Substance of Faith: Best Zoo Day Ever....

I like to get 1 membership a year to somewhere fun for the boys.... so we can take "field trips." We've had memberships to the Discovery Gateway, Museum of Natural History (well, not so much a membership, but we were all still free), and most recently- the Zoo. We love the Zoo... at least we love it during the school year. I think we only went once this past summer because it was just too hot and too crowded.
We drive Dave to work on Thursdays (because I work in the morning and parking at the U in the afternoon is impossible), so I treat Thursdays as our "fun" afternoon- that's usually when we go on our little adventures. Anyway, this last Thursday, I really wanted to go out and have fun with the boys- I've been working so much I feel like I have been neglecting them (not the kind of neglect that leads to Child Services, but the kind that leads to a guilty mommy). The boys had the choice between the Zoo & the Rec Center's outdoor Pool, and the boys chose wisely- we ended up at the Zoo (which also had the bonus of being close to Dave's work, so less driving).
It was the most fantastic Zoo day ever! I had a whole bunch of energy (which is a nice change of pace from the usual) and a bag full of goodies (we packed a lunch and so many yummy snacks). Emery had already had a nap and Ethan was in a good mood (also in the "good big brother" zone as well). It wasn't too hot- just in the upper 80's- not the blistering upper 90's we have been dealing with. And- Salt Lake City Schools were back in session- so no kids! Really- there just weren't that many people in the zoo! It was great. And the animals were so cooperative- most were sitting just a few feet away from the windows or were pretty active. In the past about 80% of the animals have been asleep or hiding when we were there, so it was nice to be able actually get up close and see the animals, see them doing animally things, and to not have to fight through a crowd to see them. We usually end up doing the train ride & the carousel when we go- it's just a fun way to break up the day. We found out they are closing the train ride in mid September though- I'm kind of bummed about that. And they'll be closing the playground area too! Those are two of the best parts!

Here's our day in pictures...

No trip to the Zoo would be complete without a visit to the fountain the courtyard...

I think of these as the skunk monkeys (not for the smell, but for the color), but for the life of me I can't remember what they are really called. Just chilling by the glass.

These monkeys were super active- there were 2 swinging and climbing against the glass and watching everyone watch them.

We were finally able to catch the Elephant show (usually we miss it). The boys lost interest fairly quickly, but it was fun to watch the Elephants get a bath

I have never seen an elephant lay down before (I mean go through the action of standing to laying).

Just enjoying a bath...

Just like with the fountain, no trip to the Zoo is complete without a visit to the Gorilla

(or as Ethan likes to call him "the Big Monkey.").

Rhinos! Awake!

I couldn't resist taking this picture and sending it to Dave at work.

The Seal was showing off for the boys. It was going in circles in it's pool and would repeatedly pass in front of the windows. The boys would chase it from one side to the other and then run back so they could run after it again. They thought this was hilarious.

2 of the seals were playing right in front of the windows here.

Ethan sat and watched them for like 10 minutes.

Lunch time. And token photo of Mommy (I hate having my picture taken when I am pregnant).

This was so cool- they have tables right in the middle of the Rocky Shores Exhibit so you can sit and eat and watch the bears roam around. This was the view from our lunch table.

I promise I was taking a picture of the boys watching bears, not just them eating lunch...

Another example of some prime animal viewing- there were 3 bears all roaming around and 1 was swimming

Look at how close the boys were to this bear! It was so cool!

And a pit stop at the misting fan. This thing was almost more fun for the boys than all of the animals combined. I finally had to drag Emery away...

We do the Carousel & the Train ride whenever we go to the Zoo (if we have time). Ethan really wanted to ride the "Big Monkey" and Emery was sitting on a Rhino.

Em was fascinated by this cat.

And we were there during their feeding time so we got to watch them eat a mouse!

I think this thing was trying to make a break for it. It had a pretty good sized hole going.

Usually we just see the tigers asleep in the shade, so it was fun to see one up close and in the water! I know that tigers swim, but I'd never seen one in the water- so this was quite a treat.