A Trip to the Zoo

Last Friday, Wesley's class went to the zoo. In fact, the whole second grade went to the Birmingham Zoo. We had planned to send Wes on this field trip, but once we really thought about it we realized we could all three go and spend some time with my parents :) So, this past Friday, we headed off to Birmingham and finally got to see their apartment for the first time! We had a great evening with them and then got some beauty sleep to prepare us for an adventure on Saturday! We got up and headed to IHOP which was delicious! (Chocolate chip pancakes are a MUST, in my book)

Then, we headed straight to the zoo! First stop: a Train Ride!



Right away we put Wes in charge of our map and he really took his job seriously! He scoped out a few spots he most wanted to see and we charted a course for fun!


High on Wes's To Do List: Kangaroo Kountry and the Carousel


This Hungry, Hungry Hippo was one of the first sites we saw



Along the way, we posed with this friendly rabbit (he didn't have any Trix, though)











Of course, the camel ride was also a wonderful photo op!

 


Brad and Daddy got a kick out of this giraffe and they even fed him a few branches from the trees in the foreground






This was one of MY favorite spots - in the Lorikeet cage you could feed nectar to the birds. At first, Wes thought he would just hold the cup and NOT have the bird land on his arm, but once my dad got him started, Wes was enthralled by the little bird and LOVED having one perched on his arm :) It was sooo sweet watching him walk cautiously to be sure not to spook the bird :)









As always with Wes, we simply cannot predict what will catch his interest.... At the zoo, his absolute favorite thing was this small side exhibit that allowed him to practice milking a cow - Or in this case, a bucket! He would have spent the rest of the afternoon perched right there! He looooved it!









Sunday morning came too quickly - After a trip to the Cracker Barrel it was time to say goodbye :(

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Brad surprised me Monday morning with the news that he had the day off! Naturally, we spent some serious time in the GARDEN! Check it out:



After school and choir, Wes FINALLY got to plant his corn! Think he looks excited?








Here, Brad shows him how it's done :)





And, here is how it's laid out - I THINK!! I'm not sure I labeled the tomatoes and peppers properly ;)




Other things are still growing and blooming:

 

The AWESOME Amaryllis finally opened and once it did, boy were we in for a surprise! It just keeps on blooming! SIX BLOOMS - Check it out:

While we were at it, we mowed the front, back and way-back yards. Brad did most of the work, but I did tackle the way-back. We have some pretty weeds growing back there and they produce purple flowers. As I started mowing, I spotted Brad sweetly picking all the purple flowers! Later, I discovered them tucked into a vase in the kitchen. I thanked him for such a romantic gesture, but was surprised to find he had an ulterior motive! He knew I loved those flowers and he was worried I wouldn't mow over them and would leave lots of patches of tall grass in an effort to protect the flowers!! Isn't it funny how differently men and women think?!
This photo LOOKS like just another picture of pretty purple flowers, but it's actually so much more... It's my way of bragging that these flowers are still ALIVE!!! I am so proud of myself that they aren't even turning yellow or wilting! I may have found something I can handle!