More Fun at Greenfield Village

We discovered more things to see and do at Greenfield Village today. Our first stop was the working farm. As we entered the Firestone house, we were greeted by the smells of their dinner meal cooking on the wood burning stove. Laid out on the table was a spread of pickled vegetables and canned peaches from previous harvests. The women in the kitchen spoke to us about their chores as they beat eggs and rolled out dough. They also introduced us to to the variety of chickens and roosters wandering about the yard.

Jacob couldn't resist trying out the old out house.

Emma pitched in with the laundry. Monday is always washing day because it's one of the most exhausting chores. It takes Sunday, the day of rest, to gear up strength for it.

I can understand why it would consume the day. It sure makes me appreciate my new front loaders!

I got three loads done before 9 o'clock this morning, thanks to my modern washer and dryer. It would have taken me 2 days the old fashioned way.

They added more lambs to the fold this spring. They're growing up quickly.

When you see them up close and personal, they don't sees so cute and cuddly anymore. In fact, they are filthy and stinky!

Jake and Emma discovered a "new" game today. It looked like croquet to me. They took to it quite well.

This was a perfect day to play out under the trees. We couldn't have asked for better weather.

Emma and I couldn't resist the hat shop while Jake went down to ride the Model Ts. Isn't it funny to see such a froo-froo hat on this tomboy?

What we women do in the name of fashion...

This face just about sums up my day with the kids. We had a great time in Michigan, but I completely collapsed on the couch when we arrived home. Whew!

New at the Zoo

The Toledo Zoo just opened a new section of the park called Nature's Neighborhood and the kids and I checked it out on Monday. We loved the whole concept because it encourages kids to explore and play. Everything is totally hands-on.
Have you ever seen a giraffe wear a purse?

Jake had no trouble scaling walls with his flip-flops.

One building is dedicated to family pets and their care. Emma got to snuggle this little guinea pig. I didn't realize they were so cute and calm. I always thought they were too rodent-ish, but apparently they're pretty good pets.

One station allows the kids to paint their faces. Emma chose to have a staff member turn her into a bunny.

In "the forest" the kids climbed spider webs...

...and played in bee hives.

I found a little habitat of my own.

We've already decided to go back next Monday, this time with friends.

I'm glad the kids aren't too "old" for the zoo yet. I sure love taking them! Plus, we haven't been to every corner of this particular zoo yet...

Busy week and my cop-out post

Check out my sister Sheila's blog to find out what's been keeping us so busy:
http://orellanaoasis.blogspot.com/2009/07/pretty-perrysburg-ohio-part-1.html

Play Ball!

Jake plays ball one hour a week at the municipal park through the summer rec program. The kids are organized into new teams each week by the high school-aged counselors who run the activities. It's perfect for our family right now because we don't have a bunch of practices or long, hot games. It's just for fun.

Jake is really into baseball right now. I hope this passion sticks for awhile because it's a lot safer than football.

When Papa and Lala were here, we took them to a Mudhens game. Sadly, we picked a super hot day to go. For the first few innings, we were right in the sun. The air was unusually still too. Ugh!

This game went 13 long innings until the Mudhens finally took it. We didn't get home until 11:30 that night.

Emma bought her own cotton candy and shared it with Daddy. Here is Rick's impersonation of Papa:

There were some other highlights. A foul ball came our way. We didn't catch it though. One guy a few rows back started choking on a candy, and someone had to perform the Heimleich to get him breathing again. The weird thing was, the victim stayed the rest of the game despite having almost died. He had also thrown up profusely. Ewww. All in all, it was a memorable evening.

The Henry Ford Museum

We are new members of The Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan. We made our first trip there with Lala and Papa to Greenfield Village, just one of the many attractions at The Henry Ford. We felt like we got to ride a time machine. It was a very neat place to experience history first hand.

The kids mastered the stilts in no time. Emma took particular interest in the stilts, and kept going back to practice throughout the day.

We rode the antique carousel with hand-painted animals. I got stuck with a pig.

Rick and Em found animals right next to each other.

Jake was too cool for us and opted for the sit-down spot.

We can't seem to take a normal picture anymore with these 2 clowns.

The train ride took us around the park, saving us some walking time.

We also rode the omnibus. The driver gave us some insider information too.

Aren't these horses beautiful? They're a special breed called Morgans.

Jake played baseball - 1800's style.

He was pretty good, I must say.

The heat didn't seem to bother him. He was having too much fun.

I love Jake's expression here:

That's a better smile!

The kids made candles. It was a lengthy process, but they stuck with it.

Guess what? Emma now wants to try candle making at home!

One of the highlights was riding the Model T Fords. Wow!

It cooled us off and rested our tired feet.

Isn't that a quaint little cottage behind us?

Papa had to see the bike shop...

Here are a few videos of the kids playing some old-time games:

Father's Day

CHURCH CALLINGS

I lost my voice for Father's Day (which was my special little gift to Rick). Unfortunately, this created a small problem for my church responsibilities. I lead the music time for Primary and Nursery. Our ward children's choir was to perform for the fathers in Sacrament Meeting, with me as their chorister. The poor little group was on their own and I could only wave my hands enthusiastically for support. The kids sounded great though. They even emphasized the ending sound "d" on the word "dad". That got a chuckle from the congregation, which is exactly what I wanted.

Later I realized that this was Jake's last Father's Day in Primary. He won't get the chance to sing Daddy's Homecoming anymore. Sad!

Emma will be happy to carry on the tradition though. She hasn't gotten too cool for Primary yet.
I officially got my call to teach early morning Seminary on Sunday too. I was so pleased to have parents there as I was set apart to teach seminary, and Rick was set apart to be the new Scout Master. What a special day!

FATHERS

After hours of napping, we made a delicious mixed grill dinner. For dessert, Lala made strawberry shortcake with some local berries. YUM! Then we moved on to "prizes", as Papa likes to call them.

The kids dug up some special treasures for Papa. Emma had built this space ship using a kit Jake purchased for her at the Challenger Space Center.

Jake made Rick this handy dandy organizer at the Home Depot clinic. Emma made one too, but painted it in bright, jazzy colors.

Jake gave Papa his rockets, though we never did make time to launch them. Maybe next time...

Rick received the Blu-ray of Iron Man to watch on his new projector. 10 minutes into watching it however, made us decide to never let the kids see it. Yikes!

As if that wasn't enough action, we all took a drive over to the 577 Foundation. It's a beautiful gathering place for the community that holds classes, concerts, and field trips. We walked through the lovely community gardens and spied some critters too.

The kids hammed it up in the tree house:

The made it look so fun that Lala and Papa had to try it too: