Covered Wagons

This summer we finished reading the "Little House on the Prairie" series.  We've been reading this book together as a family since forever.  We've started and stopped a couple of times, and then we really got into it this past year and finally finished.  It's a tradition that we've loved; the incentive of being able to read a chapter (or two or three) altogether before bedtime has been enough to get even the littlest (or most talkative) ones to hurry up and get to bed!

Sometime I will write about why I think this series is the best parenting manual ever written, aside from the scriptures.  Now we are reading "Anne of Green Gables."  Kensington had a hard time getting into it at first because she didn't understand all of the flowery language, and the themes at the beginning were a little over her head.  But now she loves "Anne" and has even suggested naming our new baby girl Minnie May or Anne after characters in the book.  We have about fifty pages left, and I think "Little Women" will be our next read.  Oh, how I love the classics!

On one of our rainy days this past July, which also happened to be Pioneer Day, our creative Raleigh decided that the girls should all make covered wagons.  I donated some supplies, and they went to work.  I even let them have free reign of the hot glue gun, which they thought was the happiest thing that could have happened to them all summer!

Choobers and her wagon

Madeline's wagon

Raleigh's wagon from the front

Inside Raleigh's wagon

I think we need to remember this activity for another rainy day.  It kept them occupied for hours, and they were so proud of their work!