Conner Prairie Country Fair

A couple weekends ago, we visited Conner Prairie with Nana and Papa to check out their Country Fair--a fall festival with tractors, kids' activities, and tasty treats.

PBS' Sid the Science Kid was also at the fair. Cole greeted Sid with a BIG hug.

Sid with his fans

One of the kids' activities-Caden grinding the corn kernels off a cob

Cole's turn with some help from Curt

The boys competing in a sack race--Cole is helping me with this blog right now, and he remembers that he won the race. Caden would disagree and accuse Cole of cheating because Cole walked only part way down before turning around while Caden hopped the entire way as one should in a sack race.

After checking out some of the historical homes and buildings, we visited the Apple Store for some tasty caramel apples and apple cider. Caden loves apples, especially when they are covered in caramel!

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus

A few Sundays ago, we went to see the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus at the Conseco Fieldhouse. The show, appropriately named "Over the Top," kept us very entertained with all of the typical circus acts--ringmaster, clowns, animals, acrobats, flying trapeze, jugglers, contortionists, and motorcycle stunts.

Waiting for the circus to start

Our favorite acts were the clowns, elephants, motorcycle stunts, and flying trapeze.

The boys were quite amazed by the motorcycle stunts. This act was almost right over our heads--although pretty impressive, it made me nervous.

Crazy! 7-8 motorcycles speeding around in a metal ball

The flying trapeze was my (Kelly's) favorite.
So glad the circus came to Indy while we are here, so the boys could experience it!

Caden's Third Soccer Season

For the next several weeks, Caden is playing in the kindergarten/first grade soccer league through his school. He has practice for one hour on Wednesday evenings, and then his games are on Saturday mornings. I'm thankful that the league is well organized and focused on teaching the game. I'm also glad that the school playground is right next to the soccer fields, so Cole can stay entertained and supervised while we watch Caden play.

The next three pictures are of Caden's first practice.




Caden during his first game--He is on the maroon team. His shirt is HUGE and a bit preppy for soccer.

At this age level, the coaches recognize goals, but they do not record scores. Our always-competitive Caden does not understand why anyone would ever ignore scores, so he kept track on his own. Caden claims that his team scored nine goals this morning and won the game. His case of first-game jitters/grumpiness before the game seem to have passed because he had fun and is ready for the next game. We celebrated with lunch at Red Robin. Their mac-n-cheese is a favorite of Caden's.


Go Maroon!

Labor Day Weekend

Over Labor Day weekend, we spent a couple days with Nana, Papa, and Aunt Shannon. On Saturday, we enjoyed fair food and rides at Hoopeston's Sweetcorn Festival.



This was Cole's first ferris wheel ride. He loved being higher than the houses.

Cole & Caden are in the back race cars.

Shannon, Cole, and me on the big slide--a family favorite

Caden won this race down the big slide.

Curt gets the honor of going on spinning rides with the boys. Here they are on the tilt-a-whirl.

Cole & Caden coming out of a fun house--Caden was kind enough to let his younger brother go first. He is so brave!

On Sunday, we hung out at Nana's and Papa's house before we left for Indy. Aunt Shannon and Cole relaxed on the swing.

Caden and Nana joined them.

It was a short visit, but we had a great time hanging out with family and seeing old friends.

Zoo Visit with Jess, Ali, & Brady

Last weekend, we enjoyed a visit from Jess, Ali, and Brady. They arrived on Friday evening, and we picked up right where we left off in June. The kids had so much fun playing together. Jess and I enjoyed catching up when we weren't trying to settle down Caden and Brady who were laughing and talking Star Wars at bedtime. We spent Saturday at the zoo. Curt was on call all day, so it was nice to have company to help pass the time.

Using the map to plan our day at the zoo


Discussing elephant teeth with a zookeeper

Ali, Brady, & Caden watching one of the elephants and hoping she will go for a swim (no luck)

Cole on the carousel

Caden, Brady, Ali, & Cole--Despite staying up late and waking up early (especially with the time change for our IL friends), the kids were great. We had a fantastic day at the zoo! We hope to see Jess, Ali, and Brady again soon. Hopefully, the dads will be able to join us for our next visit.