Not Just Another Day At The Zoo

We love spending time at the zoo.  We have a fairly small zoo but the kids still love it. It is nice because we can buzz over there for an hour or two and see the animals and then we usually hit the park next to it for a picnic.  The kids love seeing how the baby monkeys and rhino have grown.  

We met Eric there one day after work.  I was expecting it to just be another day at the zoo but it was far from that for me.  It has been the first time we were at the zoo since bringing Max home from China.  All  the emotions and feelings came flooding back of the day we spent at the zoo with Max in China.  

As I watched Max at the zoo there were so many different emotions that surfaced.  First it was hard to believe that just six months ago we were in China meeting our son for the first time.  Six Months ago Max was so little and helpless.  I still remember our day at the zoo in China as Max slept through most of our visit on the pack on his daddy.  He had no ability to interact with the world around him.  It was like he was in his little bubble.  He would interact with us and people around us but beyond that he couldn't process or follow anything more than that.  As we fed giraffes up close and personal Max had not comprehension of what was going on around him.  But everything has changed, Max has changed. It was so fun watching his reaction to the animals.  He would squeal and giggle. He would watch the animals every move intently.  I watched Max with tears in my eyes and couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of gratefulness for the gift of a son God has given us and we continue to stand in awe of the way that he has blossomed since being home. 

Max loved these little guys! As they would swing around on the ropes he would giggle and giggle! 

He would often stand in amazement and just watch! 

Max joined right in on milking the cow! 

The kids had fun helping him feed the animals at the petting zoo! He wasn't sure what to think about the animals slobbering all over his hand!

The kids loved seeing the baby rhino and the new area that was just built for him!

It is always fun to get a closer look!

Max wasn't sure what to think of sister with rhino ears on! 

Of course our little love bug is always willing to hand out kisses!

What a great day at the zoo, not just another day at the zoo but a day full of new memories with our new little addition. 

A Little Get Away

This month is a little crazy at the McDonald house. Eric is going to be traveling quite a bit for the next couple weeks so we planned a little get away with the kids to have some quality family time before the traveling begins. We took the kids out of school on Friday and headed to the Omaha Zoo. It is an amazing zoo and is only 2 1/2 hours from our house. We headed out Friday morning and there was quite a buzz in the back of the van. The kids knew we were going somewhere and knew we were staying over night so they were eagerly guessing what the surprise was.

As we approached the zoo Emma saw the Desert Dome from a distance. She said, "I know, we are going dancing!" No we don't frequent Dance Clubs as a family but I think she thought it looked like a Disco ball. We got a good laugh and said, "That's our Emma! Always looking to have a good time!" When she was 3 Eric and I decided that she was going to be our party girl because of her love for life and have already decided she is not going to college!

The kids were very excited when they figured out we were at the zoo. It was a beautiful day. The temps actually reached 92. That is pretty warm for a fall October day at the zoo. We expected to be in jeans and sweatshirts but we pulled the shorts out instead. It actually didn't feel that warm and there is a ton of shade trees and indoor exhibits to break up the time in the sun!

One of our first stops was to see the friendly little monkeys.

The petting zoo is always a hit!

One of my favorites was the gorilla house.

They had a new Madagascar exhibit that just recently opened.

I didn't get a picture of the sea lions but they were a huge hit with everyone. The kids had fun watching them pop up from time to time and kept trying to guess where they would appear next.

Shane stopped for a bit to watch the train go by.

Our 3 little monkeys by the giraffes.

The aquarium we saved for the end. I love the aquarium but my absolute favorite is the penguins. I could watch them for a really long time. The kids got a kick out of them too!

They had fun in this little bubble as the penguins would swim right by them.

This is called the "school of fish!"

Another highlight for the kids were the sharks.

They got a good look at the sharks teeth as he swam over the kids. Shane thought those sharp teeth were pretty cool.

The last stop of the day was the Rain Forest. The kids had fun on the bridges and tunnels. They also were pretty tempted to swing from the vines like the monkeys.

Then it was time to head to the hotel. The kids were excited to get there to do some swimming for the rest of the afternoon and the evening.

The hotel had a nice pool with a little round pool attached that had a little current that sent the kids in circles as they swam.

There was also the "big" water slide that they went down numerous times.

There was a water playground with water shooting everywhere and some smaller slides. Don't be fooled the slides were small but they were fast. The kids would shoot off them right on the mat below.

Of course there were quite a few stops at the hot tub too! On Friday afternoon and evening the kids spent about 3 1/2 hours at the pool. For the majority of the time they had the pools and slides to themselves. On Saturday morning we headed back down to the pool and there were 2 other families there. Alexa said, "Wow, it is really busy today!" I think she forgot what those busy days at Wild Water West were like or just spoiled from having the pool to themselves on Friday.

The thing I loved most about the hotel was that the double rooms had double king beds instead of double queen beds. What a great concept. Look at how cute these three look all cozy in bed together. We had some very tired kids on Friday night. Their six little eyes were shut in no time. We had a fun little family get away! It is crazy to think that in not time we will have 4 little monkeys. I can't wait!

A Trip To The Zoo

We had a great weekend!! It was busy when we had 3 little ones 3 and under but now that everyone is out of diapers, gets along so well and has fun together  it makes the business worth it.  The kids are such buddies and it is fun that they all love to do the same types of things.  Just going to the park and having a picnic is exciting for them.  It is hard to believe summer is over but we truly did have a wonderful summer with our little blessings!

We had to make a quick stop at the zoo this weekend to check up on our little friend, the baby monkey!! The kids love watching him.

The other highlight is the Petting Zoo.  This time dad was with us to help feed the goats!  We still had some squeals but they are getting better at feeding the animals.  I love Emma's tongue out on the picture below! 

We were at the zoo when it was closing.  The Zoo Keeper stopped us on our way out.  She was on her way to bottle feed some baby baby animals.  I can't remember their exact name now but they look like a dear.  She asked the kids if they wanted to help her.  What a treat.  There were two little babies and they each needed 2 bottles.  The kids had so much fun!! As we were leaving Shane told the Zoo Keeper that now he wanted to wash the lion because he was all dirty.  She thought Shane was pretty cute but informed he they couldn't wash the lion. 

 

After we left the zoo we had a picnic and played at the park!   The kids never get sick of our summer days at the park! 

Shane and Alexa pretending to be lions in a face off!