Philly in October

We took a picture perfect trip up to Philadelphia this weekend to see our good friends the Blakes (friends from Richmond who are up there just for a year doing a fellowship), and to celebrate Halloween in one of Geof.'s favorite cities.

We wouldn't have been able to go had we not literally packed our life in Richmond up and brought it straight to the Blake's. I mean, I had to do some home school with Cole, and Geof. had to work, but it was worth the effort.

Our friends, Erin and Matt were great hosts and fed us yummy homemade (and gluten free!) food all weekend. What a treat! And their home was beautiful. Tall vaulted ceilings and big open windows that gave ample view to the fall colors outside...it was quite nice. Geof. had to work part of Friday and all of Monday while we were there but didn't complain much since he parked his "office" right in front of a pair of extra large windows and had that view to look out at all day. Now I'm thinking I'll have to find a way to replicate that in his dark office with a tiny side window. :/

The Blakes have 4 cute and energetic kids which nicely complimented our 3 crazies. The weather Sat. (the day we went in to the city to see the sights) was the worst it could have been; rain, sleet, wind, snow, and eventually hailfell on us all day. But the kids (and even us adults) dealt well and had fun! We saw the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall (a little history: Independence Hall is, by every estimate, the birthplace of the United States. It was within its walls that the Declaration of Independence was adopted. It was here that the Constitution of the United States was debated, drafted and signed. That document is the oldest federal constitution in existence and was framed by a convention of delegates from 12 of the original 13 colonies.), and Valley Forge.

We then headed over to Reading Market which was so cool! A little about the Market:

Reading Terminal Market

Mouth-watering aromas. Produce fresh from the field. Amish specialties. Fresh meats, seafood, and poultry. Unique, hand-made pottery, jewelry and crafts from around the world. The hustle and bustle of a multitude of diverse people. It’s all here in Philadelphia’s historic farmers market, Reading Terminal Market. An exhilarating selection of baked goods, meats, poultry, seafood, produce, flowers, ethnic foods, cookware and eclectic restaurants are peppered throughout the Market. We invite you to explore this unique and extraordinary historic farmers market in Center City Philadelphia.

We definitely want to return before Matt and Erin's time is up. What a fun city! The only thing that would have made it all better would've been to stay an extra week and for Geof. to not have to work...not that we're complaining. Thank goodness for his job! :)

On Halloween night we headed over to a posh neighborhood where in one home we were actually invited in for hot apple cider, pumpkin choc. chip cookies, soda or bottled water (for each kid!), and of course full size candy bars. No joke! I'd never experienced that many one-uppers in my life! ;) The kids were happy and of course we didn't mind snagging a few of their full size Snickers. Thank you!

I just realized I didn't get one pic of Matt and Erin. Lame. Well, they're pretty good looking people if you have to know...

Here and now

Fall is here. Like all of us, I love it, but it sure is tiring! Gone are the days of doing whatever we please. Schedules are nice, but so restrictive! ;) Here's a few snapshots of our day to day..

Dayne is so, SO busy. Every day upon arriving home from school, she has it set in her mind what craft she wants to do and how it'll go. It's exhausting to watch her! I seem to be in a constant state of "pick-up after Dayne". Paper clippings in her room.., glue and glitter all over the dining room table.., it never really ends. But I do appreciate her ability to stay entertained and of course the sweet artwork with which she adorns our home. Notice the last pic below is the books and card she made for Santa. Sweet girl. "Dir Santa Claus, I love you". Should I leave it there on my fireplace until Christmas??

All she needs from me is an occasional spelling for the many books she staples together, composes, then delivers to loved ones (that includes teachers, friends.., even acquaintances, mind you). She's also a great helper when I can motivate her. Here are a few pics of our typical "Monday"; Cole doing homeschool, Dayne peeling sweet potatoes (what a messy kitchen I have!), and June keeping herself happy after being ignored most of the day (we can thank Cole for having my complete attention most, if not ALL of the school day).

We went to Dayne's fall school fair last Sat. Her teacher was the face painter and Dayne asked for a painting on her forehead of the cow jumping over the moon! Good thing she inherited my "sufficiently-sized" forehead! Ha! The Sat. before that our ward put on a HUGE garage sale benefiting a youth in our ward who has bone cancer. It was incredible. Geof. and Cole camped on the grass outside the building because there was so much that had to be left outside and they needed some "watch dogs". We had over a thousand people enter the church building and the sale raised over $11,500! Such a wonderful experience for the ward and its members. We came home with a Santa and Mrs. Claus troll dolls. Reminds me of my mother. She loved her scary troll dolls.

