We Visit the Zoo

I've mentioned McRae's obsession with animals in previous posts. But up until May, his exposure had been mostly limited to farm animals. We decided we'd take him to the zoo to branch out a bit. He'd seen some of these animals in books before, but other's were totally new to him. Needless to say, he was still pretty fascinated by it all. Our zoo is actually pretty small...but if you ask me, it's just right. You can get around the whole thing in a decent amount of time and get a good enough exposure to a variety of animals--both very important when you live in the HOT, HOT desert and you want to get in and out fairly quickly.

The elephants were a big hit, as you can see by the look on his face.

I think he is mesmerized by a very loud bird in the aviary.

Feeding the ducks and fish were definitely a highlight for him.

These fish were very big...and very entertaining!

Half-way through our tour, we stopped to cool off with some cold treats.  This was McRae's very first ice cream cone...and he hasn't looked back since!

Tigers are just awesome.  What can I say?

Riding the bronze elephant was also a big hit.

This giraffe was so close, McRae wasn't sure what to think of it.

What better way to end your day at the zoo then with animal crackers...well, if you can stay awake long enough to enjoy them, that is?

Since our trip, we've learned about several other animals.  McRae is VERY proficient at identifying any animal and the sound that it makes.  Sometimes he'll amaze me by finding some small little picture of an animal in a store somewhere and he is so quick to point it out--cows on yogurt containers or horses on a Levi's label on the back of some pants...really?!?!  He's very observant.

(After attempting for over a week to attach a clip of him showing off all of his animal-noise-making skills, I am abandoning the idea.  I will try to add it in a separate post at a later date.  Off to publish already!)