A Zoo-riffic Birthday to Hope!

Happy One Year Birthday to baby Hope the giraffe! Piper was on spring break this week so we took her to the zoo on Tuesday, the warmest day of the week. It was a perfect zoo day with temperatures right around 66F. We wandered through the aquarium and the jungle before making our way to our main attraction for the day. We wanted to wish Hope a Happy Birthday. There was a constant stream of well wishers through the giraffe house where Hope was greating each person with a smile and look of contentment. Just look at her!  

Our zoo, The Henry Doorly Zoo was voted the best zoo in the United States for the second year in a row. Whoo-hoo!!  We are all, (Omaha people), so proud of the zoo. I remember going to the zoo as a little girl on fieldtrips with my class every year of grade school. It is a beautifully kept zoo and all of the animals seem very healthy and happy. We never walk the entire zoo in one trip. We have a membership and can go as often as we want. We just pick an area or two to visit each time, although we almost always go through the aquarium and jungle. The butterfly house is also a favorite.

The above was her birthday poster but I took all of the remaining photos in this post.

She's just too cute for words.

She looked like she was showing everyone just how coordinated and beautiful she is as she strolled around her home.  There were four more adult giraffes outside in the big paddock where you can see them run and eat the leaves on trees. :-) When Hope and the other teenage giraffe get a bit older and can withstand the temperature changes better, they will join the adults outside.

Pipers favorite is the aquarium where her beloved sea turtles swim so effortlessly through the water.

There all all kinds of stunningly beautiful jellyfish.

These are my favorites and they are really a flourescent purple in color.

Piper loves the aquarium where the fish, sharks, sting-rays and turtles swim right over your head and all around you.

Lots of sharks are in the tank. It's kind of eerie when they swim over your head.

Mr. Sting-ray always looks like he's smiling at me when we visit. How can something this cute be poisonous?

This guy just lay there completely still as we watched him for awhile. He looks like a grumpy old man, but he did have some pretty colors on his jet black scales! How do you like those lips? :-)

This is my other favorite. Honestly, I could sit and watch these penguins all day, but Piper is always itching to get to the sea turtles around the corner! These kids are so funny and hilarious to watch. It "snows" in their house every so often, but best of all is when they are fed. It's fun to watch them eat.

The monkeys in the jungle were busy swinging all over the place. This guy was a LOT bigger than he looks in this picture.

These three were content just to sit and watch the people watching them. Just who is in the zoo anyway?

I have no idea what this bird is but I thought it's wings were pretty. It was way up high in the tree when it spread it's wings so prettily for me.

If you don't like bats, close your eyes now. There were literally hundreds and hundreds of these bats hanging out and flying around our heads. I'm fascinated by them but don't like them much, even though one has never landed in my hair. We had them at the lake in Washington. At dusk you could see them swooping and flying through the air around the campground.

Piper and her puppy Lizzie, both spent the night on Tuesday after we went to the zoo. Well, Wednesday she decided she wanted to stay at our place another night. I had Bible study Wednesday morning, but when I got home I grabbed Piper and we went to Taco Bell for lunch before going yarn shopping at JoAnn's. I needed some acrylic yarns for my charity knitting. They are having a fantastic sale this week. I bought about $150.00 of yarn for $80.00 with the sale prices and coupons. I usually do that about once a year at the beginning of the year to stock up a little bit. It really was a GREAT sale!

Yesterday, (Thursday), we spent a lot of time plaing Rummikub with Papa and then a few games of UNO. By then this little girl was missing her Mama and decided to go home just before dinner about 5:30. When we got home, the house was so quiet without her and Lizzie. Zoey was exhausted from all of the playtime. Both of those dogs love Piper and let her dress them up and carry them around like babies. No one else can carry them like that, but Piper can do anything with them. 

Here's Lizzie, all tired out and sleeping in Zoey's bed. Zoey was on my lap sleeping too. :-)

I did get Baby J's pink sweater finished and also finished the sleeves on this purple one a few minutes ago. I just need to put the button band and edging on and it will be finished. Her second birthday is next month but I don't think they'll arrive on time with the mail service the way it is.

We went to the fish fry again tonight at a local Catholic church. This was our third week going to the dinner with two other couples that we've known forever. And I mean since we were teens! Now we're in our mid 60's to 70's! Lots of history. This church feeds well over 1000 people every Friday night during Lent. The food is delicious, the company is great. Everyone is very, very friendly and so welcoming. Tonight was the last night and I'll miss it. After dinner the six of us went to Coldstone Creamery for ice cream. I forgot how expensive it is there. We haven't been to Coldstone for 5-6 years, since when we lived in Spokane.

Take care everyone and I'm sorry if I bored you with zoo photos. We had such a great time with Piper this week for three days and two nights. I don't want her to grow up and go to middle school next year. Is there a way to keep her 11 and in 5th grade longer? She loves her Papa and Grandma and enjoys being with us. I don't want that to end.  :-) Plus, I know as she becomes a teenager her social life will get much busier. I guess that's part of life isn't it?

Blessings and love,
Betsy