Pioneer Day

Today was Pioneer Day at the Old Settler's Park. It is one of my (many) favorite annual events around here. So even though I had missed work Thursday and Friday with one of the worst cases of strep throat I had ever had, I decided that being 24 hours on antibiotics made me non-contagious and whatever lack of energy I had from being in bed for two days was just not worth missing such a fun event.

It did mean, though, that we started with my favorite part this year: the photo shoot.

During Jack's turn getting his picture taken, Sydney found a really big stick. No really. A really big stick.

This turned into fun for the whole family.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! Run for your lives! Daddy has the stick!

My silly family. Anyway, after picture taking, we joined up with the Hazens who were also there and did the various stations.

Sydney, Peter, and Jack all loved the old fashioned toys table the best, I think.

The spinner's demonstration, though, was pretty impressive, even to a four year old. They gave her a little bit of pink wool and she spent some time looking at it with wonderment. We finally had to explain the the wool did not come from a pink sheep, but rather that the woman dyed the white wool pink. The wool was not so impressive after that bit fancy ruined.

As with last year, the wash day chores station was a big hit.

Then we went on to the one room school house where Sydney actually listened to the teacher's spiel about schooling in the old days for at least a minute or two.

At this point I can't tell if I love Pioneer Days so much because the event itself is so historically intriguing, because I love the pictures I get on my sweet family in front of that old barn, because it reminds me of my childhood fascination with Little House on the Prairie and my great grandmother who came across the prairie on a covered wagon herself and lived to see man walk on the moon, or if it's just that Pioneer Day always comes on the first weekend of May and it is the first official sign of the upcoming summer.

I'm sure it's a little of all of the above, but I must say, the pictures always make me happy and now I am busy planning what fun things we will do this summer.