Tuesday in Wichita

Tuesday we started our day with a stop at Lamar's Donuts, then visited the Sedgwick County Zoo. It was the best zoo yet! Again, we got 1/2 off admission prices wtih our Chaffee Zoo family membership and spent a fantastic five hours walking through the different areas of the zoo (the animals were separated by continents). Some of the highlights included:

1. An amazing rainforest exhibit!
2. Three interactive childrens' areas: one was a typical Asian farm, one a typical North American farm, and another a typical African farm.
3. At the entrance of all their big exhibits, there was a bronze statue of the featured animal (you'll notice lots of pictures in our slideshow of the kids beside statues). Kansas is known for its statues and sculptures; Kansas City has beautiful statues in the middle of fountains all over the city.
4. Getting really close to a grizzly bear. I kept thinking...if I were seeing this animal in the wild this close, I'd be peeing my pants...and then playing dead in hopes to make it out alive. Woah!
5. Getting so close to the gorillas that you could see their fingerprints! These huge apes were just relaxing in the shade, right next to the glass!

After our zoo trip, we headed downtown to visit a couple shops and also see more statues on street corners. For dinner we headed to Texas Roadhouse. It was a fun atmosphere and great food! I sipped some sweet tea while waiting for our food, and the kids were kept busy with coloring pages, peanuts to crack open and eat, and lots of yummy, buttered rolls! We even enjoyed some musical entertainment by the waiters as they line-danced in the aisles. When the music started, Violet stood up in her place to see what was happening and got scooped up by a nearby waitress and joined in the dance! All three kids fell asleep on the ride home. It was a chore to wake them up for baths and pajamas. But those are the days when you know your kids had a ton of fun!