Jam Packed Week in Indiana

A few weeks ago we took a trip back home to Indiana.  We had planned this trip well before we knew we would be buying a house and had purchased tickets to take Adalyn to Yo Gabba Gabba Live in Louisville, so we went ahead a made the trip home even though there was lots to be done in Illinois.  The plan was for the entire family to head home on Friday and then Derek would take his mom's car (she was on a trip with her church) and head back to Illinois on Monday after the Yo Gabba Gabba Show.  He had to go on a business trip to Florida for the remainder of the week, so it was a perfect time for us to spend some extra time at home visiting family and friends.  Then on Sunday the kids and I headed back to Illinois and picked up Derek's mom in Terre Haute to make the trip with us.  I know it sounds like a giant riddle, but it all worked out very well and we had a wonderful time in Indiana.  Like any trip that I plan, it was jam packed with lots of activities, visits with friends and family, and little down time. 

Fishin' for a prize

We stayed at Derek's mom's house on Friday and Saturday.  We wanted to spend some time with her before she went on her trip with her church to Michigan and Wisconsin.  On Saturday we went to the West Side Nut Club Festival.  It had been several years since we had been to the festival and we wanted to take Addy to sample some of the yummy food.  Addy enjoyed the corn on the cob, cobbler, and bread pudding.  I had also told Addy about the game where you choose a color by putting a quarter down on it and then a mouse is released in a larger wheel and chooses a color by going through a hole.  Addy was excited about playing the game and won a hot pink dolphin when the mouse finally chose her color.  Thank goodness Grandma had lots of quarters at her house!




Carter's first visit to Holiday World.  Too bad he couldn't see most of it:)

On Sunday we packed up and headed toward Spencer County to meet up with my parents and take the kids to Holiday World for the day.  It was an unusually hot day and Holiday World was pretty crowded. It was their last day of operation and usually crowds are low, but the weather brought everyone out. When packing for the family I didn't think about packing Addy's swimsuit for the fountains at Holiday World.  Being able to Run through fountains in October in Indiana just doesn't happen very often, so we let her go wild in the water in her clothes.  She had lots of fun going on rides and was so excited that grandma and grandpa each rode a ride with her.  Carter

had a lot of fun taking in the sights from his stroller and slept through most of the trip.

Monday was an exciting day for Adalyn.  We were going to Yo Gabba Gabba Live in Louisville.  I had made the mistake of telling her about the show a bit too early, so everyday when she got up she asked if we were going to Yo Gabba.  Finally on Monday when she got up I could give her the answer she was looking for.  My mom took off work to watch Carter, so it could just be a day for Addy. She loved that is was "Addy's Day" and mentioned it several times during the trip.   We went to the afternoon show so that Derek could head back to Illinois in the evening.  Yo Gabba Gabba is a kid's show on Nickelodeon. Yes, it is a little bizarre, but it includes music from alternative rock bands and is actually a show Derek and I can watch without losing our minds.  The songs are pretty catchy and after the concert I had them in my head for the rest of the week.  When I went online to buy the tickets it just so happened that the front row was available, so I jumped on them.  We were in the front row of theater seats, but had two rows of super crazy Gabba fans in front of us who paid $130 a seat to have "VIP" status.  Yo Gabba Gabba followers are very enthusiastic and I knew that there would be many super fans at the show. Clothing with the characters is very hard to come by, so I had planned on making Addy a shirt with her favorite character, Foofa. Well, since I was already making her a shirt, I decided to make myself and Derek shirts too, so that we would fit in with the crazy fans.  Derek was Muno and I was Brobee.  Addy loved the fact that we were also wearing shirts and we got many compliments from fans at the show.  Maybe I should start my own Gabba shirt business:) The show was great and it was great seeing Adalyn's face as the characters came on stage. She talked about the show for the rest of the week and has since asked if we could go back. 

Our homemade shirts

Dancing to the show

On Wednesday the kids and I headed back to the Louisville area to visit my good friend Jill and her family.  Jill and Zack welcomed their first baby, Ethan, to the world a month before we had Carter.  It was the first time I had seen Ethan.  He is adorable!  It was fun watching the boys look at each other. Addy loved meeting Jill, Zack, and Ethan and enjoyed playing with their dog Emmit.  It was great to see them and I am so glad the were able to make time in their busy schedules for us to visit!

Carter & Ethan hanging out.  Ethan is one month older than Carter.

On Thursday evening we dressed the kids in their Halloween costumes and my parents and I took them trick-or-treating to some of my relatives' houses. It was great to be able to take the kids to trick-or-treating to so many of our relatives.  We got to see a lot of people in a short amount of time.  I feel as though no matter how long we're home, we always wish we could have seen and visited with more of our friends and family.  So, it was great to see so many of our relatives all in one evening!

On Friday the kids and I went shopping with my mom ad Ashley.  We had a great time and found a lot of cute clothes for Carter and Adalyn.  Adalyn devoured her meal at Fazoli's and asked to go back to the "tomato place" to eat the next day.  Our last full day visiting in Indiana was Saturday.  Mom and Dad had planned to take us to the new Paula Deen Buffet in New Albany.  After much anticipation, it was quite the disappointment!  The food at the buffet wasn't near as good as the food she makes on t.v. looks.  After eating we headed to Huber Orchard, which was a madhouse.  There were people and lines everywhere!  It was such a beautiful day that everyone decided to head to the orchard.  Needless to say we weren't too enthusiastic about the super-long lines for everything so we didn't stay too long.  We did manage to leave with some yummy apple cider and apple cider donuts though!

Carter's first time in Grandma & Grandpa's swing



Enjoying a beautiful fall evening



Huber Orchard (Carter was sleeping:)

Ashley with her niece and nephew

Cheesin' with Grandpa's pumpkins

Sunday afternoon we headed back to Illinois.  We stopped in Terre Haute and Cory and Courtney's house to pick up Derek's mom.  We got see Courtney and Cameron very briefly and Addy and Cameron had a few minutes to play together.  The kids were very good on the way home.  It was another great trip back to Indiana filled with lots of great visits and fun.  We look forward to returning for the holidays!