This past weekend Mark was home and the weather was beautiful. We went down to visit his parents and we took the kids to the John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids. 
It was very busy there that day. The sun was shining and it was warm enough for just light weight jackets. 
We got to see a section of the zoo that we haven't been to before. Every time we've gone before it was before or after the summer exhibits were open. Granted, with this trip a lot of animals were still not out yet and some of the summertime things were not opened. We did get to see the newly refinished petting zoo and a little house that the kids could play in. They also had an airbrushing tattoo that you could have done. Irene got a panda airbrushed onto her hand. 
The otter was performing for every group that came by, unfortunately, we had no food and the zoo does not allow us to feed the animals. 
The cougars were very vocal when we came by. One in particular kept making what sounded like a very angry kitty noise. Shortly thereafter the cougars put on a "birds and the bees" show! All the adults started laughing and the kids wanted to know what was going on. "Mommy, what are those animals doing?" "They're wrestling." 
For some reason the tiger was not out and turkeys were there instead. We laughed because we see turkeys all the time just driving down the road. 
The lady lions were sitting on a rock right in front of the viewing window. It was a treat to see the so close. It is amazing how large they really are when you are standing so near them! 
Look at those paws! 
Hello, Beautiful! 
I'd love to snuggle up with one and take a nap, but somehow, I just don't see that happening. 
The chimps had had a fight recently and several had nasty wounds. 
We had a great time at the zoo and at $5 for an adult and $3 for the kids it was a great deal. The prices do go up at the end of the month but even then it is a great price. We had dinner that night with Mark's parents at the Shang Hai Ichiban Japanese restaurant. I love this place and have fond memories of eating there as child with my family. They've since built a new restaurant but the food is just as good. They cook it all in front of you while putting on a performance. The kids love it and they enjoy the food too.
After dinner we went swimming and then to bed. The next day we had breakfast and headed towards home. Nothing in Grand Rapids opens until noon so there wasn't anything to do. It was a great weekend and I love that we got away for the day.
