Muncie, Indiana, Munice, Indiana, Muncie, Indiana

About a month ago we went to Muncie, Indiana.  (I sing it like the song from Music Man) Mark had a writing conference and the girls and I tagged along.  Here are some of our adventures.

Getting ready to go in the pool.

Our Excursion to the Laundromat

Brynn made her car seat a little messy on the trip to Muncie.  So Claire, Brynn and myself experienced a laundromat.  Claire said it was like the book A Pocket for Corduroy. We had been reading that book a lot around that time.  Claire loved the Laundromat and Brynn did too. 

Minnetrista

We had lots of fun here. It was the Ball family estate and it has become a cultural center and gardens.  We had lots of fun here walking the gardens and exploring Casey's Clubhouse.  It was a little room in the cultural center set up to look like a clubhouse with a million and one things to investigate.  Claire had a blast, she even filled out a field journal entry.  She told me what to write and I transcribed for her.  She did the drawing.  She got a couple of prizes doing that as well. Brynn and I hung out and enjoyed the clubhouse as well. 

We liked exploring the gardens and grounds too.  We actually went back two different times.  On the first day I discovered that Minnetrista used to be the estate for the Ball brothers and their families. Each brother built a grand home on the river within a couple hundred feet of each other.  This family owns Ball glass canning jars.  They moved from New York to Muncie for the family business.  I have to admit that it took me until the second day to realize that Ball State University is named after the family.  Honestly all these years I had no idea why Ball State was named Ball state and it took me two days to figure it out..Geez Louise.  Here are some of the homes and pictures of us frolicking in the children's garden.

 The Muncie Children's Museum

We also visited the children's museum.  Claire loves museums now and talks about going to them occasionally.  This place was great so I can see why she fell in love.  They have a pint sized grocery store and kitchen that was perfect for her she didn't want to leave.  There was a 'fishing' area where you fished for paper cut out fish.  Claire liked that. She thought she was like Papa.  A musical instrument area where Claire played the washboard and cowbell.  Brynn mostly chillaxed in the stroller laughing, eating a bottle and peeing.  Claire also peed too but in the potty and well once in the toddler sized ant tunnel.  But come one would you leave the child sized and tunnel to pee? We left shortly after that:)

 And that was our trip to Muncie, Indiana.  Not that you needed the play by play but I guess (if you made it to the end) you just experienced a modern slide show of our trip.

Thanks for reading,

Katie

 

"Daddy I fell in the toilet!"

This is what Claire announces to Mark at, of course, a quiet moment in the middle of mass. Claire is doing really well with potty training-she has her moments (like the time she peed on some books) but she does pretty well overall.  So I am much better now with outings and no diapers.  We went to church last week and it was a comedy of errors!  I took Claire to the potty before mass started and after the baptisms (they do baptisms once a month, during mass- we just happened to be at the baptism mass)  Claire announces - I have to go potty, leaves the pew and heads for the bathroom. This is an old, all encompassing bathroom with the sink and commode in the same room. Now Claire is Miss Independent and does not like help at times. She would not go to the bathroom with me in the room. So she's pushing me out and saying, "I do it all by myself, Mommy, All by myself."  I'm thinking okay the toilet is pretty low and small and she's had success on public toilets before, I'll let her try it.  Plus if she falls in she's going to realize she needs my help.
Next thing you know I hear:  Splash.  "MOMMY! MOMMY! MOMMY!"  I try to get in but she has locked the door! " Mommy can't open the door sweetie you need to turn the knob on the door."  It took a minute but she hoisted herself out of the pot and opened the door.  She's got a big smile on her face and her whole backside is wet!  We walked back to the pew where Mark and Brynn were and while I was getting Claire's change of clothing she let Daddy know what happened had happened to her.  There were a few chuckles in response to her comment.
Claire is also getting ready for preschool.  She is going to be attending St. Mary's Preschool 3 program on Tuesday and Thursday mornings.  She is very excited and didn't want to leave all the toys when I went to sign her up.  We think its going to be great for her and then in the afternoons when I have to work Laura (Mondays) and Miss Meg will watch the girls.  We are so lucky that Miss Meg can watch the girls for us until December.  She was wonderful with Claire and now Brynn gets to play with her too.  She makes it so much easier for me to go to work, since I know the girls are great with her.

Claire's lollipop she earned for an accident free day.  She still has 95% of it left!

Brynn is growing like a weed.  I took her in to the doctor, suspecting she had some ailment, since she just wasn't her happy self.  They weighed her and she was 18.10lbs!  Claire wasn't 18 lbs until 6 months and Brynn is only 5 months old!  Brynn is okay now, we think she might be teething and that might have caused her change in behavior.  She is just rolling all over now too.  She is so proud of herself when she does it.  She likes to roll a couple times too.  I've taken to scanning the carpet before I put her down to make sure there are no little pieces she will find in a three foot radius. 

"Look at me, I rolled over!"

Thanks for reading,

Katie

Counting my blessings...

And they are a plentiful.  I have healthy beautiful girls, a wonderful husband, a fantabulous extended family, wonderful friends, a good job, a marvelously mischievous Marty cat, a great house, beautiful weather, a working car.  The list could go on and on.  It seems that I am praying for a lot of people right now for many different things and it makes me realize how amazingly lucky I am.  And on those days when the Mommy-ing can get tiring I try remember these wonderful things that I have.  If you are reading this you are a blessing to me.  Thanks for being one of my many blessings.

Now enough schmaltz here are pictures of the girls!

Our little pumpkin

cooking with mommy

 Brynn and her toes!

 Claire in her Cabbage Patch tent. 

 Mommy sleeping with Brynn

 Beautiful Claire sleeping

 Thanks for lookin'
Katie