Montpelier revisited

This Tuesday is Constitution day.  To celebrate we went out to James Madison's home Montpelier.  We attended 2 or 3 years ago and it was fun to go back. They have time period lawn games, music and abbreviated house tours going on all day.  Jared, Lydia and I have all been enjoying Hamilton for the first time this past month or so (were pretty obsessed) so it was fun to go somewhere that tied into that.  Madison is known as the Father of the Constitution because a lot of ideas in the Constitution  came from his Virginia Plan and it was at Montpellier that he organized and reviewed many of his notes to prepare. History is fun! Listening to Hamilton has reminded me of this.

This was a fun sign I had not seen before.  Its pretty fun how VA places these thematic Love signs all over the place.  This is a new favorite. 

Jared and Lydia did not remember much of Montpelier so it was good we went back.  We started with a house tour and then stopped in the exhibit about slavery.  It's very well done and is sort of bizarre to read statistics about how many early presidents owned/sold slaves.  This exhibit focus on how slavery impacted the economy and also about how families were separated which was pretty powerful.  It sparked some good discussions with Lydia and Jared which is good.  We ended with lawn games and Lydia and I enjoyed a nice walk around the walled garden.   

I would love a pantry like this!

The desk where he organized/wrote the Virginia Plan.  Great view!

New to us was the room set up as an Interactive room.  There were toys and copies of letters and clothes and this great period bed that Lydia and Jared loved. It is a nice addition. I don't have pictures of it but I love the dishes they set out in houses like this. 

After the house we stopped by an old train station just outside Montpellier. It is a good history lesson itself.  It is the actual train station restored with the segregated entrances and everything.  It's small but nicely done. I don't recall seeing an official building showing segregation before.  It was so odd to see it in real life.  To see what a reality it was.  And it took so long for VA to move past segregation.  VA was not quick to integrate.

It was used for the post office and telegraph station too and they had an old typewriter, telegraph machine and phone in there which both Jared and Lydia thought were really cool. Mark really wanted to stop there and at first I wasn't so keen but it was a good little stop. He has gone there with students before. I am glad we went and am so impressed by all the brave people who risked so much for the Civil Rights movement.

Rocket Round up

Jared's Cub Scout Pack boys of ages 8-11 activity was pretty fun last week.  The boys and some siblings made rockets out of 2 liter bottles and met at the church to launch them. There was a really good turnout which was fun.  Jared's rocket did pretty well.  There was a clear "best rocket" (not his) and it was crazy how high in the air it went.  One boys rocket got stuck in a tree and Jared happily climbed up the tree to retrieve it.   The rockets were filled with water and then launched and Lydia had a great time standing next to the launcher and getting all the water sprayed on her.  She was soaking wet and very happy.  It seemed like everyone had a fun time. 

Awhile back Mark and the primary presidency member over cub scouts met to decide what to do with the Cub Scout age boys.  There is a really nice couple called to plan/lead activities but they were not getting a lot of support from families (guilty) and lots of activities were cancelled.  So it was decided to assign families of Cub Scout age kids specific activities to be in charge of and then have the couple called be there to support them/help ahead of time.  Mark and I brainstormed activities and people to be in charge and then he called the families to ask if they would accept the assignment to organize the activity.  Everyone agreed and then all who could met after church Sunday a few weeks ago to finalize everything.  The program has just really floundered since the church announced it would no longer be using the Cub Scout program. I was never a true Scout supporter but even my minimal attempts were put aside once it was announced we were splitting ways.  I think the next few months will be fun.  We are in charge of caroling in December.  Being part of the planning group, all 2 of us, did put me in a good spot to pick what activity I wanted to be in charge of.  I hope everyone enjoys what is planned and shows up.  I am curious to learn more about the new program. I feel like the church has really been stringing us along.  Mark got pamphlets and some thin booklets in the mail this week to prepare for the church wide 5th Sunday meeting about the program this month but they were still really vague.  Since I will be in nursery I will need to watch the broadcast about it at home some time. 

Three parties two days

It is no secret that I like to plan activities for our family.  After taking most of last year off I am entering the social scene hard, possibly making up for last year?  This weekend was probably a bit overboard but you can't help it when people have birthdays.  As I got ready for bed last night I felt so tired.  It was not a restful weekend.

Friday: UVA (work) welcome picnic and Bike Rodeo (both things I was in charge of organizing)
Saturday: Soccer, birthday party for Lydia's friend Kitty and birthday party for Mike Struble one of Mark's counselors in the Bishopric.
Sunday:  Church (nursery was a bit much, at least the first half), Lemonade party with ministering friends and dinner at new friends.

Most of the welcome picnic stuff was done over the Summer so there was not much the day of except  to see that it was all set up and Jennifer from the office loves this event so she was happy to stay out there the whole time which was good because I had lots of scheduling to do. There are two visitors this week and I needed to finalize their schedules.  (Work has really stepped up and I love it!) I only visited outside for a little while (it started at 12 which is when I get off) then headed home so I could work on last minutes stuff for the bike rodeo.  Before I left Ricky, who was grilling for us heated up a cookie for me on the grill and it was so warm and melty.

