"We're going to the zoo, zoo, zoo..."

Queue the Raffie CD! This morning we headed to the amazing Zoo with our friends Ruthanne, Titus and Zeke. It was a picture-perfect day (75 degrees and sunny) for hiking around the zoo, which is built into the side of a mountain - literally. Since I am a huge Bio nerd, I will probably always love the zoo as much as the kiddos. It is a beautiful, privately funded zoo and they make money by breeding and selling giraffes. Who knew that was an option?

I am seriously considering a season pass for next summer when Aida can really interact with the exhibits. We discovered this super cute garden-themed water park that looked like a blast when Pnut gets all hot and sticky from running around. Here are some pics from Aida's first visit to our zoo:

Aida was clearly fascinated by the Amur Tiger exhibit. Interesting fact: The Amur Tiger is considered one of the most endangered species in the world. Wild populations dropped into the 70s in the 1990s due to poaching in their habitat of south eastern Russia/north eastern China, and are currently estimated to be in the 400s. They are considered a "keystone species" in their ecosystem, meaning they play a pivotal role in population control of species lower on the food chain. And I am done with the zoology lecture.

Favorite exhibit: the river otters. They are just fun. Interesting fact: the otters escaped from their exhibit a few months ago and were picked up frolicking in an off-site pond. Also, Ruthanne and I have matching strollers. Actually, I was amazed by her Phil & Ted stroller and decided to get one too. Excellent choice.

Aida loved the otter action - and all the water features.

Titus loved the otters, too :)

My sweet girl

Baby orangutan

My little trooper held up great all morning, despite missing her AM nap....

Until it was time to take a picture in front of the giraffe exhibit. She was literally out in the span of four steps. We took a picture anyways :)

Fuzzy Wuzzy

A few reasons for sharing these pictures....

1. I l-o-v-e Aida's fuzzy bedhead. Walking in to her smiling face and crazy hair is one of the highlights of my day :)

2. Aida is sporting her tie-dyed Sea Pines onsies:

- tie-dye is a local favorite in our little town, Aida is appropriately blending at a young age

- Sea Pines: we are headed to Hilton Head, SC for a week of beachy fun with my fam, yay! (I dyed this onsie last year when Aida was still "WS" aka, brewing in my belly)

Clap Your Hands

Aida has been spontaneously clapping for a while, so earlier this week we tried prompting her to clap. Now, as is typical when talking to a baby, we used a sing-songy voice when doing this. We only did it for a few minutes, but now whenever we say (or "sing") - "clap your hands!", she does it, no physical prompts needed! I figured we'd better catch it on video, as she's sure to prove us wrong in front of people :) She also provides an excellent example of what we call "the bird flap" in the middle of the segment.