Since our girls are out of school this week again, Laurie and I decided to take a little adventure with them. We left Wednesday afternoon and drove to my parents house (about 3.5 hours away) with all the kids. This was our first road trip with us and the kids and it was SO fun! We are already planning our next adventure!
My mom made all of us hamburgers and brownies for dessert. The kids loved it! My aunt Linda came over to see the kids and visit. We had so much fun. Harper had a sleepover with Sarah Kate on Tuesday night so our kids have had a pretty much constant sleepover party for the last week.
Our girls all LOVE Little House on the Prairie. We watch it all the time on the Hallmark channel. We haven't read the books yet but that is on the agenda for the next year. Laurie's girls are actually going to be Laura Ingalls and Harriet Olson for Halloween next week!
So what could be better than for us to visit the Laura Ingalls Museum?
My parents kept Will for the day so we could have a girls day!
Laurie and I were laughing that our social media is filled with all the moms we know taking their girls to Taylor Swift concerts (which we would love to do ) but we are taking our girls to a Little House on the Prairie Museum. And were probably happier than anyone!
This was such a fun day. It was a perfect fall weather day! Aren't the leaves pretty where my parents live? The Ozarks is the best in the fall!
The Museum is in Mansfield, MO which is about 1.5 hours from where my parents live. This is where Laura and Almonzo lived and their daughter Rose lived there also. This is where Laura wrote all the Little House books.
This is the house the Wilders lived in. We learned that Laura and Almonzo were tiny people. She was 4'11 and he was 5'4. The ceilings were super low and the rooms were TINY. I had claustrophobia just standing in the house but it makes sense knowing they were just little people. It's so fun to imagine them and what they did. No TV, no internet.........just reading books and writing books and working the farm. I think in a way that slow life sounds so great!
We weren't allowed to take any pictures inside the house or in the museum. I so wish I could so I could share with you! You will just have to go visit yourselves!
The Wilders' daughter Rose was a wealthy author. She travelled all over the world and then came back to live here. She built this house for her parents and then she lived in the white house. She was married 9 years and divorced (which I have to think was very uncommon back in those days) and she had one son who died soon after childbirth. She later adopted several boys.
I LOVE the Little House books so it's neat to think about Laura writing them here.
This was a little spring house that Almonzo built down where there was a bubbling spring so they could keep goat milk and cheese in it when they didn't have room in their refrigerator.
The museum had a ton of possessions of Laura and Mary and their family. So much about them is VERY different than the TV show. Mary never married and never ran a blind school. And Willie Olson was blind in real life and that's how the two families met.
Our girls had a good time. They kept asking where Nellie Olson's house was and where was the hill that Carrie fell down on (like in the opening on the show).
We also went to the cemetery and saw where Laura and Almonzo were buried.
This is Laura and Almonzo.
And this is Rose. She was an interesting character.
There is a whole set of books for children about her life. I'm going to get them for the girls after we read the Little House series. They are here if you are interested.
If you are anywhere near MO - you should totally make a day trip! We had the BEST time! Laurie and I had the most fun out of anyone. We drove back to my parents and picked up Will and got home late last night. I'm so glad for all the fun we have had on fall break!
