Bears and Zebras and Giraffes

Today was Joel's first trip to the zoo! Joel and I joined my mom, her friend, and two other moms with two kids each. Five kids under the age of four made for a crazy day! Between stops at the bathroom, playground, water fountain, and gift shops, it was two hours before we saw anything more than two elephants. Joel had a lot of fun, although I think I had more fun watching him than he had watching the animals. I wanted Joel to wear his cute camoflauge hat, but he had nothing to wear that matched. So, crazy as it sounds, I bought a new outfit just for our trip to the zoo. The only way I can justify that is to tell you that it was on clearance at Old Navy and I paid less than $10 for the shorts and shirt. Anyway, here is what Joel thought of wearing his cute hat:

Once the bothersome hat was off, he enjoyed getting his feet wet with the other kids in the fountain...

He also did lots of looking curiously from his carrier and stroller...

and managed to catch a little nap, too.

We watched some gorillas play...

And Joel looked thoughtfully at a monkey and her baby.

We looked with wonder at God's beautiful creatures...

and enjoyed time with this beautiful Grandma, who is newly retired after twenty plus years of teaching. Doesn't she look nice and relaxed?

Finally, Joel got lots of "mama kisses" by the zebras.

What a fun day with my baby boy!