its a jungle out there!

Earlier this month we went over to visit our cousins in Phily! We thought, "Sure. 2 moms, 6 kids, let's go to the zoo!" What were we thinking? But honestly, I don't think it could have gone much better. It was definitely doable and I'm sure we had some divine assistance. THANK YOU!

We were only able to see about 1/3 or less of the zoo but we had a great time. We saw zebra, hippo, rhino, the big cats, penguins, the reptile house, tortoise and horses.

Me and my caravan

The 4 big kiddos

Some big tortoises munching on some salad

Our sweet boy dozing in his seat as we strolled around. Honestly, he did great! He napped a bit, ate his lunch, bounced along in his front pack, and snuggled back in his seat for this nap. It was an exhausting day for all of us. Oh and the temp was about 87* or so. It was warm but there was a breeze, hallejuah!

The boys watching these cute penguins swim around and then slide down their slide.

Jackson was fascinated by this turtle. He could have watched him all day. I think its sweet how he has his hands on the glass and followed him around. (Our little secret: If we ever WERE to have a pet, a turtle is one of the few I think I could do. That or a fish. Don't tell the kiddos! I don't think Mom's ready for a pet right now. I'm working with the circus I have!) Hahaha I wouldn't have it any other way though :)

Miss Alivia was our navigator for the day. She got a map as we walked in (all the kids did actually) and she kept a hold of it the whole time. She wanted to know right where we were, what was up ahead and how to go to see what we wanted to see next. She did a really good job and I was really proud of her.

I've always had a thing with maps too. I remember on family trips always wanting to hold or see the map and help with directions, if needed. I think it's cool to see Alivia has that too! Which is pretty cool for a girl, considering boys seem to naturally have a better sense of direction.

These next few shots are at "The Treehouse" which is for zoo members only. Luckily, my sister-in-law IS a member. What a cool place. The kids could have played here all day.

Jackson's favorite part was these fish eggs he crawled all over! He LOVED them!

The girls hopped a ride from a friendly caterpillar

This HUGE Monarch butterfly that hung WAY up high was gorgeous! I can't quite capture its beauty but you get the point.

This was some giant honeycomb with giant bees. On the lower few rows the honeycomb is hollowed out so the kids could crawl through. This was a very cool place, like I said.

Mommy & Levi enjoying some time in the front pack as the other kiddos ran around at The Treehouse.

A & S at the base of this HUGE tree. Amongst the "roots" were all sorts of trails and pathways and there's even a staircase in the tree trunk. Or so I hear.  I stood guard in the front half of The Treehouse. This place was big and with 5 kiddos walking or RUNNING around there was a lot of keep track of.

They had these giant eggshells the kids enjoyed playing in.

They took turn laying down while sucking their thumbs and saying "Mama".

After about an hour of playing at The Treehouse, I coaxed the kids out with the lure of ice cream treats for all! They were hot and tired from all their good running around so we set off to find a cool treat. But on our way we saw this HUGE rhino. It was funny to watch him. He walked up to his shaded area, did a 180 and then backed up into it (because it wasn't wide enough for him to turn around in once he was in). As I watched, I couldn't help but here the "beep beep beep" of the big trucks as they back up.

We did FINALLY find ice cream treats for everyone before we headed back to the car, completely, hot, exhausted, and sticky. After a yummy dinner and some play time, we threw the kids into the tub, dressed them in their jammies and jumped back in the car for the 1 1/2 hour drive home. 2 of the 3 kiddos slept at least half the way. The 3rd kiddo fell asleep as soon as she hit her pillow at home.

Ahhh, home sweet home