On Saturday morning the kids and I scurried out of the house just before 8 a.m. in hopes of beating the heat and the crowds coming to see the brand new, $18 million, 1.5 acre,
Sea Lion Sound exhibit at the
St. Louis Zoo. Yet, when I turned on my car, I noticed the thermostat read 102. Oh well, I still had high hopes of arriving before the masses. We secured a free spot outside
The Living World and although I wanted to make a beeline for the new exhibit...the kids really wanted to take a stroll through the
Children's Zoo, first. I tried, albeit unsuccessfully, to hurry the kids as Noah petted guinea pigs and Natalie pretended to give a stuffed lion a haircut (Eraka would be so proud) in the make-believe vet center. After saying hello to the pot-bellied pigs and Natalie had successfully squirted pink, "hamatizer" (hand sanitizer) all over her shirt, we rinsed off and headed over to welcome the sea lions back home. It's hard to believe that they've been gone for two years while their new habitat was being constructed.
As we walked over, I tried to explain to them how cool the new exhibit would be...that they would have the opportunity to walk through a tunnel. I shared that there would be water all around them and that we'd get a unique view of the sea lions as they swam. But, when we reached the entrance Natalie suddenly looked quite pensive as she asked, "Mommy, would you hold my hand? Because I'm afraid I'll get washed away."
