San Diego Zoo

We had a friend come into town from out of state so we met them at the San Diego Zoo for some fun.  I love this zoo and it gave me a great opportunity to talk to Little Man about the different types of bears that we learned about in the lapbook we did a few weeks before hand. 

 

Close look at a rattesnake!

He's watching you....

Baby panda is 8 months old.

Cute baby monkey hanging on Mommy

One of the few bears that we were able to see.

Mommy panda.

Another bear..

Love the look on his face!

Can you spot the baby?

Sunset on our ride home.

Family pic!

Spring time at Riley Wilderness Park

I love how the wind was blowing the grass.  It was beautiful to see and listen to.

 This is one of my favorite parks.  We come here a lot as a family.  There is usually hardly anyone here and it is very quiet and peaceful.  The trail makes a nice, short loop which is perfect when you have littles in tow (and a husband).  We also started geocaching (www.geocaching.com) and found one of many that are hidden at this park.  We didn't stay very long this particular day, just enough time to find that one cache and get some pretty pictures.

Wildflowers were in bloom everywhere.  I love seeing how bright and colorful this park has gotten for spring.

Blooms on the California Oak.

California Oak.

Just loved the sweetness of Daddy with Little man.  

He won't be able to ride on his shoulders much longer.

El Dorodo Nature Center - 3/21/2013

This was the first time we explored this area.  It is a pretty far drive from where we live and probably would never have gone except for our Thursday Nature Group. 

The nature center was great for littles.  There was a lot of things to touch and play with.  Snakes and bugs in aquariums to view.  Even little quizzes for the kids with simple questions and panels to lift to discover the answers (more for the older kids, but still a great hands-on activity!). 

The nature trails themselves were great.  I love any place that has water since it is so hard to find around here besides the ocean.  There were turtles, frogs, birds, lizards.  What more could a kid want?

Red-eared sliders (non-native)

Bullfrog (non-native)

Cormorant

Viewing the frog

Red-eared sliders lined up on a log.

Walking through a tree tunnel

Climbing trees

California Blackberry blooms

Field of California Blackberries

Bush Sunflower, Encelia californica

lemonadeberry

cherry blossom

Santiago Oaks - March 17th

 Another 'hike' for us today.  We stayed fairly close to the stepping stones/creek at Santaigo Oaks where the kids just played near and around the water the entire time.  We did see a lot of animals though including lizards, butterflies, dragonflies, and a snake.  And we heard a frog but couldn't get close enough to see him.

Showing off the seeds from the Cottonwood Tree (behind him)

Handing out in the dirt!

Big Brother is teaching Baby Sister to throw rocks in the water.

He also taught her to dig in the mud with a stick, before she fell into it.

Dead  Gopher Snake we found on the trail.

March Wrap Up 1

Grasshopper Skin we found on a walk

Painting!

Tree Climbing

Story time (He's engrossed!)

Working on our cutting/gluing skills

I just love this statue outside of the library..

Beautiful sky just before the rain came in.

Baby in a box!

Playing in the water on a hot day!

Double-crested Cormorant (Had to look this one up!)

A has started stacking all by herself!  Look at that skill!