The San Diego Zoo!

We decided to get a membership to the San Diego Zoo, and we are so glad we did. We get in to both the zoo and to the Wild Animal Park for an entire year. We didn't make it to the Wild Animal Park this time, so we're looking forward to going back really soon. We had such a fun time! San Diego is about 2.5 hours away from us, so we had to be on the road pretty early to get there by 9 when the zoo opens. That part wasn't too fun. :)

Our first stop was the flamingos. I've always wondered why they stand on one foot, so seeing them today inspired me to look up the answer to that question. Unfortunately, there's actually no known answer - many theories, though. One theory is that standing on one leg helps them look more like a tree so they can catch fish easier. Another is that their feet and legs are susceptible to pruning with prolonged water exposure, just like our skin is, so they keep one leg out in order to stay in the water longer. Interesting.

Asher really liked the snake exhibit. One of the snakes started slithering up the glass, and he thought that was especially neat and kept trying to touch it (all boy).

The orangutans were hilarious. There was one up in a tree that started playing peek-a-boo with a burlap sack it was playing with. The kids couldn't believe it was smart enough to do that!

Asher thought it was really cool how small his hands were next to
the mold of the orangutans foot.

The blue macaws were another favorite part of the day. These 2 in particular were going at it like crazy for no apparent reason (no female around to fight over - it was just the 2 of them).

Cambria really liked them until they started "yelling" at each other. She didn't like that one bit!

The polar bears were really cool and started playing with each other as soon as we got there to see them. They put on a really good show, but of course they stopped as soon as I tried to capture them on video.

The kids really enjoyed their lunches. We'd never been to this zoo before, so we had to learn what to order by trial and error - this time was the error. :) We ended up ordering way too much food for the kids and ended up passing by a really cool kiddie restaurant a while later that we'll go to next time instead. Kyrie couldn't believe we ordered her that much food! :) Asher and Bri devoured their cheeseburger, though.

And Kyrie called dibs on the cute bucket that Asher and Cambria's lunch came in. She carried it around all day long and refused to put it down. Funny what these kids attach to (Asher's "baby", anyone?). :)

The kids were very excited to take a ride on Skyfari. Kyrie, Cambria and I sat in one while Derk, Asher and the stroller went in the other. Kyrie thought it was the best thing ever and kept "casually suggesting" we take Skyfari throughout the rest of the day.

The girls (well, only about half of Cambria, but I tried!) and I on Skyfari.


Derk and Asher ahead of us.

The petting zoo was yet another really fun part of the day. There were goats out there this time, and Kyrie and Asher had a blast petting all the different goats.

Asher was quite infatuated with their ears for some reason. :)


Kyrie just loved how little and cute they were.

Cambria, on the other hand, was not so pleased with these strange creatures and refused to go anywhere near them.

She had this look several times throughout the day -
just not sure about all these strange animals, especially the goats.

There were these guys dressed up as monkeys (albeit very strange monkeys) that were walking on stilts. As if I need any help feeling any shorter, right? Which is why Derk took the picture next to them instead of me. :)

Kyrie especially enjoyed the sea otter show because sitting down to watch it meant she got to eat popcorn. To those of you who don't know, Kyrie could consume an entire box (like a 12 pack or larger) of popcorn in one sitting and entirely by herself. She's euphoric right now, as you can tell. :)

I thought the scenery around the zoo was spectacular, though Derk laughed at me for taking pictures of the trees. I'm just always so amazed and overwhelmed at all the beauty to be found in nature and can't help but capture it on film.

And then here are just some random pictures from the rest of our day. :)