Idaho Falls Zoo

Liam and I have considered ourselves really lucky these last couple of weeks. Surprisingly enough, the end of the year is only a few short months away and Nic still has quite a bit of time off to use, even if he takes some around the holidays. So the last couple of weeks we have gotten to enjoy three day weekends with our favorite guy. We've definitely taken advantage of that extra time and have done some fun things together. Last Friday for example, we took a trip to the Idaho Falls Zoo! It was a first time visiting this particular zoo for all of us and with it still being relatively small town we weren't sure what to expect but it was so amazing!!! 

Liam's favorite books to read before bed lately are ones with animals. His understanding of animal names and sounds has really exploded lately. We'll ask him, "Liam, where's the zebra?" and he knows exactly which animal to point to and exclaims, "There!!!" It was the perfect time to take him to the zoo and show him those animals he has been learning in person!

Liam and daddy in matching North Face sweatshirts!

One of the first animals you pass is an alligator and let me tell you what, those things are so ominous in person! They hardly move a centimeter and it is hard not to imagine them just pouncing from where they lay halfway underneath the water with their eyes fixated from above. haha It was kind of intimidating so I didn't stand around long to get a picture. ;) They gibbon monkeys on the other hand, now that is animal we could have watched ALL DAY and not gotten tired of it! They were so entertaining, swinging by their long fingers from branch to branch to their hammock, to the ground, and back again. All the while picking up random boxes or pieces of cardboard scattered about their enclosure along the way. They were so noisy with these big whooping calls that it said they make to warn others of predators or danger in the area. Their noises made Liam nervous at first but they were just so active that they won him over pretty quickly.

One animal I was surprised they had were the flamingos!! I've always wanted to see them in person and hadn't until this zoo. They were the most beautiful pink color and it was so interesting to see them resting on one leg so naturally. 

One of them had an adorable baby covered in grey feathers!

My baby bird who definitely did NOT hatch from an egg. ;) Trust me. haha See him pointing his finger at it? He is in this adorable stage where he points to have everything around him and expects you to tell him what it is. It might get old eventually but for now, it is fun seeing him so interested in learning about the world around him.

Naturally he found a stick to carry in the first 5 minutes of being there. Are you even surprised? ;)

I'm not sure what exactly it is about this next picture that I love so much but it just evokes this sweet tender feeling in me. Comparing his hand size to this animal one. 

A baby zebra!!! I'm not sure it can get any cuter than that!

As we were standing there watching the zebras a loud crack sounded from their edge of their habitat and it spooked them all towards the other side. Upon closer inspection we realized they had cut down a tree branch from outside of their area and it landed over the fence. They all cautiously moved back to the other side and began eating from it!! This might have been one of our favorite moments from that day because as the zebras ate, their tails swung in a circle, they were so giddy! It was hilarious to watch!

I love these sweet boys.

We visited the lions next. Every time Nic or I have ever been to a zoo the lions are ALWAYS sleeping and it is kind of disappointing. This time the female lion was not only up and stalking around the cage but also roaring too!

Liam watched her closely for a minute or two and then yelled, "ROAR!" Nic and I were floored! He has never made a lion sound before, even when we point to them in his books at home. It was so adorable!

Mid zoo, we stopped to get Liam a treat. Cotton candy ice cream, lucky boy! He loved every single bite. Nic and I haven't been eating sugar so it took all of his poor willpower not to eat the last couple of bites Liam didn't finish and just to throw the rest in the garbage. haha By the way, if' you've seen this particular episode of Friends then you can probably relate but doesn't Liam look like Joey here when he is doing that Japanese lipstick commercial?! haha So funny!

Some other animals not pictured that we saw were a baby camel, a baby snow leopard, so many tropical birds (a toucan who even said "hello" and "pretty bird" to us!), and penguins!! We went back one more time to visit the flamingos and gibbon monkeys while Liam finished his ice cream. Do you see the flamingo-pelican cross in the next picture?! So crazy!

We were seriously impressed with all of the animals the Idaho Falls Zoo had. We will definitely be visiting again!