We made our first trip to the Knoxville Zoo and were blessed with perfect weather. Though we had a bit of a late start we were able to stay for over three hours. The highlight of the day had to be the camel ride. David rode with the boys on a bumpy ride that made Andrew nervous for a while. We know it made an impression on them because when we asked what animals they saw at the zoo, Ethan says "camel" first. Okay he says "Elephant" sometimes too. 
We started at the Wee Play exhibit that features functions at the zoo like the ticket booth, veterinarian clinic, food preparation area, exhibit clean up and more. Andrew enjoyed running the cash register and cutting the food (using a wood knife to cut food attached with Velcro). Ethan preferred designing his own zoo and climbing in the barn loft tunnel. We had to drag them away from this great play area so we could see some live animals.
The Knoxville Zoo has a wide variety of animals though we were a bit disappointed by the activity level. Most were sleeping or very low key. Some high points were the rhinos, elephants, giraffes, gorilla (right on the other side of the glass!) and all the tunnels and caves. I love to hear all the new words from Ethan and Andrew. Andrew's vocabulary is increasing but he is still cautious about saying new words. I don't think he likes to make mistakes and so he'll whisper the new word to practice. Two of Ethan's new words for the day were "falcon" and "tortoise."
We didn't stay to play at the Kid's Cove since it was after 2 p.m. and I was concerned about too much sun exposure. Happily the boys slept some during the drive home. What a great day learning more about God's beautiful and imaginative creation!