The birthday party Lydia went to was a pool party which is a fun idea but for those of us not in the pool it was so hot which is exhausting.  That party was from 3:30 - 5:30 and she had a great time.  Mike's party was from 6:00 on and they live a good 30 minutes away so we were pushed for time.  They had a potluck and it was a pretty evening with nice visiting and lots of pie.

This was most of the kids but at least 5 were missing from this picture.  Lydia attended this little girls party last year too and there were over 30 kids, they like to party!

A few months ago I had the idea to get together with some of my ministering people and have a lemonade party. We have done ice cream and hot chocolate in the past and its a nice way to get together and try out a new theme.  The plan was to have it in June but then travel schedules changed so we pushed it back to September.  It was fun and tasty but I had quite a few things go wrong.  My timing was way off. I decided to use a base lemonade recipe and then add extras to make different flavors.  Mark really wanted to make Brazilian Limeade which I allowed even though it was not quite the same.  We made Strawberry lemonade, Mint lemonade, Limeade and Passion Fruit Limeade.

We missed some votes but Passion Fruit Limeade and Strawberry Lemonade were the clear favorites. 

Lydia requested popcorn as we occasionally have lemonade and popcorn as an after school snack and she feels you need to have them together. Jessie made some delicious Lemon Poppyseed cookies which were a hit. 

The problem with the lemonade was the recipe called for a simple syrup which has to boil on the stove for a few minutes.  I started the syrup much later than I should have and was worried about the lemonade cooling down in time to drink it.  I know I did not want warm lemonade. I had also never made mint lemonade and even after reading recipes I wasn't really sure how much mint to add.  And with my late start on the syrup the mint wasn't going to have the suggested 2 hours to seep.  I had borrowed 4 pitchers from the kitchen at church which I thought was very clever but then they were too small to hold all the lemonade the recipe made so there was lots of storage improvising.  It was really stressful to realize I did not have the space for the volume and that it would take a good while to cool it down to a refreshing temperature.  All this while trying to socialize and visit.  And earlier in the day I had dropped a large pyrex container with black beans in it and it shattered all over the floor/counters and gave me a decent cut on my toe. I was so busy trying to clean it all up that I didn't even see the cut. I registered the pain but didn't see the cut. It was something.  That definitely added to my late start time.  In the end the lemonade was delicious and chilled (the mint could have chilled longer). The kids had fun playing together and we got to try some new things.  Not a relaxing visit by any means but good.

Dinner was nice.  It was lovely to visit with some new people and Mark and I were really impressed with Jared and Lydia.  This couple does not have kids so their house is not exactly fun for kids.  We had them bring books to read after dinner and they did and the couple had crayons and paper for them and they read and colored happily while we chatted.  It was almost like old fashioned days where children were expected to be seen but not heard.  We were not encouraging that by any means and they did a pretty good job visiting with them at dinner.  It was just nice to see them sort of understand the social situation and handle it well.

Next weekend will be way less busy so I may actually feel rested when I go to work Monday.

Bike Rodeo and Soccer beginnings

Friday was the school Bike Rodeo.  I volunteered to organize it again and am happy with how it turned out and even happier that it is over.  There are two new PTO co-presidents this year and they really wanted to try to control the chaos.  The basic idea was the same, come and ride your bikes/scooters at the school but we did add a little more structure this year.  Each child got a wristband when they arrived and if they went to each station (Safety, chalk courses, police) they could go back to the table and collect a glow stick.  It seemed like there was a great turnout and everyone I talked to had a great time.  There were as always a few crashes but no serious injuries.  One change this year was the amount of High School volunteers we got.  There were about 12 kids and they were so awesome.  They were helpful and hardworking and happy to be there.  It was so nice.  It is still my favorite school event.  As long as they want me to I will plan to run it again next year and then maybe take a break.  I really didn't see Lydia a whole lot but she seemed to be happy when I did.  I reminded both of them to bring money if they wanted to buy anything and they both got some ice cream which made them pretty happy.

We started setting up at 5:00, officially began at 6:00 and closed it down at 7:30.  Finishing 30 minutes earlier was a really good idea.  Even this early in September the sun has set by 7:30 and it gets dark quick.  We finished cleaning up by 8:00 and it was fully dark.  I am grateful for Mark's help and all the great volunteers we had.  Jared and Lydia said it was the best one they had attended so I guess we did a better job than I did last year?

It's always nice to see lots of kids out being active.

Both Lydia and Jared are playing JAG soccer this year.  Mark is the assistant coach for Lydia's team which she is happy about.  She has been very attached to Mark lately so any extra time she can get with him is helpful.  She ended up with a really strong, fun team.  There are 3 people from our ward who could have been on her team but she didn't get any of them. In some ways I think its nice because it helps her and me interact with friends we don't see outside of JAG soccer. 

