As we were planning this trip a few months before Christmas, it occurred to me that our Joey had never been to the zoo. And our little Joey LOVES animals. So we knew we needed to hit the world famous San Diego Zoo! We went during our trip after Luke's funeral, and honestly I hadn't been impressed. But Danny brought up a good point that we went to the zoo at the very end of that trip and we were three steps past completely exhausted and in a haze of grief. I had to admit that he made a very good point! So I was optimistic that we'd have a great time this time around. :)
We got to the zoo right at opening, and having purchased our tickets through the resort we were able to walk right in. And I knew we needed to make a beeline to the pandas! The line to see the pandas can get hours long, and that didn't sound like the way to spend our day at the zoo. Getting there first thing, we only waited about 20 minutes. Last time we went, we only saw that back of the panda...or as we affectionately called it, "Panda Butt". We were hopeful to see more this time, and lucky us, we got to see "Panda Back and Shoulder"! :) But as we moved on, we actually got to see the younger panda awake and eating, and that made the whole trip worth it right there. Little did we know, we were in for one of the best animal days we'd ever had!
The leopards gave us quite a show! There were two of them, and they jumped through their habitat and played together. It was so cool! Joey loved watching them run around from the comfort of the hiking back pack. It was the perfect way to navigate the zoo with him. He was content on Daddy's back, and because of Daddy's height he had a really good view! But we took plenty of breaks to let him run around, too.
We spent a lot of time at the polar bear exhibit. The polar bears were so active! They wrestled and played, and we got a front row seat for all of it! And there was a little play area there as well, which was great for letting Joey get some wiggles out.
We walked and walked and walked all around the zoo, and the kids were doing great! They're pretty experienced hikers, and having them wear their Camelbaks was genius. And Joey is quite the experienced hiker as well, and knows exactly how to sneak in a nap when he's tired. :)
Because of the route we took, we ended up back by the panda habitat. And boy, was that line long now that it was afternoon! We were all so glad we did the pandas first thing. :) But if you're willing to stand in line, the pandas are more active in the afternoon. And Danny's height allowed him to see and photograph..."Panda Face"! He even lifted each kid up to see. :)
We also got to see Tony, the baby hippo, who apparently shares a birthday with Danny! We all loved those chubby baby hippo legs. :)
Towards the end of our visit we looped around toward the petting zoo and park. Joey got a huge kick out of being able to pet the goats! And he and Johnny enjoyed climbing on the play ground equipment, though Joey was nearing the end of his limit. He was super happy one minute, and then writhing on the floor in a flood of emotions the next. It's a hard thing being a toddler!
We still had one section of the zoo to see, namely the section with the koalas, but unfortunately it was clear on the other side of the zoo. Lucky for us, we were right by the tram! Johnny and I were less than thrilled, but we did it anyway. Honesty, neither of us enjoyed the experience a whole bunch. But Danny, Joey, and the girls loved it! And in a grand total of about 3 minutes we were at the other end of the zoo.
We finished out the day seeing a few more animals, and the koalas were definitely a high light. Claire and Sophie definitely want one as a pet. :)
We ended up spending six hours at the zoo...with a toddler...and the day was a grand success! We all had such a great time! Totally worth the sales pitch for a time share to get these tickets. :)
Every time we've been at the resort, we've gone into San Diego. And so we've passed the San Diego temple probably a dozen times, but never pulled off the freeway to take a closer look. We decided that today was as good a day as any, and while we kept the kids in the car (Joey was sleeping) we all enjoyed getting to see the outside of this incredible temple. Danny and I are anxious to do a session there someday. Just need Claire to get old enough to babysit!
We were well into our vacation at the point, and loving every minute of it!!
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