Mother's Day at the Track

I can now say I am raising good Indianapolis kids.  They have had their first visit to the track.  They loved it.  I know I am not supposed to say this but I am not really a fan of Mother's Day and we didn't really have plans, unless you call cleaning the house plans so we decided to go to the Indianapolis Speedway.  It was really the best day to go.  The weather was not hot, almost chilly and it was just practice so it wouldn't be crowded.  There were only one or two cars on the track at a time so the noise wasn't too bad either.  The kids are just getting to the point where we can do outings like this and naps and schedules aren't as vital.  The kids really wanted to go to the park so we made a deal - track then the park. 

 

 

Speedway is about 45 minutes from our house.  It was funny because they both fell asleep on the way to the track.  I knew they were be tired afterwards but I didn't think they would be tired before!  But they were both up at 6 a.m.  

 

 

Charlie had just finished a 4 week class at IUPUI with Donald Davidson, his Indy 500 hero.  If you don't know who Donald Davidson is, you are not from Indy.  Charlie is a huge Indy 500 fan and Donald Davidson is the track historian.  The class was at Speedway High School so he had been to Speedway a lot in April.  We parked at Turn 3 and took the tram to the track.  He said it was the first time he ever took the tram and not walked but with the kids and no stroller, there was no way we were walking that far!

 

                                       

 Charlie has this same picture from his first trip to the track when he was 5 years old. 

Fortunately there was a Kids Zone area that day and the kids got to dance, kick footballs and get tattoos.  Plus they were handing out roses to mothers.  The day was good.  Next up, the track!  We had been hearing the sounds of the cars since we got there and Calvin was ready to see the race cars.  

When we first got to the stands, there was some drama.  I don't know what but they were both crying about something silly.  Charlie was all smiles.  As soon as Calvin saw the cars, he was a happy camper.  He absolutely loved it, everything about it.  He clapped every time a car drove by.  Laci needed more entertainment and I spent some time walking around the stands with her.  Firestone Firehawk was there and that made her happy.  We were sitting right behind Sarah Fischer racing and got to see Sarah Fischer.  I have always been a fan of hers.  She seems to be a class act as a driver and now an owner.  I had to throw in a little lesson for Laci that "Girls can do anything!"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We only stayed about an hour.  We still had the park to get too.  As we waited for Charlie to go to the gift shop, Laci found a race car to sit in.  She loves getting her picture taken and trying things.  Calvin kept saying "Can we see a few more cars, Mommy.  Pwease!"  It was so sweet.  I really wanted to stay just for him.  We got back in the car, passed out snacks and off to our favorite park.  

 

We didn't stay at the park very long.  The kids were wiped out.  Calvin fell over and lost it.  But the first trip to the track was a huge success.  Practice was the perfect day.  Maybe next year they will be ready for qualifications but it may be a few years before they can handle the race.  i realize spending Mother's Day at the track may be unconventional but any place I am with my kids is Mother's Day.  Charlie has always said that what makes the Indy 500 special is the tradition and passing it down from father to son.  I'm so glad that we got to take the kids there and start our traditions.