It was a smaller zoo, but it was the perfect size for us to tackle. There was an awesome snake exhibit with a couple dozen different species which the boys were super excited about, but even as enthusiastic as Zach was about the snakes, he told me his favorite animal at the zoo was the porcupine.
Inside the zoo there was also a fun playground and splash pad that the boys both enjoyed. Probably the coolest thing about the zoo was actually in the area outside of it. Up in the trees tops is the ZOOm Air Adventure Park equipped with zip lines, rope bridges, suspended discs, etc. It looked like so much fun, and a few years down the road I can totally see the boys up there having a blast.
The day after the boys' birthday we took a little road trip over to Sarasota to visit Grandma Gaile and her husband Jim. She had a little party planned for the boys, and we had a lovely visit. We enjoyed lunch and more birthday cake (which I ate too much of), and the boys were thrilled with more birthday gifts. Ben tackled 2 new puzzles, Zach loved on his plush sea turtle, and later they both enjoyed watching Jim's model electric trains.
On our way home we stopped by our favorite produce stand in Lakeland and picked up a flat of fresh strawberries and lots of other goodies. It's still a thrill to be able to buy such awesome produce for a fraction of what it would cost us in AK.
The past several days have been full of fun, and it's been great for us to spend all this time together, especially to celebrate the boys and the day they came into our lives.
