A little over an hour later, the three of them arrived at the Mist Haven Zoo.
Seeing the colorful animal statues that surrounded the entrance, Anna Elizabeth shouted, "We here! We at zoo!"
Liam and Elsa smiled at her excitement just as he pulled into a parking space.
Anna Elizabeth immediately started trying to get out of her booster seat, huffing when she wasn't able to do so.
She then complained, "Can't get out!"
Liam and Elsa stifled a chuckle before the blonde turned around and told the little girl: "Just hold on, and we'll help you."
Anna Elizabeth nodded before Liam and Elsa got out of the car. He then pulled his seat forward and unbuckled the little blonde.
When he lifted her out of the car, she immediately took off running. Elsa quickly managed to grab her before she got too far.
"Mommy! Want to go!" Anna Elizabeth complained just as Liam locked the car.
Elsa then bent down and explained, "Listen, Anna Elizabeth, you have to stay with me and Daddy, okay?"
She bobbed her head before Elsa stood up, just as Liam came to stand beside them. He then asked, "You two ready to go?"
Elsa simply smiled at her husband while Anna Elizabeth nodded excitedly. She then took her parents' hands and dragged them toward the entrance.
Anna Elizabeth was practically bouncing as they arrived at the ticket counter. She then exclaimed, "Have to see lions!"
Liam then bent down and gently explained, "Daddy has to go get the tickets first. Why don't you and Mommy take some pictures," glancing up at his wife.
Elsa nodded before she enthusiastically suggested, "Come on, Anna Elizabeth, you can go take a picture next to the lion statue," with a bright smile.
"Yay!" she exclaimed before Liam stood up. He and Elsa smiled and shook their heads before he got in line, and she brought their daughter over to the various animal statues.
Anna Elizabeth skipped over the lion as Elsa pulled out her phone. When she pulled out her camera, she spoke, "Smile, Anna Elizabeth."
Instead, the little girl gritted her teeth and placed her hands over her head, posing them like claws. Elsa couldn't help but chuckle before she asked, "Anna Elizabeth, what are you doing?"
"I'm a lion, Mommy!" she answered, never breaking her stance. Elsa smiled at the little girl as she told her, "Well, you make a very cute little lion, Anna Elizabeth."
She furiously shook her head as she corrected, "Lions not little! They big, Mommy."
Elsa couldn't help but smile as she teased, "Baby lions are little lions, Anna Elizabeth."
The little girl scrunched up her nose in thought. She then stated, "I big lion like big Simba," hands planted on her hips.
"Oh, of course," Elsa began with a smile. She then suggested, "How about I take a picture of big Simba now?"
Anna Elizabeth nodded excitedly before she resumed her lion stance. Elsa then snapped a picture.
She then spoke, "Alright, I want a picture of you with the whole sign, okay?"
"Okay, Mommy," Anna Elizabeth replied. She then asked, "Where go?"
Elsa looked around at the various animal statues before she spied a bench nestled in the center of the double arched entrance.
She then smiled before she reached out her hand toward her daughter. Anna Elizabeth grabbed it before Elsa explained, "There's a bench right over here that I want you to sit on to get a pretty picture."
The little girl nodded before the two of them walked the few feet away to the bench. Anna Elizabeth then plopped down before she smiled widely and exclaimed, "I ready!"
Elsa couldn't help but smile before she took a few steps back and snapped the picture. She then told Anna Elizabeth, "Stay there so Mommy can take a picture with you."
Anna Elizabeth nodded before Elsa walked over and sat down beside her. The little girl immediately wrapped her arms around her mother's waist.
Elsa smiled as she ran her fingers through her daughter's curls. She then told her to smile before she took a picture, making sure to get some of the animal statues in the shot.
"Let me see!" Anna Elizabeth then exclaimed, reaching for her mom's phone. Elsa only shook her head before she spoke, "Just one second, Anna Elizabeth."
