Black Friday at the Zoo!

Every summer, I hear about the Wildlife World Zoo & Aquarium and want to go.  And then I remember that even driving an hour north, it's still triple digits.  And then, somehow, I forget about going until the next summer.  But, guess what!?  Thanks to a reminder from my dad and another friend about the zoo now that it has cooled down considerably, we were able to go the day after Thanksgiving.  And, it was wonderful!  The place is very spacious and there were hardly any crowds {because, duh, they were at WalMart and Best Buy} and the weather couldn't have been any better.  We had a fantastic day!

Hands down, my most favorite part of the zoo was the petting zoo.  {I really think this is the case for me anywhere there is a petting zoo, even though they usually stink and the goats always try to eat my purse.}  This petting zoo had several little deers, lots of goats, and a llama.  I really wanted to take a deer home with us, but since we couldn't, we ended up taking about 50 selfies with one.

➹ That face! ➹

➹ I mean, seriously.  Look at it! ➹

➹ It's like a giant Magnum! ➹

➹ This one's going in the birthday video for sure! ➹

➹ Llama llama, kissing drama! ➹

The thing I loved about this zoo was how accessible all of the animals were.  We were able to get into a pen with some giant tortoises, and for 50 cents, we could get a handful of food to feed the giraffes.  There were so many birds and monkeys and meerkats and prairie dogs that were just showing off for everyone.  Sometimes when we go to the Phoenix Zoo, we don't get to see some of the animals because they are off in a corner hiding away, so it was nice to be able to see so many up close.

There was a Kangaroo Walkabout area where the kangaroos just hopped all around you.  One even came up to nuzzle David, but got scared off when the girls got close to him.  I had never seen a kangaroo up close like that and it was really interesting to see how they use their tails when they hop.

The girls were really good the whole day.  We were there for about 5 hours {and spent a total of 2 hours in the car}.  We really wore Sydney out because she fell asleep on the way home and was up an extra two hours that night.  Buttttt, it was totally worth it!  {Just next time, I'll make sure she stays awake on the way home.  Ha.}