Fall Break

Camden had fall break last week and we headed out for a night in a hotel.  We simply went to Plainfield because it was close to Kevin's work and he could join us in the evening and have a short commute to work in the morning.

Our hotel had a nice pool, but Plainfield Parks and Rec has an indoor aquatic center so that was the first stop for Camden and I on our fall break outing.

Camden has been looking so forward to going down a big slide at a waterpark and I thought we might have actually "arrived" at the 48" required height.  She climbed the big stairs, the lifeguard held up the measuring stick and her head did not quite reach the top.  Probably 1/2" to go...c'mon!  She took it quite well and climbed back down, but I wanted to scream at insurance liability that says that 1/2" really makes the difference!  Oh well.  Next time we go, she will make the mark.

She was content to play on the small play structure, float in the small lazy river, and make whirlpools in the small circular section. 
 

It was really a fun time, not crowded, and perfect size for her to enjoy everything but the slide.

We got out of the pool and enjoyed about an hour in their play world.  This is the spot that kids can stay while their parents workout at the center.  This, however, was not your normal play area (at least none I had seen at a workout place).  There was a big play structure in the middle of the room.  This thing was massive.  Think 3 large McDonald's play places combined into one.  It was 3 stories tall so the floor of the room had a sunken area that the first level was in.  If there had been more kids, Camden could have played for hours.

We met Kevin after work and headed to our hotel.  We relaxed a bit, went out for dinner, then back to the hotel for swimming in the pool.  Camden loved the waterfall feature.

The next morning, Camden and I slept in, had breakfast, and did one more dip in the pool.  Then we headed out to Chick-fil-a for lunch and play, followed by a few hours at Chuck E Cheese's to use up some leftover tokens we had from a previous visit.  A stop at our favorite apple orchard for some cider.  It was a very fun excursion with my favorite 1st grader on her break!

Home Depot Saturday

Camden had her annual flu vaccine on Saturday morning.  On our way home, we saw some kids walking into McDonald's with their orange Home Depot aprons.  Even though we didn't have hers, we decided to swing by the store and participate in the first Saturday of the month workshop.

It must be fire safety month since the Crawfordsville Fire Department was there handing out goodies as well.  The project was an ambulance.

She pounded, glued and painted away.  We didn't put on the tires or the stickers so that the paint could dry.  The finished product is...well not finished.  

Feast of the Hunter's Moon 2014

 This weekend was the Feast!  I ran this event in 2002 (and prepped for the 2003 Feast, but got hired on at Purdue before it happened).  I love this reenactment festival.  The sights, smells, food - aaahhhh!  Camden has gone one other time, but she was just a babe.

We took the shuttle bus in and as soon as we got off it, Camden said, "What is that smell?"  That, baby girl, is the FEAST!

From my experience, the re-enactors are just slightly off their rocker.  But they are beautiful and it's what makes this event so spectacular.

She heard "festival" and could only picture games with prizes.  She wasn't too sure about walking around and just looking at things.  So when we found a game of Cricket going on, she wanted to join in.  Kevin stood with her as their team fielded.

He stood close by when it was her turn to bat, but she did it all by herself.  As we left the game, her attitude about the Feast had dramatically had an upswing.  This was the best place ever!

But then she was slightly obsessed with finding the next game she could do.  She reluctantly sat down to listen to the Tippecanoe Fife and Drum Corps, but quickly feel in love with it too.  We tried to pry her away once, and she wanted to stay.  It was actually good that we stayed, because shortly afterward, they fired their guns.  Too cool to have missed!

We headed next for the children's area and everyone quickly got involved in games.  Kevin played a board game, while Camden and I played Graces (the two sticks and hoop tossing game she played at Conner Prairie) and then some other board games inside the tent.

Next we went to the dress-up booth where she could get into period costume.

She also got to need some dough and churn butter.

