Shipshewana, Indiana

This last week I took the kids down to a town in what's called the heart of Amish country. Shipshewana is a very small, quiet town full of crafty shops and tons of buggies and horses. It has been a favorite retreat spot for Bryce and I over our almost 3 years of living here, as well as a fun place to take the kids for day trips (it's only 90 minutes South).

Well, I thought it was about time to take the kids there over night and really let them explore and have fun. So we packed up and headed down, just the three of us. Our first stop was the flea market (that is, after two stops at gas stations for Jadon to go potty on a toilet!!), where the kids got to spend their money on trinkets and treats. We explored a meat and cheese factory, and had fresh soft pretzels for lunch at our favorite place in town. After a bit we headed to the Bed and Breakfast where we stayed - our favorite place to stay, and the kids got to meet Mrs. Hoober, the owner and a friend to Bryce and I.
Jadon was exhausted, so after a light supper he went to bed. That left time for Elie and I to explore and have some girly time just the two of us! We found the neighboring horses, and did a lot of posing for pictures and spent time on the swing. My daughter is such a wonderfully dainty girl! I had so much fun with her:o).

The next day the 3 of us walked into town and took our time watching horses, cows and what we thought might have been "alligators" in a swamp (little beady eyes right at the waters surface). We had a strange experience, where most of the Amish people who passed us gave us huge grins of amusement - as if seeing a non-Amish group of people walking was hilarious. They were all very kind - and very amused. This is the second time I've experienced this response. The last time I stayed in Shipshewana and walked to town I also got that response:o). And, to their defense, I was the only one on the road walking, especially with 2 kids.
In town we played in the mercantile, the kids enjoyed the shops as much as I did - well, most of the shops anyway:o). We had some yummy food and walked back to the B&B.

Friday we spent the day at the B&B. All three of us napped and I got to have some one-on-one time with Jadon - who in grate contrast to his sister wanted to spend our time chasing frogs, finding bugs, "killing dinosaurs," and running on the trails. We sat on the porch and watched the rain, and the kids both spent time playing in the huge front yard. Bryce joined us after work on Friday too - much to all our delight:o). We had dinner in town at the Blue Gate
which was fabulous, and then Bryce and I relaxed together after the kids went to bed.

Saturday, after our final amazing breakfast by Mrs, Hoober, we all went to visit one of her Amish neighbors who had rescued a faun, probably just a week or so old. The kids were aloud to feed and pet it. The tiny thing was so friendly! They are rehabilitating it and turning it loose when it's able to fend for itself.
After that the four of us played in town together. We rode the carousel, did a bit of shopping, and took a buggy ride to an Amish farm. This was probably the highlight of our time. Elie and Jadon got to hold the reigns and drive the buggy, milk a cow and taste the milk, pet a colt, feed calves and chickens, and explore a barn among other fun activities!

We headed home after supper at the Essenhaus, another of our favorite places to eat. On the way home, however, we had to drive through severe thunder storms... it was crazy!! Several times we passed cars on the side of the road and spent much of the time driving 30 on the freeway, hardly able to see through the torrential rain and lightning flashes, which did little more than temporarily blind us. As Bryce met us in Shipshewana we were driving two cars home, so we just hung out together. Just outside of Byron Center the rain let up a bit. We came across a girl walking up the off ramp, and I picked her up and gave her a ride to the nearest gas station. Her car had hydroplaned and spun off into a ditch. Needless to say, we thanked God for getting us through the storm and home safely and all together, and spent time praying for all those who were not so lucky.

All in all, it was a GREAT trip though. One we'll repeat in the future. I'll leave you with these video clips of Jadon and his frog:o).