Sunday, May 31, 2009

Lions And Tigers And Bears, Oh My!

Today was Emily's first trip to the Memphis Zoo. After church we headed downtown. As you can see from this big guy, it was hot! After a quick lunch we toured Cat Country. Most of the big cats were hiding in the shade like this lion so it was hard for Emily to see them.


But Emily did get to see this Mountain Lion who was wandering around, no doubt looking for water. We quickly moved through Cat Country and on to the Animal Nursery where they keep the barnyard animals. We saw cow, sheep, pigs, and little horses. It was great because you could get right up to those animals so Emily was able to see them and even pet a few.


Below is a quick family photo, thanks to the nice stranger who was able to get Emily to wave at the camera. And of course, thanks to MeMaw who taught her how to wave in the first place. If you look really closely over my right shoulder you can see the gorilla.


It was so cool to see Emily react to all the animals. In the picture below she was checking out the Gorilla up close and personal. Well, not too close!


Emily really liked the waterfalls. They had them all over the zoo and they made a loud noise that seem to interest my little girl. I think it was just so hot that she wanted to jump in!



Behind us are the ropes that the monkeys were swinging around on. As you can see, not much swinging was taking place. Most of the monkeys were hiding in the shade. But Dave was making his monkey sounds and Emily thought he was funny.



After 2 hours she was still smiling! What a happy girl. We were able to soak her hat in the water fountain to keep her cool. And we even fed her a little of our slushy which she liked very much.




By far, the coolest exhibit at the zoo is the Northwest Passage. That is where they keep the polar bears. The two female polar bears had just been fed and were super active. It was AWESOME! No where else can an 8 month old be face to face with a giant polar bear. Check out these pictures. He is looking right at her!










Look at those paws! They are bigger than Emily's head!


After a while Emily hitched a ride on Daddy's shoulders. She was babbling the whole time she was up there. I think she liked being in charge. Or maybe she just liked chewing on his hat.



We couldn't leave the zoo without getting a picture with the elephants. Roll Tide!



On our way out we stopped in the fountain to cool off. Emily liked getting her feet wet, and so did mommy!



After a long day we were pooped! Emily had a bottle and we all took a nap. We had so much fun. Next year we are going to get a family pass so was can go all the time. Maybe you can come too!