I got to love 'em up today!

I had a very special Valentine's Day. I got what I dearly love the best...my family together. Today we went to the zoo. We've been wanting to go for some time as a family but the weather, ahem, was a bit unrelenting for outdoor activities. As in snow, snow, and more snow. But today! Was the Day! Sure it was cold, only 40 degrees or so, and yes, there was a chance the clouds would spit on us (which happened) but we didn't see another day soon in the foreseeable future. So, minus two grandchildren, we met at 9:30 and had probably one of the best Valentine's Days ever. After all, isn't that what it's all about...to love each other? (the dark chocolate my husband bought me didn't hurt either!)We saw what our zoo is famous for...the elephants! My sweet little two year old GD can't say elephant and I kept asking her what these were just to hear it. They weren't doing "tricks" but it was an stimulation for them. We got to see the baby elephant, born last fall, I think. This was a typical scene throughout the day, elbow to elbow looking at the animals. I love these scenes.

It was these guys first ever trip to the zoo. And they lasted for the day, even without a nap.
We saw this pose quite often from the three as they saw animals or fish. This probably expresses better than words how we felt about the day!

Lions and tigers and bears...oh my! This little one shouted at the tigers to "wake up" and they did! She was so pleased with herself!

Our adorable monkeys! Just outside the primate portion of the zoo.

We saw this frequently as well.. uncles and aunts and grandparents all chipping in to make sure the little ones enjoyed the zoo to the fullest. Uncle J calls his little niece "chubs" because she definitely isn't!

The smile says it all!

If you look off in the upper right corner, the sign right behind our granddaughter says "Please Do Not Feed". Ooops! We didn't see it until we'd fed. In defense, it was their hay we were feeding them.

The mommy elephant. The baby is sleeping so we didn't see much of it. What we did see was very cute.

We had a special picnic lunch with, for dessert, what else...animal crackers. Iced ones. This little one thought they were pretty good and decided to help herself.

Yep! We had a wonderful time! And we're going to do it again...SOON!

I hope your Valentine's Day is special. Ours was! And it's not over! We're going to have a special dinner together before I have to send my Valentine off on a business trip for a week.