Selph Party of Five: Birthday Outing #9

On Saturday, the Selph fam enjoyed Birthday Outing #9!! We came up with the idea the year Garrison turned 3, way back in 2012, and made a commitment to give each birthday kid a special date with mama and daddy in the form of a birthday outing... until brothers started missing each other and we quickly realized a solo date for the birthday boy wasn't what the birthday boy wanted at all. So now the whole family is included... or anyone who is old enough to enjoy the outing. I'm sure one day a friend will be invited to come along but for now it's perfect the way it is... AND, we get to look forward to 3 a year from this point forward!

This year just so happened to be Layton's very first birthday outing and even though he didn't really understand it was all about him, he had a fun day and loved all of the animals! The gift of an experience is something we believe in and LOVE!

Ready to hit the road for Zoo Atlanta!

But first a silly picture was requested... and I was too busy laughing and trying to fit everyone in to make a face. Ha! My selfie skills are lacking. #myarmsaren'tlongenough

Terrell had baseball practice Saturday morning and we chose not to let Garrison go because of his strep diagnosis on Friday... so after baseball was over and he was showered and ready we ate lunch and hit the road. We got there around 1:00 or so and the place was PACKED. I guess everyone had the same idea. Thankfully we found a parking space and the crowds seemed to thin out as the afternoon went on.

Our first stop was the petting zoo. We loved seeing the kangaroos and then visited with the goats inside the petting zoo but unfortunately it was just super crowded in there so we didn't stay long. Austin and Layton weren't interested in petting anything anyway. Haha!

I don't think I've ever had a view this great of the tiger. The boys LOVED it!! I think the tiger was a favorite for everybody because we could see him so good and he walked around and was so close to the glass. We were definitely spoiled with some amazing views of most of the animals.

The gorillas were another favorite!

The Selph boys with Willie B!

2 out of 3 of my little lions...

And 2 out of 3 again.... =)

I think the giraffes were my very favorite!! I just love them.

The rhino was one of Garrison's favorites because he's doing a project on rhinos for school. He was thrilled to see one live and in person.

Layton eventually got tired of riding in the stroller (we were getting him out at almost every exhibit to hold him and give him a better look at the animals anyway) so we let him walk as long as he was holding a hand... and the big brothers took over and these 3 did amazing walking together hand in hand. #allthehearteyes

Our animal loving Hawks fans. =)

The elephant and flamingos were the last animals we saw before playing on the playground and enjoying the rides. We LOVED the elephant. It was probably my 2nd favorite next to the giraffes. And again we were blessed with great views.

(Other animals we loved but that aren't pictured: pandas, monkeys, warthogs, black bears, and ostriches.)

I didn't get a picture on the playground because it honestly just stressed me out. Keeping an eye on 3 is difficult on a huge and crowded playground... and really just keeping up with Layton felt almost impossible. We stayed as long as we could because the boys loved it but then it was time to round everybody up and get out of there! Ha!

We rode the carousel next and everybody loved it! Especially our birthday boy!!

Last up was the train ride! It was a great way to wrap up our afternoon at the zoo and our celebration of Layton's 2nd birthday! (Maybe one day I'll master the family selfie. Haha.)

He said Alll Aboard!! and choo choooo! somewhere around 17 times during the ride. =)

It was a fun outing for the whole family and we're looking forward to many many more in the future. Celebrating our birthday boys is a huge favorite for this mama.

Layton Thomas was worn out! A true sign of birthday outing success. =)