June 4, 2010

Tangaroo Time!

Earlier this week, we took a little trip to Tanganyika, our local wildlife park. We ♥ Tanganyika. It's much more intimate than the zoo, it has more interactive activities, and the playground and shaded pavilion are awesome for picnic lunches and playtime!

We met up with some friends, and began to tour the park. Sassy has been insistent on sitting on this rock or that log or this bench for me to take her picture. Half the time, I feel like belting out a little Carly Simon right in her direction...



Of course, Sassy wanted to visit the tangaroos. At home, we have been practicing her letter flashcards daily. First, she correctly identifies the letter. Then, she makes the sound the letter makes. Then she identifies the animal pictured that begins with said letter. The "K" card has a picture of a kangaroo. So, it goes a little something like this...

K.
ka-ka-ka...
Tangaroo.


HAHA. Gotta love 4-year-olds!



Sassy and BoBo dragged each other around the park most of the morning. Two peas in a pod, those two. It's scary!



We made a potty pit stop, and Sassy found a little friend that she insisted on picking up...



...and having her picture taken with...



...and subsequently dropping from a decent height as I was explaining the process of laying him down gently. Luckily, he was okee-doke.

We went inside the lorakeet house, and I let Sassy use a token to purchase nectar for them to eat. She did great holding her cup and letting the lorakeet drink from it...



...until another lorakeet swooped down and landed on her arm, at which point Sassy shrieked and threw her arms in the air, which sent her cup of nectar flying. It was hilarious really too bad that it happened.

Meanwhile, Little A had no qualms about picking up the cup with little more than nectar residue remaining, in order to take her turn feeding the birds. Here's my best attempt at a picture whilst clinging to her arms so as not to let her leave the sidewalk... lorakeet house rule.



I was able to lift her up, where she promptly outstretched her chubby little arm and delighted as the birds drank from her cup. She was SO proud of herself! Pretty birds...



The girls were eager to get to the feeding area for the tortoises and rabbits, so that's where we headed next. Sassy acted like an old pro feeding the tortoises and showing the other kids how it should be done.



She did get frightened eventually when her lettuce dwindled and one of the tortoises was a bit eager to chomp on the remaining bits. So, she spent a little time on the ledge recuperating.

Little A, on the other hand... I'm rather surprised she didn't lose a finger. She is a girl without fear, I tell you...



We made one last stop to see the zebras, and take a quick break at the watering hole.



We enjoyed a picnic lunch with all of our friends under the pavilion, and then the big kids played at the playground. I kept Little A in baby jail her stroller and kept her entertained with lunch, songs, and silly faces as Sassy played the day away with her buddies.

On the way out, we promised the girls that we would take them to see and feed the lemurs. When we did this last year, the park had recently opened to the public, and the lemurs were cautious, to say the least. As you can see by the pictures, not so much this time...





We had a great time at Tanganyika, and we can't wait to visit again later in the summer!

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