Dear Friends:
[This is the fourth of five blog posts about our family reunion in San Diego, California. The "family" consisted of all my kids, grandkids and my amazing wife].
After an a successful day at Legoland, we decided to spend the next day at the San Diego Zoo. Everyone in our family is fascinated with animals, so this was a great destination for us.
Walking right in the front gate, we had a peacock that was showing off for us. This guy was working really hard to impress...
Because some in our family are such devoted fans of panda bears - we immediately set off in search of that exhibit. It was a smart idea, as later in the afternoon, there was an hour wait to get into that portion of the zoo. My oldest grandson brought his binoculars, and helped lead the group ; )
The pandas did not disappoint. We arrived early in the morning to find some eating bamboo, while others were sleeping. For most of the kids, this was a real highlight of the day:
In another part of the zoo, we were able to see koala bears - awake. They're pretty adorable. I've been lucky enough to hold one in Australia, but this is as close as we could get...which was pretty good.
I spent a good deal of time actually watching the rest of our group, while they watched animals. It was so fun to see the reaction of the kids to various exhibits and creatures.
The zoo was so well-designed. They had play areas for the kids that also taught something about the animals that they were viewing. Here are a couple of koalas in a tree ; )
We also caught a family of giraffes as they were about to be fed. I liked this picture, as it shows the intense anticipation that the youngest kids had for watching these amazing creatures.
Some in our family really know how to experience an ice cream cone ; )
As we spent most of the day walking, I really like this picture - the tallest person in the group, with the shortest person ; ) I love to watch my older kids spend quality time with their kids. Makes my heart proud:
The kids loved the meerkat exhibit - I mean, who wouldn't?? These little guys just went about their business, keeping watch for predators...even when there weren't any around....
In this picture - the two youngest were riding in a stroller together - as my granddaughter tried really hard to hug her cousin. Awkward? Yes, but adorable as well, as I couldn't get the camera out fast enough:
Yet again, these two spent much of the day hanging out together - wearing matching shirts. I can't wait to show them these pictures when they're older, to remind them of the strong bond that they enjoy together:
There's also a series of pictures that shows my oldest son's kids caring for each other. L has a responsibility to watch out for his younger sister - and he does a great job of caring for her. We caught snapshots of them hugging and embracing, throughout the day.
L loved the climbing wall at the zoo. She's such an adventurer, especially outdoors. She love to climb, dance, skip and twirl all day:
Here, my oldest son hangs out with his nephew. I love watching the two of them together...especially when J shouts out "Uncle Chris!"
Another shot of G-Man watching out for his youngest nephew. He's patient with the little ones, that's for sure.
Overall, it was a fantastic day at the zoo. The kids were getting a little tired from all the walking, so we headed back to the house for the late afternoon. It gave us a chance to swim and relax before dinner. My wife had a blast with our youngest grandson, helping him really enjoy being in the pool:
Another great day in Southern California! Join me for the next post - the last from San Diego - as we spend time at the beach before heading home.
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