A Midwest Safari (Of Sorts)

First, it's been awhile since my last post and I should probably explain why. It's because we moved to the suburbs and we're still in the process of finding our new home. That means we're in temporary digs and spending as much time as we can out and about. The past week we have seen a lot of animals. I mean a lot.

Last weekend I took the girls to Iowa and during that trip we went to Dyersville to see my grandma. (Also home to the Field of Dreams). After lunch at Breitbach's, one of our favorite restaurants and Iowa's oldest bar and restaurant, we went roading through the countryside. First we drove to the old family farm and checked out the cows. Then we kept driving down the gravel roads, past the fields of corn and the farms full of cows, sheep, pigs, donkeys, mulls and horses. We eventually stopped at another farm and got out of the car for a close-up look at the cows. Isabelle wasn't a fan, Margot was snoozing away, but my grandma was petting the cows. I'm sure the owners of the farm was scratching their heads wondering what we were doing! As you can see, I was a little camera happy.


 

The next day we went to Niabi Zoo in Coal Valley, Illinois with my parents, sister Christine and my cute nephew Parker. We all had fun seeing the animals, riding the train and taking a spin on the carousel. During this trip we timed it right and had a chance to feed the giraffes. Romaine lettuce seems to be their favorite snack. They snatched it right up with their blue tongues. It was a cool experience and worth the $4.

Finally, this weekend was the DuPage County Fair. So today our friends, the Fout family, joined us for an afternoon at the fair. It was just how I imagined. We saw tons of livestock, chickens, rabbits, chicks, bees, camels, turtles, tap dancers and lot of carnival rides - which we stayed away from during this trip, no time! Next year we'll have to map it out a little better, but I think we did pretty well with two 3-year-olds and baby! Speaking of baby, the first aid station had a wonderful, quiet and air-conditioned place to breastfeed. They even had a rocking chair. It was perfect!

Our animal theme is continuing tomorrow with a trip to Cosely Zoo. Isabelle is signed up for Toddler Time at the zoo and Margot and I get to tag along. With the way we're going, Margot's second word might just be cow or duck, but I'm still holding out for Ma Ma.