Indiana with the Inlaws

So a lot of people don't get along with their in-laws.  I am not one of those people.

No one reads this blog - it's really my own diary in a sense so there's no point in my being coy.  The truth is, the longer you know people, the more years you spend with them, trials and triumphs you share with them - the more you love and are connected to them.  But, of course, as folks' shiny newness begins to wear into an actual, timeworn relationship you also really get to know them and with that closeness can come those things that bug.  But this is not a blog about the little things that my inlaws find annoying about me (they haven't shared these but I'm guessing they exist).  Nor is it a blog griping about them.

This is about our first family trip to Indiana as a family of four and how totally awesome it was.

First of all - I am no longer interested in going anywhere and pretending it is a "vacation" if it does not include grandparents to help watch my kids.  Is Indiana my dream vacation spot?  Before kids this would be a quick and nasty: no.  But now I can't wait to get back to Mimi (George's mom)'s condo in Broadripple!

We left right after commencement activities and were supposed to stay for a week, but I easily convinced George that a week just wasn't long enough.  So we changed our tickets and stayed for a total of 11 days.  This way we could enjoy ourselves and "make the rounds" seeing all of George's family.  Here's a great picture of Great Grandma Peg Mohler meeting Alice for the first time:

Violet was nearly three, so she had a blast staying on the bottom mattress of a sweet trundle bed with Jane on the top part.  She got to basically stay on California time in terms of bedtime, and would spend most nights watching a movie with Jane, us, or whoever else was watching her.  Because Alice is a complete doll - she pretty much slept through the night right away in her pack in play in the upstairs room, next to Mimi's master bedroom which she selflessly gave up for George and I to sleep in for the entire trip.  I had anticipated sleep regressions with Alice and didn't get any (knocking on wood as I type this for future trips!)

Violet watching "Frozen" with Mimi & Daddy

George and I got a lot of time together to have fun because the girls were happy and safe and sound with their family.  Hetty watched them one night while Jane, Steve, Alli, Ron and George and I went out to dinner.  Several nights Jane watched them while George and I went into Broadripple.  And one night Alli watched them while the rest of us headed up to Anderson to the "Racino" and did some gambling.  I won a whopping $140 and later that week went a bit of a shopping spree with Jane in a few cute boutiques in Broadripple with my winnings.  It really was a blast.

The Ladies at the Racino!

Every morning Violet would wake up with Mimi (somehow she was having so much fun that despite her pretty late bedtime she would wake up at about 7:30 for the day).  They would get up and have breakfast while George and Alice and I slept in.  Jane had a whole cute art table set up and sometimes they would do crafts.  Around 8:30-9am we would wake up, I would nurse Alice and we would have some breakfast.  Right around then Violet would head down to Hetty's for a tea party with a vintage porcelain tea set that used to belong to Violet's great grandmother.  Hetty would make her either vanilla or chocolate milk (which was regular milk but sucked through a Hello Kitty vanilla or chocolate straw) or strawberry milk with strawberry syrup.  She made her cinnamon toast or Jello Knox Blocks too.  Then they would play board games, get into Hetty's bed with the kitties and watch "Daniel Tiger" together.

Around the time that Alice would go down for a nap, Violet would head out to the day's activities, which mostly involved going swimming at the Riviera Club.  She would swim her little heart out until it was either time for her to head to the snack shop for crinkle cut french fries or the life guard blew his whistle because there was a thunder storm warning (which happened almost every day!)

Fun at the Rivera Swim Club!

 I would either take a lovely run on the Monon trail right by Jane's condo, or go with everyone to the Rivi and work out in the gym there.  It was so nice to have the time to myself to work out and know that my kids were being lovingly cared for.  And George was able to spend enough time doing his work that he didn't feel stressed about being there.

Violet spent her days swimming hard at the Rivi

We also spent a lot of time with George's dad "Papa David" who simply adores the girls.  He is amazing with babies and toddlers.  It's clear that Violet is the light of his life and that he can't get enough of her.  David and George took her to the Indianapolis Children's museum and they had so much fun.

Violet at the Indianapolis Children's Museum

Whatever activity Violet got to do - she was 100% into it…and then would crash out in the car ride home.  That is basically the only way were able to get her to stop and take a break from the fun-a-thon that was Indy for her.  Thank God for car rides and toddler naps!

One of the evenings, after the girls woke from their naps Alli and Ron had us and all of George's aunts and uncles over to celebrate Violet's third birthday party (a bit early, and Hoosier style!)  Hetty made homemade ice-cream, Alli made homemade potato salad, Delly made chocolate cake, and the men all BBQed.  Alli had decorated her new sweet duplex with pink bobbles and necklaces and princess balloons, and Violet was in love with all of the princess themed presents she got.  Hetty and Jane pretty much got her every princess figurine imaginable - which was perfect to go with what my folks' got her this year: a deluxe, gorgeous wooden Princess Castle.

Snapped at Alli and Ron's house during Violet's Indy Birthday Party!

One day there was a tornado warning!  We had to get into a closet… It was too surreal for me to really be scared, but Jane says that might be because I've never seen a tornado.

We don't look concerned.

Then Jane said we had to get into the closet.