ZooBeDoo

Rachel got reserved tickets for the new elephant exhibit at the Denver Zoo, so Wednesday bright and early we were on the road south. The little girls were excited to be together, having a great time in their matching grandma-made dresses.



The new exhibit was great. Lots of places to view the elephants, from both outdoors



and inside.



I didn't get photos of their bedrooms, but they are enormous and nice. There are several 'yards' that the four (so far) elephants rotate through, so they don't get bored, with tunnels and bridges connecting each space.



The grounds are beautiful, with lots of flowers, water areas



and play areas for the kids. The girls favorite was the Tuk-tuk, a taxi Thailand-style.



They patiently waited in line for their chance to 'drive' the stationary cab, informing me that sitting in the back seat (which did not have a line) just would not do. Silly grandma.



Another great thing about the Denver zoo is the wagons available for rent for kid transport. Hubby doesn't mind being used occasionally as a pack horse



but wagons are much more back-friendly and the girls loved hanging their feet over the sides 



and being able to sit back and relax while someone else did the heavy lifting pulling.

We saw most of the other animals
 

- including this tiger who was happy to pose for the cameras -



but the elephants were definitely the must-see attraction.

Bodie, the youngest male, starred in the 2 p.m. show, showing off his ability to grab apple and orange slices from the water after successfully executing a behavior,


swimming in the pool,



and climbing back out without using the gentle incline at pool's edge, which is how he entered the pool.

(This is the only family-friendly photo I have of that feat; despite what you may have heard, cold water does not make certain portions of a male elephant's anatomy smaller, which led to many questions from Addison. Which her mom promptly handed off to Grandma. Sheesh.)

While we waited for the show, grandma splurged on hats



and bubble guns for the little girls.



The guns were the hit of the day



- and the night, once we were able to reload them from Rachel's giant bottle of stashed bubbles.

We also provide quite a bit of amusement for the people around us. Leia was the first to figure out how to get bubbles to stick to her hand, but Addy was the acknowledged master after this impressive display.

The new elephant enclosure lived up to all the hype; the girls thoroughly enjoyed the elephants, the show and the south-east Asia themed exhibit.

We completely wore the little girls out.



Definitely not a bad thing.