Fun at the Zoo

It was shaping up to be a wonderful day, with weather fit for springtime.  On the way home from church, Mommy lamented that it was close to naptime and we couldn't go to the zoo.  Subsequently, I fell asleep in my high-chair eating lunch.

Upon waking, after I finished the rest of my lunch, Daddy decided it was indeed a good day for the Memphis Zoo.  By that time Mommy didn't feel like walking around the big zoo, so she stayed behind.  We thought that today would be a good day to leave the stroller behind as well.  And, with it so near to closing time, we figured we ought to drive instead of walk.  It turned out to be good that we did.

Cat Country, in contrast to its usual atmosphere, was full of life.  Those cats are always just sitting around doing nothing when I go, although that may have to do with the fact that I usually go to the zoo in the morning and they've not been awake for long.  But today they were walking around and even playing with each other.  What fun!

It was feeding time over at the Farm, my favorite place in the zoo, so I didn't get to pet anyone.  That's okay, though; I always get to play with them.

Since we went sans stroller, I got to walk and roam all around, just like the big boy that I am.  Daddy carried me around on his shoulders between exhibits, though, to move us along quicker.

The pandas, usually so lazy, were lots of fun today, too!  One of them was even outside.  The other was playing inside, interacting with all of us visitors.

The elephants weren't out, so we hurried to the Northwest Passage.  The panda bears weren't doing much, but the sea lions were showing off a bit.  Two were posing on rocks and another was swimming by, trying to get my attention.  It was beginning to get dark, though, and I didn't much care.

One of the black bears came strutting right up to me and the bald eagles were talking to me.  So that was fun!

It was getting darker and darker, with storm clouds approaching.  But we wanted to see the grizzlies.  As soon as we walked up to the Teton Trek.  We saw the bears and turned to leave.

All of a sudden, the bottom just dropped.  Fortunately, the tram pulled up to save us.

But it was pouring down rain by the time the tram dropped us near the front gate.  We had to run to the gate, then run to the car.  And it was some kind of fun running in the rain.

Tomorrow promises even more fun.  I have a friend coming over to play!

Happy Birthday, Mommy!

We helped Mommy celebrate her birthday this weekend and I gave her lots of kisses!  Her birthday was on Saturday, but she celebrated all weekend long.

First, Uncle Grant and Aunt Kelly came over on Friday so that Mommy and Daddy could go out to dinner with some friends.  I like Grant and Kelly!  Oh, and Aunt Kelly made a cake for Mommy, complete with (well, we won't say how many) candles!

Then, me and Daddy had a boy's day on Saturday, as Mommy had a girl's day (chick flick, then chocolate fondue) with several girlfriends.  We didn't get into too much trouble!

I usually go to sleep after church on Sunday, but I decided I would stay awake yesterday so that we could go out to eat with Grandaddy and Grandmommy.  We had Central BBQ!  It was hard, but I did it just for Mommy!

Last night, after I finished dinner, Daddy was officially in charge of me.  Why?  Well, Mommy had a big night planned, with both the Golden Globe Awards and Return to Cranford (PBS Classic) on.  I didn't want to let Mommy go, though, but relented when Daddy promised that we would read my Puff book for bedtime.

This morning, I let Mommy sleep in until 7:30, then let her nod off for a short nap a few minutes ago.

And it's finally warming up here, so we're heading up to the zoo!  Uncle Grant is  coming with us.  This, too, is part of Mommy's birthday, as she has been missing our trips of late.  (We did make a trip with Michael the other day, though.)

So, we love you, Mommy!  And we hope you had the happiest of all birthdays!

Weekly Roundup

Sorry to be away, folks.  And, really, I don't have a very good reason for not posting in a week.  You know, just the ordinary business of being a kid.

That said, such ordinary business can be quite extraordinary, as was the case this week.

The weather--oh the weather!--has been so very nice.  A kid couldn't ask for better weather.  Maybe someone else could, but not a kid--at least not a kid who likes to be outdoors.  I went to the zoo...twice.  First, on Monday, with my friend Michael.  And then, today, with Evan.  And, on a few occasions, I got to walk Layla and run around.  And I got to swing in my tree swing and go on lots of walks.

