We normally go to Pokagon State Park every other Thanksgiving, and this was our "off" year since we had Thanksgiving with my family. But we really couldn't help not going for another year since Ari has talked about Pokagon and the toboggan run every day since we went last year. Indiana state parks had a deal going on with buy 1 night get the 2nd free, so we took full advantage of going when we could use this deal. It was really nice being there on an off weekend and during the week because we practically had the whole lodge to ourselves.
These are our peas in a pod. Evangeline has seen Ari get suckers on several occasions so when she saw this one she snagged it and opened it right up. She was so thrilled with being able to hold a sucker she was willing to share it with her brother! Yeah...maybe gross and not the healthiest choice, but it sure was precious!
In the beginning she was not sure about swimming. She didn't want to get in and when she finally did she clenched on tight.
After she realized that swimming wasn't all that bad she was a happy camper. Every time she saw her swimsuit in the room she would drag it around and pull on her clothes and let us know that she was ready to go swimming again.
This is always the highlight of the trip. TOBOGANNING! This was the most time we spent outside since the weather was in the 30's while we were there. Ari had a blast as usual, but he was surprisingly ready to go back inside after our hour was up. I think the cold weather was getting to him and he was looking forward to some hot chocolate.
Since we didn't do any hiking we did manage to get out of the hotel for a few hours and try a new place for lunch. We normally take a day trip to Shipshewana and eat at an Amish restaurant there but we had heard of another great restaurant to try in a neighboring town.
Thank you Essenhaus for an awesome meal...
and for being so kid friendly!
Upstairs they had a train set up and several tables for kids to play at while they waited to be seated. We actually didn't have to wait for our food but this area did come in handy when the kids were done eating and Pat & Jim were finishing up.
We also like to make smores in the campfire but since the weather was either rainy, freezing, or both we didn't get to use the fire. But that didn't keep the little ones from eating marshmallows anyway...and the adults from eating the chocolate!
It was so nice to get away for a few days, but vacation does not always mean sleeping in and/or napping. In fact it usually means we are up several times a night, get up early in the morning, and not get any naps. But it's a trade off we are willing to do for a few days away.
The kids did really well not being on their normal schedule (although we tried our best!), but Ari was so tired by the third day he was putting himself to bed at 6pm! Being gone 4 days was a good amount of time for us all. Since we had all been sleep deprived in some fashion we were ready to get home and be in our own beds.
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