We Bought a Zoo

Well, not really but we did buy tickets. For G's upcoming birthday, we decided to share our love of animals with her and took a family trip to the North Carolina Zoo*. We had a blast! The road trip went off without any glitches and the weather could not have been better. We arrived about an hour after opening, but thanks to our weekday visit, the crowds were light.

Our little Gator Girl!

With each animal exhibit, we enjoyed watching G point out the things she saw, and although we can't yet understand any words other than "buh" for bug (and "nana" for all things food, Momma and Dada) we adored the way she eagerly sought out the animals we pointed to. We loved seeing her discover the animals, get bouncy when something got her excited, and her attempts to touch the animals through the glass made our hearts smile.

They had a special giant bug exhibit. They were so cool!

G had her first carousel ride!

I have always loved zoos and aquariums. It continues to be a delight and a true privilege to be able to share these places with my daughter. These trips offer multiple opportunities to talk about God's creation. I love being able to show her God's unique designs, talk to her about the amazing abilities/adaptations of the animals, and to help develop her appreciation for what the Lord has made.

...and of course she had to have a souvenir. She picked the elephant.

After a fun filled day at the zoo, G passed out 5 minutes after getting strapped into her car seat. We traveled the 10 minutes to our hotel to freshen up. We attempted to get G back to sleep for an afternoon nap but that was a no go. Instead, we headed out to an early dinner. We took a chance and ventured to a restaurant that came highly recommended by Trip Advisor. We went to Time Square Pizzeria*. From the outside it doesn't look like much but we were not disappointed. The food was great!!! Their customer service was excellent and the atmosphere was very family friendly. Several people heard we were from out of town as we spoke with the guy behind the counter and they sang the restaurant's praises.

We had the BBQ Chicken Wings and the Parmesan Chicken Pizza. G enjoyed the spaghetti. Everything looked amazing!

We came back to the hotel and enjoyed a bit of family time in the pool. G was not a huge fan but tolerated the water. Our hope that she would consider it a giant bathtub (because she loves bath time) was a bust.

After showers we began our night time routine. Surely she would sleep like a rock considering she had not had very much nap time and had such a big day...but alas, our little darling, who normally sleeps all night, was up every two hours. Finally, at 4am I moved her to the bed with us and just allowed her to lay there as I prayed for sleep. She ended up falling asleep for a couple of hours. Wish I could say the same. I've never been one to have her sleep with me and I just could not fall asleep while she lay there...

We awoke early and enjoyed a tasty continental breakfast. We headed out to do a couple more things before heading home. We killed some time at Walmart, where I almost took out an old lady (more to come on that later) and then headed to an antique store my husband had been eyeing. After browsing through the antiques, we dropped by Main Street Sweets*, a local cupcake shop for some goodies for the road. We've only tried two of them, but they were tasty! (Side note: Any time we travel, if there is a zoo, aquarium or cupcake shop, we MUST visit.)

Beginning at top left: Salted Caramel, Almond Joy, Snickers, Strawberry Cheesecake, Oreo, and Chocolate Peanut butter.

She slept almost the entire ride home.

While we love to travel and have adjusted to doing so with a baby, there is just something about coming home. Over the next couple of days we'll be getting the house ready for incoming family, Easter, and my daughter's first birthday. Happy Spring!

*I was not compensated in anyway for sharing information or singing the praises of the any of the mentioned places in this post.