Monkeying Around!

Last month (yeah, yeah... so I should have posted this last month), Lyla and I took a special trip to the zoo with our good friends Joe and Michelle, and their little boy, Aidan. One might think January is an absurd time to visit the zoo, however, Texas weather is crazy... as we will discuss further in my post to follow this one.

It's almost been a year since Lyla's last trip to the zoo (on her first birthday!) and this time she was much more aware, informed and verbal. Her favorite part, just like mine, was the orangutans. We were able to watch them for awhile as we waited to meet up with our buddies. She loved watching them monkey around and continues to ask to watch the video we took of them that day.

We attempted to feed the birds in the aviary like last year, but we were less successful. They even warned us not to bother because the birds were full and disinterested. It was still cool for my girl to get up close to them, though.

She got to ride the zoo train this time, too, which may have been her (other) favorite part. If you're under age 8, I think trains may qualify as one of the neatest things ever.

We finished up our zoo tour with some ice cream and a little playtime. Lyla and Aidan flirted a little, finally warming up to each other. Of course, Lyla talked about Aidan and the zoo for weeks afterward, even though she hardly spoke a word to him while we were there. Silly, shy toddlers!

What a beautiful, relaxing and fun-filled day! If only every winter day were so warm and bright!
As always, the rest of the pics can be seen at my Picasa.