A Day at the Zoo

On Saturday we took a day trip to the Indy Zoo. It was pretty crowded due to the day of the week, but nevertheless we were able to see almost all of the zoo. We ate lunch outside the front gate, and Noah proceeded to fall asleep in his stroller as soon as we entered the zoo! You can see him sleeping here.

It was a hot afternoon, but we still got some good views of various animals such as this giraffe.

Noah typically takes a two hour afternoon nap, and that day was no different. He missed seeing all of the forest animals as well as the plains animals. (So much for all of that time beforehand showing him pictures of wild animals in his picture books.) He did wake up in time to see the snakes and lizards in the desert biome.

Jason really enjoyed seeing the rhinocerous splash in the mud. These animals are so much larger in person than in a picture!

Finally, Noah is awake. We watched the walrus swimming in the water, and Noah really liked that. We proceeded on to the oceans to see the fish. There was a new addition of a "touch a shark" area where kids can actually pet the small sharks swimming by. Noah had to be pried away from the shark tank. Soon we had to pry him away from the penguins. (I love watching the penguins too, Noah!)

Noah gets to ride on Grandpa Gary's shoulders.

Noah got to pet several different farm animals in the petting zoo. He called every one of them "dog" too. (One of these days he'll catch on that not all animals are dogs.)

We finished the afternoon at the splash park in the zoo. Noah squealed with delight as the cool water sprayed him from various tubes and gadgets. I was pleasantly surprised to see his bravery at going into / near the water. The last time we visited a splash park, he wanted nothing to do with it. Of course, when you pair a running child wearing crocs with wet concrete, inevitably a fall will happen. Grandpa Gary soon fixed the teary eyed Noah and bloody lip with a nice, cold ice cream cone.

It was definitely a fun time had by all.