To the Zoo Again...

We went to the zoo last year on Charlotte's birthday and managed to go again this year, two weeks before her birthday. This time we opted for the National Zoo and were joined by my brother Joe, his wife Jo and their son Elijah. Charlotte and Elijah were super happy to see each other, and since Elijah is an old pro at the Metro, he volunteered to sit next to Charlotte to make sure her first ride was a good one.


A picture by the zoo sign is a must. I'm pretty sure there are multiple photos of me and my siblings here, from various field trips over the years.


These two were basically inseparable the entire trip. They actually ran to greet each other at the Metro stop and met in full embrace. Similar to the movie "10", minus the horrible cornrows and skin-colored swimsuit.


When Charlotte wasn't holding hands with Elijah, or riding around in his stroller (yup, she preferred his to her own), she climbed onto the shoulders of whoever was close by at the time.


The statues were a big hit with the both of them! Not surprising as my mom has a picture of Joe with a gorilla statue from this zoo back when he was still in elementary school.


And while Elijah was pretty tame and well-behaved, Charlotte took it upon herself to show everyone how to roar.


And how to eat. Seriously. The kid ate nonstop. She must be ready for a growth spurt!


Elijah didn't worry about eating so much as he made sure to just look cool.


All in all, a super day! Better than last year, mostly because of the weather, but also because I just plain love this zoo. I'm not sure if it's because I went here so often as a kid, or because it's free(!!) or because I like the different animals they have here, but it's just fun. We definitely plan to come back again before the year is done. With my zoom lens this time!



P.S. Today is the last day to enter my giveaway for Royal Wedding items. I'll be drawing after midnight and posting the winner's info tomorrow.