Off On Another Adventure

Today's vacation recap has been postponed, but only by a little. 

Cooper spent most of last week camping with other young men from church at High Adventure. He loved it and had a fantastic time. Maybe someday he'll write a blog post about it. He got home on Saturday, worked on unpacking, cleaning his gear, and showering. Then he turned around and started packing for his next adventure. He and Peter left today for a week of FSY. I stayed up much later than was wise making sure they were packed and that all of their clothes were clean.

It was a rough night.

The Christmas Zoo

In December of 2016 a sweet friend gave us passes to visit the Brookfield Zoo, not too far from where we lived in Illinois. It was a chilly night, but not so cold that we didn't enjoy our time there. The zoo lights were especially fun. Look at all those young faces, including the parents.

A Good Old Fashioned Hayride

Yesterday Sophie, Topher, and I went on a field trip! This was an official, school organized field trip for Sophie. Anyone who lives in the state of Pennsylvania can attend the school, so there was no way that her whole class could be there. We drove an hour and twenty minutes each way to be part of it, and the joy it brought her made that long drive worth it.

We spent about two hours at an orchard that also had a small farm of animals, piles of pumpkins, hayrides, a market, several storybook character displays, and a huge wooden playground. Oh, and it rained/drizzled pretty much the whole time we were there. Thankfully it was warm enough (in the mid-60s) that we weren't too chilly, even with the rain. Both kids loved it, in spite of the face Topher is making in the last picture. The best part for Sophie was getting to meet her teacher and several kids from her class in person. When the other kids spotted Sophie they got so excited and they immediately made her a part of the fun they had been having.

It was a good day.

Playground:

Hayride:

Corny

I'm still serving as a cub scout leader and Saturday was our September pack meeting. We visited a corn maze. I took Cooper, Phoebe, and Sophie and left Topher and Peter at home with Bryan. I had no desire to push a stroller or chase a toddler through a muddy field/maze and Bryan was thankful for a reason to stay home.

I spent my time inside keeping track of children (my own and the scouts) and didn't take pictures. When we were done, the kids posed themselves and asked me to take their picture. Sure, I could handle that.

Smile for the Camera

Sophie, Topher, and I went with some friends to a local pumpkin patch yesterday. The kids played in what can best be described as a sandbox, but instead of sand there were dried kernels of corn. We also wandered a kid-sized corn maze. The highlight, other than visiting with friends, was that one of the other moms had her fancy camera to practice her photography skills. She took these and shared them with the rest of us. I watched Sophie pose for the camera, so I am extra impressed that my friend was able to get so many natural looking pictures of our girl.

Bach and Mozart at Lunch

Sophie and I enjoyed a lovely, free concert this week. We went to a huge, old church with some friends and listened to a harpsichord, a flute, a violin, a cello, an opera singer, a chorus, then a full orchestra as they performed music by Bach and Mozart. It was delightful and Sophie was remarkably well behaved. The majority of the audience was firmly in the senior citizen demographic, and those that caught sight of Miss Sophie were clearly amused.

Sweet Ride

Cooper's favorite animal is the giraffe. That's why he was so excited to see this giraffe-patterned Mini Cooper parked near the line we waited in to feed a very tall giraffe at the zoo on Monday. It's Cooper's perfect car.

Back in Time

Here are a few more pictures from our trip back in time to the seventeen and eighteen hundreds. Peter was not pleased that we were having an adventure. He wanted to stay at home, do his chores, and play video games. That's been his goal all summer. That's why, in part, I've been planning outings. Ornery, I know. Don't worry, by the end he loved it.

I didn't take many pictures at first because I was too busy listening to the presentations. We learned about fancy new inventions like the cooking spider and the rotating toaster. We watched a feather bed get spanked, the proper term for fluffing the mattress. And we learned where the term "sleep tight" comes from. We watched flax get turned into linen and sheep's wool become yarn. Really, it was quite fascinating for all of us.

