The Zoo

Here we are at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo (the first full family picture taken since Emily was born BTW).

So a few years ago Kim & I decided to pay for a family membership to the zoo, which is an excellent investment, which practically pays for itself with the first visit. And every year we give Tamily a family membership as a birthday present. Kim's reasoning, and it has been proven correct over the last couple of years, is that many times over the summer with young kids, you will have days when they are restless, and need a change from just running around the neighborhood. And the adults want something more interactive and interesting than just a walk to park, where as an adult you are kind of stuck, with not as much to do while the kids play in the play ground. And the zoo is the perfect kind of go between option. The kids get to run around, as an adult it is more interesting than just sitting on a park bench. And you get some exercise to boot.

Already Kim has been up there 2-3 times without me, and this was our second visit since the weather got warm. The boys do enjoy it, and since we have the membership there is less stress to try and see everything in every trip, because you know you will be coming again. Yesterday we only had an hour or so so we just focused on the new exhibits. Which are really nice and actually pretty amazing. I encourage people to take their kids to their local zoo whenever possible. It really is an excellent family diversion, and educational to boot.

I just asked James what he learned at the zoo yesterday:

"How to swim (by watching the bears) and how snakes move."

There really is no substitute for that kind of hands on combo of fun and education, with the exception of a good nature hike. Unfortunately the kids are just not a good age for a nature hike yet.