My Prairie Home Companion

Whew! We made it to De Smet, SD and back! It was a great trip. We saw so many Laura Ingalls Wilder sites and artifacts. We walked through the surveyor's house that she lives in in "By the Shores of Silver Lake", we went to the homestead that Pa claimed. We saw the trees that he planted by the shanty for each of his girls. We went to the Loftus Store from "The Long Winter" and then visited the Ingalls' graves. It was so fascinating and fun. I love a good prairie! -RL

Every road trip should have a stop at a small town cafe. This one did not disappoint. It was tiny, folksy with lots of regulars that all knew each other. I think they were wondering about the strangers in town.

We had a couple of hours to swim in the pool. The Es had lots of fun and Ethan loved
swimming around with Elliot.

This is Ethan at the Laura Ingalls Wilder Pagaent. It was an outdoor play of "The Long Winter". It started after the sun went down, so it was cold on the prairie.

This is the site of the Ingalls' original claim shanty. Pa planted a tree for each girl and they are still standing.

I love these pictures of them in the prairie grass. Can't you picture Elliot falling down like Carrie on the TV show?

This is a replica of the dugout they lived in on Plum Creek. Cost of this house, you ask? $2.78.

Ethan loved washing clothes on the washboard and then putting them through this old timey rinser. He did it like 4 times while we tried to wait patiently.

Elliot roped a steer from his stroller! That's gotta be some kind of toddler roping record.

On the wagon ride! When asked where we were from, Ethan said "Minnesota!" Then the tour guide said, "I hope you're not a Vikings fan." Ethan then replied, "No, I like the Packers!" And the wagon cheered and laughed. Boppa Dale should be proud.
It was hilarious.

We rode the wagon to an old school. There was a teacher there and Ethan answered several questions correctly....much to my surprise. I thought he was shy--where did that trait go?

Then Ethan rode a horse a bit. He was so excited about the horses and wagon rides.

Then this happened. Both Es totally exhausted from the day. Mission accomplished.

Little Man on the Prairie

If you check back to our book list here, you will see that Ethan has been very interested in Laura Ingalls Wilder's "Little House" series. We started the first one "Little House in the Big Woods" during the flood. It was in a rescue box of books from the Lien household and was Sara's book. I had never read any of these books, although I did get "The Long Winter" from my second grade teacher, Mrs. Larson. I didn't make it past Chapter 2; the book was still dog-earred from 24 years ago.

I didn't expect Ethan to enjoy the first book at all. Proof that you should always give things a try! He loved it and we went on to my book from elementary school. That is the 6th book. Proof that you should always read series books in order! Mary was blind, there was another baby! When, how, why?!

So, after that one, we went back in order and Ethan has loved each book and has now started from the beginning reading them with Chris. We have 3 books left to go. We are also planning a trip this weekend to De Smet, SD to see the Ingalls homestead, some of their homes. I love his fascination with this and will do anything to nurture whatever he's into. -RL

Happy Brother's Day!

Did you all have a nice Brother's Day? Oh, you let it pass by without celebration? I guess it hasn't caught on....yet.

Backstory: In May, Ethan and I were walking through the grocery store and I was pointing out all the ice cream treats he could buy me for Mother's Day. Then he asked what Chris would want for Father's Day. Then he thought a minute and said, "Mom, when's Brother's Day?" I said there was no such day like that and he decided that there should be and it should be July 1. (Yes, I realize this conflicts with Canada Day, but he's 5, what could I do?)

So, today we had the first annual Brother's Day. The bros dressed alike and played all day, had pizza and popsicles. It was very sweet and I hope it can become a yearly tradition for them. -RL