Lions and Tigers and Goats?

The Dallas Zoo was having Dollar Day at the zoo yesterday, so naturally, we took adavantage of it.  Normal admission price for adults is $12.50, but on this day, everyone got in for one dollar each!  Not only that, but they had food for $1, drinks for $1, and snocones for $1!

Traffic was a nightmare getting there, but somehow we lucked out and got to park in the closest parking lot - UNDER THE SHADE of a giant tree!  It was the best parking spot ever!  Not only did we not have to walk far, but the shade tree was so big, that I knew our car would still be shaded by the time we got done exploring the zoo.

This was Abigail's & my first time at the Dallas Zoo - and I was so excited!  I mean it, very excited!  I was clapping in the car with Abby and cheering when we got there!  I was like a little kid and Robby made the remark that this trip was really for me and not Abigail, wasn't it?  (Hmm.  Interesting thought.)  Ever since I've moved up here (2005!  5 years ago!), I have wanted to go to this zoo, and now with a toddler and DOLLAR DAY, how could he say no? 

Of course, with it being July and all, the heat was scorching (we were all in SPF 50!).  It was radiating off the pavement, so the very first thing we did when we walked in the entrance was to buy a drink.  We could either get a small bottle of water (20 oz) for $1, or buy a souvenier cup for $7 with FREE refills all day!  The souvenier cup was about 32 oz.  Since I have turned into a camel with an empty hump lately, we knew it was in our best interest to buy the big cup with free refills.  Our first beverage was lemonade and it was perfectly mixed.  I have never had lemonade so good!

With beverage in tow, we were off!  First stop:  Children's Zoo.  I had no idea they had a Children's Zoo!  It even had a playground and a little splash area for the kids - that was packed!  We were able to see pigs, and ponies and bunnies - all of which we could have petted, but there were so many people, we decided to look and make animal noises and move on.  When we got to the fish tank, Robby took Abigail out of the stroller to look at the fish.  There were so many people there that they were already out of fish food at 9:45 am!  I guess those fish love dollar day, too!  She loves fish, so she loved the tank.

Next we saw the petting zoo full of goats!  They had sheep too, but they were being lazy, so no one played with those.  I stood in line with Abigail to pet the goats and she kept saying "Baaaa!  Baaaaa!"  and I finally got her to say "Goat."  Once we were in, she liked them.  Robby was surprised that she actually pet them (he stayed outside the pens with our stroller), but being the animal lover that she is, I knew she'd like it.  She particularly liked a black and white goat, but it evaded her until the very last second and finally let her touch him.  She was thrilled!

The rest of the zoo excursion consisted of maneuvering through crowds, another application of sunblock, 5 more (free!) drink refills - woah, that's 192 oz! - looking for animals who were all hiding in shade, but NOT taking pictures.  There were too many people to get a good shot of animals, and we didn't really pause long enough to get any of ourselves.  We spent a total of 4 hours there, and in the heat, that was plenty.  The hottest area was the least shaded, but I guess that's understandable considering the animals who resided there.  It was their Giants of the Savannah exhibit, with the African animals.  Abby said "Giraffe" for the first time! 

We didn't really get to see all the animals the way that we wanted to, but it was still fun, and if we would have stayed at the exhibits any longer, then we would have been out in the heat longer.  It was a perfect zoo trip.  Abby wasn't cranky AND she stayed in her stroller, no one got a sunburn, we got to pet a few animals, there was enough shade and we were able to stay hydrated for a relatively small fee (much better than what it would have cost us on a normal day!).

When we left, Robby said it was better than he remembered and that he wants to go back!  Yay!

Excited about going to the zoo!

She loves birds, so of course we had to visit Bird Valley!

Pigs

Daddy & Abby checking out the fish tank.

"Fish!"

My two loves!

In line for the goats!  Baaaa!

She finally got him!

Donkeys

Moving right along!

She loved the lemonade much better than her sippy cup of water.  Every time we got a refill in our cup, we'd give her fresh ice water.  Once when she ran out of water, we let her have some of our lemonade, and that was it!  She was hooked.  I wasn't too bothered by that - just more concerned with her having enough fluids to stay cool.  Eventually, though, and much to Robby's chagrin, I switched us from lemonade to water, too. 

Giant tortoises! 

The giraffes came up close and personal.  We could pay to feed them, but it was $5 for one leaf and they weren't allowing us to pet them because of the large crowd volume.  They didn't want the giraffes becoming skiddish.  If it was $5 for feeding AND petting, you bet I would have done it!  I've never petted a giraffe before!  Even so, it was neat to see them this close!

Abby was all tuckered out the moment we put her in her carseat.  We had to take off her shirt because it was wet with sweat and we thought it would be more comfortable to just have it off. 

It was a fun, fun day!  I love spending time with my family!