Wild Animal Adventures (Stanton, MO)
The 2 tigers were together in the pen, we got to see them interact, swim, play, and relax.
After the girls got out of Cub Creek camp in Missouri we went visited Wild Animal Adventures. It is outside of St. Louis in Stanton, Missouri. It was a smaller establishment, but the animals were well cared for. We went at busy time and their parking lot was full (they had a trailer blocking part of the parking lot which made it a little inconvenient) but after a few minutes we got a spot.
They have an indoor section with aquariums, touch tanks, birds, reptiles and more. Outside the have both farm and wild animals in different sections. The workers seemed to enjoy being there, interacted well with the animals and were happy to share stories about the animals.
Our girls did two extra interactions, playing with the foxes and the dingos. The dingos also known as “singing dogs” were tired so they were laying down and let the kids pet them. I was hoping to hear them “sing” but they were not into that while we were there. The workers allowed 4 people in at one time with the dingos. For the foxes they gave the kids “treats” aka cat food to feed to the foxes. Our two girls were the only ones other than the worker in the pen with the foxes. The foxes loved munching on the treats and were more energetic. The website lists the extra activities with a price range, however, at least one of the activities was more than their list price. They need to update their website if they are not still charging those rates.
Overall it was a fun stop for our family. The animals were fairly active and the employees were nice. If you are driving through the area it is a nice place to stop especially if you have kids that enjoy animals. We have included a sprinkling of photos from our trip to Wild Animal Adventures.
The llama had some personality.
Gorgeous colors
The kids were not interested in the pretty flowers, but I enjoyed them!
Their 3 legged white fox. He can still move quickly and nibbled up treats from the girls.
This one liked to interact and have conversations with you!
The llama was more interested in you if you had food!
Glad this one was in a cage and behind a window.
Beautiful white tiger!
Wild Animal Adventures
Travel & Vacation: Cozy Cow Dairy (Windsor, CO)
Cozy Cow Dairy
On one of our trips to Colorado my cousin Renelle introduced us to Cozy Cow Dairy in Windsor, CO. It was a hot summer day and we were heading back to her house when we made a slight detour to the Cozy Cow Dairy. The girls LOVED it! Not only did they have amazing fresh chocolate milk, ice cream, cheeses, and more they had a farm animal petting zoo.
Before even going into the store we had to go by and say “hi” to each of the farm animals. They had some precious little ones so they girls thought it was so neat. After petting the animals and washing our hands we enjoyed some fresh chocolate milk and ice cream. It was DELICIOUS!!! It hit the spot on the hot summer day too. After our special treat we headed back outside to pet the farm animals once more before heading back to Renelle’s house. If you are in the Windsor area this is a great place to spot, cool down, and get a treat. The kids will probably enjoy the farm animals too!
Cozy Cow Dairy – “In the moo’d for something good?”
Black and white baby goat
Baby brown calf – he was so soft and small to touch
The girls loved this one. They said it looked like it had a crazy hear day, but it was as soft as a teddy bear!
Fresh milk, ice cream, cheeses, and more at Cozy Cow Dairy!
The “Travel and Vacation” series is an insight into our trips together as a family, ways we relax, and tips on how to make trips more enjoyable. Life is short and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build memories with family and explore of of the most amazing places during our time away. Explore with a good attitude, look for fun, and it will be an awesome trip jammed packed with positive memories. It is refreshing having some time away from the regular routine. Make it a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet new people and learn. You just might see or try something new that takes your breath away!
Travel & Vacation: Cute Panda Bears and Wildlife Show at the Atlanta Zoo (Atlanta, GA)
Panda Bear content to relax and eat bamboo
The panda bears were one of the girls favorite animals to visit at the Atlanta Zoo. I think the big fascination was watching the twin panda cubs. It was a little harder to get a picture of both of them at the same time, but the kids loved watching them eat and play. The Wildlife Show on birds was pretty neat too. Of course the girls went up after the show to ask more questions about the birds. The zoo worker was really great with the kids and patient in answering all the questions. On the way out the girls wanted a picture with the gorilla. It was a great day at the zoo.
You can read more about our adventure at the Atlanta Zoo on my Travel & Vacation: Visiting the Atlanta Zoo (Atlanta, GA), Travel & Vacation: Lions, Tigers, Seals, Reptiles, Bears, and more at the Atlanta Zoo (Atlanta, GA), and Travel & Vacation: Orangutan Easter Egg Hunt at Atlanta Zoo (Atlanta, GA) blog posts.
