next up - the Zoo!

There are so many good pictures from this trip to the zoo!
It was an amazing amazing trip.  This was the first time Finn had been to a big proper zoo and it was so much fun watching his amazement and fascination with some of the animals.  Of course, he was quite unpredictable in what he actually found amazing (ie: the biggest hits were the goats and the fish.  The lions did not impress) but it was still a joy to experience with him.  Part of the reason it was so much fun was because we were there with my sister and her two kids and my Aunt Tricia.  I've already mentioned many times how much fun Finn has with Dakota and Caitlin.  But Dakota and Caitlin at the ZOO?!  This was a whole new level.  It was great to be able to let them all just run around and scream and chase each other and have as much raucous fun as they liked. And because Tricia was there, Jaimie and I actually got some time to hang out together as well.  You know how you sometimes have those trips that are meant to be "fun" but are actually really stressful and exhausting and you start to wish you hadn't agreed to it?  That's what I expected of the zoo.  But it was not that at all.  It was so relaxed and laid back and easy that it was actually truly enjoyable all around.  Brilliant.

So anyway.  I have LOADS of pictures and I've cut them down quite a bit.  But I still have quite a few.  So here comes the mega picture post.  Enjoy!

Walking around the zoo is hard work!  Luckily Jaimie had a pushchair that could fit three kids!  I don't think it was designed to do that... but it worked :)

As always, the best way to Finn's heart is a ride on a train.  And this one was actually on tracks and had bells and choo choos and everything.  And we were trying to see who could spot the animals... And Dakota was doing an excellent job taking pictures on Tricia's camera!

There wasn't just a train, there was a BOAT!  We floated down a 'river' that had animatronic dinosaurs all along it (no- I'm not certain why there were dinosaurs at the zoo either).

Finn was rather distracted by it all because he had just bought a car from the shop.  But then the boat started floating and he was fascinated!  

So trains, and boats - what else could a place have to make Finn love it?

ANIMALS!

And of all the animals, Finn had two favourites.  Two places we spent ages and ages at.  One was the aquarium...

 

And the other bit that sent him over the edge in joy was the petting area for the goats.  We go to the city farm pretty often so he knows goats and loves to look at them. So he got excited when we went up to have a look.  And then we opened the door and went in.  The surprise and glee on his face was incredible.  He was running up to the goats and trying to hug them, getting in their face to say 'hello' and trying to crawl under their legs like a 'tunnel.'  It was hilarious.  He had absolutely zero fear of these animals that were mostly bigger than he was.  He just wanted to talk to and see and touch as many of them as he could.  Who would have expected that in a zoo full of amazing animals, this boy would go nuts for goats?  But he did.

They had brushes out so that kids could brush the goats if they wanted to.  Caitlin was slightly worried about the goats so she didn't really want to brush them, but was quite excited to have the brush and wanted to join in somehow... so she and Finn found their own solution...

So out of all the trains and boats and fish and goats, what was his absolute favourite thing of all?  Without a doubt the best thing about the whole trip was spending time with family.  Finn loves his aunt Jaimie.  Finn loves his great-aunt Tricia.  He even seems to like me a bit as well.  But mostly, Finn loves his cousins.  A lot. 

Camping in America

I'm having a horrible time cutting down the pictures from our US trip - so I might drag out the one post into a few categories... and the first thing we did after we got to America was go camping.

Finn was AMAZING on the flight over. I can't believe how good he was.  It was an 8 hour flight during the day and the seatbelt sign was on the entire time so we couldn't get up EVER (though we did, once, for a nappy change).  He played, read books, coloured, watched the films, sang songs - and stayed in his seat happily the WHOLE time.  I was so worried about travelling alone with him, but I didn't need to be.  He seemed to know that we were on an airplane and therefore had to sit still, and so he did.  I got so many compliments after the flight about how good he was.  Which is good because I think people were a bit worried when we got on!  He did cry once, when it was naptime and he couldn't get comfortable - but that only lasted about 10 minutes and then he was asleep.  He was great in the airports for the layover, and on the second flight - and all the return flights... he's just so so good at understanding when he can be crazy and wild and when he can't.  Amazing.

But anyway, the flight was good, the jet-lag wasn't too bad, and the first thing we did was go to a campground.  At first it was just my Mom and Dad and me and Finn but we were joined by my sister's family that evening and stayed for four days.  It was an excellent time and I have so many pictures!  Here are just a choice few:


Finn loved the fact that the campground had a train!  So we went on a little ride one day:

He also loved that his cousins brought their little car for him to play with.  He LOVED that little car and spent a LOT of time in it (much to the dismay of Caitlin who wanted just the tiniest of turns every now and then!).

(I love that picture!  It's like he's bored wating in traffic!)

He loved hanging out with his grandparents and having lots and lots of walks and exploring time (including a trip through the woods to the side of the highway to look at the trucks going past... all the amazing things the campground had to offer, and Finn was super excited to see a road!)

But most of all he loved spending so much time with his two beautiful cousins Caitlin and Dakota:

He had SO much fun with them and loved being around them as much as he could. We did lots of fun things together including trips to see some farm animals, swimming, more swimming, playing at the park, riding bikes, arts and crafts, and playing with some fun fake snow that I brought along. They were so serious with their scooping and stirring!  It was brilliant to watch them, AND it kept them busy for a nice long time :):

And of course after all the excitement there was a lovely bed in a campervan for a snooze.

 

All in all it was such an excellent time.  I had been getting a bit stressed at work just before we came over and there was so much to do on the flat all the time, and then packing for the trip and it was all go, go, go... and then I get there and we're at a campground with no phone, no internet, nothing pressing that I needed to get done.  Finn went down for a nap and my first thought was "I'm so tired, but I need to use this free time as much as I can!"  and then realised that I didn't.  There was nothing that needed done, no one was waiting on my decisions, everything was taken care of.  And I could do whatever I wanted.  It was like I could all the sudden breathe again!  I got a book, a diet Coke, a pillow and went and read in the hammock and then had a nap.  Bliss.
I didn't realise how much I needed that until I had it. Certainly a great start to the trip, that's for sure!!!


To be continued...
:)