Fun with Cousins and a Friend at the Dallas Zoo

It's time to take a little break from posting workshop photos. I've been eager to share some pictures from our recent trip to the Dallas Zoo with with my cousin Nikki and her three children, Annika, Joshua, and Ellie. I loved my experience at the workshop, but it pales in comparison to the joy I had on that day with my daughter, my dear cousin, her children, and one of Alden's very special friends.

On the way to the zoo we happened to run into my friend Tim and his daughter Skylar at the grocery store. Of course, we had to ask if Skylar could join us! Alden was thrilled to have a spontaneous extra guest along for the ride! It was so fun to watch Alden (4), Skylar (5), and Ellie (6) running around together at the zoo. They were fast friends, and Annika was a great help keeping tabs on everyone.

Alden played hookie from preschool that day and though she was sad to miss school I think she'd agree that spending the day at the zoo with cousins and one of her best friends was a MUCH better way to spend the day!

Of course, my camera was on hand, so you know I had fun too! But this day was different than most. I actually had a little camera buddy with me. It turns out Joshua is in a photography class at his school and loves taking pictures too. So, I lent him my back-up camera for the day and we got to shoot together and talk photography all day long. Yeah! Spending the day with a favorite cousin was icing on the cake.

Here's a few of my pics from the day.

Meet Skylar.


Stephen and Skylar's brother Maddox were in the same class last year. Every day after school a whole bunch of neighborhood children play at the park together for a couple hours, so Skylar and Alden have gotten to know each other quite well. It was super fun to have her along for the day.


Alden wasn't really up for pictures by the pumpkins, but I managed to sneak in a good one while she was busy playing. Ah...my sweet girl!


I posted portraits of my cousin's children a couple weeks ago. Here they are again enjoying the Zoo.

Here's Annika.


And Joshua and Ellie.


When they lived in Sweden for four years they made a point of visiting the zoos in all of the major cities they visited. It became a family tradition, so a trip to the Dallas Zoo seemed like the perfect thing to do.

The Dallas Zoo has a fun Children's Zoo and playing area with a wading creek children can cool off in. It's the perfect spot to relax on hot summer days.


If you haven't been out to the Dallas Zoo this year, then you may not have seen their latest renovations. They've added a spectacular safari exhibit that boasts 4 different species living together "in the wild". They hope to add a fifth animal group in the near future which will make them the ONLY zoo in the world to have that many animal groups sharing the same habitat. It's pretty awesome!

The lion you see here below is actually our view from the enclosed food-court. Floor to ceiling windows allow a perfect view for observing these amazing creatures.


We could hardly believe how close the children were able to get up to the giraffes. The joy on their faces was so delightful. They also enjoyed watching the elephants being fed.




Of course, having my 70-200 mm lens on hand didn't hurt either.


Be sure to visit the Dallas Zoo to see this amazing new exhibit for yourself.

I'm so glad we were able to spend time with our friends and cousins to create these special memories.