Grandma & Grandpa Visit Vermont: Day 1: Shelburne Museum

We are so blessed that my mom & dad got to come see us in Vermont all the way from NC! It was a little cold but the fall leaves were at their peak color and we had a couple pretty days. The first full day they were here, we went to a museum that we’ve been wanting to go to for awhile now. It’s really more of a group of historic buildings, rather than just a museum. Many of the buildings were from the 1700’s and gave us a little taste of American (and Vermont) history.

Before we got there, we stopped by one of our favorite Vermont stores: Dakin Farms. They have samples of cheeses & sausages, local dips, seasonings & honeys. Of course we got some tasty treats to take home.

Back to the museum:

The first building had displays of old wagons & stagecoaches to show how people traveled. Of course Leah loved the “princess carriages.”

Then there was an old-fashioned carousel. The kids all loved this. Well, Abigail wasn’t so sure the first time, so I sat with her on a bench that didn’t go up & down. When we went back later, she wanted to get back on again.

 

We also walked through a building displaying old circus pieces and a really really long ceramic-model “parade” with figures of all kinds behind a glass partition, marching along like a parade. It’s hard to explain but it was really neat because it went on and on around the entire building. At the end was a huge wooden display of an old-fashioned circus, which used to be a huge form of entertainment that everyone would take off work to go see. Thousands of hand-carved wooden figures were watching the circus. So neat to look at!

Then we got to see an old train yard. Of course, Daddy wanted to be silly and pretend to run from the “moving” train".

One of our favorite parts was the huge ship—the Ticonderoga—which used to transport people across Lake Champlain from Vermont to New York. It is set up as it would have been in the early 1900’s with a huge dining room, small bunks, a steam room in the bottom where the ship was controlled, and the captain’s deck. We had fun exploring all 3 floors. Well, by this time Abigail was a little fussy, but after we got some lunch in her, she was a little happier.

 

Although the trees weren’t really part of the museum, we loved the fall colors—some colors I’ve never even seen before!

 

After lunch we saw the old jailhouse, which had 2 really tiny little cells in a building with only one window. I put my family right where they belong!

 

Andrew would have gladly stayed all day to watch this electric train go around and around the display—you can’t even touch it or play with it, but somehow he loved watching it!

 

Leah loved the displays of old fashioned doll houses and dolls. Some were quite creepy, but all were a part of the collection of ONE person. The girls even had a little pretend tea party.

 

We checked out an old fashioned church and also a schoolhouse, heated only by one small wood burner in the middle of the room.

 

Everyone also loved the covered bridge and Leah and Andrew ran up and down the whole length of it.

 

We attempted some family pictures, and even got a couple good ones, in spite of Abigail’s 2-year-old attitude!

  

What a fun first day we spent with Grandma & Grandpa! We will definately go back to this museum again. We didn’t even get to see many of the art buildings and other things the kids wouldn’t have been as interested in. It is more than a day’s worth of activities!

Fall Leaf Fun

The fall leaves are at peak color right now in Vermont and I have to say it is beautiful! (It makes the impending snow seem more bearable.) Even though it really is pretty basically everywhere we go, I haven’t taken too many scenery pictures (and my nice camera is broken right now), but I have tried to get a few of my pretty fall kiddos!

These are with a pumpkin we grew in our garden—it must be at least 30 pounds!

 

This was right outside our front door. It’s probably the 4th or 5th rainbow I’ve seen since we’ve lived in Vermont. It always reminds me of God’s love for us even in the midst of the rain.

 

These kids love playing outside here more than they ever did. They’ll even go outside by themselves now and stay out for an hour or more. They come up with all kinds of things to do. One of their favorite new games is going down the slide when I’m sitting on the bottom and trying to knock me off. Of course when one tries it, they all have to try!

 

Then this past Friday we decided to go rake up some big piles of leaves to jump in. We don’t have any trees in our yard, but the church has plenty and we found some great backgrounds. The first few were in the cemetery behind the church, which is the same view we get in our own backyard, since the church is next door.

You can see our house in the background of this first one, to give you an idea of the views we have all around us.

Abigail was not at all excited about jumping in the leaves at first, although she didn’t mind picking up the leaves and throwing them on people. It took a lot of coaxing to get her to smile and we had to catch her in action rather than forcing her to get in and pose.

 

I wanted to get some better ones of the three of them but once again Abi wasn’t having it. She is almost 2 after all. Brett finally had to stand behind me and make faces in order to get them all to look!

 

AWANA at WCC

 

This year our church has embarked upon a new adventure for the kids: an AWANA program. Each Wednesday, kids from 3 up to 6th grade come for a time of Bible stories, Scripture memory, songs & games. Before our kids were born, Brett & I both served as leaders in this program at our old church and we loved it. I have taken on the role of Commander this year, which is challenging but a lot of fun. The leaders all come to me with questions or concerns! The kids memorize new Scripture every week, so even after only about 4 or 5 weeks, they probably already know more than I do! They get patches and awards on their vests as they pass sections of their handbook by reciting the verses. The incentive makes it a lot of fun for them. Of course, they all love the games, and they’re probably the “hook” to get un-churched kids to come. We’ve started off really well, with about 15 kids, just the ones that have already been coming to our church! We of course want to get kids from the community involved and hope to grow over the course of the year!

We start out in the Sanctuary for songs & pledges.

Then they go to Handbook Time, where they recite the verses we’ve practiced through the week. Andrew is in Cubbies, for preschool-aged kids. They have a lot of fun songs and activities to go along with their verses. Plus a puppet show every week!

You can probably also tell in the pictures that we have a number of unique Theme Nights. We’ve already had Backwards Night (where we wore all our clothes backward) and Crazy Hair night. They can earn extra points if they participate, which will eventually be used at an AWANA store for fun prizes!

Leah is in Sparks, for K-2nd grade. She is excelling at memorizing her verses and is self-motivated to speed through her book! She also loves seeing her friends every week.

The games will eventually be centered around an AWANA circle, with different colored teams, but as you can see, our floor has just recently been finished so we haven’t yet got that going. For now, they just run around with balls or balloons or other fun things.