Zoo Crew

During spring break, we took a day trip out to the NC Zoo (just like every other creative Raleigh family did that week! ;)  As usual, the kids were enamored with, in awe of, smitten with, head-over-heels for the animal statues.  Next year I will go to the zoo with the mindset that it will be a great day for the kids to hike, play, snack and climb, and  it will be a great day for me to look at animals.  I could stand and watch the animals for hours.  It's worth it - while my kids were sitting in the elephant tracker's tent eating fruit snacks and complaining of the heat, I got to see an elephant give himself (herself?) a shower by sucking up water and spraying it back out.  No good pictures of that, so if the kids want to see that scene they'll have to come out of the tent next time and watch. :)  I also stayed with the lions while the kids stayed by the stroller and fussed about who would get to ride, and my patience paid off with lion feeding!  Here are a ton of pictures from our day:

Waiting for Mom and Dad to clean up after our picnic lunch in the parking lot

So excited about our day that they danced all the way to the ticket gate

Dad's checking in with our passes - they're still excited!

This is always our first stop

We never got a good view of the zebras that day.

Smiling and dripping

I do heart them.

Waiting around for me to stop taking pictures of the animals

hatchlings

the sun was in their eyes for this one.

taking a break

He wasn't actually grumpy.  Just relaxing with dad.

Statues

She's bold.

Hard-headed creatures.  All of them.

Bea and the bees