The Zoo!

the ft wayne zoo opened in late april, and the kids and i finally managed to make it there for a visit!  it is different than the indy zoo (no elephants...minor setback for e), but i think we will definitely be there just as much as we were for the indy zoo!

this seal was a HAM.  he would frequent the glass where the kids were standing and blow bubbles

they had peacocks just roaming about...seriously, they were on the side walks just weaving around people, and we spotted a couple (or maybe the same one twice) in the trees.  this one started walking towards us and was a little too close for comfort.  i had a bad experience with a goose when i was little, so wild birds sort of freak me out.

a train!  we happened to go on "world's most popular school field trip to the zoo day", so evan didn't get to truly enjoy this train.  we had some fairly aggressive grade schoolers running around and shoving their way into the train.  too bad we didn't also go on "parents/chaperon control your kids" day : )

grace also truly enjoyed the zoo!  she spent a bit of time out of the stroller, but i was kind of hoping she would take a bit of a nap.  guess the zoo was too exciting because she couldn't quite knock one off.  evan was an excellent big brother and would constantly run up to her and point different things out.

what is more fun that an ACTUAL turtle?  a fake one that you can climb on!

and of course the goats.  not very great pictures from inside the petting/brushing zone because these goats were aggressive!!!  i spent some of my time pulling my shirt out of their mouths (guess my detergent is tasty?), and i spent even more time smacking their heads away as they tried to eat grace's feet.

photo op!  also a popular one for the 8,000 field trip kids.  evan must have thought one of the chaperone's was the zoo photographer because when it was his turn he was looking at that guy instead of me : )

and, if i wasn't convinced this zoo was tailored to evan (and kids his age) the pony ride sealed the deal.  i was actually trying to escape (grace had reached her limit by this point) without getting caught up in the pony ride, but thanks to a lovely family in front of us that announced loudly to their boys that they needed to hurry if the kids wanted to ride on the ponies, i had no hope.  once evan heard about it, he was fixated.  turns out there was no line, and i even managed to convince evan to ride a pony instead of a horse.  he was dead set on the horse while we were waiting to choose his pony or horse.  his pony of choice did not like me though...this pony spent the two laps doing his best to shove me off the track!