Then we went to school. Phoebe was sitting next to me, too close for a good picture. We learned that once upon a time kids could advance to the next level of their schooling when they were ready, not when the school year ended. I have a few children that would benefit from bringing that system back. We also learned that students had to memorize everything: poetry, times tables, grammar rules. There were only a handful of books available to the students, so most teaching was done by vocal repetition.

I am extremely grateful to live now and have access to so many books.

This school was a modern addition to the farm, built to hold modern-sized classes. The woman giving the presentation made sure to point out that an actual schoolhouse of that time would have been half the size of this one. The girls had to sit on one side, the boys on the other, hence my picture of Peter and Cooper so far away.

Then we had a little time to fill before our final presentation, so we visited the animals. Sophie really liked the pigs. As we watched them in their pen, Peter announced, "I think pigs are the third most majestic animal." Elephants and otters occupy spaces one and two, in case you were wondering.

The last tour of our day was the barn. We learned about what went in to taking care of the animals so they could continue working on the farm. Before we were led to see the animals, the kids were invited to jump into the hay. The lighting was terrible, but if you look close you can just make out Phoebe, and then Peter, jumping into the huge pile of soft hay. Cooper and Sophie joined in the fun too, but their pictures didn't turn out as well.

Then we met a baby goat that my children all declared to be the cutest thing they have ever seen.

There were also horses.

And sheep.

In spite of a rainstorm that soaked us at one point, we had a delightful time. Actually, the rain took the heat off the day, so it was even more pleasant, though the thunder was worrisome for our tall boy who is bothered by such things. We all had fun and learned a lot, a winning combination.

Mulish

Today the kids and I visited a living historical farm. We learned all kinds of interesting things, but one item stood out to me.

The animal in this picture is named Janie. You can't tell, but she's a mule. The young man that showed us the barns and animals taught us that mules are smarter than horses. Horses will continue working, regardless of the heat or their health and well-being. But mules understand when they have done too much or when it's too hot, and they will stop working. He told us that they like to have a mule work with the horses because the mule will let the farmers know when the animals need a break.

After he finished telling us all this, I asked, "So what you're saying is, when we talk about the stubbornness of mules..." And I stopped, not sure how to finish.

"Yes," he answered, "it's because they're being smart."

Now, I know that human obstinacy does not always come from a place of intelligence, but this information is good for me to think on. We have a house full of shockingly strong-willed people. I think perhaps I need to do a better job of taking a step back from my own stubbornness and seeing the situation from the other side. Maybe, occasionally, that tenacious tendency comes from a place of self-preservation and protection. In fact, without much effort, I can think of a few times when that has been the case in our family.

So the next time someone calls you "stubborn as a mule," say thank you.

Tale As Old As Time

Last Monday, our second and final weekday of Spring break, we went as a family to see Beauty and the Beast. Peter was annoyed that we were taking him away from videogame time, but the other three were excited. I was cautiously optimistic. I had read several reviews, listened to the soundtrack, knew both the original animated version as well as the Broadway production, so I felt I knew what to expect.

How were my expectations met?

I will start with the biggest disappointment: Belle's voice, her singing voice to be exact. I knew this going in since I'd heard the music and the heavy use of autotune (shudder), but I somehow thought seeing it would help distract me. It didn't. Her acting was fine and I was pleased that she was playing a character different from her iconic Hermione, but the singing crushed my soul a bit.

The biggest positive surprise? The Beast! My goodness, Dan Stevens was fantastic. His performance was big enough for his character but subtle enough to make him compelling and relatable, especially since it was largely a motion-capture performance. I had been curious about this casting choice when I first heard it. Matthew Crawley as the Beast? Really? But now I understand.

I won't give any spoilers for those that haven't seen it, I'll just say there were some plot differences in this version that I appreciated, elements that made the love story more believable. Sadly, I thought the secondary characters were rather underutilized, especially Ewan McGregor and Audra McDonald. Seriously, if Audra McDonald is in the cast, give her a full song to sing! The sets and costumes were quite lovely.

The kids all loved the movie, Peter even admitted that he was glad he had joined us. Bryan didn't love it. I guess I was somewhere in the middle.

Have you seen it? What did you think?

