Isaac turned one on the 23 April and naturally we wanted to do something special to celebrate the occasion, however we didn't want to make a huge fuss and spend an unnecessary fortune.
Our initial thoughts were the obvious party, however I knew I didn't want it in our house so started looking into hiring various different local village halls along with some soft play equipment to keep the children entertained for a few hours. I came across a number of barriers, either the hall or the soft play equipment were not available on the day I wanted and the whole thing not only started to become a huge faff but was also getting far more expensive than we anticipated, and we hadn't even taken into consideration food, party bags and presents. So, after a short discussion, we decided to abandon the idea of a party and instead mark the occasion with a visit to Folly Farm Adventure Park and Zoo in Pembrokeshire.
I had recently taken Isaac to Cefn Mably to see the farm animals there and he seemed to enjoy it so we decided it was time to take a trip to a zoo and show him all the animals that lined the pages of the books we read on a daily basis. We invited all our friends and family to join us, thinking most people wouldn't want to make the trip to West Wales, but much to our surprise most people said yes.
The car journey took us less than an 90 minutes door to door which was amazing, plus it gave Isaac the perfect amount of time to have a good nap and refuel ready for his big day.
When we arrived we headed straight to the cafe to meet our friends and family and grab a quick coffee. The cafe had a great little play area for kids so that kept Isaac and the other babies/children entertained while us adults faffed around!
My dad with Isaac
Isaac with his cousin Finn
Once everyone had arrived we headed straight to the big attraction, the lions, as they're my favourite animal of all time and I wanted to show them to Isaac. After that we checked out the penguins, giraffe, meerkats, monkeys, camels and lemurs. Isaac seemed to be really interested in the animals and inquisitive about his surroundings which was lovely to see. After that we decided it was time to refuel so we headed to the burger bar by the penguin enclosure for a spot of lunch. There were plenty of high chairs available for the kids and there was a great selection of food for the little ones, as well as the adults.
Isaac with Dan at the Pride of Pembrokeshire
Lunch time in Carousel Woods
Isaac excited about his cake!
After lunch we decided to explore the top of the zoo and headed to check out the latest attraction.....the black rhino. On the way up, we passed the fossa, ocelot, tortoise, ostrich, tapir and more lemur and monkeys. I couldn't believe the array of animals we were looking at. It really was amazing. After having a good walk around we stopped to give the kids a snack and have another coffee before heading into the jolly barn to have a look at the pigs, goats, horses, rabbits, guinea pig and chickens. I think this was Isaac's favourite part of the zoo because he could get up close to the animals and get a good look at them.
At the rhino enclosure
The black rhino
Checking out the goats
With Grandpa
Our group
We all had a really fantastic day and were blessed with such amazing weather, which made the day even more enjoyable. For us, it was the perfect way to celebrate Isaac's first birthday and even if he won't remember it, we will. We had a fab time looking at all the animals and watching them play, eat and chill out, especially the penguins. They will awesome. We loved the underwater viewing area where you could see them swimming around. We especially enjoyed Giraffe Heights viewing platform where you can get so much closer to the giraffe.
We really can't wait for another visit later in the year and when he is older he can enjoy the other attractions like the fun fair, sandpits, tractors and racing cars too.
For more information on Folly Farm and the animals and attractions they have for visitors visit www.folly-farm.co.uk
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