A Joke While You Are Waiting - with the answer!!

B just informed me that I haven't posted anything new for a while.  So here's a joke from him until I can get something new posted.

"What did the big chimney say to the little chimney?"

Post your answer.  We'll see who gets it right!

Answer:  You're too little to smoke.

Williamsburg Vacation - Day 8

Saturday morning we loaded up the van to head home.  The kids thought our vacation was "over" and were a bit on the sad side of life.  Then they realized that we were not driving on the road we should have been to go home.  They perked up and started wondering where Dad was taking them.  Soon they saw it...the ferry!  We found a way to go home by was of the Jamestown-Scotland Ferry.  They had never riden a ferry that transported our van as well.  It was exciting to say the least!

Looking over the rail for Jamestown.

While we were crossing the river, B started acting like he was shooing at the British.  (Yeh, I know.  Wrong century for Jamestown.  But fun just the same for a 6 year old boy.)  After he had "shot down" quite a few British soldiers, the couple standing next to us started laughing.  We quickly learned that they were visiting our wonderful country from Great Britain!  We all had a good laugh at that point.  They were quite appreciative to B for not shooting them. :)

The ferry going the opposite way as us.

Once the ferry ride ended, we settled in for the three hour ride home.  Familiar sights were not far away and the kids began to look forward to sleeping in their own beds that night.

By the time bedtime rolled around, the van was unloaded and all the suitcases were unpacked!

We had sweet dreams of a WONDERFUL vacation in Williamsburg, VA and neighboring towns.  We are thankful for the men and women who journeyed here centuries ago.  We are thankful for each other, and for Jane and Laura who shared our journey with us.

And we are thankful to GOD for giving us this great country,

THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!

Williamsburg Vacation - Day 7

Friday was a fun day at Yorktown.  B had looked forward to this day all week.  Althought the Revolutionary War lasted a couple more years after the Battle at Yorktown, this was the last major battle and the Continental Army won it.

Before we toured the outside, the kids took a "hands on" class to learn about life during Colonial Times.  Here the twins are separating one of two things...cotton or wool.  I can't remember.  (It looks like wool so we'll go with wool for now.)

B holding a powder horn.  Notice the hat...that was one of our souviner "finds" the previous evening.  Although we refused to pay $20 for a hat such as this, we did splurge $6 for him to have one.  It was just a matter of looking at the right store.  And he loves it!

Mom and H wearing some linen clothes like they wore back then.

E had her turn trying on clothes as well.

We went into Yorktown to have a lunch picnic on the river.  The kids ran around in the sand a bit before we had to be back for our afternoon tour.

We had another wonderful tour guide at Yorktown.  It was the seven of us plus another mom and her son.  So we were able to ask lots of questions and the kids participated in everything.  Here's E holding some tobacco as the guide explained the trading process.

B and C leaving a tent in the Continental Army campground.  Up to six men would share one tent this size along with all kinds of insects and creatures you don't want to even think about!

Our Continental soldier.

The kids didn't know that I had packed their swimsuits and towels in the van.  After our afternoon tour, we went back to Yorktown.  They played in the sand and water for a couple of hours before we headed back to the cottage.  It was the perfect way to end our vacation.

Tomorrow...home...but not before one more surprise!

Williamsburg Vacation - Day 6

Thursday morning we headed to the Jamestowne Settlement.  This is the island where Captain Christopher Newport and his men actually landed and built their fort.  The fort along with a few other buildings has been reconstructed.  It's pretty amazing to know that those men walked the same ground over 400 years ago.

Dad and Mom along with two kids being funny in front of the first monument.  H and B did the Junior Ranger booklets.  They had to find answers off most of the monuments so we spent time in front of all of them.

A fun family photo with Dad standing like Pocahontas.

H in front of the monument honoring Captain John Smith.

At one point I said, "H, look over here!  They are evacuating!"  After seeing the look on Miss Laura's face, I realized my error and said, "Well, I guess you can see that I've lived through too many hurricanes!"  H knows the difference between evacuate and excavate (at least she does now).

