Put me in the zoo...

For my birthday, I decided I had better things to do than work on my birthday. So we went to the zoo instead. Jenna had the day off too (what a coincidence!) so she and Tristan came along.

It was absurdly hot (and I do mean absurdly hot) and sticky, but the kids had a good time altogether. They always get along well, despite the age difference. Tristan is very careful and considerate of Cara.

We had the pandas all to ourselves for a good fifteen minutes. The kids had a swinging good time.

Then they got up close and personal.

Mei Lan really is adorable. Several million dollars worth of adorable? I'm not sure, but she is definitely a cutie.

We visited the kangeroos, who were much less bouncy than my daughter. You can faintly make one out sprawled on the ground in the background. Yes, it is in fact looking at Cara - I think it was surprised that someone has the energy to jump in this heat.

Next stop: the petting zoo. Cara liked the goat. Well, it was a very friendly goat. Tristan thought so too.
In fact, the goat was so friendly that it offered to pose for a photo with us all. Such a nice goat.

We visited several exhibits, including the elephants, and had a picnic lunch sitting by the lions.

By this time, it was blazing hot, so we saw a few more exhibits and called it quits for the day. But it was a fun excursion, and a great way to spend my birthday.

And of course, I got my mom's mouth watering strawberry cake for dinner. Mmmmmm.