Labor Day at the zoo

With our extra day off this weekend and the nice weather we've been having, we decided to make a trip to the zoo this morning to see some of the animals we missed on our last trip. Many of the animals were out and roaming about with the cooler temps this morning and it was fun to watch them amble about and even interact with a few of them.

I tried to get a few shots of the kids watching the animals if the animals were in the right position. As this blog is mostly a journal for my kids, I hope they'll enjoy looking back to see what their reactions and interactions were like on trips like this. Finn enjoyed watching the ostriches and giraffes at the first exhibit we came to. (You can see the parade of ostriches in the background.)

The chimps and gorillas were so funny and interactive today. Both wandered up to the glass and started making motions at the kids.

I love the expression on the gorilla especially, like he trying to figure out what to think about Finn.

Many beautiful birds and gorgeous plants inhabited the aviary.

Elizabeth thought this plant was particularly note-worthy at 8-10 feet tall. The leaves were more than a foot wide!

After the aviary, we headed over to see the sea lions. Their underwater viewing area is always a fun stop since the sea lions are almost always actively swimming around their tank.

Elizabeth and I made another trip through the butterfly walk.

Then we built a tee-pee(ish) structure in one of the play areas.

A visit to the stream to see the otters and the prairie to see the bison rounded out our visit.

I hope you found something relaxing and enjoyable to do on the day we recognize the rest of the year spent working.