Virginia: Day 4

Sunday November 10, 2013

We attended the early Mass at the FSSP parish, which we highly recommend. What a great facility for a church, and wonderful liturgy from the FSSP, as always. The pastor there was the priest who provided my sacraments (conditional Baptism, Confirmation, first Confession, first Holy Communion) and who married us. Last we saw him, we had our firstborn son in tow . . . and now we have four children! Father N. has been moved 3,000 miles to our coast and is only five hours away from our city: yay for us!

Fr. Novokowsky, FSSP

After Mass, we headed for Colonial Williamsburg! This trip had great meaning for me because my dad took me to Colonial Williamsburg many times as a child during our annual vacation from California to the East Coast. And now I can pass on this treasure of a living historical site to our children!

Mama is afraid of water, so crossing the James River on the ferry was not my favorite thing to do.

Whimsical bathroom signs at Colonial Williamsburg

You leave your wagon unguarded, our children are likely to find it and climb it.

When we arrived, each child was given a map and a list of about twenty places where one could visit and have one's map hole-punched. Obtain five hole punches and the child earns an unnamed souvenir (which turned out to be a little pin). We added to the system by telling our children that they had to exhibit good behavior in the exhibits/buildings and between them in order to get the hole punches. Within the first building, our two oldest acted up, racing around the building, not coming when called, and immediately were not allowed to get their hole punches. Tears ensued briefly and the system worked very well, I must say, after that. A quick reminder that a hole punch might be lost and maybe they wouldn't get the five punches to receive the free souvenir and behavior improved right quick!

The  blacksmith

Watching the blacksmith

Unfortunately, our only family picture of the day was taken in deep shadow: oops!

John in the stockade

Mary in the stockade

Margaret in the stockade

The courthouse

The children climbed numerous trees: it was one of their favorite things to do amidst all this history! I wish we'd had more time (like at least two full days) so the children could go slowly instead of our rushing them along, telling them to come out of trees so we could go to the next building.

Mary hasn't been wearing her new bonnet for dressing-up sake at historical sites, but because she loves it. She hasn't taken it off in two days, wearing it to Mass (as her chapel veil) and everything!

At the tailor's shop

At the silversmith's shop: did women ever do silversmithing at that time?

Watching a review of the soldiers, in which they shot off their guns and a canon

I know women surely weren't soldiers at that time, although one of these actors was a woman, which irritated me. 
I doubt there is a shortage of men interested in being these soldier-actors.

One of the highlights of the day for Margaret (2-1/2) was riding the bus back to the parking lot and she even composed a song for the occasion, which she sang with jubilation for any other passengers to hear.