zoo with grandma

of course we had to take grandma to the zoo!  i thought about taking her to the cleveland zoo, but after our trip there with nana i think that it is a better warm weather zoo.  so we stayed close to home and took our lunch up to the akron zoo.  and there were all kinds of new (to us) things to check out with the slightly warming weather!  mason was feeling pretty adventurous because he ran right up to pose in the penguin cut-outs for a picture.  i thought that he did a pretty good job getting his head in there all by himself.

i told madelyn that she looked like a princess in a castle.

mason checking out the condor wings (you will have to go to the end of the post to see madelyn's turn - i couldn't get it to move up here).

mason did the whole bridge on his knees and i just thought that it looked funny - like he didn't have any legs.

the highlight of this trip to the zoo (besides having grandma with us) was that the carousel was open!  usually, we just peek at it through the awnings covering it up for the winter.  it was still on the cold side for a ride, but we couldn't resist!  madelyn and mason were very, very excited.  madelyn was just tall enough to ride by herself.  mason was so excited and terrified at the same time.  he was holding very still, but trying to smile.  maddux and i watched.  the videos show how he warmed up to it.  the first few times around he would smile or wave, but he got closer and closer to waving and by the end i got a few smiles and waves.

another new (to us) part of the zoo was the little 'farm'.  mason was really happy to see (and respectful of) the goats and sheep.

even maddux got the attention of a goat.

leaving after a fun day at the zoo with grandma!