As a working mom, I don't get to spend as much time with Elia during the day as I'd like to. When my college bestie, Jess, mentioned she and her family were planning to head through town today, I jumped at the chance to take the day off and enjoy a morning with them and Ms. E. We decided to meet at Boulder Ridge Wild Animal Park, and call up our friends Sarah and Parker to join us.
Boulder Ridge was new to all of us and has only been open to the public since 2011. When we got there, we were excited to find out that you could feed many of the animals. Parker, in particular, had no fear when it came to feeding the animals. He fed the goats, a camel, the giraffes, and even the birds (who Aunt Jess and Aunt Kate wanted nothing to do with).
Owen did a great job feeding the animals too.
Elia spent most of the time huddled up to mom's legs. It takes her a while to warm up to creatures.
We also went on a safari ride, which was a hit with the kids. Elia especially enjoyed throwing her pacifier out the bus window. Oops.
We had a great time at Boulder Ridge and I can't wait to visit again. Though, I might avoid the aviary next time. Who wants birds swooping towards them? Not me.
After seeing all of the animals, we had lunch at Flat River Grill in Lowell before the Smiths headed out and Sarah, Parker, and we headed home.
It's always fun to see these college friends and I love watching their families grow up. Thanks for visiting, Smiths!
What a fun morning - maybe I should take more weekdays off. I like the sound of that!
