A Fall Trip to the Zoo

This has been an absolutely great weekend. Kendyl had her last soccer game, my parents kept the kids so Rob and I could have a much needed date night, and then b/c the weather was beautiful that we just couldn't resist being outside, we took the kids to the zoo today instead of having them nap! Sounds crazy (my kids NEVER miss nap and they stayed with grandparents which meant they really needed one), but it was soooo fun and they were really quite good despite being a tad bit tired.

We started the trip off in Jungle Jack's Landing--I kid you not when I say Kendyl is obsessed with the new ride options. The bargaining about how many and the timing of them starts the minute the word zoo escapes my lips. We let Lauryl in on some more of the action today and that really made her day. The sound of giggling and the huge grins are the best thanks they could give us for giving in and letting them ride to their heart's content!

Kendyl and I on the Swings

Kendyl on the Frogger Ride

Lauryl joined in on the fun and rode the train
All three girls did the tea cups (daddy can't stomach rides that go in circles!)

After the tea cups we did the requisite carousel ride for Lauryl. Then we went and saw a few animals in the spirit of being at the zoo! I think we managed glimpses at flamingos, elephants, tigers, and goats. At that point it became obvious the girls were approaching their breaking points and we started to head to the car. Kendyl, however, had other plans and decided she was ready to give the roller coaster another try (she tried with her cousin, Jordyn, back in August and when she got off she was a teary mess and swore she'd never ride a roller coaster again). Rob said she did great up until the first drop, but then he encouraged some healthy screaming and she totally enjoyed it.

Daddy and Kendyl screaming their heads off -Rob's maroon hat is on backwards

(Click to enlarge for full viewing enjoyment)

All in all it was a fantastic day. It was nice hanging out together and enjoying the perfect fall weather. Life can get so hectic, so days like this really must be treasured. I hope we have some more great weather weekends still to come because I'm totally not ready for dark, dreary cold weather to become the norm.