Welch Family Journal: Memphis family weekend

We had a family weekend in memphis this past weekend. It was wonderful! We drove over friday eve. The ride was fine. Both kids did good. We did find out the downside of using a cheap tickets online ordering was you didn't get to choose whether you had smoking or non-smoking room adn you couldn't change once you got there. So, we had a smoking room that has affected all our clothes and coughs. But we lived with it and didn't let it damper our weeeknd. :) We got there around 9ish. We got the kdis in and settled down an d everyone in bed. about 5 minutes later. We hear a loud Buzz then a man on an intercom saying "attention. an emergency has been reports. please go to the nearest sairs and exit. do no tuse the elevators." lovely! So we make our way down the stairs, trying to keep emma calm who is freaking out (see feb post about the fire alarm at daycare- now has an unhealthy fear of fire alarms and buildings on fire) We get outside adn notice no one at the front desk is moving or acting like they care. So we go in and ask if everythings alright. They say yes some kid pulled the alram out by the pool. We try to explain this to emma but you cna see the frea in her eyes and she trembling. so wesit down in the lobby and give her some time to clam down. She still doesn't want to go back up to our room but by this time it's getting late and garretts getting real tired and restless. Well, we go up and mommy sleeps in her bed with her (suctioned to mommy).

We got up late saturday morning (like 7:30am!) ok so not LATE but later than the 5am I've been getting up and the 6am the kids have been getting up. We got ready and went downstairs for a breakfast at the hotel. It was nice and good and filled us up but was kinda pricey. :) Then we went in search of teh Zoo. The Memphis Zoo was very hard to find if you don't zoom out enough on the website when you are looking at the directions. After 45 minutes of driving in circles we found the small signs and followed them to the zoo. It was so hot we were drinched in sweat as soona swe got out of the car. But we had a wonderful time. It was great getting to see all the animals. Getting to be there all together as a family. There were so many things to see and do.

We started out at the Big Cats. Garrett liked growling at them.

We got to get close to a turtle.

We got to watch part of a sea lion show and saw them jump out of the water.

We got to see a playful polar bear swimming in his tank.

We saw the pandas . . . although they were sleeping the whole time.

Yikes!

Daddy and Emma getting a closer look

Giraffes

We found birds for Big Daddy.

We held a butterfly for Granny. They had a butterfly house (you ahd to pay to go in) and there were tons fo butterflys flying around all the flowers. Matt sat down with garrett and one came over and landed on his heal. I went over and got him ti stand on my finger to show the kids (and takea picture for granny) We finally convinced Emma it didn't hurt to have him stand on her finger and she held him too. Then he wouldn't fly off. He just kept trying to land on her shoes. I guess because they were bright yellow with colorful jibbits in them. :) Then you ahve to walk out through a door with a powerful fan to make sure you don't take any stowaways with you.

We ate lunch at the Back Yard Burgers place where one wall of the building was glass and had a couple of monkeys swinging around out there. . . . needless to say Garrett didn't eat much!

Emma and Daddy went into the reptile house while mommy and Garrett found out you were allowed to swim in the fountain.

Then we played on the playground untill daddy and sissy found us. Then of course we had to explain outr wetness and sister wanted to go have a dip to cool off.