Mother's Day 2011 at St. Louis Zoo

My Mother's Day celebration kicked off on Saturday when Mike told me he was too excited to wait to give me his gift (this is how every gift-giving occasion goes around here)!  So after Tyler's nap, Mike and Tyler gave me their cards and gifts.  I got a CD of all my favorite songs and a gorgeous pair of diamond earrings!!!  After that, we went to the park for a while. Then Mike decided he would give me a break from cooking so he cooked out burgers and dogs on the grill while Tyler and I just played outside. 

Mike was trying to surprise me with my Mother's Day plans this year but about half-way through the week he told me he planned a trip for us to go to St. Louis Zoo.  I have been wanting to take Tyler there since he was a baby but wanted to wait for him to get a little older.  And last year we went to Miller Park Zoo here in Bloomington on Mother's Day so the idea was perfect!  We discussed the plans and decided that we would make it a one day trip due to our dog situation.  Sunday morning we left at 6:00 am to head to St. Louis.  It took about two and a half hours to get there and Tyler was good the whole time.  He played with one of his Thomas sound books for the first half of the trip and then slept the second half.  We got there right when they opened at 9:00 am so we were able to park on the street at no charge.  And the zoo itself was completely free!!  Can't beat that!  We also knew we would be right across the street from Forest Park so we just packed a picnic lunch of sandwiches and snacks and took a little break to enjoy the perfect weather.

We were very impressed with the amount of large animals.  We loved the elephants and giraffes in particular but we were also impressed by the monkey house and some of the smaller displays.  We really wanted to go see the penguins and the shark attraction but by the time we got to those exhibits, the lines were too long and we were needing to get back home to Spice.  I told Mike that just means we need to plan another trip back soon! 

About to go inside

Tyler's Mom Rocks!

Tyler's Dad Rocks too (he just doesn't have a shirt to prove it)

Tyler's favorite animal by far

Mommy's favorite animal by far

Watching the giraffes

I have been wanting to take Tyler to a Build-a-Bear Workshop since the day he was born!  I worked at the BABW in Orland Park during the summers when I was in college and it was definitely the most fun job I ever had.  I loved the way we made the experience special for each kid.  I knew we needed to wait until Tyler was a little older to understand what was going on and not get scared of the stuffing machine.  When we walked past a BABW at the zoo and Mike suggested we finally do it, I jumped all over it!  I was probably more excited than he was.  And the girl that helped make his giraffe did a wonderful job making it special!

He chose a giraffe--with my help 

Helping to stuff it.  Once he heard the machine he got scared though.

Picking out his heart

Warming it up

Giving it a good luck kiss

Giving "Joey" some sugars

Anxiously waiting to take his new friend home 

He said "I love this giraffe"  :)

After the long drive back home I decided there was no way we could make dinner.  So we called ahead at Outback and got in right away for dinner.  We started off with my favorite cheese fries.  Then I had my favorite salad dressing and my favorite steak sandwich for my meal.  Afterwards, we went to Dairy Queen and the three of us split a banana split.  I couldn't have dreamed up a more perfect way to spend my weekend with the boys.  I definitely felt appreciated!