Camping... in the 1920's

Ok- another jam-packed weekend for the Smith's.

We took Sophia for her first ever campout this weekend. I wasn't sure how she would do, so we went just about an hour away to beautiful Brighton State Park. She was all over it, and loved exploring every inch.

The fire was mesmerizing to her. She kept saying "hot" and trying to blow on it, like she does her food.

On tip- bring the high chair. Made all the difference!

And of course, she loved the camp food. She ate more hot dogs than either Rick or me!

Weenie roastin'

What do you do with a can of worms???

Why fish of course!

Sophia had limited interest in this, mostly because it requires being still and quiet (not a toddlers favorite things)

but Daddy was very happy (the Angler)

Night time came, we roasted marshmallows and made smokes. It was great. 

All except for that Sophia not wanting to go to sleep at her normal bedtime thing, that was not so great. Let's just say we were all a little tired the next day.

Up nice and early in her 'long-johns'

"no Sophia, don't eat the ashes"

So beautiful. This is why I love camping. Seeing the sun come up through the trees, with the smell of early morning campfires going. Nothing like it.

Round 2 at the lake in the morning. Fog was resting on the water.

I love how still the water is in the morning, like a looking glass.

Daddy and Sophia fishing

So we packed up our bags, headed back home, took a shower, and were off within an hour or so to Greenfield Village with our friends to their annual Ragtime Festival. 

It's exactly what it sounds like.

Old timey goodness

Dancing and ragtime-yness

This amazes me. I would so die on those bikes.

We went to the train house and the men all hopped in to turn the train wheel (more excited than the kids)

And we even got to meet Franklin Roosevelt?! 

He looked great for his age.

Another fun weekend - that's Pure Michigan. (You'd think I work for the tourist bureau with some of these posts?!)

Ann Arbor

We had a free Saturday, and decided to spend the day exploring Ann Arbor, home of University of Michigan. It was so much fun! Our first stop was the Botanical Gardens- beautiful!

 

Sophia had a ton of fun exploring.

 

huge bumble bees were everywhere

they had a children's garden with sensory plants to touch and smell- Sophia liked the moss

 

In the conservatory looking at the cool tropical plants

like pineapples! I love pineapple plants, they look so silly.

We asked around for where to eat and got some great recommendations. Lunch was at Zingerman's Deli- a delicious local sandwich place, and it lived up to all the hype!

Sophia dug it.

After lunch Sophia took a nap in the car, while we drove around UofM campus. It is so huge, and beautiful! What a cool school. And then Sophia was ready for more fun.

Next stop- the Hands On Museum - an awesome children's museum where everything is to touch, and play. I'm not sure who had more fun, Sophia or Rick.

Water tables

They basically had a life-size "Mouse trap" to put balls through. Sophia played with it for literally like an hour.

up the pneumatic tube

a room full of foam blocks

trains

 

 

Tornado table

Next stop: UofM Museum of Natural History- clam bigger than Sophia

Sophia, meet dinosaur. Dinosaur, meet Sophia.

And it was fun, because there was a lot of stuff to touch and see. We had a lot of fun there.

Last stop was some killer Indian food in Downtown- Sophia was a hit. Everyone came and talked with her.

Nom, nom, nom.

It was so fun, and Sophia was great all day. We'll definitely be doing some more trips soon!

4th of July

We had a great 4th of July this year! On July 3rd, Rick and I went to an outdoor concert at Greenfield Village. The Detroit Symphony Orchestra performed, and concluded with the quintessential 4th of July song- the 1812 Overture. With real cannon blasts and all! We brought a picnic and some chairs.

Got a little wet in the process (yay for summer thunderstorms?)

but eventually had a beautiful evening.

And of course, it was all topped off with a spectacular fireworks display!

The next day we went to party at some of our most favorite Michiganders house for their annual 4th of July bash- we look forward to it all year! Sophia mostly liked the food.

And the pool. She LOVED the water slide and made Rick keep taking her over and over. 

Little slice of paradise

And one of my most favorite things about this party- cooking in a huge caldron over a fire. How American is that? Come on? Fire-roasted corn chowder = very yes. haha- hope everyone else had a wonderful 4th of July like us!

Age-based FHE (18 months)- The Wise Man, and the Foolish Man

First, sorry I didn't post our FHE from last week. We did have an awesome activity about Noah and the Ark, but the pictures I took some how got deleted?
So fear not, here's our activity from this week.

We recently made Sophia a water table and a sand box. She loves playing with the water and sand, so it seemed pretty obvious to talk about the parable of the Wise Man and the Foolish Man.


The wise man (the boat) built his house upon a rock (a brick). The foolish (the motorcycle) built his house upon sand. 

One day it a rain storm came. The wise man's house stayed put.

The foolish man's house got washed away.

Lesson- if we build our lives upon the good things God has told us to (like the commandments, faith, etc) when things get hard (the storms come) we'll be safe and stay strong.

Sophia had fun until her shoes got wet, then she was sad (what can I say- she loves her shoes).