What a week of Summer - Thursday zoo

As our week went on I was getting tired of packing road trip bags and snacks and I was losing motivation but we had one last day of me off work and the opportunity for adventure. Adventures call won out as it echoed Johanna's little chant of "Hanna zoo, Hanna zoo, yeh-ah Hanna zoo" . We loaded water bottles and snacks in my bag and packed Hanna's diaper bag and off we went on a beautiful day to the zoo. Emma was working for Uncle Henry so she didn't join us.

Hanna's great mood was contagious and the big sisters let her enthusiasm lead. We went to a Critter Encounter and saw a hawk up close then Hanna got to pet leopard skin. Our timing was great because we then showed up at the otter habitat in time to watch them be fed. Rachael then took Hanna in her stroller through the cave where Megan got to help point out animals. Bridget does not like the cave so she and I stayed outside. The girls went down the tree slide and crawled in the turtle shells.

But the most memorable part of the day was when we went through the farmyard. The animals all made their sounds and Hanna would make an O face and cover her mouth with her hands as she backed up. The roster crowed and the cow mooed. Rachael then drew Hanna's attention to the sheep and the girls all got a turn to pet him. Hanna's head was sheep height and as she touched the sheep he let out a gusty baaaa. I had to laugh as Hanna's eyes grew in size. Hanna was a little leery but loved it all the same. She would have stayed and watched them for a long time. Next we all went into the goat petting area. We picked up brushes and all had plenty of chance to pet them as they ate and lounged around. Hanna would approach with one hand touch and then pull back. She then circled and did it again. It was very sweet.

Then it was time for lunch. We couldn't stay too long after lunch because nap time was approaching but we did walk through the Africa area and took time to let Megan feed a giraffe. We saw the lions and intended a short peak at the chimpazees. No matter your intention you always stay for awhile at chimps. It was a great visit and we got back in time for a long nap for our sleepy Hanna. I am so glad we made the trip.
 

What a week of Summer - Wednesday Downton Abbey

On Wednesday of our active week we headed North. An hour and a half up 95 brought us outside of Wilmington DE, to the Dupont Estate of Winterthur. Friends of ours had sent info to me about an exhibition of the Costumes of Downton Abbey way back in spring and we vowed we would go. So the week of the Shumaker's vacation we synced our schedule with the Arnold family and set aside Wednesday for the road trip. Erica, Keith, and Melanie Arnold are as big of Downton Abbey fans as Emma, Rachael and I are, so it was a perfect fit. The passengers got to watch a few episodes of the show in our van as we made our way. I couldn't watch the show as I drove but it was fun to listen to the dialogue and the enthusiasm of the girls.

We started our visit at Winterthur with a tram ride through the natural gardens. Mr. Dupont obviously had a passion for his gardens and had many beautiful varieties of landscapes, plants and trees. After our garden tour we ate lunch in the cafe and then went to the museum for our entrance time into the Downton Abbey Exhibit. I was immediately impressed with the exhibition. Emma was anxious to see Sybil's harem pant's and moved quickly until she found them. The costumes were well displayed in vignettes with video and sound clips from the show. They intermixed pieces from the Dupont family's collection such as, photos, valet brushes, tea service, and traveling trunks. Then the curators added quotes from Emily post and Oscar Wilde. The costumes themselves were quite spectacular. The designers had taken vintages pieces of embroidery and lace and from them fabricated dress to give the effect of period pieces.  At the end of the exhibit you turn a corner to see one of the iconic scenes of the show. The red evening gown and the dinner tails stood in front of a dark background with a lighting effect of snow. Then the video clip of Matthew and Mary's engagement starts behind them. It was stunning. The girls whipped through the exhibit but were happy to go back and read things I suggested. I kept finding them standing in front of the harem pant's. They seemed to have a magnetic effect on Emma.

Our scheduled house tour was next so we joined the queue. The house had gone through many large additions over the years and had reached the size of 175 rooms mostly intended from the start to display Dupont's early American collection. They had a huge collection of George Washington's pieces. We were all interested in the house itself. It just seemed to go on and on. There are 9 floors. Rachael enjoyed taking pictures as we walked through. We had just the introductory tour so we only saw a few rooms on one floor. A person could spend all day in the house discovering things. Our tour ended and we grabbed a snack before walking through the terraced gardens by the reflecting pool. It was full of paths and levels and a coy pond. The girls took a few minutes and enjoyed naming the fish, things like Gandalf, Hiroshima, and Omelette. These girls are such fun.

 

What a week of summer - Tuesday DC and Hershey

The size of our family and the daycare arrangement we have with my sister, make it difficult to go on day trips during the summer weeks. 8 kids is just too many to fit in the van; plus I might lose my mind. So when the Shumaker's went on vacation last week and I was down 3 charges, we planned some outings. On Tuesday 4 of the girls and I connected with Mary and 4 of her kids and drove down to the Metro station where we hopped on the train to DC. The train is always so thrilling for the kids. Rachael wanted to stand up most of the way, just for the experience. Hanna was strapped into the stroller and Bridget attached herself to my side. Emma settled in enjoying cousins and lending a helping hand as needed. Megan was with her girl scout troop at Hershey Park. Megs was disappointed to miss our DC trip but was so excited about her own adventure that there was no real sadness.

Once in DC we headed to the National Gallery of Art. Mary had seen an article on a painting by Titian that was being exhibited and that is what prompted the visit. The NGA also had exhibits by Andrew Wyeth and another of Cassat and Degas. The Gallery has so many pieces that we knew we wouldn't be able to see them all so we tried to focus on the ones that drew us there in the first place. The kids were all fantastic and were wowed by the building as well as the works of art. It was fun to read the tags to the kids. In the Wyeth exhibit Bridget was astounded that she was looking at paintings and not photographs. By then Hanna, Teresa and the crowd were getting hungry so we quickly did the other exhibits and then headed out to the Mall.

Emma and Rachael took some pictures as we laid out the picnic blankets in the shade. Hanna tore into her sandwich and then after a few bites tore off running across the lawn. She was happy to be out of the stroller and Teresa and Katherine had fun chasing her. It was really hot on the mall as we made our way across to the Air and Space Museum. We had less than and hour, so we focused on the early flight section of the upper floor. The kids read the info themselves and checked out all of the planes. They didn't need any help finding interesting things in this museum. Hanna got very fussy and cried for a few minutes until she fell asleep. She slept all the way out of the museum, back to the metro and on the train. She woke up when the train jerked about 1/4 of the way home. The train was packed on the ride home so most of the kids were standing at least part of the way. I was proud of them for not complaining and instead they enjoyed the trip.

Megan meanwhile was riding big roller coasters and splashing around with friends at the Hershey Water Park. The next morning at breakfast, after a good night sleep, Megan asked Bridget "Tell me what you did yesterday". We all shared our stories.