Family Day

Last weekend we went to Memphis for the day to see the zoo and have Ethiopian food for lunch.  We were lucky and there were a lot of animals out ready to play, and we got to see so many personalities shine!

Mama lion was growling at the crowd, then she went in the corner and pouted, and eventually got over it and laid in the sun.

Meerkats taunting the cheetahs across the way from them.

This tiger was absolutely beautiful!

Thirsty monkey.

They all went over to this area when a crowd formed to hide.  :)

This big guy was just swinging on that big rope.  He then decided to play peekaboo.

Our tour guide for the day.

Gray wolf digging a hole, looking for something.

It was International Polar Bear Day...who knew!  Cooper begged to see the polar bears the whole time and when he saw them, he was ready to go.  Ugh.

Ever seen a 1,100 pound bear go swimming?  They were so cute!

Seriously obsessed with the map!

Feeding time!

Pushing friends out of the way!

Sweet monkeys playing hide-and-seek with the visitors.

After the zoo, we went to eat lunch at Abyssinian Restaurant.  I was a little skeptical that they may not have authentic Ethiopian food.  We walked in and with one foot in the door, I knew this was an authentic restaurant.  Their spices and seasonings have a specific smell to them and I was so happy to smell it.  I'm weird.  I connect strong memories to my sense of smell.  This took me back (almost) two weeks and in my head, I was with my boy again.  I was at the House of Hope, eating the most fabulous food ever.  It was quite an experience for Cooper because Ethiopians eat with their hands!  He thought that was pretty funny and joined right in.  I didn't give him any injera at first because I figured he may not like it.  After he saw me eating it, he asked for some, wanted to use it to pick up his food, and did great with it!  Below is an example picture of ET food and the way it's eaten.  The flat bread is injera and you use it to pick up the other yummy stews and veggies on the plate.  I need to try and fix it for us at home!

We told the older man who owned the restaurant that we had recently gotten back from Addis due to our adoption, etc.  He was very pleased and we talked for a while.  He thanked us for doing something to help out the children who had no families.  He obviously knows the need there.  I showed him a picture and he said, "He's from the South."  I smiled and nodded.  "Kembata," I said.  He gave me a knowing smile and thanked us again.  I can't wait to bring Silas to eat at this restaurant some day.