Elephants, Monkeys & Giraffes (oh my)...

Saturday my sisters Jamie, Stacy, Shalane and I took the kids to the Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake. It was a hot 85 degrees (which felt a lot hotter while you are walking uphill pushing a heavy stroller with two kids on it), there were tons of people there and my kids were a little cranky (the picture above was the best I could get out of them) at times but we still enjoyed seeing all the animals.

There was a safety fair going on and they had a bunch of booths set up. The kids had fun going to all of the booths and getting their drawing cards filled up. They also got something to keep from each booth (candy, chap stick, stickers, key chains, sunscreen, string cheese, pencils etc.)

Loved seeing baby elephant Zuri-so cute!

... not so cute!

Two of the many different kinds of monkeys...

... more monkeys!

Three Musketeers...

Taking a break to eat our picnic lunch and rest.

Love how this picture turned out... so pretty!

This picture doesn't do this turtle justice at all! It is HUGE! It weights around 450 lbs. and is just massive... I've never seen one so big!

The crocodiles were also huge and a bit scary! We were there during feeding time and the employee was tossing huge white rats into the water for them to eat (which they just swallow whole-their teeth aren't designed for chewing, just grasping)... gross! The one in the picture is 11+ feet long and weighs 400+ lbs. We were surprised to learn that they are only fed 1-2 lbs. of food a week. I guess they have a pretty sedentary life...

I always love the giraffes! They are so awkwardly cute!

My zoo peeps...

We got to the zoo around 10:30AM and left hot and exhausted around 2:30PM. Both my kids were sleeping within ten minutes of leaving the parking lot. I cranked the AC and enjoyed my peaceful drive home (and almost missed an exit)...

Saturday 9/18/10

The Zoo and Playing Around...

On Wednesday my sisters(Jamie and Stacy) and I(and kids) headed to the Hogle Zoo. It was a free day so of course we weren't going to pass it up. I got there first so I had some time to kill while waiting so what better thing to do than take lots of pictures! I also had fun playing around with the pictures while editing them...

This one I blurred my side of the picture so the focus was on Maddy. I thought it looked cool and it made my skin look better! HAHA! I also desaturated it(removed color) and added a "glow" affect. Doesn't he look so precious!

A bunch of Maddy's cute faces. I was actually in almost all of these pictures but I of course ruined them with my crazy eyes so I cropped me out of them and made this cute collage of Maddy.I love the picture in the middle, but he looks too grown up in it!

Avery wasn't being as cooperative but I managed to get this cute one of her.


I love this picture! Don't you want to snatch him up and squeeze him like crazy? I do!


Same with this one...I love it!


Some of the animals we saw.

Maddy was especially excited to see the penguins and kept asking where they were. Once we got close he and his cousin Dallin took off running to them. This is a picture of him looking at them. He kept yelling(really loudly), "Hi penguins!" It was cute!

So I might have teased my sister Jamie about her "pink frilly hat" which led her to change it for the leopard looking one. I love ya Jamie! No matter what you wear! I've just missed you so much I couldn't resist messing with you!

Isn't my sister Stacy's little toosh so cute!

Enjoying our lunch. I seem to always manage to get caught with my mouth full! Don't I look thrilled!

Isn't this super cute! Maddy was playing with this umbrella while in the gift shop(waiting for forever for my sister Stacy to stuff her container full of zoo animals-I think she was trying to break a record), and he stepped just outside the door so I snuck a picture before I made him come back in(the clerk was glaring at me.)

I couldn't decide if I liked the color or black and white better so you get to look at my toosh not once but twice...

Overall we had a fun time. It was a bit chilly but not unbearable((it was free, can't complain.) Maddy got hit (by accident) in the nose with a stick his cousin threw and so his nose was scraped and bleeding but nothing major. The kids also fell asleep on the way home which is always nice! Thanks Jamie and Stacy for a fun time...we need to make sure we get together weekly! I miss you guys when we don't!