The next day, we headed to the Children's Zoo here in town. We were all very excited because we had not been able to go at all this year! It is also a really fun time to visit the zoo because they decorate it with all kinds of pumpkins and gourds!
Woah! That's a lot of pumpkins!!
It was exciting to see the kids get excited, too! They decided, of course, that they wanted to visit "Africa" first. The kids already knew the lions were my favorite and Jemimah said it was her favorite as well! It turned out to be a perfect day to visit the animals because it was kind of chilly in the morning and was a little overcast, so most of the animals were out and about!
Our very first stop was a the sky safari ride! This ride takes you up in the air on a ski lift up and over the animals through out the exhibit. Sounds really exciting to me, but alas, we have always had a child too little to ride and mommy always gets to stay with the baby. So, my husband took our two girls up on the ride! They looked like they had a blast!
So, we continued on down the African exhibit and found our way in and out of the hyena's den and ventured to the lion's den. We were able to see the lion up close! The kids really got a kick out of that! (Okay, maybe I did too!) Next on our list was the giraffes! I was able to catch this awesome picture of Jemimah right in front of them!
They all were so close to us! I thought one might snatch up my camera!
Next up, was the Indonesian Rain-forest section. The kids were actually able to touch a hedgehog and got to see the really cool snakes and the komodo dragon!
We continued through the forest area and headed out, as our bellies started to rumble! We made it all the way to the Australian exhibit for lunch! The kids all had wonderfully packed lunches for the day and was pretty awesome to see them eat all the different varieties of food that was in there! Some kids liked the whole pea pods, others liked the apples. My kids, of course, ate all of it! Hahah!
We had spent nearly the whole day at the zoo, and were just starting to get tired when we found out we would be taking a ride on the train! Instantly we were all in a better mood! It was also the first train ride for my handsome little boy and he did so well sitting in the seat like a big boy! He got so excited that he didn't want to get off when it was time!
After the train, we all had time for one more group shot and took off for home. My youngest desperately needed a nap and mommy needed a break too! My husband took us home and dropped us off while he took the girls back up to the park for a little more play time! He is such a saint for letting me rest when I need it. Always taking on extra so I don't get too exhausted. I am so thankful for that!
We only were able to rest for a few hours though because the kids had to be back at the church for sound check and dinner before there performance. It was a long night after a long day but finally we were able to see the kids perform! Let me tell you, it was awesome! They were all dressed up in their native costumes and danced and sang their hearts out! It was adorable and heartbreaking at the same time. We were able to see a few videos on the conditions of their homes before they come into the choir.
The videos were the hardest to watch because we were able to get to know these kids all day long and then we were able to see what life was really like for them back home. Most of the kids did not have mothers or fathers and were on their own from an early age. Another video showed us a man and his ministry of saving babies from starvation and death in the mountains of Guatemala. What really made me cry was my oldest leaned over and hugged me saying, "Mommy, this is so sad. This is about babies dying." Then at the end of the video we were given the opportunity to give towards helping save the babies and she said, "Oh I get it. We are supposed to help those babies!" Wow! What a profound thing for a 6 year old to say! Sounds to me like she was really "getting it" and will be a great help in the future for ministries such as this!
Anyway, I think the night was just awesome! Our church had provided food for the night as well, and it included meals from all over the world! A lot of people had joined us for the night, so I would say it was a success!
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