....) so it was nice to get an extra day to laugh and play together. 

We actually got to the zoo early...as in we were there waiting for the gates to open. Eva had a little pre-zoo snack and then we were the fifth family in the gate. Woo-hoo! We beat those school crowds! I will brag that we picked the best day to go to the zoo. The weather was warm but breezy most of the time and I bet there were a lot less field trips on a Monday than there would have been on a Friday (when we would have normally tried to go). And I'm glad we waited until Eva was actually big enough to enjoy it (yet young enough to get in for free!). We planned this day well.

The first stop at the zoo should always be the flamingos! Why do I like these birds so much? Maybe because they're pink or can stand on one leg? Maybe because they like to be in the water? 

Then we saw the gorillas. Gorillas are also one of my favorite animals - they are just so fascinating to me! At one point we were watching a big male gorilla through the glass and Eva was so happy! Then the gorilla pounded his big fist on the glass and we all screamed. There was another little boy standing there with us and he looked up and said, "I really hope that gorilla doesn't fart." #funniestzooquote

Look at those beautiful blue eyes! And how stinkin' cute is that floppy sun hat? My mom had bought it for her last year but it was too big then, so today was her first chance to wear it. 

Next stop, the giraffes. Isn't it funny how when you visit the zoo you have a sudden desire to take photos of every single animal? We've all seen these animals but you feel like you have to take tons of photos of them. I won't bore you by posting photos of each one, just the highlights. Feel free to Google "zoo animal pictures" if you desire to see more animals :) 

Okay but I do have to include these photos of the female chimpanzees. From left to right: the mama is nursing her baby, another baby is playing with the mama's bottom while she is trying to eat, and a baby is riding around on a mama's back while she goes about her day. I'm pretty sure every mom out there can relate to these chimpanzees!

This photo isn't great but it shows the white tiger. This beautiful tiger was also right up by the glass...until a dumb field trip kid banged on the window and growled at it....which made the tiger stand up and attack the window to growl at the kid....which made all the other kids cry....and then the tiger went away. #controlthatkid

The zoo was 100% more fun because Ryan was there. Eva was glued to him the whole time. When she wasn't walking or in the stroller, she wanted Ryan to carry her. I'm so happy we could all enjoy this day together.

Don't judge us, we put her on the backpack leash for part of the day. Let's be honest, our child is a runner. She loves to go-go-go. I don't want people to look at us and scowl, but I also don't want to lose my child. She really, really loves wearing the backpack part (for those of you that follow me on Instagram you can see tons of photos where she has on her backpack around the house). She does not love the leash but does a pretty good job, especially when we use positive distractions to help her be motivated to walk in the same direction we are. The leash attaches to the underside of the backpack so she really doesn't feel the difference unless she tries to run in the opposite direction...then she falls down. I know one day she will learn to stay near us - we are definitely working on that - but until then this is a viable option. 

Watching the elephants! Towards the end of our visit we walked back through the African habitats because those animals are the best. We also visited the snake building but Ryan refused to be photographed with any of them. Ironically he was the one who wanted to visit that part of the zoo. He has a love/hate relationship with snakes. He loves to learn about them but passionately hates them. Did I mention we saw a random medium-size snake that was slithering across the sidewalk? I'm surprised he didn't have a heart attack.

To wrap up the day we stopped at the zoo cafe for an ice cream cone. Perfect when you are hot and sweaty.

This is what the one of the gorillas looked like on our way out - just like a tired human after a long, hot day. This is what Eva looked like after being in the car for only one minute. Can you blame her?