Lilla The Gorilla

Okay...maybe as a mother I shouldn't admit this...but...we often call Lily "Lilla The Gorilla". I know, I know...not a very sweet nickname for such a sweet girl. I don't know how we even came up with it...but what can I say...it has sorta stuck! I'm sure Lily will thank me for it when she is older! No. Really. Don't you agree?!?

So, anyway, today we took Lilla The Gorilla to the Philadelphia Zoo. This was not part of my original plan for our trip to Philly, but the weather here was SO amazing we just HAD to do something outside. I'm so glad we did.

To be honest, I've never been a big fan of zoos. You know, the whole idea of wild animals stuck in cages so humans can stare at them just seems really wrong to me. Righteous indignation aside...we had a wonderful day! Even though the zoo is the oldest in the United States most of the exhibits are modern and beautiful.

We started our visit off with a little hot air balloon ride. Okay, to call it a ride is an exaggeration and we all know I never exaggerate! It was more a hot air balloon lift than ride, but either way Lily LOVED it!

After the balloon ride we walked around the zoo and saw all the beautiful animals. Lily's favorites were the polar bears, the primates, and the Big Cat exhibit took a very close 3rd!

After the zoo we took a scenic drive (read we got lost) back to the hotel. The silver lining is that we got to see some beautiful parts of historic Philadelphia and Lily got to take a little nap!

Once we found our way back to the general vicinity of our hotel we stopped for a late lunch/early dinner. After that we headed back to the hotel for a dip in the swimming pool. We had the pool all to ourselves! After initially being a bit timid Lily was jumping off the side in no time!



Once our skin was sufficiently pruney we headed back to our room for tubby time, a little snack, and then off to dream land. Tomorrow we are headed to Longwood Gardens and then...Home Sweet Home!

Here are some fun pictures from today: