Welcome Spring: A Zoo Party with Friends

Spring has sprung in Central California - or so we thought last week. We enjoyed sunny days with temperatures in the 60s and 70s. Thursday we took our first excursion of the season to Fresno's Zoo with our friends the McGowens and the Schultzes. We couldn't have picked a better day. The sun was shining and there wasn't a cloud in the sky.

First stop: the reptile house. (Well, after all the kids took turns in the bathroom and playing we headed to the reptile house.) We peeked inside the aquariums filled with slimy snakes, terrific turtles, leapin' lizards and even some icky insects. Addy flashed a smile for the camera near the cool turtle statues.

Peyton, or as Meilani fondly calls, PeyPey, tried out his "turtle power" on this cool turtle shell jungle jim. He's quite the athlete and climber, which makes Meilani swoon. She idolizes everything the quiet PeyPey does.

After ducking inside the reptile house and checking out the ostriches, our crew followed the path to an outdoor exhibit where the kids could touch animal fur, bones and horns. This was like an outdoor museum for little ones to touch and explore more about the animals. A docent was there to answer their questions with a smile.

Meilani checked out the different kinds of animal hair. She was very curious about the camel hair because the live camel was in sight and she was wondering why his hair was in this little box. Kind of funny. She enjoyed the chance to touch things and not get in trouble. Curious toddlers need to touch.

After our picnic lunch of pizza with pita chips and spinach dip at the pavilion, we strolled over the giraffes and elephants. Of course, you can't take a trip to the zoo without seeing the elephants. One of Meilani's favorite children's books is about Nosy the Elephant at our zoo. She was very eager to find Nosy.

With naptime looming (Can you tell by this killer face?), we snapped a quick photo with the kissing elephants and then continued on our way to the exit before all the kids had their afternoon meltdown. We made it out to the car just in time...

Here's the crew: three mamas, six kids, two strollers and a day full of fun with our friends a the zoo.