The blonde then pulled up the pictures and showed them to Anna Elizabeth. She squinted her eyes and scrunched her nose as she looked at them.
She then said, "We pretty, Mommy." Elsa smiled just as Liam walked up and told them, "I have to agree, Anna Elizabeth. You and Mommy are both very pretty."
Anna Elizabeth smiled brightly as Liam bent down and kissed Elsa sweetly. He then placed a kiss on his little girl's forehead.
She then shouted, "Go see lions!" as she hopped up from the bench. Elsa smiled and shook her head before she agreed, "Yeah, let's go see the lions."
Anna Elizabeth clapped before she took each of her parents by the hand, and the three of them set off toward the lion enclosure.
They navigated through the crowds of people, and they followed a winding concrete path until they came upon the lions.
They were resting on rocks right near the glass. Anna Elizabeth shouted, "Big Simba!" before rushing over, dragging her parents with her.
She then pressed her face against the glass and exclaimed, "So big!"
"They are big," Elsa agreed before she squatted down and continued, "And they're pretty lions, too."
Anna Elizabeth nodded her agreement as she kept her gaze on her animals. Liam then bent down and added, "And they're a family, too."
"They are?" Anna Elizabeth asked with a gasp. Liam nodded before he began to point: "You see, those two lions have a baby lion, and she's right over there."
Anna Elizabeth's blue eyes roamed back and forth just as Elsa snapped a picture of the awestruck little girl.
Anna Elizabeth then spotted the lion cub. She then exclaimed, "So cute!" She then looked up to her parents and asked, "Can I pet it?"
Liam and Elsa only smiled in order to keep from outright laughing. He then gently explained, "These animals are only for looking at - you can't pet them, love."
Anna Elizabeth looked down in disappointment as she sadly spoke, "Want to pet animals."
Elsa then grabbed the zoo map from Liam's back pocket and began perusing it. She then smiled as she said, "This zoo has certain animals that you can pet. It's called a petting zoo."
Anna Elizabeth looked up and exclaimed, "Pet animals! Go now!" her entire face lit up in a smile.
She then grabbed her parents' hands and took off running. She then said, "Faster, Mommy and Daddy! Got to pet animals!"
"Slow down, love. The animals aren't going anywhere, okay?" Liam told her, receiving a nod in reply.
Anna Elizabeth then began skipping along as she hummed "Hakuna Matata." Liam and Elsa smiled at the sight.
They walked among the various families as they followed the signs toward the petting zoo. When they approached it, one of the zoo personnel walked up and greeted, "Hey, you guys. Would you all like to walk through our petting zoo?"
"Yes, please!" Anna Elizabeth exclaimed, followed by nods from her parents. The personnel nodded as well before he opened the gate.
"You guys enjoy," he told them with a smile. Liam and Elsa smiled back before they took their little girl through the gate.
Anna Elizabeth immediately dragged her parents over to the goats. She let go of their hands and began petting one of the small animals.
"Hey, goat. Very soft," Anna Elizabeth spoke as she stroked the animal's fur. He was happily eating some hay.
The little girl continued petting the goat for a few minutes, smiling and giggling as she did so, as Liam and Elsa were petting a couple of the other goats.
Anna Elizabeth then said, "Nice goat," before she turned her attention to the other animals. She tilted her head when she saw a pony - she then looked at her parents and asked, "Little horsey?"
Elsa then bent down and explained, "That's right. That's a small horse that has a special name - it's called a pony."
"Pony?" Anna Elizabeth then repeated, receiving a nod from her mother. The little girl then turned her attention back to the animal.
She then stated, "Go pet it," before grabbing her parents' hands and skipping over to the pony.
"Hi, pony. You little horsey," Anna Elizabeth spoke as she ran her fingers up and down the pony's mane. Liam and Elsa smiled before he joined the little girl in petting the pony.
Elsa then pulled her phone from her jeans pocket and snapped a picture of her husband and daughter, her smile growing as she did so.
