Day 15- Lions, Tigers and Panda Bears....Oh my!

As you can guess, we went to the zoo today.  David woke up not feeling good this morning... thank goodness it is NOT C-diff, but an upper respiratory issue with coughing.   Please pray that he makes a quick recovery for Christmas and our trip home.  He stayed in the hotel while the kids and I ventured out with the rest of the group.  I want to publicly say how proud I am of Bethany, Luke and Cassidy.  During this entire process, they have been SO awesome,  but especially for the past 15 days.  They have helped us every time we need help and they really love Toby.  They are teaching him lessons and being great role models for him to follow.  I am SO proud of them and am so thankful for them!  We could not have done this without them.  It has been an "all hands on deck" adventure.  Thank you for your support to allow them to be able to come with us.  It was a step of faith and we are blessed that they have experienced this with us. Plus Toby has bonded with all of us at the same time.  Praise the Lord, there are NO attachment issues at all!

We had a great time at the zoo.  We were all impressed with the zoo here.  It started with a safari where we all sat in a tram and the animals ran freely around us.  Toby LOVED this part the most.  As we went through, I taught him many new animal signs and he remembered them at the end of the day.  Such a smart boy!   I think he really liked the snakes and panda bears the most from his expressions.  We got to feed giraffes too which was my absolute favorite  part.  I am just fascinated by giraffes. (:

Mr Toby was so tired from our trip that he fell asleep in my arms on our bus ride back to the hotel.  Not a very good nap at all today, but he did have a fun time at the zoo/safari.   David got enough energy to join us for a "delicious" McDonalds dinner.  (We don't think we will be going to McDonalds for a long time after we get home..)  But we enjoyed being altogether.

Toby was very active today at the zoo, (buying a stroller was our best investment of the trip) but my favorite part of the day is when he is just about ready for bed.  He is calm, playful and so affectionate.  He even asked me if he could go to sleep.  (He must really be tired) We all kissed him good night and he held my hand as he drifted off.   It was a much better night tonight.