4th of July Weekend

It's always fun to have a 3-day weekend and to spend our time together as a family. For the 4th of July we had planned to check out the festivities in our small little town. I was actually told that they are the largest in the state! But at the last minute, we decided on a trip to the zoo instead. It was a good choice and we had a great time. Kai has been getting more and more comfortable with animals and so the timing was great for his first outing to the zoo.

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is known for two things really--the giraffe exhibit where you can pet and feed them, and beautiful views of Colorado Springs. The zoo lives up to its name as it is on the side of a mountain and each exhibit takes you higher and higher. The paths take you up about 120 feet (or 10 stories!). It's good excerise, especially pushing a stroller.

Kai really liked the giraffes, although we chose
not to feed them. We thought that'd be a better
activity for when he gets a bit older.

He was scared to touch them, though.

Here's Kai and Daddy hanging with the monkeys.

It was hot! Here's a much deserved lunch and Icee break!

At the petting zoo we got to meet a bunny.
Once again, Kai didn't really want to touch her.

Kai LOVES fish! He would have been happy
watching the fish swim all day.

And of course, we had to see the penguins.

The last stop of the day was the primate house.
We enjoyed watching the gorillas, but what really
surprised us was something Kai said. After about
2 minutes watching the mommy and baby gorilla
Kai burst out with the word "babies!"


After making it all the way to the very top exhibit
(grizzlies and bald eagles) you have to take a picture.
Here's a beautiful view of Colorado Springs.

After such a fun day at the zoo, Kai was really wound up. Even after trying to put him to bed early, he didn't pass out until about 8pm--barely missing the fireworks. We were able to see 4 different fireworks shows from our back porch. They lasted from about 9-10 pm. It was a great ending to the day.

Oh, and don't worry--we did enjoy a BBQ. We just did it on the 5th of July instead!!