 
But the Feast is called that for a reason...the food!  Camden tried stuff that I never would have imagined.  The Voyageur Peas Soup was her first adventuresome eating.  She watched the Boy Scout troop stir the pots over the fire while Kevin got a bowl. 

But her favorite food was the buffalo stew, the gingerbread cake, and fry bread with apple butter.

She also loved shopping for her souvenir at the end of the day.  We had seen enough wooden toys that we knew one would be purchased.  She selected a sword and Kevin also wanted to get her a ball and hoop game (spoiled!).

She was so proud of that sword and wore it the rest of the day in her belt loop.

Kevin was tempted by the coyote skin hat, but the $150 price tag was enough to pass on it.

All in all it was a great time at the Feast.  Camden said she couldn't believe that it was such fun.  We will definitely make this an annual event.

Gymnastics

In addition to basketball, Camden is in gymnastics class.  This week was parent observation.  I couldn't believe the marked improvement from last year.

Mostly in her ability to wait her turn, not dance constantly, and focus on the teacher.

The uneven bars are probably her favorite.

She doesn't seem to quite get the use of her arm strength to help keep her up on vault, cartwheels, back layovers (she did well using the roller) or other such gymnastics skills, but she tries!

Her other favorite is the wheel that they have to hold themselves in (strong arms and legs) while the teacher rolls them down the floor.

This is definitely the sport that "sticks" the most with her and that she enjoys more than any other she has tried.  I've got to make sure to watch for winter sign-ups.

Colts v. Titans

One of Kevin's co-workers has Colts' season tickets.  When we got home on Saturday night Kevin got on Facebook and saw that he had posted that his two tickets weren't going to be used and was offering to sell them. The price was reasonable and comments made it look like no one had claimed them.  Kevin sent a FB message that we would be interested if they were still available.


Kevin got a text about 11:30 that they were ours.  Thankfully GaGa was able to watch Camden with little notice.

We were not sure if we were going to like the end zone seats, but when we got to the stadium, sat in row 19, we were thrilled!  Amazing seats!  You could really see the plays unfold.  The seats are right at concession level and bathroom access.  In fact we had to go down about 10 rows toward the field.  PERFECT!

After the game, we texted him and let him know that we will most likely take any tickets in the future.  We had such a good time. 

Iaria's Italian Restaurant

On the recommendation of Mrs. Barr (Camden's Kindergarten teacher), Kevin and I ate at Iaria's in Indy last spring.  It quickly became one of our favorites.  We finally had a chance to go back on Saturday night and take Gramma, Uncle Ric and Aunt Carole.

While they weren't as big of fans as we are, we had a good time and discovered a few more "must order" selections.  The atmosphere is very family friendly so Camden was not out of place.  She did coax everyone into a few rounds of "telephone" after our meal.

There is not much sweeter in my book than little hands wrapped around the face of those they love.

Conner Prairie - Prairetown

We visited the final 3 sections - 1836 Prairetown, Conner Homestead, and Lenape Indian Camp.  Prairetown was a large area and we only visited about half of it.  There were lots of buildings to go in - homes, school, mercantile, blacksmith shop, bakery, etc.  In the bakery, the actor was roasting pumpkin seeds over an open fire.  She had finished using the pumpkin to make a pie earlier in the day.  The aromas were wonderful!

 

Camden tried several pioneer-era games.

She also took over the map and showed us where to go next.

One of the hands-on activities was candle dipping.  They had several starts ready to go and Camden joined the line.  We didn't stay long enough to make a substantial candle, so I didn't pay the $5 to take it home.  But I'm glad she tried it!

The barn on the Homestead was filled with sheep and cows.  Several newborns were around.  This lamb was 5 weeks old.

It wasn't until we got to the Lenape Indian Camp that I actually had a very vivid memory of my elementary school trip in 4th grade.  I definitely remember sitting in the wigwam with the rest of my class and have a very quick image of it that comes to my memory. 
 

We stayed almost 3 hours at Conner Prairie and had a fabulous girls day together.