The year of the Zoos

This has been the year of the zoos, not so much because our home has been a zoo (though there have been moments of zoo-ness in the House of Francl).  Instead, it's because in the last 9 months we've been to 3 different zoos!  

I don't know about you, but I remember going to the zoo, like, twice in my entire childhood.  Once on a family vacation and once with my elementary school class.  (I know, I know, I probably went a lot more than that, but I don't remember any of the other trips!)

Today we went to the Lincoln Children's Zoo, because what else does one do when the heat index is projected to be 105+ degrees?  It was hot, but it was still a wonderful day.  (Thanks Grandma Becky for the trip!)  Here is what we did:

We started out seeing a reindeer and heading straight into a building, because, well, it was hot.

Aunt Kayla held Lily through the Animal Encounter where we learned about
a fox with incredibly large ears.

Check out that bald eagle over her shoulder!  He was just sitting there waiting for us to visit him.

We got to count how many fish the penguin named Riley ate.
(He ate 5, which was many fewer than the penguin named Lillian who ate 10!) 

We took a train ride which, blessedly, provided us with some moving air!
It was a great break from the still, humid heat.

This poor boy.  He was so hot and such a trooper through it all.
He closed his eyes for just a few minutes on the train ride.
I unbuttoned his shirt to help him cool down.
It had the added benefit of showing off his adorably squishy rolls.  :)

This gibbon was amazing.  Just as we walked up to the glass, he came swinging toward us
and put all his hands flat against the glass.  Then he sat there and looked at us for a while.
He had kind, curious eyes, and seemed like the "Curious George" type of monkey.
(Yes, I know gibbons are more like apes than monkeys, but still...)

After the zoo, we ate lunch and headed to my aunt's house where we saw
my grandpa.  Great Grandpa Jerry and Connor watched baseball together for a while
while we all played at Aunt Beth's house.  We got to see Great Grandma Dolores, and uncles and cousins as well.

It was a marvelous day resulting in tired Francl kiddos.  Thank goodness for air conditioning and soft beds.  We're all enjoying them tonight!