We met up with our friends Troy, Katie, Ethan and Adia. The kids were so cute all walking around holding hands, but every time we went to take a picture of them one kid would go running off in a new direction. This was the closest we could get.
Here is Michael looking at the monkeys.
Michael has a little backpack that looks like a monkey that is actually a leash in disguise. It is a great way to let him walk around places like this without having to worry about him running off. He loves to wear it and he's usually pretty good about letting someone hold onto the tail. Plus this smile is just so fake and cheesy.
One of Michael's favorite animals were the penguins. He loved watching them dive into the water and swim. He kept running over to me and telling me to come look at them.
One of my favorite animals was the tigers. This one was sitting on top of a little bridge that we walked under. He was just watching all of the people going by and seeming as content as could be. I think he is just so beautiful.
We did have one traumatizing moment though. Michael loved the real elephants. This statue though was another matter. Katie and I thought it would be so cute to get a picture of all of the kids sitting on the elephants trunk. Ethan and Adia were all for it, but Michael wouldn't even go near it. If you look closely at the left of the picture, you can see Levi trying to show Michael that it's just fake and get him to touch it. Michael is refusing to even look at the statue while he tries to climb over Levi's shoulder in order to get away from it. The problem, I believe, is that this statue was not just a statue; it was also playing music. The tune of "Pop Goes the Weasel" to be exact. Even now when people ask Michael if he liked the zoo he says, "I no like elephant song." Maybe someday we'll go back and try it again.
I have to brag a little bit about this picture because I am absolutely astonished that it actually turned out and on the first try even. We sent Levi and Troy on the carousel with all of the kids, and Katie and I waited with our fingers on the buttons of our cameras to take their pictures as they came around. So this picture is amazing because ... 1. the carousel is moving and the picture is still in focus 2. this was my first try at getting the picture 3. both Levi and Michael are looking at me. I was totally shocked and amazed when I looked at the picture.
All in all our little vacation was a wonderful and much needed success. I'm grateful that my husband suggested it.
