One of our adventures was to the zoo in Battle Creek. We had tried a different zoo last summer and were pretty disappointed in that they really had no animals. We had heard lots of good things about this zoo and, thankfully, we were not disappointed this time. They had an amazing collection of animals but the grounds were also impressive. There was a lot of space between animals but they had fun trails to walk on that included things like animal bones (not real, we think) or explorer camps. The boys loved running along and seeing what we would come across next. Noah found some great animal masks.
We did get to ride a 'merry' 
but the best part was definitely the giraffes. 
The boys got to feed giraffes! 
They were more than excited about this - once they got past the fact that they were touching an enormous giraffe. (That actually took a few minutes to convince them it would be ok and the giraffe would not eat them.) 
Yes. Giraffes feel just like bunnies.
On the way over to the zoo, it occurred to me that the Amtrak train went between Jackson and Battle Creek. So, we called and found out what times the train left and made sure we were there to catch it. 
Grandma Bonnie, Uncle Scott, the kids, and I took the train (while Grandpa hustled home to pick us up on the other end). Now, I ask you... if you were on a train that appeared full because every seat row was filled by one person and some miscellaneous baggage and you saw a party of 6 get on said train, 3 of whom were young children that should obviously sit with an a related adult, would you move yourselves around to make room, or would you pretend to be really interested in the seat back in front of you and ignore the fact that people were standing right next to you in the aisle looking for any suitable seat and the train was starting to move, WHAT WOULD YOU DO??? Well, every single person on our train (except for one sweet lady who admitted she had travelled with children before and knew our pain) sat right where they were ignoring us. So, mom, Scott and Benjamin found some seats while Abby, Noah, and I had to travel two train cars back to find any seats together. So, no fun videos of the boys squealing at the joy of their first train ride. I didn't even get to see Benjamin's reaction (although Grandma relayed that he had a wonderful time. He loved listening to the whistle as we crossed the streets - he'd listen to it in his ears. 
He also spent a great deal of time trying to flirt some cherries off the young lady across his aisle - even put his try down to show her he was ready, but she pretended not to notice him. Good thing I wasn't there, I think... Noah loved looking out the window and watching for animals. (We saw cows, sheep, birds, and some deer.) Abby did lots of screaming and almost sat with Noah so I cold get one picture. 
So, a big thanks to Grandma for the fun train trip. A big NO THANKS to the people on the train who didn't let us enjoy it together. Ah, but we won't let that be the last line of our fun day - we had a blast.
Grandma Bonnie, Uncle Scott, the kids, and I took the train (while Grandpa hustled home to pick us up on the other end). Now, I ask you... if you were on a train that appeared full because every seat row was filled by one person and some miscellaneous baggage and you saw a party of 6 get on said train, 3 of whom were young children that should obviously sit with an a related adult, would you move yourselves around to make room, or would you pretend to be really interested in the seat back in front of you and ignore the fact that people were standing right next to you in the aisle looking for any suitable seat and the train was starting to move, WHAT WOULD YOU DO??? Well, every single person on our train (except for one sweet lady who admitted she had travelled with children before and knew our pain) sat right where they were ignoring us. So, mom, Scott and Benjamin found some seats while Abby, Noah, and I had to travel two train cars back to find any seats together. So, no fun videos of the boys squealing at the joy of their first train ride. I didn't even get to see Benjamin's reaction (although Grandma relayed that he had a wonderful time. He loved listening to the whistle as we crossed the streets - he'd listen to it in his ears. He also spent a great deal of time trying to flirt some cherries off the young lady across his aisle - even put his try down to show her he was ready, but she pretended not to notice him. Good thing I wasn't there, I think... Noah loved looking out the window and watching for animals. (We saw cows, sheep, birds, and some deer.) Abby did lots of screaming and almost sat with Noah so I cold get one picture. So, a big thanks to Grandma for the fun train trip. A big NO THANKS to the people on the train who didn't let us enjoy it together. Ah, but we won't let that be the last line of our fun day - we had a blast.
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