Looking pretty cute!
Look out, showing some teeth this time. Watch out! They may look cute and adorable, but I think it would not be a good idea to pet them with teeth that size.
Someone found an Easter pinata
Loving the bamboo
Peeling the bamboo stick apart, eating some pieces, and putting the other pieces on his belly for later.
Crunchy, but delicious
Good stuff
Panada’s look so cute
Checking things out around the pen
Heading towards some more goodies
Twin panda’s in their cage. One sleeping on the log and the other one eating some bamboo
Relaxing and chewing on some bamboo
Bird Show in the Wildlife Theater at the Atlanta Zoo
Getting all their questions answered
Brina giving Willie B a hug
Karlie and Brina enjoyed the Atlanta Zoo
Karlie all smiles
Travel & Vacation: Orangutan Easter Egg Hunt at Atlanta Zoo (Atlanta, GA)
He’s eying that cool looking pinata egg with sweet Easter treats inside it!
Another one of the neat events at the Atlanta Zoo was the Easter treats for the animals. We were able to get front row viewing at the Orangutan Easter egg hunt. It was super cute. There was a Mommy with a little one which the girls thought was adorable.
The Easter Eggs were made of jello and placed throughout the pen, pinata eggs full of special treats, leaf baskets with goodies, and cardboard cutouts with peanut like substance on the back for the orangutans to enjoy. They had a lot of fun finding and snacking on their treats. Even the baby found some. They had paper garland hanging up which the orangutans enjoyed moving and playing with as well.
You can read more about our adventure at the Atlanta Zoo on my Travel & Vacation: Visiting the Atlanta Zoo (Atlanta, GA) and Travel & Vacation: Lions, Tigers, Seals, Reptiles, Bears, and more at the Atlanta Zoo (Atlanta, GA) blog posts.
An edible Easter egg in the tree and one on the rock in the background….waiting to be found!
Swinging out to get the Easter garland
Oh yeah, this eggs mine!
Climbed up on top of the platform for this pinata treat
Enjoying the goodies inside the pinata Easter egg
Holding the cardboard cutout of the bunny rabbit and licking the treat off the back of it
Hanging out near the hammock picking up and eating eggs, delicious!
Look closely, he’s got a green jello egg in his mouth
Momma and baby
Sitting in the shade – Mom and Baby (the baby is not really little, but obviously still under its Mother’s care)
Mom and baby kisses
Licking the goodness off the back of the cardboard Easter egg decoration
Mom and baby looking for some more treats
The baby wasn’t too sure about everything at first so it stuck near its Mom at the beginning of the Easter Egg Hunt
The baby is getting brave. He is climbing the pole to get the Easter basket, with a little Chick, and goodies.
Made it, now to grab it and head back down.
The Mom watched the baby climb, get the treats, and bring them back down. Then she took the items from the baby and ate them herself, ha! The baby did get some treats, but Momma Orangutan got the first dibs!
Rearranging the Easter Garland in their pen.
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: Petting Zoo at Animal Kingdom (Orlando, FL)
Petting Zoo at Animal Kingdom!
The girls were thrilled to find the petting zoo at Animal Kingdom! They had a section were you could brush, pet, and interact with a variety of farm animals. They had goats, sheep, pigs, and a cow that you could help groom. There were llamas too, but they were not out in the big pen, the kids could see and pet them, but they did not interact as much as the other animals. The kids loved brushing, petting, and hanging out with the animals.
We got there about 30 minutes before the workers took the animals into the barn for the night for their evening meal. The animals were very active and it was fascinating to watch them trot into their barn stalls. They knew when it was time to go into the barn and which stall contained their food.
They had an area in the shade that was roped off and contained a small jungle gym where the animals could go if they needed a break or didn’t want to be petted or brushed at that time. You would see a handful of animals in that area, but for the most part they would go in run a loop through the jungle gym and come back out with the kids. There were always plenty of animals out walking or laying around in the non-fenced off area that the kids had a blast.
You have to take the Wildlife Express Train to get to Rafiki’s Planet Watch and the Petting Zoo area.
Loved this part of Animal Kingdom!
Petting, brushing, and talking with the cow.
Brushing a pig
Giving this pig a good brushing!
