new exhibits at the Boise zoo

A trip to the zoo is always on our summer bucket list. Especially after hearing that they added new exhibits this summer, we couldn't wait to go! We got there right as the zoo opened in the morning and it was the best time of day I've ever gone because it wasn't too hot yet and a lot of the animals were up walking around or eating! They are so much more fun to watch when they get up close to the windows of their enclosures.

We went with my friend Sidnee and her kids ... Bear, Charlee, and Monroe. While we waited for them to arrive, Liam and Lyla begged to ride on the merry-go-round. Who could say no to these cute faces, especially when it was Lyla's first time ...

They loved it and I thought it was so hilarious that Liam wanted to ride the chicken out of all the animals to choose from. I think we even got an extra long turn because we were the only ones on it. ;)

The second thing we saw was this ocelot. The crazy part about it ... it was eating its breakfast. We watched it shred apart an egg carton and find a big white rat inside. It literally ripped it apart and pulled out its intestines like spaghetti noodles. I think we were all in a little bit of shock after witnessing that. haha A very quick lesson on the circle of life, that's for sure!

After our friends got there, her kids wanted to ride the merry-go-round too so we went on it a second time and felt a little ill afterwards. haha Note to self, my stomach can only handle one go on that thing.

Probably one of my favorite animals to see because they are so entertaining ... the monkeys! One was lounging on his back on the ground while the other one swung from the netting above, howling at the top of its lungs!

Checking out a wolf ...

Another favorite, the prairie dogs! This was the first time in our last several trips to the zoo where they were actually out of their holes and eating! The kids crawled through the tunnels to see them up close ...

There was a fairly new tiger to see after the last one had injured its leg and needed to be put down. 

The cutest baby birds in the world! These two little best friends were so cute together!

The butterfly exhibit is unreal! Every single one is so incredibly beautiful and they fly all around you as you walk around. Poor Liam, the only one who was afraid of bugs got a stage five clinger that latched onto his shirt and didn't want to let go. It was so hard to keep it together as I tried coaxing it off his shirt several times while he was having a panic attack, clinging to Sidnee's leg for dear life. 

Their favorite part of the zoo, sharing their snacks. ;)

We took our time taking everything in until I realized nearly 3 hours had gone by and I was already late for a lunch date I had planned with my mom when I realized we hadn't seen ANY of the new exhibits at the zoo except for the new outdoor monkey enclosure. Face palm! I ran to the gift shop and asked where they were and it turns out we had just barely missed them after going right to see the giraffes instead of left. We hightailed it back there for only a few minutes ... enough time to see the new crocodile I had promised Liam he would see and passed the new vulture along the way. It was worth the quick trip, Liam loved seeing the crocodile up close. It even sauntered along in front of us and then opened its jaw and showed us its teeth!

We definitely will be going back this fall to see the rest of the new exhibits at the Boise Zoo! Next time we better bring daddy so he can see them too.