Zoo-tastic!

Wouldn't you know...every day this week, Riley has had trouble waking up at 5:30...most mornings, she even had a diaper change and clothes on before even beginning to budge. Today's plan...sleep in before heading to the San Antonio Zoo. So, who was up playing in their crib at 5:30 a.m. in anticipation??? You know it...Riley must have been dreaming about the lions, and tigers and bears! Fortunately, after a bit of "monkeying" around, she nodded off for another 2 hours, allowing us to catch a few extra zzzzz's.

After breakfast, we headed out, in hopes of beating the crowd to the zoo. We arrived shortly after the gates opened, and had a wonderful time visiting many of the exhibits.

We really enjoyed phase 1 of the new African Exhibit...displaying many of the river species. The hippo, hiding behind Riley and JD, was gigantic. Although, I'm not sure Riley noticed, as she watched the little fish swim back and forth.

My favorite area is always seeing the elephants, giraffes, and zebras.

JD couldn't resist taking Riley into the petting zoo to play with the pigmy goats. We didn't have any quarters for food, but one goat nibbled on the zoo map that he stole from JD's pocket. Riley smiled at the goats, as they ran around scrambling for a bite to eat.
The zoo has a wonderful Tiny Tots Nature Spot with animal playscapes, a mini beach area, a tunnel with fish aquariums, and many other fun alcoves for kids to explore. Riley and I found a fun spot to play on the back of a turtle shell. It was just around the corner from the tortoise exhibit (which housed 2 of the biggest tortoises ever!!)

Most animals were difficult for Riley to spot, as they were too far away. Although the gibbons were loud and swinging from rope to rope, there were too many other distractions that caught Riley's eye...all of the other kids. The one animal that she enjoyed both at the beginning and end of the trip...the flamingos. Bright, active, and with so many to watch...Riley couldn't take her eyes off the pink birds.

It was a beautiful morning to spend the day with our little angel exploring a new adventure!