Yesterday was a big day.  Mommy and me made a car out of a box.  (More on that later.)  Then, Daddy took me to another basketball game.  (Actually, make that games, with an 's' at the end, because we saw the last quarter of the girls and the first half of the boys.)  And, finally, we went to church for movie night on the lawn.  (Did I mention the weather yet?)

So, the reason we made a car out of a box is because it was 'Boxcar Movie Night' at church.  They were showing Horton Hears A Who! on the lawn, but everyone was invited to show up early to make cars out of boxes.  Why?  Well, who wouldn't want to sit inside of a car on the lawn to watch a movie?  That's what I thought!  I see all those hands.

We made my car during the day because we weren't sure (a) if there would be enough boxes, or (b) if there would be boxes my size.  (And it turned out that there were plenty of boxes, but they were all too big for me.)  At any rate, no one had a boxcar quite a fancy as mine, which was decorated with wrapping paper and felt, as opposed to sidewalk chalk.

I had lots of fun (and ate lots of popcorn!), although I must say that the movie was not so good.  Now, the book is quite enjoyable, but the film version just tries way too hard.  We would rather kick it old school in this house!  (Take that, Jim Carrey.)

Oh, and before I forget, I posted some more photos on the Flickr page.  Here are a few.

Zoo Boo and Other Fun Stuff

My friends, Naomi and Fay (along with their Mommy, Aunt Sarah), were in town this week.  And we had lots and lots of fun together.

On Friday evening, we met up and walked over to the zoo together, in full Halloween costumes.  It was Zoo Boo!  Most of the animals were inside for the night, but we did get to see the farm animals.  That didn't matter much, though, because the zoo was all decorated for Halloween.

In fact, we had seen the decorations last week in the day when we took Grandaddy to the zoo.  But it was even cooler at night, with all the spooky lights.  There were skeletons and spiders and graveyards and ghosts and ghouls and fog and other fun stuff.  And there were trick-or-treat stations, although I didn't much care about them after the first couple.

Today, before they left to head back to North Carolina, we met up with Naomi and Fay at the Children's Museum.  I really liked being in the back of the cop car, but Mommy said that had better be the only cop car I find myself in.  I colored a picture for Daddy, played with the airplanes, and had fun with Fay in the toddler area.  I can't wait to go back!

Pictures from both trips will be forthcoming.

Hangin' With Pa and Using A Spoon

Yesterday, we left Pa at the house for a trip to the Farmer's Market.  On the way, however, we made a stop to try the beignets at the Beignet Cafe.  And it was well worth it.  We may have to make that part of our routine.

We came back and had a nap, then took Pa to the zoo.  He hadn't been in many years and the zoo has changed a lot in the meantime.  He hadn't even seen the pandas.  And the latest exhibit, the Teton Trek, actually opened to the public yesterday.  Even Daddy hadn't seen it yet, though me and Mommy went during the member's preview last week.  The grizzly cubs are pretty cool, as are the timberwolves.

Pa wanted to try a new BBQ place and jumped at the idea of eating at Neely's, which is owned by that couple on the Food Network.  I didn't really want any BBQ, but I did discover that I like ketchup.  I wouldn't sit in my chair, so I was in Daddy's lap.  I saw him dipping fries in ketchup and tried it for myself.  I didn't know what I was missing!

Pa also wanted to try some Memphis chicken, so we went to Uncle Lou's after church today to get some of their Sweet Spice Love and honey buttered biscuits.

Oh, and guess what I can do!  Give up?  I can feed myself with a spoon!  I started with my morning yogurt, but it's been pretty messy, mostly due to the fact that I am still learning to use a spoon.  But, this evening, Mommy got all excited because I was using my spoon the correct way...for a while, at least.

Oh, Glorious Labor Day!

Thank the heavens for Labor Day!

Following up on my/our busy weekend, filled with all kinds of fun activities, the extended weekend proved a grand way to top it all off.

