Brown County in the Fall

After hearing everyone here rave about Brown County and how it is a must-see in the fall, we decided that Brian's fall break would be the perfect opportunity to go see what all the hype was about. On Friday, Oct. 12th we drove just over an hour south to Brown County State Park... and it definitely lived up to our high expectations.

Here is the entrance to the park... doesn't it look reminiscent of a bridge in Anne of Green Gables? I love it!

Right inside the park we found a perfect little playground and picnic area. We found a table and made lunch while the kids ran to play. It was even better because we had the playground all to ourselves and there weren't many other people nearby. 

 The kids were pretty excited to find a fuzzy caterpillar with Brian.

Thomas actually kept petting the caterpillar and we were amazed by how fast it moved.

 Thomas loving the slide

 

 Playing in the leaves

 Maybrie

 The kids were incredibly photogenic all day... Maybrie giving Thomas kisses

 Sibling love!

 It was the most beautiful day, perfect fall weather!

 Thomas found a stick!

 Me & Brian

 Love the sunshine through the trees

 This fall outing was the perfect opportunity to give my new brown boots a day out.

 One of the lookout points

 Me and my kiddies 

(I know we match, it was not on purpose, but it totally looks like a planned photo shoot .)

 Just hanging out on a cute little bench along the walking trail 

(Seriously, how did I get blessed with such adorable children!? Love them!)

 Maybrie is becoming quite the photographer... she took this one of me, Brian & Thomas

 View from the trail

 Brian & Thomas

 After spending a few hours in the State Park we headed down the road a few miles to the quaint touristy town of Nashville, IN. I heard it described as like the town Stars Hollow from the show Gilmore Girls, and that's exactly what it reminded me of. There are tons of adorable shops and restaurants, and most of them were all decorated for Halloween. It was very charming and just fun to walk around. It is one of those places that looks like it is straight out of a movie. Here are a few pictures:

It was a fabulous day! I absolutely love fall, and this was a wonderful way to enjoy it. Brian and I both agreed that it was one of those perfect days where you wish time would just freeze. A day where you just enjoy your family and nature's beauty. A lovely relax and recharge day!

Children's Museum

The Indianapolis Children's Museum is the biggest and best in the world. We have been eager to go ever since we knew we were moving here. It is one place we considered purchasing a membership to so I would have a fun place to take the kids to, especially during the winter months. We found out they have a free family night on the first Thursday of every month, so we took the opportunity to check it out last month. And we LOVE it! The kids and even Brian and I had an absolute blast. I learned from some other moms that with an Indiana driver's license and proof that the kids are on Medicaid you can get and access pass that allows you to get into the museum and few other places for just $1. I finally got our pass and took the kids again last week. We had a lot of fun again, but I discovered it is a much bigger workout without Brian there to help. Thomas is constantly on the move and with so many other kids around I have to keep a very close eye on him. I am discovering that outings at this stage with Thomas end up feeling like a day at a theme park, and may have to be limited to once a week because it is simply exhausting! Well, here are the pictures we caught on our first experience at the fabulous Children's Museum... this play totally rocks!

This Fireworks of Glass sculpture is in the center of the museum with a ramp that circles it to get to the four different levels. It is pretty impressive and fun to see from all levels.

In the basement you can go underneath the sculpture and see it through a glass ceiling. And you can play with these plastic "blown glass" pieces and make your own sculpture.

Me dressed up like a dinosaur for the kids in the Dinosphere.

Thomas loved Mr. Bear's Playhouse, an area especially designed for 0-5 year olds.

Playing with balls 

Thomas and Maybrie driving the skid steer

The special exhibit right now is Hot Wheels for Real... this was one of our favorites, so fun!

Hot Wheels from the 70's

80's

90's

Today

Me and Maybrie entering through a tunnel of lights and hot wheels cars.

One of the life-size models

They had a bunch of race tracks to play with... Maybrie got a big kick out of it!

Maybrie decorating a car with decals

Motorcycles

Race car

Take Me There: Egypt

Going for a ride in the Tuk Tuk

This is for you Tim!

Playing in an Egyptian house

Maybrie

Daddy tackling a crocodile!

Maybrie in an "Indy 500" race car

Thomas crawling through a play train

Maybrie performing like a pirate on stage

Brian is a big Transformers fan, so seeing Bumblebee at the entrance was pretty cool for him!

Such a fun place with everything designed especially for kids. There is so much to explore hands-on, we look forward to many more fun visits here!