Where the Wild Things Are

Avery loves animals and has been able to tell us the sounds each one makes for a long time. In my mommy planning, you know the kind where you say "when he/she is this old, we will take them to ____", fill in the blank with the destination, I thought she would be a little older than 20 months before she would enjoy a trip to the zoo. But several weeks ago, Levi and I realized that now would be the perfect time! As we visited each exhibit, she sweetly told each animal hi and bye. Hi giraffe, bye bye giraffe. Just precious :)

The blessing of getting to watch Avery take in the wonders of God's creation is sometimes a little overwhelming. Levi and I try very hard to not to take these sweet moments for granted and are really beginning to understand how short this season of our lives will be. With all the stress that results from our jobs and lives in general, it is refreshing to get away as a family to make memories.

This was my first trip to the Birmingham zoo since I was probably 3 or so and Levi was pretty young on his last visit as well, so we really weren't sure what to expect. I will say though after visiting Bush Gardens in Tampa when Avery was 4 months old, we were a little disappointed. Don't get me wrong, Avery enjoyed it, but after Tampa, the expectations are high.

We met Levi's parents, his Aunt Johanna, as well as little Taylor (Levi's 2nd cousin) there. It was a little chilly, but we all felt that we would rather wear sweaters than battle the smothering heat and humidity. Avery's favorite animals were the monkey's, the tiger, and the lizards/snakes. She wasn't that thrilled with the train and hated the carousel. I think the loud music and circler motion was too much! The next "go round" will hopefully be better!