After lunch we told the girls it was nap time and they both slept for a little while, then we arrived at the Wildlife Wilderness Safari in Gentry. For all the parents reading this, this place is a must see for small children, and even us big kids. They charge per person in the vehicle and it cost us $28. We got there a little after 1 pm and the first thing we all wanted to do it get out of the car :) After applying lots of sunscreen on everyone we took off to play in the petting zoo. There are goats, huge potbelly pigs, chickens, roosters, turkeys and even kangaroos. Wes bought a $1 bag of bread and corn to feed the animals and that made us a very popular group :) The goats came running as soon as we were in the fence and no matter how Wes tried to keep them from taking the bag they were persistent. They would reach in his pocket and chew on the bottom of his shorts. Alyssa Kate was leery right at first but quickly warmed up and liked the little goats. Caroline really wanted to touch them but her thumb is constantly in her mouth so Wes kept her from contracting who knows what from them. When we drove in the park the nice lady at the gate wrote on our brochure that Alyssa Kate could have a free pony ride. Wes and I were doubtful we could even get her near the pony because anytime in the past we have tried she has freaked out. On the contrary, she was very excited and let the sweet girl at the pen lead her in and put her on the cute white pony. She held on tight and smiled the whole time. I was so proud of her and kind of sad to see her growing up right in front of my eyes. Next stop was to a building that had some monkey's in it but the best part was a baby monkey in a cage wearing a diaper, sucking his thumb and a baby tiger in another cage snoozing on his back. They were too cute and a nice young guy working there told us that they were away from their parents because the dad's were getting a little too aggressive. After seeing a fun camel and some bunnies we decided to get in the car and take the 5 mile long drive through the safari portion. When you enter into the safari section there are multiple signs not to open your windows, leave your car or feed the animals and we soon found out that some people must feed them because the camels in particular came right up to the windows and licked them and would attempt to push through the top of the window. We did break the rules when no animals were right next to us and rolled down the windows to get pictures. I think Wes and I were just as excited as Alyssa Kate with all of these incredible animals walking next to us in a way that I have never experienced before. Caroline enjoyed all of our excitement and rode in her car seat watching out the window. There were adorable prairie dogs at the end who would come right up to car and you could tell by their portly appearance that they were also used to people feeding them. At the end we got out of the car and went into the kangaroo pen and were able to pet them. They just laid there and let the kids rub all over them and they would rub their head up and down like a dog when you scratched behind their ears. One of them had a joey in her pouch who kept peeking their little head out. That was such a great learning experience for Alyssa Kate and how baby kangaroo's are carried.After 4 hours we left exhausted but so happy from our little adventure.
We checked into the hotel and went to eat at a local restaurant Naploi's where the Italian owner loved Caroline and grabbed her chunky cheeks and kissed her. When we finished stuffing ourselves on homemade noodles and sauces we walked next store to an ice cream shop and split some yumminess. We then took our tired bodies back to hotel and everyone took a bath because in Alyssa Kate's words we "smelled like a goat" :) We all laid down to sleep and watched the last 20 minutes of American Idol, at which time Alyssa Kate announced she liked Adam even though we told her that Kris was from Conway where we have eaten at that morning...she was not impressed :) Thursday morning we all woke up at 8 and took it slow getting ready then visited the original Walton 5 & 10 and the giant Walmart Supercenter across from the headquarters. The store was big and very clean...I guess that is what you get when the big boss is just across the street. Then we drove to War Eagle Mill. I was skeptical of a mill being anything worth visiting but it turned out to be beautiful and fun. We got there at lunch time and ate in the restaurant at the top of the mill which had great food, then did a little shopping in their gift shop...I bought some yummy smelling pecan, cinnamon waffle mix that they make there... I can't wait to try it. After lunch we walked outside across this great old bridge and watched the water wheel that operates the mill. Alyssa Kate ate a huge blue sucker that she proceeded to get all over her face, arms and some on her legs...not sure how that happened...and loved every minute of it. Is there anything better then watching your child enjoying something so much!?! We loaded up after the sucker and headed home. We stopped in Russellville and played at a park next to Lake Dardanelles and ate at Whataburger(yummy). Next stop was home where we found that Wes's grandparents had paved the little driveway that leads to our house as an anniversary present. It was a perfect end to a perfect trip! God blessed us with great weather, safe travels and a fantastic family time!
Caroline at Devil's Den State Park
Feeding the goats
Sort of petting :)
Brave girl riding
Ride 'em cowboy
Love that thumb
Sleepy baby tiger
Thumb sucking baby monkey
Huge camel
Beautiful deer
Playful baby llama's
Herd of zebra
Sleepy baby tiger
Thumb sucking baby monkey
Huge camel
Beautiful deer
Playful baby llama's
Herd of zebra
1 comment:
Yay for a husband that will find such a fun adventure in our state. It is certainly on our list of places to go now.
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