lazy 5 ranch

generally speaking, robin & duane spend half their time in greensboro and the other half in charlotte when they come down to visit. that way we all get a little special individual time with them!! on their travel day we usually all meet somewhere in the middle for some sort of fun, family adventure. last year was the zoo.

this year we met at lazy 5 ranch. our wagon was pulled by these strong beauties...

interestingly, you can also drive your (soon to be dented?) car through the park and the animals stick their heads in your windows to munch on your bucket of grainy deliciousness. that version of travel did not appeal to us.

once through the gate, ostriches met us hungrily. so hungry in fact that one plucked my bucket's lip with his beak and flung it onto the ground for his dining pleasure. (yes. very rude.) luckily, we had plenty of extra food. ostriches seemed pleasant enough at first (minus the the thief), but some of them followed the wagon the entire ride, awkwardly running in their high step, frantic manner and their big, unblinking eyes stare at you hungrily leaving an unsettling feeling in the pit of your core.

once we got to the bigger animals, we were able to drop food into their mouths!

they've had practice...
some animals were off limits (fine by us!)...
but my most favorite by far...
eli loved watching from great gram's lap and even started dumping handfuls of grain over the side of the wagon (at no animal in particular). after the ride, there was a "petting" zoo of other birds and animals to explore.

there is also a great playground and picnic area so we could have spent the whole day! unfortunately, ava wasn't feeling well (102 fever later that night) so we left early.

the above pictures aren't really the best portrayal of all the cool animals. there were so many to see and feed, but we were so glad to be all together that most of our pictures were of each other instead! lots were pretty cute...

i just love my family. they make life so much more full and fun!!