Summer Michigan Trip 2015, Day 2

After not quite enough sleep, our girls woke up around 6:45 Michigan time (which was 5:45 Chicago time). We got ready for the day and headed out to the John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids (stopping first at a Starbucks so I could get my caffeine fix!). The last time we were at this zoo was three years ago, just before I got pregnant with Hailey. Since then the zoo has expanded quite a bit, adding a tiger exhibit among other things, and also raised their prices. ;)

I really needed this! It was delicious.

The girls smiling sweetly in front of the statue at the entrance to the zoo.
Matt said he and his siblings always took pictures here when they visited the zoo!

My sweet girls and I at the wallaby exhibit.

Playing on a little wooden train.

Savannah wanted to stay playing here forever.
We eventually had to force her to leave and go visit other animals.

In the petting zoo.
Some of the goats were getting a bit rowdy and one even knocked a little girl down.
Hailey was kind of nervous. I don't blame her; I was, too!

Savannah was really excited to brush the animals' hair.

We paid for these little food sticks that would get the birds to land in your hands.
Hailey really, really loved this!

The girls also loved this little play house.

Savannah kept saying over and over "I want to see the tiger! Where is the tiger?"
On our way out each girl got a small stuffed tiger from their grandpa;
the perfect souvenier to commemorate this trip to the zoo.

This fun play "tree house" of sorts was in the tiger exhibit.

The girls were real troopers throughout the zoo. We stopped to get lunch partway through and were there several hours. Matt's pedometer on his phone said we walked a little over three miles. What was really impressive was that Savannah walked that whole time, never once riding or asking to be carried! Hailey walked at least half of the time, but she did ride in the stroller a bit and have me carry her a bit, too.

After the zoo, we went back to the house so the girls could rest. Savannah fell asleep but Hailey refused. I was so surprised Hailey wasn't sleeping, and I was a little fearful for how she would get through the rest of the day without rest! After naps we tried to go swimming in the pool at Grandpa's house, but it was so cold that we only lasted about two minutes. Instead, we decided to go to a nearby pond to try fishing. Grandpa really, really wanted to take the girls fishing. However, since they are only four and two-year-old little girls, as soon as they spotted the playground they decided that was where they wanted to be! I played with the girls on the playground while everyone else fished.

Once it was getting close to dinner time, we headed back to Matt's dad's house to build a bonfire and roast hot dogs. The girls had never seen a bonfire before. Savannah thought it was pretty cool and Hailey was just pretty tired at this point. After eating, we headed to a local ice cream place. It was getting very chilly and wasn't exactly the best night for ice cream, but we had promised the girls that we would take them to a local ice cream place, so we had to make good on that promise! I had a local ice cream - Traverse Cherry Fudge - and it was delicious! It was definitely worth dealing with the "cold" weather.

After ice cream we headed back to Grandma Great's house to go to sleep. By the time we got showered and jammied and settled in for the night, it was nearing 10 o'clock again! Thankfully, the girls were wiped out and went down without a fight on this second night!