Mother's Day Weekend!

My third mother's day!

We had an awesome Mother's Day weekend. It was important to me that we take a weekend "mini-vacation," just the three of us, before we become a family of four. We had planned a stay in a B&B on a farm near the Indiana dunes, but forecasts of cold weather and rain precluded that trip. (We will go another time!) Instead, we went to Great Wolf Lodge in Cincinnati. It is a hotel with an indoor water park. I don't have photos of the park as I didn't want to deal with the camera or risk water exposure, but we had an awesome time! Addie amazed us in her braveness, working herself up from the smallest tot slide to the big kiddie slide, where she took a leap of faith that I was waiting for her at the bottom, as she couldn't see me from the top of the slide. No adults are allowed on these tot slides, so Adam would take her to the top of the slide, and I would wait for at the bottom. It was amazing to see her be so brave and fearless with kids that were clearly 4 or 5 years of age. I loved watching her expression change as she flew down the slides. In typical Adeline fashion, she was always very serious at first, but burst into a huge smile by mid-point on the slide, flying into my arms. She must have gone on these slides at least 25 or 30 times!

She also loved the wave pool and playing in the water that splashes up at you. It may not be a typical adventure for us, but it was fun none-the-less, and we'll probably go again in a couple years when baby #2 can enjoy it, too.

Here are some pictures from our Mother's Day brunch, at bakery/restaurant in Cinci called Take the Cake. We were lucky to get a table as it was super crowded, but the food was yummy, and of course I couldn't have better company than my two favorite people!

Some of the baked goods on display:

Before we left the Cinci, we visited a large forested park, called Mt Airy, for a short hike and some fresh air before the car ride. We checked out a very cool treehouse.

Upon our return to Indy, the sun appeared for the first time that weekend. So, although a tired group, we decided to visit my favorite Indy park, Holliday Park. Several members of our family are really into geocaching, and armed with our iphones and good app, we have been trying to pick up the hobby. We embarked on a nice hike at Holliday Park, in search of some recently placed caches. We got close, but struck out on both counts. We may need to take the "experts" with us soon, as even though we get within feet of the "treasure," we don't seem to have the right eyes for spotting them.

It was a great day for a walk, so the lack of geocaching success didn't seem to matter. And, Addie found lots of "treasures" along the way -- she is quite the collector of rocks, sticks, leaves, and various other outdoor finds. Addie loves to "hike in the woods," as she calls it. She is a faster hiker than she was last fall, but it is still a very different experience to walk in the woods we Addie -- she goes at her own pace and notices everything. This has been a frequent lesson for me as a parent -- to slow down (so hard to do!) and go at her pace. It's amazing what you find when you do so.