Last year, around this time, it got quite cold here in Seattle and we decided to get away to sunny Phoenix for some vitamin D. Unfortunately, there was a really cold snap there too, so we ended up wearing jackets the whole time. But it was still warmer there than here. One of the highlights of our visit was a trip to the Phoenix Zoo, which ranks consistently in the top 5 zoos in the United States for children. It was quite fun, (we are still partial to our own Woodland Park zoo, of course) and here are some of the most memorable parts:
Phoenix Zoo had a fabulous Squirrel Monkey exhibit called Monkey Village. It was an amazing experience to walk down a pathway and see teeny little monkeys scurrying along beside us. 
We also liked a little farm play area, because it had giant versions of the Fisher-Price Little People the boys love to play with:
And the coolest part, was the Stingray Bay touch pool encounter where our little Bean (just about a year and change at the time) was enthralled by the giant ‘fish’ that flew by. He is definitely braver than me. (I closed my eyes when I put my hand in.) I’m going to have to summon up a whole lot more courage as I learn to raise these crazy boys!
My tips for this zoo: Read up at their website before you go: www.phoenixzoo.org. They have things like giraffe feedings, and camel rides if you want to do this sort of thing and they list all the times on their website.
