The Brunkers: Zoo and Aquarium

While Ben was off on his 2 week vacation we decided to do some family activities around the city!

First stop, the Zoo!! Ben couldn't remember the last time he went to the Zoo. I used to take kids I watched to the Zoo, so it hadn't been too long since I had been! I was so glad the weather cooled down a little the second week Ben was home. The high was still in the upper 80's the day we went, but that was a lot better than 100+.

I didn't take as many pictures as I would have liked, but I know we will be back soon!!

Ben loved the Tigers. They were his favorite! Pictures courtesy of Ben!

Riding the Tram to Africa!!

Miss Brooklyn did so well. We got to the zoo a little before 11am and didn't leave until after 2pm. For some reason she would NOT nap in her stroller. We got about 1/4 of the way through Africa and she got really fussy so we turned back and headed for the car! She was tired of being in her stroller so daddy carried her! So sweet!!

LOVE THEM!!!

The next day we decided to venture to the aquarium down by Crown Center. We debated buying tickets online to save a few dollars but we decided just go wait in line when we got there. We arrived and the wait was only about 15 minutes. Nothing too bad. We had read online that the average time it takes to get through is about 1.5 hours. That would be perfect for Brooklyn's schedule and such. There were so many school groups there, it was pretty crowded. Ben and I thought it was going to be totally different than it was. We both thought it was going to be huge and really open. Instead it was narrow, crammed and tight. There were some areas where the stroller almost didn't fit through. We were in and out of the aquarium in 26 minutes. It wasn't like we rushed through it either. We would park the stroller in front of some fish and Brooklyn would stare and smile at them-it was cute! I just felt like it could have been better. The biggest thing we saw was a shark-smaller than Brooklyn! Needless to say I did not get many pictures! I told Ben that when Brooklyn gets a little bigger, 2-3 I would like to take her back because she will definitely get more out of it then! He told me that I need to find another mom to go with because he will not be going back! Ha!