Where the wild things are

Last week the boys and I went to the Dallas Zoo. I didn't know what to expect because the only zoo I can remember is the Boise zoo, and it's fairly small. The zoo here in Dallas is HUGE and we had a blast!! We started off with the elephants, and they were a BIG hit. They had fun elephant statues that the kids got to climb all over too. Naturally, Jess went for the large one, and Jack went for the smaller, seemingly safer one.

Then we saw a cool Jeep, and the boys wanted to climb on it. I thought it would be a fun picture, so I encouraged them to go drive it. About 30 seconds after they got into the front seat of the Jeep, two cheetahs ran up into the back of the jeep, that was behind a glass partition. I had no idea there was a huge piece of meat just sitting there waiting for them. The kids and I were startled at first, but they thought it was really cool to get to see them up close. While we were at the zoo that day, I found out that my children have no understanding of the danger associated with a predatory animal. I haven't decided if this is a good thing or a bad thing

Jess: "See the kitty, mom!"

"Sure. A kitty....right. A kitty that eats gazelles."


Then came my favorite- The giraffes! They were so cool, and came right up to see us. I thought Jess was going to try to squeeze through the gate and run right in! I think he made a connection. :)


Next on the list were the gorillas. The kids were bored with the real ones....but the statues seemed to attract their attention. I still don't think Jess even knew the difference!



Moving on, we came to the monkeys. Jack fit right in, immediately getting a kiss from what looked to be the Alpha female. Maybe she recognized him from when they dropped him off at the hospital because she was a young single mother that couldn't care for her monkey baby. Needless to say, I was happy to have that little monkey be a part of our family. :) She was more than a little distraught when he said goodbye to her, and we walked away.


After that, was by far, the funniest of all of the exhibits at the zoo. The "SWIMMING DUCKS!" Jess spotted them from 100 yards away- and was memorized by their capabilities. I was laughing so hard I almost forgot to take pictures! "Swimming Ducks". I have to say.....it does make sense.

I happen to think Tigers are one of the coolest animals. Their power is just extraordinary. But when this one looked into your eyes.....Whoa! I got chills that ran all the way down my spine. I have a feeling that even the boys were a little creeped out by him!



We stopped and ate lunch for a while. Enjoyed the cloud cover on what would have been a pretty warm day without it, and then moved on.



"CAMEL RIDES"

Did that sign just say Camel Rides??

Perfect. Jack will LOVE this!


No picture of Jack you say?

Yeah....he didn't love it.

Turns out Little 1 year old Jess wanted to ride her instead. So he walked out on the elevated dock inside the camel enclosure, and climbed aboard. He seemed rather bored to be quite honest, but he had a smile on his face. Jack is still completely comfortable admitting that "That camel was weird. She made me nervous!"

After Jess got off, Jack at least pet the camel. A another boy was walking out to catch the next ride and Jess yelled "No. My Camel!" Jess hasn't learned that there will always be another boy in line when it comes to a girl. Poor Jess. He thought it was an exclusive relationship.


It was a great trip, and we had tons of fun. It's been quite a while since the boys have gone to a zoo. The boys slept for 3 hours after they got home because we had been walking around all morning and afternoon. I wish Jake could've been there.....but I am proud of myself for taking the boys without him.