A Civil War (reenactment)

This Memorial Day weekend, Greenfield Village went full out for a Civil War reenactment. It is actually quite the big deal apparently. There were people camped out throughout the whole park, and people from all over the country came to see it. We went with some friends and had a really fun time. We got to ride the real-live steam engine! Seriously- soot and all- we'll probably all have the black lung ;)

An actual picture of all 3 of us on the train. Sophia was a little disconcerted about the train noises.

So they had these re-enactors everywhere, here they are getting ready to battle. These guys were so in to it, it was pretty awesome. And they all had different roles- like chaplains, surgeons, recruiters, etc.

Here's some of their camps. It was like this everywhere you turned. I think they really live there for the weekend.

And you can't have a good 'ole war reenactment without guns!

Just a picture of the windmill...

...and how cool this place is!

Age-based FHE (17 months)- The Pioneers

Alright- second edition of  age-based FHE 

One of Sophia's past times lately has been pushing things around. Her chairs, stools, her little train- anything. So I decided we'd learn about the Mormon pioneers this week, and how they pushed their handcarts across the plains.

First we loaded up our 'handcart' (just a basket we use for groceries at the Farmer's Market- you really could use anything). I let her choose whatever she wanted to put in it. She chose some books and a blanket- good choices! I explained the pioneers were not able to stay in their homes because of their religion, so they had to pack everything up they could carry in to handcarts and wagons. God wanted them to go and start a new home across the Great Plains so they could be free to practice their religion.

Getting ready to push her handcart.

This cart was actually a little big for her to push with all that stuff, so she opted to use her train to 'cross the plains'. It actually worked out to compare that to how hard it was for the pioneers, and that they had to rely on God and their faith.

Sophia 'crossed the plains' (aka our living room)- I explained that it was really hard for the pioneers. Many people didn't make it, but they knew God would take care of them. Just like he took care of the pioneers, he'll help us when we have to do something hard.

Finally they reached their new home, and were very happy - for Sophia her 'promised land' was snack time.

Simple and fun.

Thanks for feedback on this!

17 months

Who's the cutest 17 month old?!
Favorite things:
- WALKING! - as you can see below, she's officially walking now. It's so exciting! She is so entertained by herself doing it to- she just smiles and laughs. It's so cute.
- The great communicator- she keeps learning new words, but has especially gotten good at one word and gesture in particular- NO (with a shaking of the head). hahaha- it was bound to happen sometime. It actually has been helpful to know better what she wants. She also can tell you when she needs her diaper changed (in Chinese) and points to her diaper or lifts up her dress. She knows the word for nose, and hair, and ear (all in Chinese). She gotten really good at saying please (with sign language as well as the word) and thank you too. Her favorite word is still "puppy".
- Little helper- she loves to help do anything we're doing. She helped me put away the dishes today (she'd hand them to me, then I'd put them in the cupboard), and she was so happy and proud of herself afterwards. She also found some trash, and I told her to go and put it in the trash can, and she went in to the bathroom and did just that! Genius! She also loves to help pick up things, unlock the door, and turn the light switch on and off. Now if I can just get her to mow the lawn...
- Socialite- this girl is so popular where ever we go. She says hi and waves, and wins people over with her cuteness. During church she talks and plays with all the people who sit behind us (she has quite the fan club now) and proceeds to give them all 'fist-bumps' about every 5 minutes. It's hilarious.
- Music- we just finished a 15 week music class with Sophia through MSU. It was soo fun and she sings the songs all the time. Every time she gets a napkin she sings the 'peek a boo' song or this 'firecracker' song. And anything that is a shaker she loves. There's just all these little silly songs they do, and Sophia has just totally absorbed them all. It's been so fun. She dances to any beat right away (whether it's hip hop or hymns). She especially loves her little farm animal magnets Oma gave her for Christmas.
Alright now for the funner pictures. I've decided it's better to have two of us around when I try to take her pictures. Whenever it's just me, she wants to just attack me while I'm holding the camera.

Attack! Laying on mommy's legs. She does this 'collapse on mommy' game a lot. Good thing she only weighs like 20 lbs.

cutie pie

I LOVE this little skinny jeans on her. They are so cute. She's the only one in our family who can pull them off.

And her little feet. She loves these shoes, and they've been really helpful as she learns to walk on our hardwood floors.

What, you want to see me walk?

Booyah!
(and notice the cute BYU shirt I got her when I was in Utah :D)

Age-based FHE (17 months) - Manna from Heaven

So in our religion we are encouraged to set aside one night a week to spend time as a family. It's called Family Home Evening (FHE). It usually consists of some type of spiritual thought/lesson, a fun activity, and a yummy treat at the end. It is a great tradition that I do believe helps keep families strong. But teaching a toddler about the scriptures or God can be a little... ummm... difficult. So I've started doing something in the last few weeks that has been great. Instead of just doing a lesson that is way over her head, I try and base the lesson on what Sophia likes to/is capable of doing. That way she is involved and is having fun.

 The first time I tried this, Sophia was really in to building blocks and knocking them down. So why not tell the story of the Battle of Jericho with her blocks?! Get the idea? So I've shared my ideas with several of my friends and family members, and have gotten such good feedback that I decided I'm going to try and start documenting them here, so others can hopefully be helped from them too. 

I'm NOT about to become one of those "Mormon Mommy Bloggers"- don't worry. This is just a fun documentation of something we do as a family, that others may enjoy and find useful. Let me know if you like it.

So this week I was thinking how Sophia loves to collect things. Like pick things up and put them in a basket, bowl or purse. So when I thought of  stories of people collecting things, I thought of the Israelites who wandered through the wilderness. They were starving out in the dessert and God sent them manna each morning for them to collect for the day to live on. 

Small paper plates= manna

Sophia and I went around and collected the plates (manna) in to her basket while I told the story of the Israelites.

Then I explained that God will always take care of us, and give us what we need, just like He gave them manna. But we do have to do some work, like the Israelites having to go and collect it.

Sophia loved our game so much...

...she took the plates out and we did it all over again!

Greenfield Village

We made another trip out to Greenfield Village (man, I love this place) and had a blast exploring all the crafters

Rick and Sophia on the working farm

Sophia checking out the chickens

One of the coolest things- on the spot glass blowing

The fiery glass blowin' furnace

They have a whole section on weaving. Rick got all excited and talked with the guide for like a good 20 minutes about this. The Jacquard Loom- the predecessor to the modern computer. 

At the water wheel

The printing press

They had this super cute little area for kids to drive little cars around in. They even had a cop and a auto mechanic.

Baah

No this man is not doing drugs- he's a tin smith! (it does look like it though, doesn't it?)

The machine shop- so cool! 

Reading...

I come upstairs to find this cuteness...

Walkin' baby!!!

Remember me saying Sophia was toying with my emotions by not walking? So while I was away at Women's Conference in Utah, Sophia decided to take her first steps?! Haha- tricky little girl. 

Don't worry, she does lots of it now for me too. Here's her cuteness. Excuse the loud, excited, mommy sounds.