The Louisville Zoo

Thanks for praying for us! We arrived safely in Louisville on Tuesday morning after a very decent flight. Meg was losing it in the BWI terminal while we waited to board our plane, so we were not at all sure how she would do once we got to our seats. But, thanks to God's grace through a couple of secret weapons we were saving (one lollipop, one DVD), she settled down and did very well. This was much to the relief, not only of her parents, but of all the people waiting to board behind us who had the chance to observe Meg crying and repeatedly throwing herself on the floor of the airport.

We have thoroughly enjoyed our time in Kentucky so far. On Wednesday morning, we went to the Louisville Zoo and saw as much as we could before we had to head home for Meg's nap. This was our little girl's first zoo trip, and she is just the right age to begin enjoying all of the animals! Here's a recap of our outing:

The giraffes were among the first animals we encountered:


Daddy and his Meg checking out the elephants:


One of the zoo's big attractions right now is a newborn elephant, only two months old. He was too cute! Especially when his mama walked away from him and he went tearing after her, ears flapping wildly all the way. Here he is giving Mom a snuggle:


One of my favorite shots of the day. This is Meg with her Grandma Jan as they looked at the camels:


When Meg got tired of sitting in the stroller, she would get out and walk with Dad for a while:


A lazy lady lion trying to keep cool on a hot morning:


This, if my memory serves me correctly (and it often does when completely worthless information is at stake), is an East African Crowned Heron. He wandered quite close to us, and Meg was fascinated.


Meg's Grandpa Don strolls a baby and still manages to look cool in his shades:


I have never seen Meg flush in the heat before, but she sure did on this day! Just look at those rosy pink cheeks!


This is a meerkat. He is small and sort of cute. That's about all there is to say about meerkats.


We got to go in the petting-zoo section, where we saw lots and lots of... goats. Big goats and small goats, black goats and brown goats, pooping goats and sleeping goats and walking goats. We got to walk right up to them, and Meg didn't seem at all scared. Here she is, petting a white goat:


Right before we left, Dave and I took Meg on the zoo's carousel! So exciting for Mommy, who loves carousels. Meg wasn't sure what was going on at first, but I think she ended up liking it! Especially since her strong Daddy was holding on to her the whole time.


As you can see, it was a fun day. Thanks, Dad and Jan, for giving us our first family zoo memory!

Dave headed across town last night to begin work on the New Attitude conference, which begins tomorrow evening. I miss my love dreadfully--being away from home, separated and yet in the same city is a strange experience. But I am so glad that Dave gets the chance to serve God and all the people who attend this conference. We love you so much, Sweetheart! We know the Lord is going to use you to bless all the attendees, and we are praying for His strength to fill you.