Niabi Zoo

Today we took a little day trip to Niabi Zoo near the Quad Cities. It's just the right size for a few hours of fun. We got up close and personal with lots of animals. First stop was the train ride, to get a lay of the land:

Kindred spirits - "hello friend!":

Monkeyin' around:

Are you looking at my bum?! Bum looker! (with a star tattoo):

I could have stayed and watched the elephants all day. Why do I think they're so cute?! They're not small, soft and cuddly. But I love them. I do.

Alien dinosaur:At the children's petting zoo there was a sheep that kept baa-ing. I told Sam he was saying, "Come back and pet me some more!" He took this to heart and had to go back several times when he heard him bleating. Hence Sam's comment, "Ok, just one more pet." I tell ya, this child has such a compassionate spirit.



These emus reminded me of a certain Texas drive-through safari. All that separated them from us was a rope fence that didn't deter them in the least from coming over to "our" side.
Same goes for the kangaroos, but they were no dummies. They stayed against the far wall, in the shade. The highlight for Will was going in to feed the Australian Lorikeets. For $1 you buy a cup of "nectar" and they come and land on you and drink it! Sam was a little more hesitant, but Will LOVED it and they seemed to love him!
The next thing we knew, Will had FOUR birds on his arm!:

Finally, Sam got brave enough to let a bird sit on his arm:

Well, hello precious! Can I take you home with me?!I can?!
Look Ma! No hands!
Sam made sure to feed this goose so that he could "grow a new wing."I didn't realize until just now that one of these koi fish is trying to eat a piece of mulch - funny!Sam thinks these koi are "big fellas:"

It's amazing how long you can make a handful of fish food last if you only throw out one little piece at a time.
Another family shared their cheerio's with us.

It was a fun trip to the zoo and we were home by 3:30. Even though Will was a little bit disappointed that we were not going swimming at a waterpark, I think everyone had a good time.