z is for zoo

The weather has been so nice lately that we decided to take a family trip to the zoo this weekend.  We thought we might be a little crazy going on a Saturday on a holiday weekend, but it really wasn't all that crowded.

We got there the second they opened and got to see quite a bit in the first hour that we were there before more people started coming.  If you go to the zoo this summer, I highly recommend buying your tickets online and printing them at home.  We walked right in and bypassed a long line of people buying tickets. 

We immediately went to visit "Africa".  The elephants and giraffes are my favorite animals.  

They definitely didn't disappoint.  An elephant and giraffe even gave us a little show!!

A trip to the zoo wouldn't be complete without an elephant ride.  

Pearson really wanted me to get on the big one with him.  He finally settled for me getting on the small elephant with him. 

As soon as we passed the monorail station Pearson started asking to ride the "train".  We hadn't planned on riding the monorail, but since it was only $3 for both Matt and Pearson to ride it, we went and let him go.  It was time for me to feed Nash anyways, so I found a shady spot to feed Nash and the boys went on the monorail.  Pearson enjoyed the special time with Daddy!

I absolutely loved watching my boys look at all the animals.  It was so precious hearing Pearson say "Look at this animal, Daddy" over and over and over!!

 You won't believe me, but Nash stayed awake pretty much the entire time.  He took a few little cat naps, but he enjoyed watching Pearson.  It was so precious to see him look up at his big brother and give him the biggest smiles!!

 Around 11:30, we found a nice table in the shade to have a little picnic.  

 We saw the majority of the zoo before lunch, so after we ate we looked the reptile building then walked around the children's zoo.

It started to get hot around 1:30, so we took that as our cue to head home for naps.  We had the perfect family day at the zoo!! Pearson was well behaved and told us when he needed to potty, Nash was just as chill as ever, and the weather was perfect.   I couldn't have asked for a better day with my family!!