St. Louis Zoo

One of my favorite places to go is the zoo. I have loved it ever since I was a child. I will never forget when Jeremy and I were first married and we lived just south of Indianapolis. We went to the zoo and I was shocked to discover how much it cost! I loyaly exclaimed, "The St. Louis Zoo is free."

Even though it isn't too far away we have only taken the kids to the St. Louis Zoo once when Faith was still a baby. So, I have been excited to go back. My friend Felecia and I took our kiddos and had a great day. It was hot (over 90 degrees) but we survived and I was the only one who got a sunburn. I was a little nervous taking the three kids without Jeremy, but overall it went pretty smoothly.

Grace trying to get a butterfly to land on her. I was very excited we got to do this, she has been wanting to go to an observatory ever since she read Fancy Nancy's new science book.
This giraffe was VERY close. Some of the kids were actually petting it.
The tiny fuzzy camel was a brand new baby, only six days old!
Faith loved climbing on the fences to check out the animals.
Our friends Felecia & Sydney
Titus was such a good baby! Here is is snuggling with his blanket when we went to see the penguins.
Josie & Jake had already planned a trip to St. Louis so we got to spend a little time with them too.
Grace didn't like the penguins because she thought it was too cold. She was disappointed the polar bears were gone.
The girls had a great time. Now I am excited to go back when Titus is old enough to enjoy it!
Since I knew we wouldn't get to see the whole zoo I told Grace to pick a few animals she wanted to definitely see. She choose giraffes and elephants. She also wanted to see a crocodile, but we didn't have time for that. She has already started a list of things she wants to see when we go back. Faith was pretty much interested in all of the animals. I am loving summer and taking the kids lots of fun place.

Our Big Zoo Trip

For our anniversary Jeremy and I decided we would take the girls to the zoo in St. Louis. Actually it was Jeremy's idea and I LOVED it. Now, it might sound like a bummer to take your kids somewhere for your anniversary but it was perfect. What we have really been needing is some family time and I can't think of a more fun day! Not to say that it was perfect (it rained & we got lost!) But, there are lots of memories and seeing the wonder on Grace's face was priceless.

Grace loves animals. She has ever since she was very little. Before she said hardly any words she knew what sound over twenty animals made. She loves animals. So when I told her we were going to see animals like elephants, and camels, and kangaroos she looked at me and said, "On the waubee (her word for tv or movies). When I said, "No, we are going to see them in real life!" She just said, "OH!"

Even in the freezing cold rain we had a lot of fun. It was the perfect example of a trip not going exactly as planned but still being wonderful. A tip for the zoo- get there early. We knew if you get there when it opens you can park in the close free parking. Plus, all the things that cost money are free the first hour it is open. Due to getting lost we did not get to take advantage of the free attractions as planned, but maybe next time. (But we still got free parking!) We will also probably do our next zoo trip in the fall. Lets just say-field trip extravaganza! It was a little busier than we were expecting for a weekday morning. We also packed our lunch so the entire cost of our trip was less than a tank of gas- totally worth it! Due to the rain we ate our "picnic" lunch in the van (as you can see- no Faith isn't riding on her dad's lap)

Grace's favorites were the kangaroos (we went to see them twice, at her request), the camels, and the elephants. I have added a few pictures. If you are interested in a more in depth look at our zoo trip I am in the process of creating a book on shutterfly which I will link from here when I get it finished.

I think its interesting how our zoo trip included a great lesson for our marriage. Sometimes we begin marriage with a picture of perfect bliss (just like when we imagine a trip). And of course as anyone who is actually married knows it is more like our zoo trip- a few unexpected challenges. And yet when it is all said and done I still loved our day together, just like I love my not so picture perfect (yet amazing!) marriage.

Thank you Lord for a wonderful day of memories, life lessons, and fun!