Travel & Vacation: Lions, Tigers, Seals, Reptiles, Bears, and more at the Atlanta Zoo (Atlanta, GA)
Lioness pacing on her rock
We had a blast seeing all the animals on our recent trip to the Atlanta Zoo. We arrived just as the Zoo opened in the morning and stayed until closing. The kids loved seeing all the animals, the activities, and special events. It was a busy, packed, and fun day together. We walked all over the area of the zoo several times over. The morning was a little cooler, but it was very comfortable by mid-morning (not too cold or hot). You can read more about our adventure on my Travel & Vacation: Visiting the Atlanta Zoo (Atlanta, GA) blog post.
The two lionesses were playing and pouncing on each other while we were there. They were so fast we weren’t able to get a non-blurry picture of both of them together. It was neat to watch them playing around instead of just sleeping on their rock.
Better watch out….
Tiger giving himself a bath.
Out for a stroll
The seal was catching the fish they were throwing at them. You can see the fish right in front of him.
Karlie and Brina learning about snakes.
Karlie having fun
Learning more about this little turtle
Curled up and watching people as they go by his cage
Brina fascinated by all the animals
What’s in this one!?
Karlie and Mommy having fun at the Atlanta Zoo
Me and my girls! They are growing up so fast. Thankful for these little adventures together as a family!
Brina was always good a spotting the animals really quickly, not sure how she does it so fast!
The snake was following the heat from Karlie’s hand
Jake and his girls at the Atlanta Zoo
Jake is always so good about explaining and showing the girls different pieces of information about the animals. The snake is acting like it might try to strike Jake’s hand through the glass in this picture, but it never did.
The bear brought this branch with leaves on top of the platform so he could eat it by himself without the other one bothering him.
Fun times!
They loved learning about all the different wildlife.
Love my family! Grateful for the opportunity to hang out at the Atlanta Zoo for the day!
Such a rough life…. They look so cute and cuddly.
This is a “Tanuki” it is very timid and doesn’t come out very often per one of the zoo workers that we asked. We walked by its cage multiple times and never saw it out until almost the end of the day. It gets spooked easy so it is not visible very often.
How does your Mom carry you!? Silly girls – Brina and Karlie
Karlie loves brushing the farm animals. She is currently on her way to brush another one.
Brina talking with the zoo worker about goats and asking questions. He was really nice and pointed out several different types of goats and characteristics of the ones near her.
Brina and Karlie brushing one goat. Lots of TLC for this Mamma goat. They always love the interactive animal adventures.
The giraffe is eying us while the ostrich was too busy eating to give us any attention
Travel & Vacation: Visiting the Atlanta Zoo (Atlanta, GA)
Our family at the Atlanta Zoo!
We surprised the girls with a long weekend trip to Atlanta, Georgia over Easter weekend. They were very excited to go explore the Atlanta area. We are members of our local zoo so we were able to get into the Atlanta Zoo at a discount which was really nice. The kids love animals, learning more about various ones, interacting, and so much more.
Since it was Easter weekend at the Atlanta Zoo the animals were getting special treats to enjoy for the Holiday. The new Amphibian & Reptile Exhibit also opened the weekend we were there as well. There were a lot of people at the zoo, but it was so big we had plenty of time do see and do almost everything (some things the kids enjoyed it so much we did it again).
Pink Flamingos were hanging out peacefully near the entrance to the zoo
So excited….Karlie and Brina! They have their maps out and are ready to GO!
The birds were sleeping peacefully all together on one branch.
It was a little chilly when we first got there in the shade at opening, but no one was complaining!
Birds of all colors
Brina soaking it all in. She loves animals.
Playing around in the water puddles.
Karlie smiling as she quietly watches the birds and little kids.
Meerkat’s roaming around in their pen.
There is always one Meerkat on watch (or guard) for predators
They gave the Meerkats a pillow case stuffed full of hay, little bugs, and special treats. They were a little timid about it at first, but before long they were all taking turns going into the pillow case and digging out their special treats.
Are you done yet! Hurry up and get your bug so I can get my turn inside the Easter treat sack!!!
They look cute, but serious. Look at those claws on this meerkat! Yikes!
