John, Lilly, and I just returned from a super quick family get away. I start work on Friday and we really wanted to enjoy some family time before then. Sunday we drove to Omaha, took in the amazing zoo, went on to KC, and finished it all off with one super duper shopping trip.
Monday didn't start so hot. Lilly had a tummy ache and leaked a diaper onto her jammies and then two more before we even got to the zoo. Luckily I was prepared and packed lots of clothes.
On a brighter note, first stop: Henry Doorly Zoo (the Desert Dome to be exact)
Almost all of the habitats in the desert were similar to this one. Rocks and sand with a huge variety of animals.
Back outside we checked out the big cats. Lilly spent quite a bit of time growling at them!
On to the bears. John said I had to include this one..... real mature I know.
This was the polar bear exhibit. I thought he would be in the aquarium or in some other cool place. Apparently polar bears are ok in 100 degree heat. This guy you can't actually see because he was entertaining all of us with his stellar swimming skills. He had one amazing back stroke!
The gorillas were by far my favorite! I am not a believer of evolution, but these big guys definitely had some human like characteristics!
Lilly was pretty taken with them too! The big silver back in the picture before would literally come right up to the other side of the glass and puts his hands up. Might have scared her a little.
We spent a long time at the window talking to all of the gorillas. I think there were three or four big ones, and then a smaller variety that kinda looked like raccoons.
I think this guy was a lemur. We learned that their stripes always start with white closest to their body and end with back at the tip of their tail.
Posing in the Garden of the Senses.
On to the very top of the zoo and the rhino exhibit. We got up here right after lunch, at what seemed like the hottest part of the day.
The giraffes were up in the same area.
I am not sure whose idea it was, but we wimped out and took the Skyfarie (ski lift type ride) back to the bottom and saw a few exhibits from the air. At this point we had been at the zoo close to five hours and were running out of gas. I think we just stopped for a quick water break here.
The last actual exhibit we went to was the Scott Aquarium. I love aquariums and all of the fish and other creatures. I am not sure if it is the water or the fact that the animals are always moving, but I could watch them all day.
Emperor Penguins are beautiful! They were so entertaining. Stand a little and then....
dive in and go for a swim!
Poor little Lilly would have loved them. To bad this was her for the last hour or so of the actual zoo.
She did wake up long enough to watch an IMAX movie about tornadoes with us. It was about Vortex 2 and the TIV. We enjoyed it especially since we recognized a few of the people from Storm Chasers. All in all it was a great 7 hours. We were all tired and soaked from the heat by the time we left.
Monday night we drove on to KC and stayed the night out at Legends. The drive should have only taken a little over 2 hours but because of the recent flooding and road work it took close to four. Lilly was such a trooper and was actually awake for most of the drive.
Tuesday we got up bright and early and spent several hours shopping. Somehow we all came home with a new pair of shoes, two for Lilly! It was a great little vacation for all of us and definitely a place I would recommend!
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