Birthday Zoo Bash

For my 30th birthday on June 25th I asked Mike to take the day off from work so we could go to the zoo as a family. We had a great time enjoying the animals God created. It's amazing to think the animals at the zoo are only a tiny sampling of all the creatures on the earth! These animals did not come to be by accident, they were designed!

We thought it was so funny how this cougar was sitting on the limb. He was resting his bottom on the branch with his back paws and his tail hanging down. It was a real treat to see the cougar so close up. The other times we've been at the zoo he's been sleeping way at the back of the cage where we couldn't see him.

Here's Grace petting a goat.

I'm holding Elsie because she was a little nervous about being in the cage with the goats. Elsie's also afraid of dogs and cats. It's strange to have a child who's afraid of animals because Mike and I grew up with animals and Weston and Grace were used to having Moses for their first years. I'm hoping she grows out of it!

Noah looks like he's protesting having his photo taken.

Some other highlights of our zoo trip were the polar bears (they were walking around in circles doing a funny dance) and the orangutans (one was hiding under a sheet right next to the window). We also enjoyed watching the bats once we got over the smell!

Later that day my friend, Jane, came over and had ColdStone ice cream (you get a free one on your birthday if you join their birthday club) and shopped for awhile with me. My girlfriends from college also had a birthday gathering for me Saturday morning and we had "Death By Chocolate" torte for breakfast (Becky also made some granola so our tummies wouldn't get sick from only having dessert and coffee for breakfast). Over all, I had an excellent birthday!