Pioneer Day

My sweet Mama drove all the way here to watch the boys for me so I could go with Ella on her Pioneer Day  field trip. Being my firstborn, I rarely get to indulge in activities like this with her because I have 3 younger boys at home, those pesky brothers are always to blame;) I love the idea of the old west, of pioneers and cowboys ~ all that glorious adventure and hard work, the simple life wrapped in calico skirts. Of course we glamorize this in a MAJOR way, but being a country girl, I've always been fascinated by, and romanticized, that way of life. Truth is I wouldn't last a day in the Little House on the Prairie, so a themed field trip was enough for this Laura. The 3rd grade teachers put an incredible amount of effort into this event and it really was unforgettable. They went out to a working horse farm and learned how to harness horses, how to rope calves, how to identify all sorts of wild creatures by their fur or antlers. They went on a scavenger hunt in the woods, played old fashioned games like 3 legged races {Ella and I won, not to brag, but we won}, learned how to cook in a Dutch oven, and made homemade butter and ice cream. We ate stew and rolls smothered in the delicious, creamy butter the kids had made. They watched as a woman spun wool, and they pressed cider for apples. The kids had fun guessing the purpose/name of all sorts of antique thig-a-ma-jigs, some of their guesses were hilarious.  After I got my "work" done as a helper bee, I followed Ella around, snapping photos and just enjoying the view ~ a beautiful girl, in God's beautiful country. It was so much fun and such a pleasure to be with just my girl for almost the whole day. She was so cute in her red cowboy boots, dressed up in the prairie girl outfit my Mom sewed for me when I was a girl.

Ella roped her plastic cow on the 1st try, that's my girl! I love this look of concentration on her face. She couldn't be any cuter if she tried.

 A high-five from the cowboy.