June and July have come and gone and I am still putting photos from our trip to Ohio up on our blog. A highlight of our trip was going to a wildlife conservation center called The Wilds. The drive there was lovely and the experience was fantastic! Not only did we get to take a bus safari and see some awesome animals (many of which are endangered species), we also got a very special Animal Encounters session from the Columbus Zoo. The zoo brought a few animals for the boys to meet and pet and they had a very special time with that.
It was really cool getting to see a penguin, fox kit, armadillo and baby cheetah so closely. James and Hank didn’t get to pet the cheetah (or the armadillo – they carry salmonella) but they did get to see it much closer than they would have at the zoo – with no fence between them and the cheetah. When they brought the cheetah out, the staff from the zoo and the Wilds asked that we take Paul from the room because the cheetah is drawn to small things that cry (it was nearing Paul’s naptime) – so strange to be reminded that our children would be fodder for wild animals if we were in different circumstances. Edward the cheetah (some folks at the Columbus Zoo are BIG Twilight fans – there were 3 cheetahs in the litter and they ended up being named Edward, Bella and Jacob – oh and the dog at the zoo who does the Dog and Cheetah shows is named Carlisle….) certainly kept a close eye on James and Hank (who were asked to remain seated behind a tape line on the floor while the cheetah was in the room).
Everyone had a wonderful time and we will definitely be returning to The Wilds next time we visit Ohio. Hank still talks about the trip and loves to look at the pictures and tell us who he’d like to go with him to the Wilds next time (GG, Grandad, Grandma and Grandpa are on the top of the list but he’s also mentioned his friends, Henry and JenJen when talking about going back – its a given that Ben, Nancy, Paul and James would be with us). Here are some (of the many) photos from our trip to The Wilds:
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