What sweet faces...even if they are sitting on a canon!

At the end H and B earned their Junior Ranger badge.  The park ranger was so good in how he gave it to them.  Should we ever go back, they know that they can "help him run the park".

We left the settlement and had lunch at the cottage.  Then we loaded up again and went to the outlet mall.  There is never enough time at an outlet mall!  A wise friend who knows Williamsburg very well told us we shouldn't miss the Yan*kee Can*dle store.  The kids got to dip candles in hot wax.  In the Holiday Shop it snowed on us!  (Don't tell your kids if you go there.  They were very surprised.  As they were watching the toy train go around the track above us, all of a sudden it started snowing!)  We did find out that the "snow" is really soap so don't let them catch too much on their tongues. :)

After all the candle fun, Miss Laura took the kids back to the cottage.  Dad and I took her car and went out for dinner, just the two of us!  Then we went back to Colonial Williamsburg to walk around.  There was a Navy band performing a street concert for Constitution Day so we listened to that and did some souviner shopping.  It was a nice evening, just relaxing without counting four heads every thirty seconds.

We got back to the cottage to find the kids excited about the strawberries, ice cream and chocolate chips Miss Laura had for them after dinner.  They didn't miss us one second!  Once again, four tired children went to bed.

And for our last full day of vacation...off to Yorktown!

Williamsburg Vacation - Day 5

Wednesday morning we headed back to Williamsburg.  There was one more "colored coded area" on my friend's map that we had not explored.  We began at the Randolph House.  This turned out to be one of our favorite buildings.  We had met our guide at Great Hopes Plantation.  There were only 4 other people in our tour group so she interacted with the kids quite a bit.

The kids writing on slates.  (That's our tour guide behind them.)

The kitchen at the Randolph House.  We stayed in this room at least 30 minutes watching the interpreters prepare bread dough.  One interpreter spent some time explaining to us (mostly the kids) how the kitchen "worked".  I sure am glad I'm a mom in the 21st century!

How could a sweet girl like H be in this much trouble?

Ah, the partner in crime!  And smiling all the time!

At the Cabinetmaker the kids were allowed to play on a harpsichord.  All 4 played it.  It was a treat for them.

E's version of Old McDonald.

I found the Brickmaker to be very interesting.  H says he just "talked and talked" but I learned quite a bit.  The "purple" is too hard, the red is "just right", the orange is a little too soft and the tannish-white is soft because it has not been fired.  And the two "purples" are melted together because they got too hot.  The slanted red one will be broken to use in cracks because it's not straight enough to go with the other ones.  (H just told me what to type so she was listening!)  What doesn't really belong in the photo?

That's the Brickmaker's tent in the background.  Behind B is the hole for stomping around and mixing up mud for the brick mixture.  Here's Miss Laura, C, H, E, Miss Jane, Dad and B.  Guess who is taking the photo!?

The British are coming!  (This was the beginning of the outdoor drama they perform each day.)

One of my (Mom's) favorite things we did today (but I didn't take any photos) was eating lunch at Shield's Tavern.  This was Thomas Jefferson's favorite place to eat.  They had good food and H liked the lemonade.  We had been studying about Thomas Jefferson so the kids had lots of trivia to talk about while we ate there.  It was a fun memory.  (If you ever eat there, ask to be seated in the basement if the wait is not too long.  We didn't know it was there but it would have been a fun experience.)

This was a long day for us but was very enjoyable.  By the time we got back to the cottage, everyone was exhausted but happy.  I love days like that!

Tomorrow...some surprises...

Williamsburg Vacation - Day 4

Tuesday morning it was back to the 18th century and Williamsburg.  We began our morning at the Great Hopes Plantation.  This is a working plantation to show how a middle class farmer would have lived in the mid-1700's.

Dad and B sawing a log.

H and C helping out with the chores.  There were lots of opportunities for the kids to participate in activities which they loved.

Our family outside the Governor's Palace.

Do you see Dad, H and C in the maze?  It was fun to go inside it.

King Phillip's coat of arms included a unicorn (Scotland) and a lion (England).  There were knives and guns (over 500) all over the walls in the Governor's Palace.