Just then, Anna Elizabeth gasped and exclaimed, "Mommy, Daddy, there a train!" pointing her finger.
They both looked to where she was pointing before Liam explained, "Ah, yes. Love, that's a train that takes you all around the zoo."
"Ooh, can we go? Sound fun," Anna Elizabeth then spoke, still watching the train go by.
"Of course we can, but why don't you pet some more animals first?" Elsa then suggested, running her fingers through her daughter's curls.
Anna Elizabeth nodded before she looked around the petting zoo. Upon spying the rabbits, she exclaimed, "Thumper!" before scampering over to them, her parents right behind her.
She eagerly petted each one before she scrunched up her nose. She then looked up at Liam and Elsa and asked, "Which one is Thumper?"
They smiled and shook their heads before Elsa got down on her knees and looked as though she was seriously contemplating the question. She then pointed to one of the rabbits and spoke, "That one is Thumper."
Anna Elizabeth nodded satisfactorily. She then turned and told said rabbit: "Your name is Thumper," petting the animal once more. As Elsa began petting it as well, Liam grabbed his phone and took a picture.
Anna Elizabeth then leapt up and looked around the petting zoo once more. She then pointed to an animal and asked, "What is that?"
"It's called a llama, love. Do you want to go see it?" Liam told her, receiving a nod in response. He then took her hand and led her over to the animal, with Elsa following close behind.
Anna Elizabeth then tried to pet the llama, only to be disappointed when she couldn't reach its head. She huffed before she complained, "Can't reach it!"
Liam then told her, "Here, love, let me help," before he lifted her in his arms. She immediately reached out and petted the llama's head before moving to its neck.
Elsa then looped her arm through Liam's before she quietly spoke, "You know, I'm surprised that she's letting you hold her."
Liam chuckled before he replied, "Well, she is rather focused on the animals." Elsa smiled as she hummed in response - she then began running her fingers along the llama's fur.
Anna Elizabeth then asked, "Can we get on the train?" her blue eyes still focused on the llama.
"Only if you're sure that you don't want to pet any more animals," Liam told her, running his fingers through her hair.
She shook her head as she replied, "Want to ride train, Daddy."
Liam kissed her head before he told her, "Alright then, love, let's go ride the train." Anna Elizabeth cheered before she began scrambling to get out of her father's arms.
Once he placed her on the ground, he instantly grabbed her hand while Elsa grabbed the other. The three of them then set off to find the train.
When they arrived, Anna Elizabeth exclaimed, "There it come!" as the train rolled to a stop.
As the people began filing out, Anna Elizabeth began dragging her parents through the crowd, taking no notice of whether or not she was running into people.
Liam then bent down and told her, "Listen, Anna Elizabeth, you have to wait for all of the other people to get off the train, okay?"
The little girl nodded in response. She then asked, "We then get on?"
"Yes, love, we can," Liam replied, receiving another nod. He then stood up and grasped her hand before he and Elsa led the little girl out from the crowd.
When they had dispersed, the three of them then made their way to the train. As soon as they stepped on, Anna Elizabeth excitedly greeted the conductor: "We ride train!"
The older man smiled down at the little girl as he told her, "Well, you and your mommy and daddy are gonna have a good time."
"Yay!" Anna Elizabeth cheered, earning a smile from the man, as well as her parents. Elsa then told the little girl, "Come on, Anna Elizabeth, let's sit down."
"Okay, Mommy," she replied before she plopped down in the first pair of metal seats. Liam slid in on the other side of her before he pulled her into his lap.
When Elsa had sat down, she pulled out her phone and asked the conductor, "Would you mind taking a picture of us?"
"Of course not," he replied with a smile before he took the phone.
Elsa then told Anna Elizabeth, who was busy looking at her surroundings, "Smile for the picture, Anna Elizabeth."
