Santa Barbara Zoo

Yesterday, we spent the day at the Santa Barbara Zoo. We met up with Sydney's family; she is Elsa's new BFF. The zoo is in the most beautiful location with the ocean as a backdrop. The animals weren't impressive compared to the multiple exhibits of animals at the Indianapolis zoo, but I could spend a whole day sitting on the grounds reading a book (as if that would ever happen). There are lots of palm trees, grass fields, flower gardens, and cool ocean breezes. In fact, it was a little chilly if you stood in the shade. This was a welcome reprieve from the hot weather we've had this past week. (Plus, our AC broke, so we've been a little warm in our house. We won't be fixing it anytime soon because the whole system needs to be replaced = lots of $$$. This is just one more thing to add to our list of renovations. Sob, sob.) In addition to the scenery and animals, there was a cactus garden, an astro turf hill where the kids "sledded" down on cardboard boxes, and a fallen palm tree that functioned as bouncy chair for big kids. Greta had the greatest time running around at each exhibit. She wasn't as interested in the animals as she was her freedom. One of the highlights for the girls was having the lion walk right in front of their faces that were pressed against the glass. He gave a big roar so they could see his big teeth. There were a few animals that aren't at the Indianapolis zoo, like a couple of gorillas, lots of different birds - vultures, condors, macaws, and a capybara. However, Elsa kept saying, "Mom, I don't think we've seen all the animals yet." This was after we made the rounds TWICE. Next time we go, I'll better prepare and bring our cardboard boxes,a picnic lunch, and a good book (one can dream).

We came home to rest for an hour before we headed to a Transitions social event at the local gymnastics studio. The girls spent another two hours on trampolines, slides, bars, balance beams, and mats. They were worn out by the time we got home. I could barely get them to take a bath before they crashed into bed. These are good days!