Squad Goals

Last night during scouts we took a field trip to a local police station. All four cubs and both 11-year-old scouts had fun learning about what officers do as first responders. That means Peter and Cooper both got to sit in the back of a police car.

I told them this could be their first and last time in the back of a police car.

Pumpkin Patch, Part 1

Phoebe had her first ever field trip last Friday when her class went to a local pumpkin patch. She was so excited and talked about it for the entire week beforehand. A friend from church went as a parent chaperone and sent me a few pictures of the seasonal fun.

Because she had heard Phoebe talk about the pumpkin patch with such excitement, that same day Sophie wanted to find a pumpkin patch too. So we did. And, I found out later, we chose the same patch that Phoebe had gone too, we just missed her.

Temple in the City of Brotherly Love

After some moving related business, we spent Saturday touring the Philadelphia Temple. It's a gorgeous building with a very special purpose. I particularly loved the interior decor of this Temple. There's a painting of the signing of the Declaration of Independence near the recommend desk and we spotted quills throughout the woodwork. It feels like it fits well in a city steeped in American history.

Poor Man's Pumpkin Patch

The kids had the day off from school, and while I could have crammed our time full with adventures, I decided instead to watch and wait and see where the day went on its own. The morning was spent reading and listening to music. Sophie's (and, full disclosure, Mommy's) nap time was spent snuggling on the couch (I slept while the big kids cuddled around me) and watching movies. There had been almost no fighting and I was truly enjoying our day at home.

We had been invited to meet some school friends at a pumpkin patch in the afternoon. I accepted, but said we wouldn't be able to join them until Sophie was finished napping. Since we had had such a laid back morning, by the time Sophie woke up I was the only person in daytime clothes. The promise of fun on the farm was not enough to properly motivate my children and we weren't ready to leave until after three, more than two hours later than our friends had arrived for their fall festivities.

It took about thirty minutes to drive there, which meant that we arrived a mere hour and forty minutes before the farm closed. I've seen other venues offer a discounted afternoon price and I hoped this place would offer something similar. No such luck. They wanted me to pay nearly $50 for our family to have access to their pumpkin patch.

Here's what was happening in my brain:

THAT'S TOO MUCH MONEY! I can't pay that much for such a short amount of time! But we have friends waiting inside. And I just drove all the way here. And I told the kids we would get pumpkins. BUT THAT'S REALLY TOO MUCH MONEY!

So I came up with a compromise. We would visit the not-quite-as-authentic yard full of pre-picked pumpkins near the parking lot, each choose one, then we would stop by lots of parks on the way home. The kids thought that idea was grand and were pretty excited about the prospect of park-hopping. The friend was very sweet and understanding when I texted her and explained the situation.

Check out that picture, they look like they're having fun, regardless of the fact that they didn't actually go inside.

And in case you're wondering, they did have lots of fun at the parks.

Calming the Chaos

We went to the library yesterday. While I helped kids look for call numbers and kept track of how many books each child had gathered, I realized something.

No one was running away.

No one was yelling.

No one was hiding.

No one was poking/hitting/pestering anyone else.

A few years ago every trip anywhere included one or more of the actions I listed above. Every errand required great amounts of patience and energy from me. Some errands still require great amounts of patience and energy, but now I'm much more adept at keeping the chaos reigned in, or at least sensing when it's about to break free so I can orchestrate a quick exit.

I know I can't take all the credit for our peaceful library trip. The kids are the ones that did all the running away in years past and they've thankfully given that up for the most part. It helps that the library has row upon row of books to keep them occupied, but trips to other locations are getting easier as well. Are they maturing? Perhaps. Maybe we're all maturing.

Whatever the reason, it's a lovely feeling to return from a trip to the library and not be totally crazy with stress over the wild and loud shenanigans of your offspring. I believe in celebrating the wins, both large and small. And I'm counting today as a win.

Rocks and Cobblestones

One aspect of living in New Jersey that appealed to me from the start was the close proximity to so much cool stuff. High on my to-do list was a visit to Boston, a place that I have always wanted to visit. Cobblestone streets are highly romanticized in my imagination. So when I realized that spring break coincided with General Conference weekend (and a Sunday sans Primary duties), I started planning. Bonus: Bryan had a few days off that would disappear if he didn't use them this month.

