Road Trip Day #1: Winnebago Factory Tour!

After reading about some of the museums in St. Louis, MO, we decided to do a road trip there this summer. Our first stop was a Winnebago Factory Tour!

Winnebago Industries is located in Forest City, Iowa. There was a vintage RV and trailer in the Visitor Center. There were three newer RVs outside. The girls loved exploring them, pretending to drive, and giving tours! Willa played the role of tour guide, and showed us around each model, explaining about the various storage compartments and sleeping areas.

 

 

We then boarded a bus and visited four buildings where they do the manufacturing. While the first wasn't that exciting (where they make the upholstery), the others were terrific! The girls thought it was thrilling to be up on the catwalk watching the vehicles be made. They were also excited to receive packs of Winnebago trading cards and mini-flashlights. (They ate their first Twinkie there too!)

 My new favorite shirt.

It was SO MUCH FUN. We spent three hours there! Of course, now the girls want to buy one. (And I've been looking online at vintage RVs to buy and renovate. One can dream, right?)

After the tour, we drove to our hotel in Des Moines. Overall, a great first day on the road!

Pioneer Style

The girls learned what life was like for pioneers during three camps at The Landing, a historic site along the Minnesota River. Each class was set in the 1890's.

Their first camp was One Room Schoolhouse. They were each given workbooks, slates and chalk. It was serious stuff. The girls were the only ones who did not have to stand with their noses against the wall! Poor Willa was a little daunted by it, as this type of schoolwork is new to her. However, by the end of the day she learned how to do arithmetic! She was so excited that she brought the book home and finished all the equations that night, so she could show her teacher the following day. During lunch, they played the game of Annie Annie Over.

Here they are lining up to enter the school (boys separate from girls), doing schoolwork, and outside the schoolhouse.

The second camp was the Victorian Tea Party. By far, it was everyone's favorite! The girls started by baking cookies for the party. Then they sewed ribbon roses. Afterward, they played games from that era. We all loved the game of Graces and plan to make a set for ourselves. You shoot your hoop high into the air and try to catch it, or toss it to another person. Willa's hoop got stuck in a tree twice! They also learned dancing and etiquette. They made fans and learned the language of fanning. For example, if you drop a fan in front of a man, it means, 'I want to get to know you!"

The tea party was at the end of the day and it was fabulous! So fancy!

 

The following day was Life on the Farm. The kids made pickles, strung beans, baked a cake on a wood oven, petted a chicken, duck and steer. The worked in the garden and cleaned out the duck coop. They carried a lot of wood and hay!

 Our little pioneers had a great time!

A family day to remember

Or forget perhaps?

Our poor Jia has had a tough summer. On Friday, July 5th, she became ill at a sleepover. She spent the next few days very sick and had little to eat or drink. She seemed to be slowly getting better, so we went on the following Tuesday to get her cast off her arm. (Finally!) While at the clinic, she had a seizure which they had trouble stopping. She was admitted to the ICU for a few days. Since then, it has been a whirlwind of drugs, tests and doctor's appointments. As it is with neurology, we don't have any answers yet. But we don't have any bad news either, so that's good. The best part is that Jia is finally off drugs and feeling much better.

So Jia's 7th family day was spent in the ICU. We especially celebrated that day though because she was finally alert and responsive. She was happy to have a cast-free arm, a new fan (which we bought for her in China) and a new doll (with hospital ID tag on her boot)!

We also celebrated her family day with her travel group once she was out of the hospital. We hosted the two other families at our house. It was lovely how the three Jias (now Jia, Jia and Carrie) connected so well after such a long time apart. They just gravitated toward each other and got along so well. It was a great night!

Fourth of July!

Just prior to the 4th, we released some ladybugs that we raised. They all survived!

We had a great time on the 4th of July. We got up early that morning to go strawberry picking. Apparently everyone else had the same idea! After seeing 60 cars ahead of us waiting in line to enter the farm, we ditched our plans and headed to a fantastic play area at a nearby park. It was the perfect choice!

  
That evening we went to my parents' condo to watch fireworks. Fun as usual!