After a busy morning in Williamsburg, we went back to the cottage for lunch and an afternoon of swimming.

Tomorrow...back to Williamsburg!

Williamsburg Vacation - Day 3

Monday morning we headed out to Jamestown.  The kids did a hands-on class that morning, learning about the Powhatan Indians and their way of life in the early 1600's.  After a picnic lunch, we took a 2-hour guided tour of the Living Museum.

The twins are giving their "sailor faces" onboard the replica of the Susan Constant.  She was the largest of the 3 ships that sailed from England to the New World in 1607 on the voyage led by Captain Christopher Newport.  Do you know the names of the other two ships?

The kids are using oyster shells to "dig out" a canoe.  The wood has been burned like the Powhatan Indians would have done it.  Miss Jane is watching in the background.

H is learning how to make a trundle - a tree nail.  Do you see where trundles were used somewhere in the photo?

Busy helpers grinding corn.  They had opportunities to do this several times during the week.

Ms. Jackie (a.k.a. the best tour guide at Jamestown) telling us about the Powhatan Indians homes, or longhouses.  Miss Jane, Dad and B are inside one as she is speaking.

After a very busy day at Jamestown, we headed back to the cottage for some swimming before dinner and bedtime.

Tomorow...back to Williamsburg!

Williamsburg Vacation - Day 2

After a restful night in our lovely cottage, we started Sunday morning with worship at a local church.  It was a bit different from our church at home but a great way to begin our vacation.

We had lunch then decided to spend the afternoon in Colonial Williamsburg.  A friend had given me a color coded map on what to attempt in one day according to her experience so we headed off on the "green" path.

Our first stop was the Capital.  This building has been rebuilt because the original 3 buildings burned.  However, it was interesting to see the inside and to hear stories of how things happened "back then".  E thought the lady in this painting was "very pretty".  (My mind is completely blank at this moment as to who she is.  I'm fairly certain she was a Queen of England.)

The courtroom at the Capital.

H was chosen to stand beside the interpreter as he explained the consequences of stealing during the mid-1700's.  It was worse to steal a man's horse than to cut off the man's fingers!  We walked through the Public Gaul (Jail).

We also saw the Fife and Drum Corps, lots of interpreters, and basket weaving.  Dad found some Rock Candy for a treat.

Tomorrow...Jamestown!

Williamsburg Vacation - Day 1

We kicked off our vacation at the State Capital of Virginia.  It was a nice day and there were no crowds.  What the kids thought would be a "boring day" turned out to be quite a bit of fun.

Although we have not studied the Civil War yet, I knew it was coming later this year.  So we stopped long enough to read that Robert E. Lee had stood at that spot to accept his position with the Confederate Army.  When we study it, I'll show them this photo to remind them!

We spent several weeks reading about the Corps of Discovery just before our vacation.  Naturally, we made sure to see this bust of Captain Meriwether Lewis.  The kids thought it was "cool" to have their picture taken with "him".

It was also "cool" to know that Queen Elizabeth II had been in the very building where we were.

Of course any statue of George Washington deserves a photo.

Here are Mom and the kids outside the capital.  That's a big building!

Next stop...Williamsburg!

Football and Fun Times

After co-op yesterday Alexa and Ian came over to play with H and B for a couple of hours. It was an exciting event because our children got to see Miss Emily's new car when she dropped off her younger siblings. We had been discussing the possible color of the car the day before when we heard she had passed her driving test. (Yea, Emily!)

The boys had Dad outside playing football with them. I played Dad's quarterback for a few plays but it was more fun watching the boys chase him around the yard. And of course he chased them too.

Ian is a fast runner! But Dad had some quick moves of his own!

The boys didn't take time for a "plan". It was just "go!" every play.

Dad gave them a hard time with all the silly "tough" faces. They just gave him "tough" faces right back!

The girls made up handshakes for saying "hello" and "good-bye".

"good-bye" time

(Yes, I see E running toward the street. Dad is just out of the photo talking to our neighbor. She's running to him.)