We Fit Right In

Last week my Mother-in-law came down for a week-long visit. While she was here it was almost like a “stay-cation” for the boys and me. One of the best parts of homeschooling is being able to take time off from our usual studies and have mid-week field trips! 🙂 Unfortunately, this is my husband’s busy time at work so he missed out on a lot of the fun. We had a lovely day at the beach, shopping, a bowling outing and probably one of the most enjoyable days was spent at the Jacksonville Zoo.

I love animals and I love going to the zoo. This is evident by the number of pictures I took last Tuesday, only about 395. (Thank goodness for digital cameras, right?)  It had been quite a few years since I visited the Jacksonville Zoo, and its just so much more fun seeing it with your kids.  Junior was excited to see the sting rays and JD kept scaring Grandma by saying he wanted to see the BIG snakes! Being the country girl that I am, (as a teenager, I’d skin rattlesnakes…) I found the snakes pretty interesting myself!

We got to the zoo about mid-morning and stayed till closing. They had a wonderful January promotion offering discounted admission, two-buck Tuesday! Woo hoo! This was a considerable savings and made paying the “extra fees for extra fun” throughout the park, a little more acceptable. I will definitely keep my eye out for other promotion days because it is such a great place to take your kids, burn a ton of calories 😉 , and learn about some of the most unique and exotic creatures that God created.

We started the day by checking out Sting Ray Bay. For an extra cost, visitors can touch the sting rays. Junior LOVED it. He would have spent all day here if it had been possible. We decided to take our time exploring and therefore did not cover the entire zoo, meaning we MUST go back. 🙂

Petting the Sting Rays

Petting the Sting Rays

 

The African animal exhibits are always fun. One of the rhinos came right under us at the observation deck and he was HUGE!

 

Up Close and Personal

Up Close and Personal

 

I enjoyed walking through the aviary and trying to match all the crazy bird sounds with their owners. These little guys were making the neatest whistle sound. I’m sure in their language it meant, “Really, Lady, ANOTHER picture?”

 

Whistlin' Dixie ;)

Whistlin’ Dixie 😉

 

Feeding the giraffes is another fun extra activity the zoo offers.

 

Feeding the Giraffes

Feeding the Giraffes

 

Okay, this was totally worth the extra dollar to feed the Lorikeets, part of the Australian Adventure. Unfortunately, Junior spilled his cup of nectar right after entering the aviary…those pretty little Lories can get greedy and grab the cup! Thankfully, there were several kind visitors that were more than willing to share an extra cup with us and more nectar. We all enjoyed spending extra time at this exhibit and it reminded me of how much fun it is to have a pet bird.

Joy!

Joy!

 

I’ve decided not to include too many pictures of the chimpanzees. The boys were giggling and loving their antics, but honestly, the chimps personal grooming habits left me shaking my head and wanting to move on.  However,  I did happen to notice the phrase “Keep Your Nose Clean” embroidered and hanging in Mother Chimp’s home.

We ended our day with a ride on the “Choo Choo Train” as JD calls it. We were all fairly worn out at this point but the train ride was a neat way too see “behind the scenes” at the zoo. The best part is that we got to SIT and look. 😉

Tired but happy on the train :)

Tired but happy on the train 🙂

Here are a few more of my favorite pictures from our day!

 

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