Zoo Day

The girls and I had a really nice zoo day today. Both girls were off for Thanksgiving holiday, but Bub the hub was at work, so we decided to have a little girl fun. Taking both girls by myself on an excursion like this is not usually possible, but we had some help! We invited one of Avery's favorite teachers, Miss Maggie, to come along. Avery adores her and Maddie has a ton of fun with her too, so it was more like inviting a friend :).

I wish I could have gotten a pic of Maddie using the zoo map to help us navigate through the park. She was holding it upside down and is not able to read yet, but still quite insisted that she knew where to go! "I can do it mommy!" is what I hear constantly these days. 

She also insisted on my taking pics of her on all of the animal statues that she could find.

I'm not a super fan of the cheesy-head-tilt-smile pose that 

she's really into these days, but it's better than a frown I suppose!

Posing on these statues is not new. Lat year she wanted the same:

Oh how we've grown! 

Avery really seemed to enjoy the animals this visit. I'm not always sure how much she can see at a distance, but she smiled and laughed her way through the park. I think we all enjoyed the giraffes and elephants the most. Maddie enjoyed the reptile center a little more than I feel comfortable with....

All in all, a successful trip! As we were leaving, we just barely caught a ride on the zoo train, which I remember enjoying so much as a child. I was so thrilled that Avery sat next to me happy, giggling and talking for the entire ride, even the loud and bumpy parts. My little girl is really growing up. 

Here is a selfie of Maddie with our favorite sitter and wonderful overall person, Miss Maggie. I'm so thankful to have people like her in our lives, people who love and understand both of my very different daughters ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ .

More on thankfulness in the next post!!!!