we're going to the zoo zoo zoo

(title comes from a raffi song i fondly recall from my childhood. for those of you who do not know, raffi is a somewhat creepy man with a full beard and guitar who sang rather catchy songs for kids. on a sidenote, raffi is also the reason brad crossed out the name rafferty from my baby boy name list during my pregnancy with ayla.)

that is right, yesterday, we headed to the zoo! after catching the early service at ridge during which my children behaved much like zoo animals, we came home for some brunch, then headed out to the john ball park zoo. while walking into the zoo, brad and i took note of our clothing and felt a little out of place. brad sported a lovely fall coat from a SLAUGHTER house, and baby ayla was looking pretty in her pink FAUX FUR jacket. peta loves us. not really. but that is just fine because we feel the same way about them.

we rode/ran through that zoo taking in all the animals with much curiosity and excitement. we saw the bears, monkeys, lions, and four other animals still outside in the fall season. then we ventured indoors to the stinky aquarium, creepy reptile room, and the fascinating froggy homes. of all the animals we observed, brad was my fave.

while spectating the lions, brad worked extremely hard to apply as much pressure on this strength measuring apparatus as he possibly could. for some reason, he felt it needed to be done in a very quick motion, like the the lion snapping shut its jaws and the resulting attempts were hilarious. alas, the lion's jaws still hold their place in being the strongest, brad was a close second tho! max was stronger than me at this, so that was embarrassing.

the boys' fave exhibit was the parrot. at the time, brad was carrying bear on his shoulders. the parrot would bob its head, or swing it from side to side and brad would promptly mimic the motions- much to the delight of the boys. both maxer and bear were convinced brad was making the bird move for their enjoyment and were so eager to accept this entertaining gift. the giggles were beyond precious. the public stopped to watch the adorable boys giggling with their daddy more than to look at the parrot. cuteness!

so thankful for that beautiful time together at that stinky zoo.