It's Labor Day weekend, which at our house can only mean one thing: a trip to the zoo! I can't believe we've kept this tradition going with Joy & Scott for 19 years. Here's the recap of zoos visited: Omaha x3, Tulsa, Des Moines x2, St. Louis x2, Oklahoma City x2, Wichita, Kansas City x2, Springfield, and Topeka x2, Salina, and Rogers, AR. With Syd and Jack both juggling busy college schedules, it worked best for us to stay a little closer to home this year. Thankfully we have a GREAT zoo right here in Kansas City! Sam and Conner joined us for the fun again this year.
It had been rainy in the morning and we were worried that our trip might get rained out (for the first time ever), but it ended up being a perfect day for the zoo! Last year, Uncle Scottie said he was DONE with these super hot zoo trips, and this year couldn't have been better. About 75 degrees and overcast made for a great day of walking around, and lots of animals were out, too! Like the orangutan and whatever crazy bird this is. . .
The tigers were probably our favorite of the day. They were really active, and we got to watch them eat their lunch! Such beautiful creatures they are.
We also had fun watching the kangaroos. Did you know a group of kangaroos is called a mob? We got to see a mob and they were free-roaming, which was cool.
I don't remember getting to pet the rays when we were last here. I was amazed at all of the various colors of the rays, so pretty!
Then came my favorite: the penguins! Evie had a heart to heart with one of the little guys.
Of course, Violet thought they were hilarious. Because they kind of are.
We were there during their feeding time and they got really excited to get their fishy lunch.
Evelyn marveled at the beautiful jellyfish and Violet loved seeing Nemo and Dory. The KC Zoo is building a full aquarium that is supposed to open in 2023 -- I can't wait!
One of the unique features of the KC Zoo that we haven't seen at any of the other dozen or zo we've visited is the sky tram. This relaxing ride gave our feet a rest and our eyes an aeriel view of "Africa."
Violet sure loves her Syd.
We safely made it off the sky tram and found the chimpanzees. Calvin and this little guy were actively ignoring one another. Evelyn tried a little harder to get his attention, without much success.
Then we admired the strong rhinoceros and the beautiful cheetahs.
And with that, our day at the zoo had come to an end! Seriously, it was probably the best weather we've ever had and we got to see a lot of really fun animals!
We headed north over the bridge to our favorite Embassy Suites.
We made it just in time for the Manager's Reception. We haven't been to an Embassy since before Covid because they hadn't been offering their Manager's Reception or breakfasts, but they are open now, so we took advantage!
We were on the 7th floor, and as usual, the kids loved the elevator rides.
Jack and Conner picked up Chipotle for us for dinner and we just stayed at the hotel for the night and relaxed. The next morning we enjoyed the famous made-to-order breakfast.
Then we got ready for church and said goodbye to the Embassy that we've stayed at so many times over the years.
We went to church at Hope Lutheran Church. . .
. . . and then headed downtown to the Liberty Memorial. We hadn't been here since 2009 and knew the boys would certainly appreciate it more today than they did when they were 1 and 3! (Aunt Joy was kind enough to take Violet home with her since we knew Violet still wouldn't appreciate the museum.)
It's crazy that this memorial has been standing for nearly 100 years! And Calvin was excited to see that his favorite president was on hand (when he was still vice president) for the dedication. Before touring the museum, we headed up to the observation tower. Oliver is not a fan of elevators and this ancient one really tested his fear! We had a few sketchy steps to take once off the elevator to get to the very top.
The views are so beautiful from up here!
As a comparison, here's a picture from this trip vs a pic from our first time here in 2009:
Once we'd taken in all the views we could. . .
. . . we headed back down to tour the only WWI Museum in the country. One thing I definitely remembered from our first visit here was the poppy field. There are 9000 poppies, each representing 1000 deaths, to help us remember the 9 million people who lost their lives in the first World War.
Once we crossed over the poppy field, Evelyn found the interactive screen with so much to learn about, and Calvin found a lifesize replica of a WWI trench.
There is so much to learn here. A couple of movies taught us how the war started and how the United States came to be involved in it.
And while the boys were complaining about wearing masks, I showed them a couple of alternative mask options. Let's keep a little perspective.
We are so fortunate to have this amazing museum so close to home. I'm thankful we were able to spend the day learning about this important time in history.
Right next to the Liberty Memorial is Union Station. We walked over the train yard and enjoyed another beautiful day (although it was a bit warmer than our zoo day had been on Saturday).
We hadn't checked out the model train exhibits in awhile, so we once again marveled at the intricate detail in these displays.
We finished our weekend zoo trip with a delicious meal at Jack Stack barbeque. The kids had never been here before and I knew they'd love it. It didn't disappoint.
And with that, another Labor Day zoo trip is in the books! Who knew when we started this back in 2003 that we'd keep the tradition going this long? I'm thankful for Joy & Scott and that we always have this final hurrah of summer to look forward to!
