Memphis Zoo

Hailey and I had a chance to go to the zoo with some friends. We had a great time. There were baby giraffes, a fake cow we could ride (she didn't like it much), and her favorite, the polar bears. The one polar bear had a route it would follow that included a swim right by the window where Hailey was standing. She'd squeal and get so excited. Occasionally he'd come right up to the glass so they were nose to nose. She'd step back a little, but it was so precious. 

Happy Dreams Song

This is the song we sing to Hailey every night. It's been so fun to hear her sing it with us. 

Warning: it takes a few minutes to load. It'll play the first 4 seconds, but then you have to wait for it to finish loading.

Atlanta Georgia

This past week was Matt's spring break so we headed to Atlanta, GA to attend an optometry conference. Matt was busy with many responsibilities between dressing up as the Alcon Tearglide and SCO receptions, but we had a great time during his hours off. Below is a photo of him posing in his mascot costume. 

I guess it's pretty obvious what Hailey thought of the costume. It was pathetic. What was humorous though was to watch her look around for Matt when she heard his voice. She didn't get used to it the entire time, so I don't think she ever grasped the costume concept. I tried telling her over and over that it was Daddy, but I don't think she believed me. 

Georgia Aquarium

Our first Atlanta adventure was the aquarium. It was absolutely incredible! There were more than 8 million gallons of water - 6.1 million of them in one tank alone. We took tons of photos and had a wonderful time. Hailey loved the fish. This first photo is of one of the petting ponds. They were on a break when we went by and I wasn't too certain about petting a shark anyway. Here's a piece of trivia for you: what is the difference in tail between a fish (like a whale shark or any other fish) and a water mammal (like a whale or dolphin)? 

Answer: A fish's tail is vertical and swishes side-to-side and a water mammal's tail is horizontal and swishes up at down. 
Hailey and I did, however, get to pet another water creature. I don't remember the name, but it was related to the jelly fish because it attached to my skin to shock me. I guess our human skin isn't sensitive enough to feel the shocks, but it was a pretty weird feeling having it attach to my fingers. 
They had a play area that Matt and Hailey explored together. There was a huge slide that came out of a fish's mouth. Hailey thought it was so fun. She squealed the whole way down. 
This was my favorite exhibit. There were over 90 varieties of fish and more than 2000 living creatures. It was so colorful and gorgeous!

World of Coca-Cola

Our next adventure in Atlanta was the Coca-Cola Museum. Hailey didn't like the polar bear or the 4-D show with mobile chairs, but she loved hanging out with Addie and tasting the soda at the end.

Obviously Addie and Hailey were happy to see each other. They kept hugging and chasing after each other. Hailey was so relieved to see a friend from home. 
Matt, Julie and Scott are taking advantage of the free taste testing at the end of the tour. There were more than 64 Coke products from across the world. My favorite was an apple-kiwi flavor sold in Asia. My least favorite was a mouthwash flavor (that's what it tasted like at least) sold in Africa. I was pretty soda-logged by the time we finished. 

Zoo Atlanta

Matt was working while Hailey and I went to Zoo Atlanta with Jana, Addie and Julie. I thought this was such a sweet photo of her. I didn't have the camera out too much, so this is the only photo to post. Some highlights of the zoo were the three young playful tigers, the adorable baby panda bear and the huge gorilla exhibit. Here's a bit of trivia for you: what body part do scientists take prints of to distinguish gorillas one from another? 

Answer: the nose. 

Natural History Museum

The Natural History Museum had some pretty awesome dinosaur exhibits. This is what greeted guests in the open terrace. It was incredible! You can see how small the people are beneath the long-neck. 

They also had a hands-on learning center. Hailey thought the lightening bulb was pretty fascinating. 
We also discovered that she has a talent for forecasting weather. The fingers in her mouth are her trademark habit that make her popular to local viewers.