Zoo Adventures

We've had a few eventful trips to the zoo so far this year!

The first one never actually happened. We were headed out for an atypical afternoon get together not realizing that the zoo was still under 'off season' hours and rates. We arrived to late and were not allowed in the zoo! So sad. Luckily, there was a park right next door that we could go to!

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The next trip was a fun Sunday family day for the three of us (yes, we were skipping church because we were in desperate need of some family time due to insane work hours lately- criticize if you must- but it was needed!). Paul hadn't been to the zoo since elementary school- I was eager for him to share in Izzy's joy of seeing the animals. Also, with our recent outing of not being able to go the zoo- we thought it would be a good thing. So we packed a picnic lunch and headed out for a day of fun! We had a great hour at the zoo- Izzy was literally running from animal to animal- so excited about seeing her furry friends. Well, as we came upon the brand spankin' new monkey island exhibit- we started smelling gas (paul joked that the animals were um...farting!) Well, moments later over the loudspeaker we hear the announcement to evacuate the zoo! As we approached the entrance we heard the loud hissing sound- it was quite a gas break! The smell was awful too. It was quite the event- but people were pretty calm. Poor kids were hysterical. How do you explain to kids they have to leave the zoo right after getting there? There were also a lot of extended families there for a memorial weekend activity just standing around wondering what to do next! Luckily Izzy handled the situation great (better than my pregnant emotional self I might add!). We took her to a park and had our lunch there and then stopped by an ice cream window for a little afternoon treat! It ended up being a great day.

Finally, Izzy and I made it through the whole zoo with her cousins and aunts and Grandma a few days later and had a blast. She was however, disappointed that there were no zebras, elephants, or polar bears. We're hoping to get to a big zoo sometime this summer either in BC, Chicago, or Toledo so she can see some of those great creatures in person!