Indianapolis Children’s Museum

A while ago, Auntie Kim sent a long list of kid-friendly places to go while we were in town. She told me to pick the ones I really wanted to do so she could plan the others while Chris and I were in Green Bay. The one thing on the list that I didn’t want to miss was the Indianapolis Children’s Museum, so she made arrangements for us to go when we came back into town. And boy, was I happy about that! There were so many things to see and do! So much so that we didn’t even get to everything!

We got some great pictures and video from the day! Enjoy!

 Daddy was super disappointed he didn't get to see The Mystery Machine!

 

Madelyn loved the miniature rooms!

They were definitely one of the highlights from her day!

 

American Girls: Kit!

 

Auntie Kim challenged Madelyn to a race around the obstacle course!

 

 

I want these! They were so, so sweet!

 

 

This was also one of Madelyn's favorite activities at the museum!

She could have played here for hours!

 

 

 

 I LOVE this picture!

Mac, the oldest grandchild, and Madelyn, the youngest.

(They were watching the snow fall, and Madelyn was asking him 100 questions.)

This water clock was amazing! We even got to watch it drain at 1 pm!

 

This slide is a fun way to get from Level 2 to Level 1!

Ethan and Madelyn raced Grayson and Tessa:

 

 

Ice skating in your socks is SO much fun!

 

Madelyn groomed one of the toy reindeer.

 

Madelyn loves to draw so this art station was perfect for her!

Click the picture to view it larger so you can see what she's drawing.

The goal was to draw the dinasaur skull on the right side of my picture.

Not too shabby, girl!





We had SO much fun that the car ride back to Bloomington was a great time to take a nap!

Madelyn, "The Composer"

When Madelyn first got to Auntie Kim's house, she wasn't too keen on the idea of practicing on their "real" piano because it didn't sound like our keyboard at home. Little did she know that the real deal was so much better!

When Chris and I got into Bloomington after our trip to Green Bay, Madelyn was forced back into slavery. Oh, I mean she was required to do her normal routine (reading, piano, etc.). Imagine the eyeroll we got when we asked her to practice her piano songs. Oh, and a big sigh, too. I mean, really. It was afterall VACATION.

Regardless of her "sweet" attitude, we still made her practice, and what do you know? She LOVED the way the piano sounded! So much so that she sat there for almost an hour making up her own songs. The clip below is a small piece of her composing some music. Some of her arm movements are hilarious! It's five minutes long, but it does get better the longer you watch it (she evens adds some singing). ;)

 

Family Pics

Today was a relaxing day where we could sleep in a little and enjoy some quality time just hanging out together. We had an appointment for our yearly family pictures with one of Kim’s favorite photographers, Katie Killion.

Here’s a sneak peek of some of the pictures. You’ll have to wait to see the rest. J

 

 

After pictures we went to Upland Brewery for dinner. The wait was crazy long, but the kids (and adults) were troopers). Lucky for us all, the food and beverages were well worth the wait!

Cheers to a great vacation!

 

Homemade New York Style Bagels

This was our first morning in Indiana, and Auntie Kim made it extra special by making New York style bagels! Madelyn enjoyed helping in the kitchen, as did Ethan.

Daddy and I enjoyed devouring them! So yummy! Thanks, Auntie! You truly spoil us!

Madelyn's Visit to Kidscommons in Columbus Indiana

Today was Madelyn's first day in Indiana and we had been looking forward to this visit for a long time. Ethan, Madelyn and I spent the day in Columbus, Indiana about a 40 minute drive from Bloomington. We asked my friend Amy and her four year old daughter, Tessa to join us for the fun. We started our day at Kidscommons, a children's museum in downtown Columbus. 

One of the highlights of the museum is this giant toilet. It's part of the exploraHouse exhibit where kids can learn the 'ins and outs' of a house. This exhibit is where the kids spent most of their time. The house had many secret hiding places to climb in and out of. The toilet is on the second story and there are steps underneath the toilet that lead you down to the first story. When you climb down those steps the toilet makes a loud flushing noise, very fun!

Here are some more pictures from the museum.

Basketball Shoot

Bubble Room
 

Silly faces picture on the bridge in the Early Childhood Garden

Madelyn's other favorite area of the museum was the arts and crafts area. We spent a lot of time here fingerprinting turkeys, and making melted crayon artwork.

After playing at the museum for a couple of hours we walked across the street to the huge indoor playground to eat our lunch. There were plenty of places to run, jump, and climb, including this structure that looks like a giant ship.

Madelyn was a little overwhelmed by the by the size of it and we couldn't seem to convince her to give it a try, but she had fun anyway.

After our lunch we walked across the street to Zaharakos an old fashion ice cream parlor that has been serving ice cream since 1900. 

The shop was very festive and decorated for Christmas. The kids had a hard time deciding what order but finally settled on root beer floats.

Despite  the fact that it was huge, Madelyn made a pretty good dent in it.

A fun day was had by all and it was a great way to start to our week long visit with Madelyn!