At the Zoo

One of our favorite warm weather activities is a trip to the zoo. We are very fortunate because Milwaukee has an awesome zoo. We are also fortunate to have a Zoo Pass. My mom is very understanding of the fact that little people need things to do rather than stuff, so each year she gets Nathan a Zoo Pass for his birthday. This allows us to get in and park for free, which is awesome because entrance can be really expensive. It also means I don't feel at all guilty if we only spend a little bit of time there if the kids are too crabby or the weather gets bad.

My sisters are in spring break this week and we had lovely weather yesterday so we decided to venture to the zoo for the first time this year. Nathan always loves the zoo but this year Eleanor was old enough to enjoy it too. My sisters are always up for going with us. We went probably once a week last summer. It was awesome. We usually pack a lunch and eat there, then see all the animals. At the end we always ride the train. This time we also rode the carousel because Anna was very insistent on it.

This is the first year I've had a double stroller. Usually I either bring two strollers or I put Nathan in a stroller and wear Ellie in my Maya Wrap:

They did pretty well together. I packed some snacks because they usually do better if they can much as we go. They seem to get less antsy. 

Even so, after a while Nathan feels the need to get out. I don't blame him. It can be kind of difficult to see all the animals. It is tough when the zoo is really crowded because I'm always afraid of him running off, but he was pretty well behaved yesterday and I had the advantage of having two teenagers with me to assist in toddler herding. 

Nathan was most excited about the giraffes. I'm not sure why, but he told us before we even got there that they were his favorite. He also loved the elephants. 

And of course, at the end, we rode the train like we always do. It was even more exciting for Nathan this time because of his recent obsession with Thomas the train. Eleanor thought the train was okay too, but was very unwilling to sit down....

And finally, before we left, we took a spin on the Carousel. They have a truly beautiful one and apparently with my zoo pass I get four free tickets on it. Also You don't have to pay to ride it if you are just holding your child. So Anna, Ellie, and Nate rode it while Mary and I assisted. 

I'm really glad that the warm weather is here finally. It opens up all kinds of new activities for us to do around here. Soon we will be able to go to the beach too! I love warm weather. I'm just so much happier when it's warm!