we took Clark to the zoo last month for the first time and he had a blast!! Clark loves going new places and he loves animals so he was truly in awe.
we went with my good friend Helen and her girls and she snapped some adorable photos. she goes to the zoo practically every week so she knew her way around and we were able to see so much in just a few hours! first stop: the aquarium!
Clark was fascinated by the huge fish there, some were bigger than him! he enjoyed climbing on the rocks around the tanks (I think he was trying to get inside) and loved getting to crawl through this tunnel with the fish swimming all around him. he makes the cutest little guppy, don't you think?!
after the aquarium, we headed over to the elephants. they were playing outside together and were so close to us! I don't remember the first time I ever saw an elephant but I'm sure my face looked something like this...
their ears are bigger than Clark!!!
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| hi Dumbo! |
next we tried to catch a peek at the lions and tigers (and bears, ohh my) but they were all sleeping. it was hard for Clark to spot any animals that weren't moving because they just blend in. he did get up close and personal with a gorilla though!
the gorillas might be my favorite...they are just so humanlike and so smart! the big, strong males are so powerful and intimidating. I could watch them all day. and once I saw a mama gorilla throwing her babies on her back and walking around with them and I about died.
Clark's favorite thing to do at the zoo was play in this little Native American playground. he ran in and out of the tee pee's, banged on the drums, almost got drenched under this waterfall, and was obsessed with the fake fire pit. he sat in it for a good five minutes, hahah.
the last animals we saw were Clark's favorite...can you guess what they were??
the giraffes! I think he was amazed at how tall they are!! we saw them eating leaves off the trees and then one came over to us and Clark just stared at him.
the last thing we did before leaving the zoo was ride the carousel. it was a first (and maybe a last) for Clark. he was SO impatient to get on while we waited for the group before us. like he refused to be held but when I put him down he just tried to run back through the line and was going crazy because we couldn't go in. then when we got in and picked an animal (a giraffe of course!) he went crazy and threw a tantrum while they were reading out the safety rules. it was the longest 3 minute announcement of my life! it probably didn't help he was so tired and ready for a nap.
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| if you look closely, you can see a tear rolling down his cheek |
once it started going though he seemed to enjoy it but halfway through he wanted to switch animals! this kid I tell ya! he was the only one crying on that carousel! then when Grandma yelled at him from the sidelines he turned around and flashed her the biggest smile! hahaha!
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| on his second animal! |
all in all though, it was a pretty great day! I bought him a stuffed giraffe to remember his first trip to the zoo. we will probably be back very soon!!
