Fun Edmond weekend!

I love weekend getaways! We should plan them more often, as we usually just wait until we have some specific event to go somewhere for, and then sometimes make a weekend of it.

This weekend, it was Kerrigan's second birthday party! But we managed to squeeze in a bunch of other activities around it! On the way to Edmond, we ate in Norman with my sister, and then went over to Jay's fishing buddy Eric's house, as they have a new baby boy, in addition to their 3-year-old and 6-year-old boys. We finally made it to Kyle and Audrey's around 9:30, and Claire was still wide awake! Eric's boys had her revved up with plenty of swinging, sliding, golf, and soccer.

The next morning, Jay and Kyle went golfing with some friends, while Claire and I went to the zoo with Amanda. Sadly, I didn't have my camera all weekend, so I don't have any pics of that. Luckily, Audrey got plenty of good ones at the party later, though, and some of those are below. Anyway, we had fun at the zoo, despite the heat, which kept many of the animals hidden and/or motionless. Claire could have watched those stationary alligators for a lot longer than Amanda and I wanted to! Actually, the bears were fairly active, since they have a pool to swim in. We saw a baby black bear taking a dip, and one grizzly kept pacing back and forth, coming within inches of us, on the other side of his glass wall! And the new dinosaur exhibit was really cool. Life-size, animatronic dinosaurs, where the kids can actually push buttons to make them roar and move different body parts! Claire was a little scared at first, but she got into it pretty quick.

The party was fun, and Claire loved playing outside with her cousins! With a swing set, a trampoline, a slip 'n' slide, and a kiddie pool, Claire, Kerrigan, Carson, Zack, and Abby went from one thing to the next!



We even got to go fishing in Kyle and Audrey's pond, where the fish are practically tame! They're fed and fished almost daily, so they appear totally comfortable with getting caught for a short time--literally, we would drop a line in the water and just watch 10-15 perch swimming around the worm, trying to grab it without getting hooked, and then within five to ten seconds, we'd have one on! It's the perfect fishing experience for kids! Jay even caught Big Boy, one of the big catfish Paul put out there a while back.

After we left Kyle and Audrey's we had to fuel up, and we love stopping in at Pops, the new Route 66 attraction just down the road from their house. Even though it's always crazy-busy on Saturdays with motorcyclists and families, we can't resist that huge drink selection! I got a vanilla cream soda, Claire got a banana milk, and Jay got a Dr. Pepper icee. We could have gone crazier, but we have learned in the past that sometimes it's best to play it safe!