Happy Hollow Zoo

Just reopened and has been the talk of the town, so when a friend announced on Facebook that they would be there, and we didn't have our usual Wednesday plans, we headed on over. It was all it was cracked up to be and we walked away with a membership. With any luck, the crowds will clear out soon enough, and it might be added to a regular weekly or biweekly rotation this summer.This was the view that I saw for most of our time at the zoo. Samuel would stop at each animal exhibit for a solid 45 seconds, make sure that he located the animal, ask what it was called, and then would practically sprint to the next exhibit, saying, "I want to see more animals." That was the mantra of the day. "I want to see more animals."
The Samuel that I observed at the zoo was a confident and determined 3 year old that I hadn't seen before. He was so decisive about where he wanted to go and what he wanted to see. As you can see in this picture, I clearly wasn't moving fast enough for his pleasure. (That's the back of Sophia - Samuel also told her what to do and where to go.)

Samuel feeds a cooperative dwarf Zebu (not a cow)

By far Samuel's favorite part was feeding the animals. Unfortunately for Samuel (and all the other kids) the petting zoo animals were clearly some of the most well fed beings on the planet. I've never seen a goat turn down food, but these goats were actively trying to avoid the children that wanted to feed them.