This weekend was Laurel's 3rd birthday. She and Luke have both had a cold, but despite that we had a lot of fun. Grandma and Grandpa and Grandma Schieres have been in town all week to visit and be here for the birthday festivities. On Saturday we all went to the Yellow River Game Ranch to see and pet all of the animals. I had no idea how big it was and all the different animals they had. It was quite an adventure, starting with having to go to the bathroom in a stall with no door using Laurel as my lookout. (Now there's a mother-daughter bonding experience.) It rained on us off an on while we were on the trail. We had to hideout once in a small barn space with a bunch of goats, sheep and donkeys. Another time we got trapped under some muscadine vines until the rain slowed. And the last time we got caught under a little covered bridge where Laurel found and chased some new duck friends. (We also watched a deer kick someone...that was funny)
After the petting zoo we went back to Grandma's for the party. We put up the decorations and made the cakes. It was an undersea party complete with a family of fish cakes.
Laurel got all sorts of great presents, she got a tent and a bike and I think the favorite of all were the horses that are the exact same as Abigail's horses that she isn't allowed to touch at Grandma's house. All in all she was pretty excited.