Trip to Indiana

A few weeks back we took several days and went to Indiana and for the first time ever our trip wasn't primarily to visit family but to visit Indiana. We spent 3 great days around Turkey Run State Park...hiking, canoeing/kayaking, horseback riding and go-karting. We had wonderful weather, low humidity and the temperature was just around 80 degrees...perfect. The boys took kayak's out and Ted, Emily and I were in a canoe. What a peaceful day. We stop several times to play on sandbars where we swam, skipped stones and found Indians beads and rocks that we were sure had some purpose by an Indian. We went go-karting several times which was a blast! Horseback riding was on our agenda, after an hour in the saddle we wondered how we would hike...but eventually our legs returned to normal. Logan had the most hilarious horse. As soon as we head out of the coral his horse starts coughing like it it going to drop dead any moment. I asked the guide if his horse was okay, turns out he just has hay fever!! Go figure a horse that is allergic to hay! Ha! Then when he hoarse wasn't coughing it was farting. Logan had the gassiest horse I have ever been around. Let's just say Logan was matched perfectly with his horse! We spent a few hours at Billy Creek Village, an old time village set in the late 1800's. We wandered through the old stores, school house/church, farmstead, etc. We drove around Parke County listening to Ted reminisce about his youth. We saw many Amish farmers out working. We visited the Narrow's Bridge where Ted proposed to me almost 20 years ago! On our last day we spent on Ted's brother Bill and his wife Darla's boat. The kids loved being pulled by the tube!

Emily searching for skipping stones

Mason and Logan...splashing each other

Suspension Bridge at Turkey Run State Park

The Narrows Bridge (Red Covered Bridge-not used anymore)

The Narrows Bridge

Suspension Bridge over Sugar Creek, Turkey Run State Park
Climbing the ladders
Logan on top of Wedge RockMasonBilly Creek Village
Amish working their fields (love the cell tower in background)
Mason, Logan and Emily with Aunt DarlaEmily and tubing with her Uncle Bill
Mason and Logan trying to hold on tight

School's out and creativity is flowing!

School has been out for a few weeks and the kids are beginning to get bored. Last week while I was running errands I left the kids and the cat home....alone....with a sewing machine, scissors and fabric! Emily had began the day with sewing some "outfits" for the cat. Alley cat did very well for her fittings. When I was gone everyone was involved in the making of the pant suit. Emily instructed the boys how to use the sewing machine. Logan took the careful measures of the tail length, inseam of four legs, neck size, etc. Mason cut the fabric and stitched the creation together. Alley is an amazing cat, she doesn't scratch or bite which is good because I am sure the kids would have been torn to shreds after this project! If anyone is interested in Pet Outfits by the Green kids just let me know, keep in mind the handle may be extra charge!

Logan is now a teenager!

Logan (laying down) & Mason

Today we celebrate a milestone with Logan....he became a full fledged teenager. Now our house has two teenagers in it. Amazing. It seems like just yesterday we were waiting for Logan to arrive. I think he had pretty fun day. After church we took him to lunch where he begged us not to tell the waitress it was his birthday. We agreed not to humiliate him. He opened and enjoyed his presents! We made homemade vanilla ice cream and ate Red Velvet cake!

Sweet Mexico...

Whenever we plan a trip we plan. We plan a lot, for weeks upon weeks, researching websites after websites for information about our journey to a place where we decided to go after more research. Not this year as we decided 6 days before departure to head to the Riveria Maya, Mexico for spring break. Although some scrambling was involved in getting clothes gathered and making sure the kids had stuff that fit them it was a lot less stressful going on vacation this way than planning for months in advance. We chose the Iberostar Lindo, a resort Ted and I stayed at for our 15th anniversary. When we visited several years ago we talked about how much fun the kids would have. We flew out of St. Louis direct on an Aero Mexico chartered flight at 7am and were at the resort by noon! The flight was smooth and getting through customs was a breeze. The trip to the resort was about 30 minutes and although we arrived early in the day our rooms were ready. We immediately changed into our suits and after a quick bite to eat the buffet we were poolside soaking up the glorious sun! The weather was absolutely fabulous, not a raindrop all week long. The sun was hot and intense and we often sought shade in the afternoon. Emily and Logan got a pretty good sunburn at the start so they were much more eager to wear their swim shirt and have sunblock reapplied. I finally have learned that a sunburn isn't worth the pain so I too loaded up! The resort was an all inclusive which was awesome with a family. It probably was more expensive but in the long run much less stressful than having to pay each time someone wanted a drink. Emily was a frequent guest at the pool bar getting herself a cocoloco or pina coloda -non alcoholic of course:-). And when she wasn't at the bar she was at the buffet getting she and her dad a soft serve ice cream cone! Logan's goal was to gain a lot of weight while gone so he definitely loaded his plated at meal time. We had fun playing in the ocean and riding the waves. The boys tested out scuba diving in the pool and really enjoyed that. Mason and Logan also spent a fair amount of time playing billiards, of course with a fruity drink in hand as it was located right near the lobby bar. The kids had white wrist bands which meant they were not allowed alcoholic beverages. The week was really relaxing and by the time Saturday rolled around we were ready to come back home. That is a good vacation when it is good to be home!

Air Traffic Control Tower