Vacation Recap Part Two

On our third day at Canyon Lake, we went to a drive-thru zoo called the Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch. It was literally one of the most unique and thrilling experiences we've ever had as a family! Basically, you get to experience the zoo in your vehicle while a variety of different animals walk up and ask for food. We grabbed two bags of food and rode through about 6 miles.  

We thought this would be a good idea to teach Anabelle how to drive. I mean, you can never learn to early, right? She did a great job and she seemed pleased with her new set of skills.

There was one particular zebra kept sticking his head in the window for more food and my husband was wrestling the food bag away from him (it? her?). They both put up a good fight, but when my husband rolled up the window. I wish I could have videotaped this escapade because it was the funniest thing ever to watch my husband duke it out with a zebra. 

Anabelle absolutely loved the safari zoo. She kept sticking her head out of the window, waving and saying "hi" to every animal that passed by. When we would run across a new animal, she would squeal with delight and jump up and down on top of me. My husband and I took turns holding Anabelle, or rather she took turns climbing across the console to each side. 

Being able to watch the animals in their "natural habitat" was amazing. When we would pass parents with new babies, they would stare us down until we moved passed them. Nothing to see here, move right along. It was kind of creepy.

You could literally stick your hand out and pet the animals. I didn't let Anabelle pet any of the animals, because I wasn't sure who would unexpectedly bite or harm her. They still are wild creatures after all.

Gap Pleated Dress - similar here // Salt Water Sandals in Gold (also seen here)

Gap Retro Sunglasses - similar here

By this time in our adventure, Anabelle was slowly starting to lose steam. We were running on nap time and she didn't really care about any of the animals anymore. She also didn't care to hear anything I had to say. We went to the petting zoo and she didn't want to touch pet or feed any of the adorable baby goats. Clearly, she doesn't hide her feelings.

My husband took advantage and was one with the animals. He's a softy at heart. 

 

After Anabelle woke up from her nap, I asked her if she wanted to go swimming. She immediately shook her head and said, "niet" which means no. I sometimes wonder if she knows Russian. This was day three of our vacation and we hadn't been to the lake by then, even though we could see it from our patio! I know she was exhausted from the constant up and down from vacation, so we took a break and did some finger painting.

This kid loves to paint. I bought a cheap drawing pad from Hobby Lobby, which is super easy to tote around with us. She painted for a solid 30 minutes while I relaxed and enjoyed the view :)

At 18 months, she's able to match all the paint lids to their correct colors! I was so excited when she did this without any prompt from me. This kid is growing so fast and amazes me everyday with her hidden talents. I love her so.

We take a late vacation every year, and it makes it so much more enjoyable because the crowds have usually dissipated by then. It makes our vacation very quiet, which is exactly what we look forward to.

More vacation recaps to come!