We Love Hogle Zoo!

Every summer when I get to Utah I realize how spoiled we are in DC to have free access to all of the Smithsonian museums as well as the National Zoo (thank you all for paying your taxes, we really appreciate it). Then I get to Utah and suddenly I have to pay to go anywhere- and not just pay for myself but now Ethan who has reached the magical age of 3. I have been so grateful each summer to Taylor's grandpa who pays for our yearly membership to the Hogle Zoo which is only 5 minutes away. It's so nice to see as few or as many animals as we like and not feel like we have to see everything to make it worth the money. So thanks Grandpa Servoss! We love it and only wish you were feeling better and could join us! I just have to include a few of our favorite pictures and stories from the summer. Ethan absolutely loves it when the tiger is pacing back and forth over the bridge. This time he was literally going nuts and kept growling at the leopard in the cage next to him. We finally figured out that it was because a squirrel had climbed into the leopard's cage and he had caught him and was eating him and the tiger wanted fresh meat too.

I generally try to avoid going into the small mammal and rodent house (Taylor's cousin calls it the Stink House which is very appropriate) but Ethan has fallen in love with snakes this summer. Not through any persuasion on my part, he's just truly a boy. So it was with great joy (on Ethan's part) that one morning we walked in to find that they had just fed mice to all the snakes. Lovely! It took me a 1/2 hour to literally drag him out. Yes that's a snake with just the mouse's bum in his mouth. Oh but don't you worry, we sat and watched him swallow the rest!

The zoo put in a new Carousel this summer and Ethan loves it even more than their train. Taylor's mom came along and Ethan was absolutely enthralled by the experience.
Ethan's favorite so I had to include them.

This is the only time I've actually seen the penguins in the water (in 3 summers!) so I had to include the picture.