A fun Saturday afternoon

Ryleigh has been very interested in animals lately. She knows the names of the most common animals, and can identify their color and sound. So, with all the nice weather we have had lately, we thought it would be fun to take her back to the zoo. After all, the last time we went, she was only about 7 months old-- she was due a trip!

Last Saturday we laid her down for an early nap and anxiously awaited her waking up so we could surprise her with a trip to the zoo. And she was excited! We arrived and walked through all the animal exhibits, as she excitedly told us what she saw, what that animal says, and of course, said, "hi friend" to every child that passed us...which as you can imagine, was a LOT.

When we finally left, she talked about the "aminals" (no, that is not a misspelling, just Ryleigh language), nonstop. For days she kept asking to go back to the zoo. If it was not so far away, I would invest in a season pass!! Anyway, it was a fun afternoon. Here are a few pictures from the day.

Daddy showing Ryleigh how to use the brush to comb the goat at the petting zoo. I think this is why Ryleigh's allergies got so crazy when we got home that night...
An eagle! I couldn't resist snapping a picture of my elementary school mascot. :)

Daddy and Ryleigh

The baby elephant was cracking us up! He must have had an itch on it's back or something. First, he kept rubbing against the pole trying to scratch his back, but when that did not help, the elephant found this large "stick" and tried pushing it up so he could slide under it to scratch his back! Smart guy, I'd say!

The giraffes were my favorite. I wonder if it's because I'm so short that I love them so much...anyway. If you look closely in this picture, you can tell there are three giraffes, of three different ages and sizes. The youngest baby is only a few weeks old, and was so short and cute compared to the others!

A good time was had by all, and we look forward to going back again soon while the weather is still nice.