A Day at Hogle Zoo

Earlier this summer, I was driving and chatting with my kids in the car.  Adam (who is nine) mentioned that he's never been to the zoo.  I immediately felt like the Slacker Mom that I am.  What nine-year-old has never been to a zoo?

To clarify, Adam actually HAS been to a zoo. When he was 2-ish, we went to the zoo with Pepper's pre-K class.  Unfortunately, Adam was too young for that trip to have made any impression on his memory, so it doesn't really count (even though I have a photo to prove that he was actually on zoo grounds).

So, to nullify my guilt, we planned a trip to Hogle Zoo this summer.  I think the fact that Adam had no memory of a zoo should tell you how much I "love" zoos.  But, in the interest of being a Good Mom, I sucked it up, packed lots of snacks, and met my sisters and their kids at Hogle Zoo.

We went as soon as it opened, so we were able to beat the heat of the day.  This is a key factor in enjoying the zoo.  We also left the zoo by lunchtime, so we didn't have to drag around tired, hungry kids.  This is also a key factor in enjoying the zoo.

All things considered, I think we had a successful zoo experience.  And, I took lots of pictures to prove that we did go and I am providing my children with all the required childhood experiences (documentation to present to my kids' future therapists).

All the kids by the giant elephant statue.  Yes, that is an elephant.

Baby Suri with her mommy.  She is the big attraction at Hogle Zoo this year.  A question:  isn't Suri also the name of Tom Cruise's little girl?  Sad.

Pep and Adam by the ostriches.

Erik, Luke, and Austin by the Chuck Wagon.  That is where we carried all the snacks.

Jayce, Makell, Monica, Shelbi, Erik, Jodi, and Ryan by the giraffes.

Jessica's friend Braedyn was visiting from MI, so she got to join us on our zoo trip.  Lucky her.

I told Adam I wanted to take his picture by his favorite animal.  This is it.

This totally awesome drinking fountain has been around since I was a little girl.  I remember being slightly scared to take a drink from the lion's mouth.

At the tiger cages, we couldn't see any tigers.  While the rest of us were craning our necks trying to see tigers in an empty cage, Pep was smart enough to look up and find the tiger calmly watching us from atop this bridge.

No trip to the zoo is complete without the requisite bird show.

We also happened to catch a little meerkat porn.  *ahem*

Well, do you?

Before we left, Grandma treated us all to a ride on the train.  It was the perfect way to finish off the day.

All things considered, I think we all had a fun day.  And now I can check it off my list...