Lions and Tigers and Bears! Oh, My!

So we didn't really see any lions or tigers today. But we did see plenty of bears, along with tud-toes, goats, penguins, and monkeys.

Chris took the day off , and we went to the St. Louis Zoo. First, we visited the turtles. They were huge, caked with mud and their skin was so leathery they looked fake, like robot turtles. For the next twenty minutes, all the way to the Children's Zoo, all Evie could focus on were the tud-toes we left behind.

Luckily, there were goats to brush. After a whirlwind tour of the rest of the Children's Zoo, we found the goats. Evie was fascinated with the first goat she saw at the entrance. We tried to coax her away from the nice gray goat to see others, but she was loyal to the end. (Much to the dismay of Violet, the next-door goat, who could have also used some grooming.)

Evie feasted on nachos for lunch, and then we took a train ride. We visited the penguins (how is it so smelly in an ice-cold, indoor exhibit?) and spent a lot of time checking out the monkeys. I convinced Chris that Evie needed a souvenir from her first Zoo visit, and we left the gift shop with the sweetest plush turtle. Evie hugged it, kissed it, and could think of nothing else for the rest of the day. Great memories and her own personal tud-toe to boot!