the hoosiers return...

Last weekend we decided we needed a change of scenery, so we did the unthinkable.  We went back to Indiana. 

Calm down.  We avoided West Lafayette and headed for an actually fun town - for a night in Indy.  

We didn't tell the kids we were going.  We packed up the car and when they thought they were putting their shoes on for a trip to the store, we informed them that we were going to Indiana to stay in a hotel.  They immediately freaked out, shrieked and jumped around in circles chanting "hotel, hotel".  Yes, even Charlotte who had no idea what was going on or what a "hotel" was.  

As it turns out, these two LOVE hotels.  We honestly could have just booked a room up the street and as long as it had an elevator and a pool, they would have been in heaven.  But then again, we wouldn't have gotten to gorge ourselves on Scotty's pickle chips either.  And really, that was the whole reason we went.

So we spent a lot of time riding the elevator and taking trips to the pool.  Enough trips to the pool that it wore a certain little lady out. 

(despite the face, she was having fun).  I was having less fun trying to avoid getting caught on a recruiting video since the NFL combine was in town and the pool was full of college athletes doing various training exercises.  Fun.

Saturday night we headed next door for dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory.  The kid who enjoyed it the most... was not the one I expected :)

We returned from dinner to find the hotel had turned down our room and left fresh baked chocolate chip cookies and milk for us!  Perfect for watching a movie and having a slumber party.

The next morning, we headed to the Children's museum where lots of fun was had...

If you ask Charlotte the best part of the trip?  She will say, "purple cape."  We could not get this thing off of her!

So excited that Auntie Tandra and Trey could meet up with us there!  Trey asked Colin, "Want to go to China?"  And then they spent a bizarre amount of time in this exhibit pretending they were having tea?

We finished off the trip with lunch at Yats, another spot we miss dearly, and the kids "shared" a peanut butter pie.

A totally successful trip!  Even for Indiana!