Rhino heading out into the sun after getting some sticky mud on itself to protect it from a sunburn.
This rhino was moving the stick around and chewing on it. Must of had something tasty on it.
They drew flowers, easter eggs, and bunny rabbits with chalk on the rocks in the Zebra’s pen.
The warthogs got hard boiled and colored Easter eggs for their special treat. They both found the first one about the same time.
Someone found the purple Easter egg!
The elephants had Easter eggs that had a jello consistency that they place in baskets made of leaves. This elephant just discovered the basket of leaves and is moving it out of the way so she can eat her jello Easter egg.
Whole lot of elephants! They had a huge pen and sometimes if you couldn’t see them on one side you had to go around to see them in a different section.
Jake and his girls exploring the Atlanta Zoo
Beautiful bird
Brina found Big Bird’s Nest!!! HA!
My two little chickies in the huge nest!
Karlie thought the nest was hilarious!
Travel & Vacation: Amazing Kilimanjaro Safari at Animal Kingdom (Orlando, FL)
Brina ready to head out on the Kilimanjaro Safari at Animal Kingdom
The fast passes were gone for the Kilimanjaro Safari at Animal Kingdom before we decided which day we would be going to the park which is a sign that this is a popular activity. We waited in line for about an hour to go on the safari, but it was very worth it. This is the longest we had to wait for any activity while at Animal Kingdom. During this safari we were able to see real animals in their natural habitats during the expedition through the Safari.
We got to ride out to the safari where many animals were living in the wild. We went through mud, standing water, on “shaky” bridges, and more while seeing animals at every turn. Many of these animals I would not want to meet out in the jungle, however, the animals in this jungle looked well fed, peaceful, and relaxed. It was a wonderful experience. The kids LOVED this and rated the Safari as one of their favorite activities while at Animal Kingdom. If you are ever at Animal Kingdom don’t miss this activity if you like seeing a lot of wild animals fairly close!
Karlie on the lookout for animals!
An okapi which is half zebra and half giraffe!
Hippo sunning itself on the bank by the water.
A group of hippo hanging out in the water.
Beautiful scenery!
That’s a lot of alligators in one spot!
Thankfully that big guy is heading that direction and not our way!
Life is rough!
Very tall termite mound! Surprised at how many of these were around in a variety of different sizes and shapes.
Giraffes nibbling on the tree!
Grazing!
Friendly elephant!
The elephants were covering themselves with mud to keep from getting sunburned.
A cluster of elephants rooming around.
The upside down tree (looks like the roots are growing out of the top).
Pink flamingos hanging out around the water.
Rhinos munching on hay!
Had to stop our drive through the grasslands when a rhino decided to cross the road in front of us.
Meandering along!
A gathering of rhinos helping themselves to some delicious rhino snacks.
Cheetah napping in the shade.
Lion sleeping in the cool rocks.
Zebras munching on the grass.
Warthogs resting
Ostrich eggs?
Zebras were pretty!
The animals were so peaceful!
Relaxing!
Life’s a CIRCUS!!!
Sometimes every day life begins to feel like one circus act after another. As a family of four there is always plenty of fun happening around our house. Even though life has a way of getting busy it is important to take some time to relax and just have fun! Go to the circus and let yourself laugh!
I had the privilege of chaperoning my girls kindergarten class to the Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus. It had been years since I have been to the circus and the girls had never gone. We had a blast! It was a challenge keeping all the kids together especially since a bunch of other schools were attending the same day but we managed to keep track of our troops and everyone made it home safely. Here are a few pictures from our adventures.
Karlie and Brina at the Circus! I could NOT pry their eyes away from the circus long enough to take a picture, it was that much fun! 
The clowns were a big hit for both of the girls! 
So much visual stimulation! Always a lot of fun stuff to watch! 
The beautiful horses captivated the girls attention! 
The kids were impressed with the strong men and swings! 
A couple of the kids had their eyes covered because they didn't want to see the lady fall! 
The "Donut Wheel" bike was a big hit with the kids! 
The girls were glad to see the Tigers caged at the circus & loved their "tricks"! 
The elephants were a huge hit with all the kids!
