Mom's Away, Kitties Must Play

Mom was away at a college class, so dad thought a visit to the Iowa County Humane Society was in order. The kids loved it and have been talking about the new cat they are going to get!

We're Home!

We're home and trying out our new washer!

Indianapolis Children's Museum

Our final day of our 2015 Family Summer Vacation was today. We spent it at the world's largest children's museum in Indianapolis. We spent the entire day there, but could have maybe still spent a bit more time at the last few exhibits (according to Alstan). Instead, we came back to our hotel to simply chill and begin packing up for our drive home tomorrow.

Indianapolis Zoo

We had a great day at the Indianapolis Zoo today. We knew there was a slight chance for rain, but there was a greater chance for rain tomorrow so we decided to give it a go. There were quite a few opportunities for kids to interact with the animals, which is always very exciting. We were having a wonderful time, but almost getting too hot when we felt a couple of sprinkles. We decided that was a good time for a 4-D movie.

... And then it poured. We waited out some of the rain in the desert dome and under an overhang by the orangutans. When it slowed down a bit, we just dealt with it and finished checking out our last exhibits.

Travel Break

We have put in a couple of rather long driving days, so dad decided our kiddies needed a break from the car. We stopped at Scene 75 in Dayton, Ohio to eat, stretch and play for almost 3.5 hours. Great idea dad! 

Shackleford Island

Not far from where we stayed there is an uninhabited island with wild horses. It is set up as a federal park and reserve, but you can take a ferry out to the island. It turned out to be a fun morning of playing on the beach, searching for shells and playing in the ocean without the waves.

Kayaking in the Bay

We rented kayaks today to check out the bay. We stopped at a few different sandbars during our time out to look for shells or other sea creatures and simply play in the water. After three hours we had two very tired children and a rather tired mom too.

Taking it Easy

Today was another day simply dedicated to having fun in the sun. Here are some random pictures from the day.

Elsie's Treat

Since Alstan got a special treat of being able to watch sharks being fed, mom took Elsie to get her nails painted. There was plenty of time to spare between when mom and Elsie finished viewing the aquarium and when Alstan's special tour finished up, so this seemed to be the perfect solution.

North Carolina Aquarium

We visited the North Carolina Aquarium today. Dad, Alstan and Aunt Nette purchased extra behind the scene passes. They were given a tour of how the animals were cared for and were able to touch some. They were also able to help feed the fish and watch the Sharks being fed. 

Mom and Elsie walked through the regular part of the aquarium until Elsie got bored. (Not terribly long after they started)

Too Much Fun in the Sun

Alstan's first word out of his mouth this morning was "beach?" That pretty much summed up our day.

The day was spent bodyboarding, playing in the sand, swimming and relaxing. What a perfect vacation day!

There was a local 1mile, 5k and 10k run on the beach in the evening, so Elsie was able to participate in her very first race. Dad ran with Elsie, but Alstan, Aunt Nette and mom ran as well.

At the end of the day four out of six of us had some sign of being in the sun too much... oops! No one got burned too bad though, so that was good.