Laughing at the animals being silly. Brina had a blast in the petting zoo. I think if they hadn’t taken the animals into the barn while we were there it would have been hard getting her to leave this area!
Karlie brushing a goat.
All the pets in this area were very well groomed, probably from all the kids brushing them every day. They were very tame and interactive with the kids.
You want to brush the goat Mom?!
A herd of sheep.
Walking with a new friend
Giving her a good brushing!
Finished brushing the cow now ready to find a new animal to groom!
The goat enjoying a face rub.
Waiting for the train to go back to the rest of Animal Kingdom
The train and our cargo have arrived!
Free Ebooks: Christmas Around the World, Sneezing Christmas Tree, Merry Christmas Little Hoo, Little Piano Book, Growing Herbs, and more!
The price to download these books is currently $0.00 (although the price may change at any time, please confirm prior to downloading). The ebooks are specifically for Kindles, however, you can click here and download the free application that allows you to read Kindle ebooks on your PC.
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Fun with the Animals
Walking the animals!
At Grandpa Russell and Grandma Penny’s house they had two dogs, cats, pony, and a horse that provided a lot of fun entertainment for the kids. Everyday they played with the dogs, cat, and did something with the horse and pony. Sometimes they went for carriage rides, combed them, rode the horse and pony, or led them around the pasture. The girls enjoy anything to do with animals so these activities were a big hit!
Karlie playing with Aunt Renelle’s dog!
The girls love animals and are always game to spend some extra time with any animal. When we were in Colorado we stayed with at my cousin Renelle and Eric’s house. They have two dogs and two cats that are in the house so the girls thought that was awesome. They had a blast playing with all the animals (well, except for one of the cats who booked it as soon as he saw us bringing our suitcase inside the house.
Brina petting Renelle’s dog!
Buzz and Misty were very excited to see the kids back in Kansas and came running (of course they were with Grandma Penny and carrying a bucket of treats too).
Brina carry a halter and a bucket of treats for Buzz and Misty!
Heading to the pasture with Grandma to spend time with the animals!
Brina leading Misty around.
Karlie was giving Buzz some exercise too!
The dogs thought it was a great game and were running back and forth as the girls walked Misty and Buzz!
Enjoying some time with the animals!
Brina loves Misty! Such a sweet pony!
Buzz and Misty did really well being led by kids and a lead rope!
Brina would spend hours in the pasture if we let her!
Switched! Karlie is now leading Misty and Brina is leading Buzz around the pasture!
Going for their last walk of the evening!
Beautiful Kansas sunset! Taken in the front yard at my parents house.
Welcome Ranch Horse Camp
What a great week of fun and learning at Welcome Ranch! Thanks Ms. Lisa!
The girls were able to do a week of Horse Camp this summer at Welcome Ranch! They always enjoyed getting there a few minutes early to say “hi” to all the farm animals on Ms. Lisa’s farm before camp started. Both girls love horses and animals so camp is always an activity they look forward to during the summer.
Brina on the move around the ring!
Ready to ride? Karlie all smiles while Brina holds one of the cats at the ranch!
Karlie all decked out waiting for her turn to ride. Ms. Lisa always has some special surprise or something different to do each day in addition to taking care of the horses and riding lessons.
Brina leading the horse back to the barn!
Finger painting their names and designs onto Reno, who was being a good sport standing still with all the kids around him!
I didn’t get a picture of all their finger painted drawings, but I did get a shot of their names!
Book: “Farms ABC: An Alphabet Book” by B. A Hoena
We read this book “Farms ABC: An Alphabet Book” by B. A. Hoena to the girls when they were really little and after the Grandparents were here visiting us from Kansas a couple weeks ago the girls picked this book out again from the library. As we were reading it again I was impressed with how well the author incorporated many aspects of farming / ranching into the small book. It is an excellent beginning readers book filled with information about farms (including Irrigation, Oats, Tractors, Planting Seeds, Repairs, Harvest and more). The author goes through the alphabet highlighting each letter and describing the highlighted word in more detail. In the back they add additional fun facts about farming for the kids to read. For example: “A dairy cow produces about 100 glasses of milk a day” and “Did you think that only cows eat grass? Wheat is a type of grass that people eat. It is used to make bread.” Our girls know their ABC’s already but were fascinated by the pictures and descriptions. This book would be a great addition to your library especially if you have family in the farming business or your little one is fascinated by farm animals and equipment.
