Day Trip to Faux-henge

Jacob loaded us up in the car for a surprise road trip the day before Valentine’s Day. He is a sweetie pie and was worried I would veto visiting a random 2/3 scale Stonehenge (notice: this one is not aligned to the sun, if you are into that sort of thing). But when we got out of the car, an hour from home, Anna was so excited. We ran around. We all took some pictures for fun and then Anna suggested we play hide and seek. It was much harder than I expected to find my sneaky family with all those pillars! The trick was to make sure your shadow was hidden too. Anna’s giggling usually gave her away and the game quickly dissolved into tag. Crazy times. We drove into Kerrville to grab some lunch and do some shopping. Anna helped us pick out a place to eat and was very well behaved in both the antique store and the art store we visited. She was so happy in the antique store. The rotating shelves that held jewelry might have been her favorite. Jacob pushed the button and as it went around he asked her to point out any pieces she liked. She found something to like on every shelf. Then we drove on towards our common stop of Fredericksburg. We haven’t yet visited their Pioneer Museum so we stopped in. The weather was lovely and we were glad for a day that didn’t need coats, thank you very much February Texas. Jacob liked being our tour guide and telling us all about each building. We found the “Sunday House” quite intriguing, a tiny home where farm families would just stay for the night after coming into town for church and trade on Sundays but didn’t feel like making the several-mile trek back home before dark. Anna loved the schoolhouse where we took turns playing teacher and student. She lectured me on eating healthy foods not just snacks. For almost every other building we visited on the grounds she would say, “I hope it is a schoolhouse.” I enjoyed all the antique quilts in the houses we visited and the vintage kitchen with a hand-crank sink. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen one like that. Jacob liked hanging out in the barn, with washing machines, wagons, and a barbed wire collection.  Jacob and I collapsed on the park bench near the playscape in the town square. Anna quickly made a friend and had fun playing. Us adults on the other hand wondered how we were going to make it home awake. Our adventure really zapped our energy. Jacob read his new glare-free paperwhite Kindle and I made sure Anna didn’t get too many bumps and bruises.

Jacob fell asleep as soon as I told him I knew the rest of the way home. When Anna was done with her goldfish snack she asked for a wipey, which I couldn’t reach. I woke up Jacob for the chore. He chastised her a bit, “You and I need to rest now, so Mommy can rest when we get home.” She did fall asleep a little past Blanco and transferred right to bed at home. I told Jacob about his comment and he had no recollection of either handing her a wipe or talking to her. I think we wore them out. Anna was such a big helper on our trip. She is a joy to have on our adventures. Jacob had a hard time going back to work the next day, this beautiful weather is so nice. I totally understand his cabin fever.