Junie is loving ballet and Dayne doesn't seem to mind that she's not doing it. They didn't offer it for her age, sadly. She's starting swimming again next month, though. We're hoping it'll help clear her up and strengthen her lungs. June is also enjoying preschool and all the play dates she gets afterward (there are 5 lds kids from our ward in the class of 12 kids!). Happy child.

And although most days are a fight to get Cole started on school, he still says he does NOT want to go back to regular school and Geof. and I both agree that he's getting SO much more done at home and actually LEARNING something! ;)

Sorry I don't have pics of me or Geof. Geof. did sport a mustache for half of last week. Not so cute. He shaved it off after seeing himself in a mirror at the gym and thinking he appeared quite "mouselike".

Cole and me

Suppose

BY PHOEBE CARY

Suppose, my little lady,

Your doll should break her head,

Could you make it whole by crying

Till your eyes and nose are red?

And would n’t it be pleasanter

To treat it as a joke;

And say you ’re glad “’T was Dolly’s

And not your head that broke?”

Suppose you ’re dressed for walking,

And the rain comes pouring down,

Will it clear off any sooner

Because you scold and frown?

And would n’t it be nicer

For you to smile than pout,

And so make sunshine in the house

When there is none without?

Suppose your task, my little man,

Is very hard to get,

Will it make it any easier

For you to sit and fret?

And would n’t it be wiser

Than waiting like a dunce,

To go to work in earnest

And learn the thing at once?

Suppose that some boys have a horse,

And some a coach and pair,

Will it tire you less while walking

To say, “It is n’t fair?”

And would n’t it be nobler

To keep your temper sweet,

And in your heart be thankful

You can walk upon your feet?

And suppose the world don’t please you,

Nor the way some people do,

Do you think the whole creation

Will be altered just for you?

And is n’t it, my boy or girl,

The wisest, bravest plan,

Whatever comes, or does n’t come,

To do the best you can?

A poem Cole and I read for school today. So good for both of us..if only we followed its wise advice. ;) ...oh, and an old video of Junie. Miss that little girl.

Piano

Frontier Culture Museum-part 1 (and to think there were even MORE pics and I lost them!)

I'm bummed because I can't find the pics from our drive to Staunton. Cole and Emily took some funny pics of each other and I deleted them off my camera before realizing I didn't have them on here. Dang.

The first farm we saw upon arrival at the Museum was the early-American farm of 1740. It was a log cabin crudely-made and without the mud filling. Outside was a man splitting logs and Cole and many other boys sat patiently waiting for their turn to hit with the hammer. Don't have pics of this. :(

And then a woman dressed in the 1740s era attire, told us all about living in the backwoods of Virginia at that time and the threats and dangers, especially for a woman who is left home all day. She then gave us a musket demonstration showing and telling us the correct way to cock a rifle and use gun powder. Her presentation (as well as ALL those that worked/volunteered there) was very interactive. She asked many questions and it took quite some time for things to build up to her actually firing the weapon (even though it was a blank). Fun and very informative for the kids.

We then headed over to two other farms; one from the 1820s and another from the 1850s. We were surprised at how things had progressed in the short time period between 1820 and 1850. A lot of advancements were made in farming in that short period. This was the first time the kids were able to participate in cooking over an open hearth and helped roll egg noodles (made of simply eggs and flour..and a bit of salt). They LOVED doing this! They were also able to carve wood and pet the sheep and smelly pigs. Emily especially loved the animals. Sweet girl.


















We stopped in and had a 10 minute "school lesson" at the old school house. This time they did a spelling bee! Cole and Emily both missed the word "dodge". Oops. But they loved it and lined right up again for their next word (can't remember what it was..).

After that we headed over to the big barn of the 1850 farm and house and Cole couldn't keep his hands off all the tools. On the front lawn area of the home was local and semi-local merchants from the area there for the Oktoberfest festivities. They were dressed in old-time clothing selling things like hand-made guns, lanterns, gun powder horn muskets (made of cow horns and deer antlers), hand-made knifes, furs, and animal traps.

As you can see in the pics, Cole was ALIVE with interest. He couldn't stand still for a minute and was even reprimanded by the man who made the animal traps for not listening after asking a question. It was good, though, because after that Cole was polite as ever and stood still and

kept his eyes on the man. I love the pic of Cole wearing the muskrats hat (I really don't even know if that's what they are). He looks so young and innocent.

I can swear that my mom had a muskrat hat or shawl that she kept in the Halloween box and I was always so grossed out by it. Am I right, mom?

After spending more than enough time there (as Emily can attest to), we headed to the car for lunch and then after eating, we went to the West African Farm where the kids took part in Puddling (turning clay into mud to build homes). They both told me that this, along with watching a cow urinate, was their favorite part of the trip.

Nice..