Poppi's Birthday Trip to the Zoo

It's the second year in a row that we have gone to the Fort Worth Zoo for Poppi's birthday.  Some might start to call it a tradition very soon.  We love it!  His birthday is always the week of Thanksgiving, so the kids are out of school.  The weather was fantastic, making our day outdoors even better.

First things first--gotta measure our little monkeys!

We watched this orangutan for a minute...

then went to check out the chimps--my fave.

There was a baby and a toddler and they were so playful.

We said hello to the zebras and antelopes, but these kids were in search of the big animals.

Ready or not, elephants, here we come!

We found this mama and her baby.  Such fascinating animals.

I could watch the elephants for a long time, but we decided to move on to try and see the hippo.
No luck with that guy...

 

but we did find these beautiful creatures!

It was a great photo op (I thought), but the shadows were not my friend.

After bribing Cami, we got her to turn around.  Much better.

She liked the giraffes, but the fish were what really intrigued her.
This little lady just wanted to feed some fish!

Next up--the big cats! We saw the white tiger and then two male lions--we waited for the big ROAR, but they just weren't feeling it.  Oh well, there's always next year!

The birdhouse was next and this year, Cameron could feed them all by herself.  Happy girl.

Sometimes the birds were way up high...

and other times, just a foot away.

Too tall Jones could reach them just about anywhere.

We had lunch in this shaded area..

then Park Ranger Cami found her lost Zebra Car--watch out!

We couldn't leave without a spin (or 12) on the carousel...

which was a hit with these girls...

as well as this crew.

Next up--a meet and greet with two owls!  

The kids thought it would be fun to travel in this old timey wagon.

The adults preferred taking the train back to the entrance, though.

In no time at all, we were back to the front.  Choo choo!

We got one last look at the pretty, yet stinky, flamingos and called it a day.
The zoo birthday celebration was a big success! Can't wait to do it again next year.