Fun at the zoo

"Kittykittykittykittykitty." "Turtle." "Duck!"

I was absolutely flabbergasted at what my 14-month-old niece could say when I went home to visit last weekend. Her words didn't stop there. She knows Mama, Daddy, Papa, Ruru (her dog, Ruger) and pretty. When she sees kids, of any age, she says "Hey baby!" She knows that a cow says "Moo" and a clock says "Tick tock." When you ask if something stinks, she wrinkles up her face in the most adorable way.

What did I say? Brilliant, right?

My parents, brother and sister-in-law and I took Ella to the zoo for the first time. We obviously don't expect her to remember it, but we'll remember the fun we had and will be able to tell her all about it when she's older.

When we first got there, she was enthralled by the ducks in a pond near the entrance, and she clapped her hands trying to get them to come closer as she yelled out to them.

We saw elephants, giraffes and monkeys. We saw some wild snakes slithering loose near the aviary, which sent my mom running. We roared at the lions and tapped on the eagle's cage to make it fly away.

Honestly, it doesn't matter what age you are. The zoo is just fun. You see pictures or TV shows about all the cool animals in the world, and getting to see them up close is unlike any other experience. I know it's not like seeing them in the wild, but it's so interesting to see leopards lying on tree branches and lions stretching their giant jaws or standing on their gigantic paws.

I still love the pigs, although the one in this petting zoo tried to bite me when I stuck my finger through the fence. (The sign said it would, but I ignored it.) My sister-in-law loved the elk as much as I loved the pig.

What a creative God we have that came up with all the different designs and personalities of the animals at the zoo as well as the innumerable species that are found around the world. And it's still fun to think that if he cares about those animals, how much more does he care about us?