First, after Mommy convinced Daddy to get off the computer, we walked to the zoo. I got to see a lion asleep on his back, with his head back and mouth wide open. And the panther looked me right in the eye. (I wasn't scared, but that Panther sure did turn around and walk off!)

Then, in the farm, I tried to reach through the fence to touch the donkeys; they were pretty close, but they were preoccupied with eating straw off the ground. A couple chickens were out roaming around and one pecked on the footrest of my stroller.

The elephants smelled just awful and the polar bear didn't want to swim by the glass wall, but two black bears smelled my berries and came over to the fence. And they had a big sidewalk sale and Mommy picked my out an elephant puppet.

After me and Mommy took naps (separately), we gathered up our things and went swimming at Aunt Cathy's house, where we had dinner plans. I played and played around her house, had dinner, and played some more. Finally, I wamed up to Aunt Cathy and loved on her some. (You just have to smooze the ladies, especially when they have a pool and feed you good!)

Like I said, it was a good (extended) weekend!

Boy's Day

Me and Daddy have had a fun day today, especially since the medicine has worked its magic.

First, we played. Then, we napped.

And, then, we needed to get out of the house. So, we walked to the zoo to see the sea lion show and they made me giggle. We stopped on the way at Cafe Eclectic for a pastry and I fell asleep on the way home.

Now, we're playing and waiting on Mommy to get home.

Staying Home

Yesterday, the day after my birthday, I woke up sick. Daddy had orientation, so Mommy stayed home with me.

Today, I am feeling better, but not enough to go to school. Daddy was free today, so we're having a boys day. After some playing and fussing and napping, we walked to the zoo.

It's been so long since the weather has been cool enough to go to the zoo. In fact, I wasn't even walking the last time we went. Well, let me tell you, it's pretty cool when you can walk. Daddy let me walk around the indoor section of the polar bear exhibit and I got to see the bears swim by just above my head. It was so cool!

And I can't wait until the new baby grizzlies get here. They won't be able to make it in the wild because their Mommy was killed. It's very sad, but at least our zoo could take them.

In other news, I think I may have developed a case of pink eye. Yuck! We're going to the doctor as soon as Mommy gets home from work.

Mourning an Elephant Calf

It was an up and down week for the Memphis Zoo community, as well as the whole mid-South. A baby elephant, without even a name, died. She has since been given the name, Lil' Girl, which is what the zookeepers had called her during her few days out of the womb.

We first had exciting news at the zoo this week. After nearly two years in her mommy's tummy, a baby girl elephant was finally born.

But, then, something bad happened. The mommy accidentally killed the baby. The baby was falling and the mommy, Asali, tried to help her up. In the process, Asali's tusk hurt the baby and the injuries were too severe to save her life.

Everyone is really sad.

Zoo Days

Now that Daddy's news is out of the way (see the post below if you don't know), let me tell you about my day.

Mommy and I decided it would be a nice day to walk to the zoo. On the way, we stopped at our favorite little neighborhood cafe, Cafe Eclectic, to pick up some snacks to enjoy on our trek to and around the zoo. Oh, the joy of living in Midtown. Anyway, so Mommy let me have some doughnut. And they have the best cinamon and sugar doughnuts ever. Yum-O!

Then, after visiting with some friends we saw, we were approached by zookeeper leading some lambs around. Apparently, the lambs get to roam around on Saturday, supervised of course. She wanted to know if I wanted to pet them. Well, of course Mommy said sure.

But I didn't quite know what to think, especially when one, followed by a few others, began to lick my toes and feet and legs. They were loving me because I am so sweet, which is another way of saying that I had doughnut crumbs all over me. HAHAHA!!!

Mommy was all like, "I'm so sorry. I know they're not supposed to eat doughnuts."

As she tried to shoo them away, the keeper was all like, "No, I'm sorry. I just hope they don't start to nibble on him."

I wasn't really sure what to think, but I think I liked it. Those lambs are a little bit different than Layla.

You never know what will happen at the zoo, which is why we like to go so often. You should come with us sometime. It'll be so much fun.