We met up with two good friends and their kiddos and explored the local zoo today. There are really few things more awesome than a free zoo and we don’t go nearly enough. I loved going with a group of kids – I think it was one of MM’s favorite zoo trips to date. The boys loved running around, checking out all of the animals together.

In the zoo visitor’s center you can get these little animal trading cards – one card per kid. Each boy picked one card and those were the animals we made a point of looking for during our trip. This was our first time getting these cards but we’ll definitely do it again. MM chose one of his favorite animals today, the giraffe.

And of course, any large rocks had to be climbed.

Inside the aviary / aquarium / safari style hot as an oven house. The kids found some humongous fish in the fish tank here.

Don’t they look like they are on a little safari adventure here?

We met up with our 3rd mom and 6th kid at the giraffe house where we stopped for a quick lunch of peanut butter and jelly of course.

And of course we had to take at least one “touristy” picture with a cut out zoo drawing.

She was there, too, of course. I was a mean mommy and kept her in the stroller the whole time.

I won’t have that luxury much longer.

This kangaroo was inside the huge zoo playground. There was a little hole in the back that you could walk up to, but no – MM was determined to climb in the pouch from the front (face first). It was pretty cute and I have to admit, I was impressed that he made it (twice).

And of course the kids had to ride the little zoo train. I saved some money and sent MM on the train by himself with the rest of the group and stayed behind with BB and the strollers. I have to say, looking at all those people smushed into that one train car, I’m thinking it’s just as well because there was definitely not enough room for two more – but I did hear they had a good time.

We will definitely have to do this again!