Jared has three kids from our ward on his team, two boys and one girl.  And three kids from our ward are on the other team (they are all brothers) so thats a lot of ward members on two teams. JAG soccer ages out at 10 so it is his last year playing. I don't realize how much he enjoys JAG soccer until it starts up again and he is so happy to be playing.  He did really well on Saturday and scored his teams 3 goals.  The other team scored 3 as well.  They are pretty well matched teams.  Lydia has made it very clear that she is only playing for the snacks but it's fine.  She is working with a team and running around and getting delicious (to her) snacks so its a win.  The season is ending about 2 weeks earlier which I think is great. Our family has recently discovered the greatness of "Hamilton, the Musical" and are pretty obsessed.  Its so catchy and informative! Makes my little history brain that I often don't pay attention to happy.  So I played "My Shot" for them on the drive to the field Saturday and it will now be their weekly pump them up song.  Sort of like a walk up song for baseball.  It was fun. 

"Best Bowmasters" (Jared could not explain to me what they were)

The Jaguars

Farmville, VA

Last week I started thinking about how we wanted to spend our day off.  Quite awhile ago I had heard about some old railway tracks that had been turned into bike paths and thought if the weather looked good it would be fun to try out.  The weather did look decent so we headed down to High Bridge State Park, not far from Farmville, VA.  The bridge was completed in 1852 and was targeted by both the Northern and Southern armies during the Civil War.  It played a pivotal part in Lee's retreat at the end of the Civil War, it's not too far from Appomattox. 

It opened as a recreation bridge in 2012 and is the longest recreation bridge in Virginia. It is 125 feet above ground which was really fun.  It was originally 160 feet above ground and had an upper and lower level from what I understand so it could be used by wagons and trains.  We made it to the parking lot just after 9:00 so it was still fresh and cool out.  This put us about a mile away from the bridge.  The whole trail is about 31 miles long and really popular for bike riding.  It was great to ride somewhere nice and flat and go across the bridge, it provided beautiful views.  Jared liked it a lot but kept commenting on how the new boards which replaced the old ones made him nervous. I pointed out that I was happy there were new boards because it showed that the state was paying attention to the bridge and making sure it was safe and kept up.  It was safe, fun and pretty and while there were a decent amount of people enjoying it it wasn't crowded at all.  Jared and I rode back and forth across the bridge 3 times.  We had driven a good distance to enjoy it so one time was not enough.  Once was enough for Lydia though.  Lydia generally loves riding her bike.  This was one of those times where you thought someone would love something and they just didn't.  She and Jared rode around the parking lot/ nearby trail while Mark checked our tires and just used up too much of her energy. She felt like the mile long gravel trail to get to the bridge was too long and was irritated that she didn't have water with her. I was sad that she didn't enjoy it more. I loved it and want to find another cool spot to do a fun family ride.  I don't see myself taking up cycling anytime soon, Charlottesville is not the place for that in my opinion but family bike rides were a frequent occurrence while I was growing up and a fun way to spend time together.

Farmville is known for other things too.  Besides Civil War history it played a big part in the civil rights for education movement.  Our next stop after our bike ride was downtown Farmville (really cute and charming Main Street) and the Robert Russa Moton Musuem.  I was well aware of Brown vs. The Board of Education Topeka but I didn't know (or remember) that this case was made up from 5 different cases.  The plaintiffs were in Kansas, Delaware, South Carolina, Virginia, and Washington DC.  Farmville was the school in question in the Virginia case.  The students at the all black school in Farmville decided to strike because of how bad and unfair their school conditions were.  The school originally served 147 students but at the time of the strike enrollment had grown well over 400 and the only accommodations that were provided were 3 tar shacks.  So the students went on strike and the NAACP decided to take on their case.  They were not originally going too but when they met with the students they were so impressed by their determination/organization they felt they couldn't let them down.  Instead of agreeing to integrate schools when the law was passed Prince Edward County decided to close all the schools.  They stayed closed for 5 years, there were no public schools.  Virginia was terribly stubborn and slow to integrate in general and Prince Edward County is a good (bad) example of that.  Mark and I were impressed with the museum and glad we stopped in.  The tour begins with a video depicting the students and the meeting they held about going on strike.  You watch it in the actual cafeteria where it was held.  Jared and Lydia did well for the video and first room or two but were ready to leave long before Mark and I were.  There is a lot of information to take in and Mark and I were trying to learn all about it but Jared and Lydia were ready to move on.  We should have adjusted our time in there to better suit their attention level and they should have handled their desire to leave better.  So, the museum is well done and I am glad we stopped and could have some good conversations with Jared and Lydia but we over stayed our time there which made it end badly.

Downtown Farmville

There are signs like this all over VA, well the word Love that is.  

This is my favorite I've seen. It's made of old railway ties as far as I know.

We saw 2 painted pianos on our walk.  

Martin Luther King visited this church and it was a gathering place for meetings during the strike. 

I didn't know there was a Civil Rights in Education Heritage Trail.  I will need to look up where some other sites are. 

This is a timeline leading up to the strike and after.

The actual high school turned museum.

It was nice to go explore a place we hadn't been, take in some sites and get in some history too.  I am grateful for all the courageous individuals who said enough was enough and were brave enough to make change start.