Our weekend excursion.

We decided to make one last weekend getaway with the family before school started back up, so we asked the kids what they wanted to do and they both jumped up and down and screamed ZOO! So the planning began.  We thought it would be fun to go with friends this go around and I am so glad we did, it made for a great time!  We left on Saturday morning, bags packed, kids dressed, house picked up and the car was loaded by 7am Saturday morning.  That told you right there just how excited the kids were.  We got up to the Portland are around 10am, just in time for our first destination to open up.  Oaks Park.  This place was VERY cool, our first time of coarse.  This place had rides, cotton candy, games and lots of smiles and laughter for a quarter of the price the state fair would charge! I think we just won the lottery right there! HA  The kids had unlimited rides all day long, it was really hard to keep them all together.  I constantly found myself counting heads.  I guess that's a normal thing to do for us mom's right?

The kids had so much fun exploring and being entertained by these big rides that you couldn't keep them out of the lines! So little ol me with my handy dandy camera couldn't keep my finger off the trigger either.  It was so much fun to shoot these bright colorful FUN photos of my kids grinning ear to ear!

so the above photo is a photo of the one and only ride "I" went on and boy let me tell you..... it dropped your heart right in the pit of your stomach.  This was called the flying eagle and the thing went upside down, back around and spun! It was so scary! I am so glad my kids didn't go on it with me. 

but what they did go on were the little "age" appropriate kitty rides and believe me.... I was more than okay with that.  Jocelyn's face in the above photo says it all.  PRICELESS! This was the first time either one of my kids have been on any kind of rides, so it was a first experience for all of us.  We just don't believe in wasting our money on those darn fair expenses when we can go enjoy ourselves for a whole weekend elsewhere spending less money in a weekend then you would in one day at the "rip off fair".  Besides, my kids really know no different so it's okay. ;)

Looking at them makes me laugh especially my son.  They had a great time, well we all did for that matter.  So after the fun day at Oaks park we found a nice hotel, wanted one with a pool but was definitely way to cold for one and number two.... our kids were crashed out before we even left the parking lot.  I guess we didn't feed them enough cotton candy!  So we found a great Hotel in the area and crashed.  Woke up the next morning and we were off to the ZOO!  This was my favorite day, exciting day for photos! I was stoked that it was cool outside which meant even better for the sake of the animals. 

After all the main attraction were these cute Monkeys.  I kept telling my husband that I didn't realize his family was so cute and hairy. ha ha.  These suckers were a crack in the pants.  So our friends that went with us had a banana in their stroller for one of their kids and the monkey just happened to see that and got all crazy.  He crawled over to the gate and stuck out his hand to get that banana.  We all felt so bad and wanted to give it to him, but couldn't. 

Heck we even got a wink from this bald Eagle! Okay, wishful thinking.  This poor guy had a missing eye, but was ever so amazing to watch.  I could have stood there and starred for hours at him.  The day couldn't have been more perfect for all of us.  We had a great time with our friends, the kids and the company of the animals. 

I even ran across this great "bubble" that I need to have in my own home.  Kidding of coarse! Well, minus the rodents that is.  This was a pretty cool "new" feature they had at the zoo, well new to us as we have never seen the exhibit prior to us going to the zoo.

The kids even got to visit some very cool water features too that they loved! After spending 6 hours walking thru the zoo, we were pooped out and ready to hit the road, but not before visiting the amazing elephants.

These guys just amaze me every time, and I think my kids were mesmerized too.

So that wraps up our great little getaway for the summer.  It's so sad to say goodbye to Summer and hello to the new school year, but all things must come to an end.  Until next time....