Spring Break

We decided to mostly stay home for Spring Break this year; with a toddler, a "stay-cation" sounded more relaxing than packing everything up for a vacation!  We had a lot of fun doing activities in and around Gallup that we don't often get to enjoy, then finished the week with a wonderful overnight stay in Albuquerque.

Day trip to Window Rock, AZ

Our first little outing was to the Window Rock Zoo in the Navajo Nation capitol.  This is the only zoo operated by a Native American tribe, and we were really impressed both by the animals there and the layout of the zoo.  Plus, it's free!!  I loved how the animal habitats are tucked between the beautiful rock formations:

When asked, Benji said that his favorite animal at the zoo was "tractor" (the little ATV that the zookeeper drove around...)  But he also liked the cougars, the bears, and the wild turkeys!

After a picnic lunch, Benji also had fun playing on the zoo's playground:

Wednesday's little adventure was a trip to library story time.  Benji was a little overwhelmed by the new experience and all of the children, but once singing time got underway, he had a blast!

Thursday was my 28th birthday.  Jonathan made it really special by hanging funny signs around the house, cooking breakfast, and taking care of Benji when he was fussy.  We also took a little hike to Resurrection Rock...

...and had dinner with some good friends, followed by a chocolate peanut butter Reese's cake!!   :-D

On Friday we drove to Albuquerque and headed straight to the BioPark Aquarium.  Benji is really into fish right now, so he was fascinated by all of the sizes and colors of "goldfish" that he could see there (he got especially excited by the "BIG goldfish!" aka sharks!)

After the aquarium, we walked through the botanical gardens.  I thought this part would be less exciting for Benji, but in fact he loved it just as much!  Between the Bugarium exhibit, a children's fantasy garden, and the extensive outdoor model train set, he was pretty much in heaven!

We stayed that night at a wonderful AirBnB place just a few blocks from Old Town.  After some delicious pizza at the Old Town Pizza parlor, Benji enjoyed splashing for a while in the "swimming pool" (hot tub) at our little apartment.

On Saturday morning, we went to the Albuquerque zoo!  It was fun to see the zookeepers feeding the seals and sea lions; other highlights were the polar bear and eagle exhibits.

Finally, the moment came that Benji has been counting down to for a month: "airport time!"  We picked up my parents at the airport and drove them home for a 10 day visit.  It's so much fun to have Nonnie and Papa around!!  <3