Happy Monday!! This week is potty training week for us so we will be spending most of our time at home, encouraging a pantless Audrey to run and go pee-pee on the potty! This means I'll probably be stir-crazy by the end of the week, but maybe, just maybe she'll take to going potty better than her sister and I'll have some hair left at the end of it. Right now I'm feeling pretty optimistic, but we'll see how the week goes!
This past Saturday, we made a trip down to visit David's sister Lindsey and her husband in Birmingham and decided to make a zoo trip out of it. Since we weren't able to all be together last weekend for Mother's Day, David's parents drove down as well. The zoo is one of my very favorite places to visit and I wish SO BAD that Huntsville had one. Our plan is to make it to several of the surrounding zoos this summer, and we thought that visiting the Birmingham Zoo was the perfect opportunity visit Aunt Lindsey and Uncle Brian. We don't get to see them often, even though they are just over an hour away, so it's always a treat to hang out with them.
We ended up getting delayed in traffic for about 45 minutes around Cullman because they were mowing the grass, of all things, so that was a little frustrating. It was lunch time when we got there so we ate a quick picnic lunch that we had packed, then got right to seeing the animals. When we asked the girls what they were most excited about seeing, Raley said the giraffes and Audrey said the tiger. Unfortunately the tiger wasn't there anymore (the last time we were there, he was right next to the glass, pacing back and forth. I'm not sure why he's not there anymore).
First off, look at this super cool little girl. She was obsessed with her sunglasses all day and cracking us up!
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| The sass is strong with this one |
One of our favorite parts of the day was feeding the flamingos, or as Audrey calls them, the "fwaginos." She'd say "Why is he doing dat? Why is da fwagino makin a silly face?" It was pretty cool to be so close to these beautiful animals. They are fun to watch. They kept fighting with each other, ruffling their feathers, and the girls thought it was hilarious.
After walking around for a bit, we let the girls play in the splash pad for a few minutes to cool off. We didn't think to bring swimsuits, so we thought if we let just let them play for a few minutes they won't get too soaked. Well, they did! But they had fun and that's all that matters.
Some other favorite animals were the monkeys and the cats. Monkeys are fun to watch swing around and play (the orangatan had a paper bag on it's head😂), but the big cats are some of my personal favorites. They are such big, sleek, majestic, beautiful animals. We were bummed Mr. Tiger wasn't there this time, but there were signs saying that they would be getting a tiger in 2019. Maybe they're making a new habitat for him?
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| Notice the tiger on Audrey's arm? Gigi got Audrey a little tiger and Raley a giraffe that hooks on their arms. They absolutely love them! |
Gigi treated me and the girls to camel rides. Audrey kept saying "dis doggy so soft!" The girl is too much! Raley looked like such a big girl up there.
We had hoped to be able to feed the giraffes, especially since Raley said they were her favorites, but by the time we got to them it was later in the day and they weren't really wanting to eat anymore. There was a line of people who had already paid for the giraffe encounter, but the giraffes just weren't having it. I'm glad we didn't pay first before checking out the situation. Next time we'll be sure to get there earlier and feed the giraffes first thing.
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| I can see why these are Raley's favorite. They are so stinkin' cute! |
It only took a few hours to make it through the entire zoo. I must admit, of all the zoos I've been to, Birmingham is my least favorite. It's the closest one to where we live, which is why we've been multiple times, but honestly, I think it's overpriced. It's small and I don't like how a lot of the exhibits are set up. Many of them are not great for viewing and the animals don't have enough room (in my opinion). My absolute favorite zoo that I've ever been to is the St. Louis Zoo. It's huge, they have the best animals, a great set up and the exhibits are bigger so the animals have more room to roam. And its FREE, yall! There are certain encounters and activities you have to pay for, but admission is free. That's the way to run a zoo! I wish we weren't 6 hours away, because we would be visiting frequently (we went twice during our baseball trip to St. Louis a few years ago and we've been itching to go back ever since.)
So after we finished at the zoo, we went to the Bluff Park Ice Cream Shoppe. They have a ton of unique flavors which were so good. The flavor I got was called Exhausted Parent and was a mix of bourbon and espresso with chocolate pieces. I'm still dreaming about it now!
We went back to Lindsey and Brian's house for a bit to cool off and relax. We spent the time arguing about Laurel vs. Yanny and the girls played in the dog crate (by choice!), while Audrey kept saying "can I come into the out now" and would get out and then immediately get back in. The things that entertain little kids are hilarious.
We ended up eating dinner and The Boot at The Grove in Hoover to celebrate Lynn for Mother's Day. The Boot is located in an old bank. The place is huge and had a really neat atmosphere and even better food! I got a pimento cheese burger (I've never had one before) and it was amazing! I only wish I could have eaten more of it! All entrees come with a "Boot fry blend" which is a mix of french fries, waffled sweet potato fries, and fried okra, all with some sort of Parmesan seasoning on it. Man-oh-man the food was to die for!
They also have a bouncy house behind the building that is open for customers to use, so we let the girls bounce for a bit before heading home.
It was such a perfect day and Lynn, I hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day celebration! We appreciate all you do for us and your love for our babies!
I hope everyone has a wonderful week! That three day weekend will be here before you know it.
*What are your favorite animals at the zoo? What is your favorite zoo? I would really love to hear from you so I know where to go next!
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Labels: activities, children, family, Kids' Favorite Things, Life Lately, motherhood, Our Little Family
