McClure Family: Zoo Day

The zoo was on the list of places that the boys wanted to visit this summer and this was the week we chose to do it! I was honestly a little reluctant to go because of the heat. But, one of my friends told me that there are lots of places to cool down and that it is worth it. I totally agree! They have redone so much of the Houston zoo. If you haven't been in awhile, I suggest you try it. We had such a lovely day together there.

The day before we went to the zoo, Jacob had a bad fall and ended up with staples in the back of his head to help the wound heal. I was a little nervous about all of the germs that could be at a zoo, so we wore hats and I drenched the boys in sanitizer after each exhibit. He just took everything in stride and didn't complain about his head (or his worrisome mother) at all!

We started out in the aquarium part of the zoo and really enjoyed it! The boys especially loved going through this tunnel...

Jacob didn't know what to think of the jellyfish :)

I'm sure that Sam was explaining what each fish is like here. His memory amazes me constantly and he recalls information from many books that he's read. He has always loved learning about marine life, so he really enjoyed this part of the zoo.

Next, we went over to the new elephant habitat. We got to the zoo pretty early, so the elephants were eating breakfast and getting baths. It was a treat to see them up so close. There were two baby elephants that were so cute!

After a little while, it was time for a rest and a little drink...

We walked around almost all of the zoo and saw the lions, the tigers, the primates, and the reptiles. There is a tunnel that you can walk through and see the lions at eye level. I didn't get a picture with my camera, but the lioness was chowing down on something while we were visiting her. I would never, ever want to encounter a lion without some type of wall in between us. They are intense! The boys were amazed.

My favorite part of the day was going to the giraffe area, where you can feed the giraffes. Jacob walked up to the biggest giraffe there was and fed him. Sam saw a giraffe all alone and said he noticed that no one was feeding it, so he fed that one. Such is their personalities! Jacob-100% going for it all. Sam-compassionate and observant. Loved that moment.

This is the big guy....