Philadelphia Zoo - July 5th

What a BALL! We haven't been to the zoo since for a couple years - we usually go with my mom when we visit Colorado! Our kids were literally running from one animal to the next! Did you know Philadelphia has the oldest zoo? It opened in 1774 - before we were even a nation (in 1776)! It was HUGE!

Here's my kiddos with the elephant's - Bella was being SO good in her stroller that I didn't take her out for a photo op! I just kept putting snacks on her tray! There's a KID ZOO - where the kids can pet/brush/feed sheep and goats! Bo never gets to participate in this because of his asthma - he can't breath after! He was thrilled to be able to do this because there were rows of sinks with soap to wash your hands when you finished! He said, "Philadelphia Zoo people are nice because they think about kids with asthma!" It meant a lot to him! All three of my kids LOVED feeding the goats - you can buy food there! Bella wanted to eat the food herself and wouldn't let go - the goat was just licking the heck out of her hand, she was giggling like crazy!

Can you see the giraffes, polar bears and flamingos? We also loved the bright green snake and the camels! Bella did the sign language sign for "Dog" all day and said, "Dog-Dog." Even lightning bugs are "Dogs" in Bella's eyes! Finally, the adults decided we had to move on to activity #2!

Just had to sneak this in - look at this Amish family we saw in the zoo! You really aren't supposed to take their picture which made me want to do it even more (it's considered a "graven image")! Look how cute!! The ladies bonnets are called prayer caps (I think) and the men always have their heads covered when they are outside - in the summer the wear a straw hat and in the winter it's black! All their clothes are homemade - even their coats! SO cute!! I'm fascinated by the Amish! More to come on the Amish (I hope!) Where I work (in Lancaster County) there are over 25,000 Amish people - the largest number in any county in the US!