Indiana State Fair

This year I was so excited to be in Indiana during the State Fair.  I LOVE the Indiana State Fair and my kids have never gotten to go.  The closest thing they have gotten to see if the Rodeo in Austin.  We got to go twice to the fair. The first time was a quick trip to watch my Mom clog dance and eat some yummy fair food. The second time, we took the train from Castleton to the fair - a first for everyone!

Waiting for the train - Evan even wore his engineer hat

The Train is here!

All Aboard

The Entrance to the fair

First stop was the children's area where the kids had a blast going through a bunch of activities like...

Milking a cow

Learning about growing crops

And of course, the kids were DYING to go on the Midway rides.  How could I say no?

They loved them!

We also checked out the animals and some of the exhibits. Here was one where they made a bunch of displays out of cans of food.... this was their favorite of course!

And we also did some fun pictures while walking around both days.

And the kids also got to see part of a real Rodeo! Even though we go to the Rodeo every year, we don't actually attend the rodeo part of it (just the midway, exhibits, etc).  So this was their first rodeo and they loved it too.

I couldn't tear them away!  So glad this was another thing they got to experience since Oma will soon be living here in Texas!

First Trip to Conner Prairie

One of my favorite places in Indianapolis when I was younger was Conner Prairie. I loved going to summer camp there, volunteering, and even participating as a character at Christmas!  I finally decided it was time to take the kids.

First stop was the barn by the Conner home to pet the animals.

Ryan loved it and the calf didn't seem to mind either!

Then, we made it to Prairietown.  They have these "roles" the kids can take on. You spin a wheel and get a role. Caitlin was a cook and Evan was a sheriff type. They each had things they needed to do throughout the town. We had a great time completing the items on their lists!

Caitlin learning about grinding coffee

Evan had to get some info from the general store owner and ask about any suspicious activity going on around town.

School was not in session but we pretended anyway.

Caitlin learning to set the table

Good job Caitlin!

Evan asking more questions about suspicious activity.

Watering the gardens

Caitlin learning how to make pie crust

Cutting the butter

After that, we headed over to the new area at Conner Prairie - 1863 Civil War Journey

This area is very different from the rest of Conner Prairie. There was less for the kids to do but Ryan enjoyed just running around.  It looked like they had a splash/play area, but it wasn't quite warm enough for that.

With Oma in front of the Porter Family Home

Overall, it was a great time, and I loved getting to share more of my childhood with my own kids.  Now with my mom moving to Texas, we will probably have fewer chances to do these things!

Back Home Again in Indiana

We made our annual trip to Indiana/Michigan in August this year.  I drove up with the kids, my sister, and niece Chelsea.  We opted for the overnight drive where we left Thursday after dinner and drove through the night.  It went well EXCEPT that Evan started throwing up as soon as he got in the car. He proceeded to throw up about 6 more times throughout the night.  But what a trooper!  We gave him some buckets and just kept driving even though he really did not feel well.  Poor boy.

When we arrived in Indy, we had a family dinner and got to see Great Grandpa Duck.

We also went to the Children's Museum one day. The new younger kids play area is fantastic! I think the kids could have stayed there the entire time.

Ryan loved the water

The older two played with this the entire time.

They were having a Terra Cotta Warrior exhibit so they had a whole "China" exhibit as well.

Caitlin liked getting to dress up

And both the kids enjoyed serving us at the little chinese cafe!

And of course we checked out the dinosaurs.

 

And here is one picture I had from getting together with my high school girlfriends. We had all the kids over to Marie's house for a playdate. My first time to meet Fletcher!!  And of course see the other kids. I can't believe how big everyone is getting!

From lower left: Fletcher with brother Julian behind, Moira, Ruby, Evan, Ryan, Ray, Caitlin, Hannah

Here's a comparison from a few years ago for fun:

Kids are in order from left: Moira, Ruby, Ray, Caitlin, Evan, and Hadley

Note of reference: Julian was absent (he's same age as Caitlin), and Hannah, Fletcher, and Ryan weren't even born yet (neither were Stella or Maxwell)!

Here's one of Caitlin and Julian though from about 6 months prior

Caitlin's Gymnastic Showcase

Caitlin's been taking gymnastics this year which she absolutely loves.  In July, they did a "showcase" where the parents got to come into the gym, they did a small routine, and then demonstrated the skills they've been learning.

Here's a video of the showcase:

If you can't see the video in the email, click here: 

VIDEO

After that, we followed their group to the different apparatus to see what they've learned!  First up was beam, one of Caitlin's favorites!

Then onto floor. We are still working on our cartwheel but it's improving!

Then we did the trampoline and finally bars!

Last but not least was the presentation of the medals. Way to go Super Caitlin!

Pedernales Falls State Park

We had some unusually cooler weather in July so we took advantage and went hiking at Pedernales Falls State Park.  This is one park I had not yet visited so it was a fun adventure. We convinced Michelle, Allie, and Kiso to join us!

The most interesting part of the park is this series of falls/pools.  We are still in a bit of a drought in Texas so there wasn't a lot of water (or falls). But, we still enjoyed hiking up and around them.

Kiso cooling off in the water - it was cooler than usual, but that doesn't mean it was cold by any means!

Group shot (minus Ryan and I)

We did let Ryan out to explore too.

Me and my 3 

We got a junior ranger backpack at the visitor center so the kids were checking out all the gear and writing in the journal

Caitlin posing

As we were leaving the park, we met a park ranger who took time to talk to the kids and show them some fossils in the rocks. They were pretty excited!

It was a great day at the park. We enjoyed some wonderful family time and exploring new places. I hope we can do it again soon!

4th of July

Back in July (I know, it's October...), we went to the Round Rock 4th of July parade.  Although it's usually very hot, it's a lot of fun for the kids.  We loved meeting our friends the Isaacsons at the parade too!  Here are a pictures from the day.

Family pic while some of the "floats" go by

The kids watching the parade (and hoping for some candy which they all throw - it's like Mardi Gras except its candy instead of beads!)

The boys showing some American spirit

And the girls too!

Red, white, and blue!

Baba and Chelsea joined us also - a great 4th of July. Happy Birthday America!