The little blonde then looked around and saw the conductor holding the phone. She then smiled brightly before the older man snapped the picture.
He then handed Elsa back her phone before he complimented, "You have a beautiful family there."
"Thank you. I think so, too," Elsa replied with a smile. She then turned to watch them for a moment, as Liam had taken to pointing out some of the flowers blooming near the train.
Soon enough, the train filled with other families. The conductor greeted everyone before announcing that they were heading out.
He then started the train, causing Anna Elizabeth to shout, "We going!" as she jumped up from Liam's lap.
He shook his head before he gently pulled her down. He then explained, "You have to stay sitting down, love."
Anna Elizabeth nodded before she looked out the window as the train began rolling down the tracks.
She excitedly pointed out each and every animal, - including rhinos, giraffes, and zebras - as she gave them names in the process.
When they came across the flamingos, she scrunched her nose in confusion before she asked, "Pink bird?"
"That bird is called a flamingo, and they're all pink," Elsa explained.
Anna Elizabeth nodded as her gaze stayed on the birds until they passed them. She then turned her attention back to her parents and asked, "Keep one as pet?"
Elsa and Liam bit back a laugh before he explained, "All these animals live here, love. You can't have one as a pet."
Anna Elizabeth sighed in disappointment. Liam kissed her head before he offered, "But maybe you can get a toy flamingo from the gift shop. Would you like that?"
The little girl's face lit up before she excitedly asked, "Get a lion, Daddy? Want big Simba."
He and Elsa smiled at her before he offered, "Yes, you can, Anna Elizabeth. I think it's a lovely idea," ruffling her hair.
She cheered just before they came upon the crocodile enclosure. She turned her ear toward the crocodiles and closed her eyes in concentration.
She then turned back to her parents and complained, "Mommy, Daddy! They not ticking!"
Liam disguised his chuckle as a cough while Elsa explained, "That crocodile was only in Peter Pan. And he only lives in Neverland."
"Ohh," Anna Elizabeth replied in understanding. She then looked back at the swamp-like enclosure and spoke, "Bye, cro-co-diles," pronouncing each syllable slowly.
She then asked, "What animals we see next?"
"Hmm, I'm not really sure," Elsa began, resting her chin in her hand. She then continued, "We'll have to ask the nice man who's driving the train."
"Can I ask, Mommy?" Anna Elizabeth then asked, receiving a smile and nod from her mother.
The little girl then leaned forward before she tapped his shoulder and asked, "What animal we see next?"
The older man turned slightly in order to see her before he smiled and answered, "We'll be looking at the hippos. That'll be our last stop."
"No more ride?" Anna Elizabeth then asked sadly. Liam ran his fingers through her hair before he assured her, "It's alright, love. We have lots more animals to see."
She nodded in response. She then saw the gray, round creatures and yelled, "I see hippos!"
She then turned to her parents and exclaimed, "Mommy, Daddy, look at the hippos!"
"We see them, Anna Elizabeth. They're very pretty hippos, aren't they?" Elsa offered with a smile. Anna Elizabeth nodded happily in response.
She waved to the hippos as the train passed them. The train soon began slowing down as it neared its stopping point.
When it stopped, Anna Elizabeth hooped up from Liam's lap. He and Elsa stood as well before taking their daughter's hands.
As the three of them were making their way off the train, Anna Elizabeth told the conductor: "Thank you for ride! Very fun!"
"You're welcome. I'm glad you liked it," he responded with a smile. The little girl smiled back before Liam and Elsa thanked the older man as well.
When the three of them had stepped out onto the asphalt and concrete, Liam then asked, "So, Anna Elizabeth, what animal would you like to see next?"
She looked thoughtful for a few moments before she answered, "Gorillas!"
Liam and Elsa both smiled at their daughter before the blonde offered, "Let's go see the gorillas, then," before ruffling the little girl's hair.
Anna Elizabeth smiled brightly before the three of them headed off to see more of the zoo.