Brinley's Preschool at the Zoo

Oh, what a day!

When we first arrived at the zoo, it was so busy with tons of kiddos and their parents. Our group consisted of nine mothers and their children. About 10 minutes into our trip, I noticed that Brinley was no longer with me. I figured she had just attached herself to one of my friends. After I located all of the moms in our group and no one had her, I started to look around for her. When I realized she wasn't anywhere around us, I started to worry a little. After a few minutes of looking around, and just as I was starting to panic, a man pointed me in the direction of the front gates. I left Sophie with a friend and started to sprint towards the front. Just at that moment when I thought my heart would leap out of my chest, I spotted Brinley in the ticket counter at the entrance. When I reached her, she was telling the lady that her mom's name was Monica and that I was wearing a pink shirt. I was unspeakably relieved to find her and also really proud that she knew exactly what to do. After that little fiasco, she held my hand almost the rest of the trip. We had a great time, but she rarely let me out of her sight. That was a cheap lesson... I didn't have to yell at her, and I didn't even pass out!
The kids really like the new Africa exhibit and the elephant that sprays water.


The giraffe slide is almost as cool as any real animal at the zoo. It is always a big hit!

It is a tradition in our family to take a picture of the kids on this tiger everytime we go to the zoo. I use it to measure their growth. What would I ever do if they took the tiger away?

Brinley took this picture of the Komodo Dragon, which is almost always Jake's favorite animal. We sure missed the Buddy on this trip!
James and the girlies on the Komodo Dragon

This little ocelot exhibit was hilarious. Sophie ran right up to the glass and was so excited to look right in. The animal lunged toward the glass in equal excitement. Sophie jumped back as fast as I have ever seen her move, and she is super-fast! Her heart had to be pounding, but she soon realized the glass would keep her from harm, so she enjoyed watching the little rodent, from a safe distance.

Sometimes I think that the little structures at the zoo entertain my kids more than the actual animals on exhibit. Oh well, on a nice day the zoo is always fun!