SX17 - DAY THREE

Here's pretty much the highlight of the day for Daddy.  He treated Madison's entire group to several large pieces of kale.  Since kids don't generally eat raw kale, why not feed it to a giraffe?  Obviously this is part of the program here at the zoo.  They figured they could get the animals fed for free.  They don't even have to lift a finger:  just get someone else to pay for the food, and then feed the giraffes.  No problem! 

 But seriously, this was a great moment.  Daddy met Madison's group a little over halfway back from the very back of the zoo.  We met there as a large group, and ate together.  And since that time, Daddy was backtracking, taking lots and lots of pictures of other groups as he was searching for Madison's.  We met in the reptile house, which was a place the girls weren't really wanting to spend too much time at.  Daddy suggested going to the giraffes, where he would pay for everyone's kale if they wanted to do it.  And so off we went, back towards the front of the zoo, kale in hand!

Okay, not yet on the kale.  But still, it was a nice opportunity that they all got to do.  

Even Pastor Lance was there that time, walking by at just the right time to hear a few words from Madison and her group.  He spent some time with her group, even posing for a few more pictures too:

It was a fun trip today, the weather and traffic perfect for a visit to Atlanta.  We got there early, and sort of staked out the tent in the back of the zoo again, getting it ready for all the kids that were coming down the highway.  We had the Chick-Fil-A food ready, and once the kids were done eating, it was off to see the animals.

This is Madison's group seeing the monkeys.  Her group leader took a few pictures along the way, and we were happy to grab a few off of her social media account.  Madison and the others saw the pandas, monkeys, and gorillas too. 

They visited the aviary to see the birds, and even found a little nest to perch in!  

It was a day for the birds - all kinds of birds, including these flamingos at the front of the zoo.  Daddy took this picture later on in the day of the group.  

It was a great trip to the zoo, once again.  We did this last year for Summer Xtreme, of course, and it went well last year as well.  Next year, we'll probably try the aquarium or some other destinations just to change things up.  But the zoo has been really fun.  It was great to have Pastor Tracy with us as well:

Oh, and the elephant bottom again:

Daddy managed to get Madison home, and then returned back to the church for another event altogether different.  Tonight, we had a "Neon Festival" at the new amphitheater beside the church.  We started out with baptisms at the outdoor pool, and then there were rides and things for the kids to do.  Daddy wasn't doing any of that though:  we were instead involved with yet another video shooting for Summer Xtreme.  It was a pretty late night, but this sort of thing happens every year this week.  We all stay up really late.  Really, really late.  But the kids are having an absolute blast!