Summer Vacation - Day 3

We woke up early again this morning and started on our drive towards New York, stopping first at Valley Forge.

This was where General Washington brought his Continental Army to live and train. It is basically the birthplace of our Nation’s Army. Of course, they had been fighting before coming here in 1777, but this was when they became unified. They began wearing the same uniforms, and working together as a cooperative force, instead of the hodge-podge they were before.
I’m no historian, but I believe we won the war because of what happened here at Valley Forge.

Of course, they also died here during the winter of 1777-78… which makes this place notable  as well. These men (all volunteers) were able to triumph over adversity and sacrifice for a cause they believed in.
Don’t worry, I drilled this lesson of perseverance into the brains of my children.

Replicas of  the more than 1000 cabins the soldiers built themselves.

8-12 men slept in each one.
Jefferson feels right at home. I have no doubt he would have been here had he been alive.
 

Getting a detailed look at the things that belonged to each soldier. And the kids being taught how to attach and use a bayonet (my boys are in a trance).  


The kids playing war.
It really was this vibrant green outside.


Here is Shawn helping Reagan with her Jr. Ranger booklet.
In almost every photo of my kids, you’ll see them holding clip boards. They trudged these things around each and every day filling out their booklets. Mostly because I made them. But also because they wanted to earn their Jr. Ranger badges. 
‘Only the most awesome children have them’… that’s how I brainwash my kids to love history. So far it’s working. 


Reagan worked really hard on this clover headband, then gave it to her dad, how sweet.
 



This is the home General Washington lived in at Valley Forge. I also got a picture of the staircase and railing he walked up and down each day, no doubt debating his next strategy.
 
 

We thought we might be there an hour or 2. Well, 4 hours later we were heading up to New York.
We stopped at Pizza Hut for dinner, which is where I threw a mini-tantrum…. Something about ‘always being the photographer and never being in any photos’ and yada yada yada
So, Shawn grabbed the camera and took this lovely picture of me at a scenic Pizza Hut in New Jersey. 
 

Then we waited over an hour for our hotel room. It was being deep cleaned after a previous occupancy of 1 year. 1 YEAR? who lives in a hotel for a year?
They had no other rooms available. But we did get our night stay for FREE, which didn’t make it seem that bad anymore.