Last weekend we took the kids on a mini-vacation to Indianapolis and we all had a blast! It was the first time for the kids to stay in a hotel and the first time for all of us at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. Our entire trip (the two hour drive included) went really well!
We loaded up and left right after school on Friday and drove straight through to Indianapolis…no stops! Chase and Vayda fell asleep right away and Marlee and Milo quietly watched out the window. I think we only heard “How much longer?” and “Are we there yet?” once or twice!
We got to the hotel at a pretty good time and got checked in. We stayed at a Drury Inn and it was great for families! Once we got settled into our room, we ordered pizza for a quick and easy meal. The kids barely made it through dinner before they were in their suits and ready to swim! It has been a long, boring winter and they were ready for fun!
Once we drug them from the pool we headed up and got ready for bed. If there was any struggle to our trip, it was this! Having all SIX of us in one, small room and the baby is used to going to sleep by 8-8:30 was a struggle. She was not going to sleep with the older kids awake or with the TV on. Vayda (and somehow all of our kids!) has always been a great sleeper. When it’s bed time, all she wants is her bed! Lay her down and she will go to sleep. BUT, when there is action around, forget it. Long story short, it was lights out for all of us by 9 o’clock!
This wasn’t all bad because we had a big day ahead of us! Bright and early on Saturday we all got up and around. After loading everything back up we headed down to the free (that’s right, FREE) breakfast buffet. The kids thought this was awesome too! I can make my own waffle?! Yes, please!
After breakfast we headed downtown. Erik and I love Indianapolis! We go here almost every year for our anniversary. It is so easy to get around! We took the kids to Monument Circle and to see all the tall buildings. (I love seeing how grand these simple things can seem in our children’s eyes!) Next it was down to the museum!
I had explained to the kids how the building itself was amazing and there were life size dinosaurs! The couldn’t believe their eyes when we turned the corner and they could see for themselves! Chase was especially in awe…he is our dinosaur lover!
Since we got to the museum right before they opened, we only had a short wait and then the day was ours! So much to see! We tried to stop at all of the exhibits:
–Dinosphere: Of course this was one of Chase’s favorites and one of mine as well! We got to see some real and cast dinosaur bones!
-Take Me There: China: This was a great way for the kids to experience some culture!
-Treasures of Earth: This has a lot about ancient Egypt which was great since Milo just finished a book about this!
–All Aboard!: This was all about trains! The kids got to walk through train cars and see lots of model trains in actions!
-Pirates & Princesses: A Storybook Adventure: This was a fun little exhibit where the kids could dress up!
–Carousel Wishes & Dreams: Of course we had to ride the fun carousel and go through the mirror maze!
-Fireworks of Glass: This was just breathtaking! And you could see the 43′ glass tower on every level!
There were so many other things that we saw as well! I would totally recommend this to anyone as a great day away!
Erik and I really hope that as the kids get older, we can continue to give them these experiences and memories. It is so great to watch them take everything in! It is really easy to take life for granted. Children bring you back down to life!
The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis was our adventure last weekend but we have much more planned for our summer ahead! What fun things do you have planned this summer?