We started by driving up through New Jersey, then New York state. We ate lunch in Connecticut and drove through a sketchy Providence, Rhode Island neighborhood in search of a 120-year-old carousel. Much to my annoyance (and Phoebe's heartbreak) the attraction was not open on that rainy Friday. All of my planning had come to naught; we had just been stuck in the car for hours. Include the fact that we left the house four hours late and had to totally skip one destination (Mystic, CT, so sorry we missed you) and you'll understand why I was feeling less than chipper.

Bryan kept a good attitude. He suggested that the day could be salvaged by finding a fun place for dinner. And he was right. We found a local seafood place and the kids tried calamari for the first time. After we told them it was squid Phoebe was appropriately grossed out, but Cooper kept eating. Peter refused it even before he knew what it was. The dinner was delicious and the kids were well-behaved, a delightful combination.

We started over the next day with a trip to Plymouth Rock!

It was kind of windy.

Yes, there is an actual rock at Plymouth. You can't touch it, but you can take pictures of it.

Sadly, the Mayflower II was out for repairs, so we didn't see that. But we did take time to admire statues and read plaques dedicated to those passengers that died during the voyage and soon after landing.

After Plymouth, we piled back in the van, turned on General Conference, and drove to Boston. There were lots of things I wanted to see in Beantown, but I knew my audience and picked just a few. The first (and main) item of interest was USS Constitution, otherwise known as Old Ironsides. We toured a cool little museum and Bryan got to have several teaching moments with the kids. He has a ridiculous amount of knowledge in his head, did you know? 

We started with a nautical flag code. Even Phoebe deciphered it (with a little help) to earn the sought-after Ironsides stamp on her paper.

The boys built a boat.

Sophie entertained herself by removing her socks and shoes.

Oh look, here's one of those teaching moments.

And here's another one.

At this point Phoebe had seen enough and was just waiting for us to finish.

The tour of the boat itself took an hour and by then we were all tired and cold and hungry, so we contented ourselves with taking pictures of it from the mainland.

Next we drove to Old North Church.

Then we saw Bunker Hill.

And we finished our Boston excursion by driving though Harvard. I have no idea which building this is or what it houses, but it's on Harvard's campus.

I was ready to keep sightseeing, but no one else was. We called it a day and concluded with pizza and more General Conference.

The next morning we drove north to New Hampshire to see some friends from our first stint at BYU. We hadn't seen much of them for ten years, which was before either of us had kids. Now we each have four, which made for a chaotic and fun crowd on Easter Sunday. We talked and laughed and watched Conference and got to know each other's kids. Then, between the Sunday sessions, they took us to a lighthouse in Maine.

Look! It's the Atlantic Ocean! And yes, it was really that blue.

The lighthouse was on an island, so we couldn't actually get up close to it, but we could climb on lots of huge, terrifying rocks that dropped right off into the ocean. The kids loved this part; the boys have both told me it was the best thing we did all weekend. I spent the time worried that one of my children would end up in the Atlantic. But I did love looking at that beautiful blue water.

Here's my friend that let us crash her Easter!

This is about as close as we could get to the lighthouse. I don't know what soundtrack was playing in everyone else's head (because I'm sure I'm not the only one that puts their life to music), but I heard lots of Pete's Dragon on this excursion.

My friend's kids are each just a little older than mine. They all got along well, but none bonded as fast or as firmly as these two. Phoebe gave her several hugs when it was time to leave later that night.

It was windy here too.

After the final session of Conference, we enjoyed a delicious Easter dinner that fueled us enough to make it to our hotel that night. It was so fun seeing our friends. It felt like old times, just with way more children.

The next day we detoured to Vermont on our way home because, really, when would we have another chance to go to Vermont?

Have you been keeping track of the all states we visited? Over the course of four days we were in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont. That's a lot of states in a short period of time.

Hooray for making the most of our time on the East Coast!