Bygone.

While we were back at Jim's parents' house last month I took the girls to a Laura Ingalls Wilder museum in Walnut Grove, MN. 

Grace is reading the Little House books this year at our Homeschool Coop.  We now own the series, but I haven't read them since I was in elementary school.  Grace was excited to see Plum Creek, and all of us had fun experiencing the museum- which is really like a tiny interactive "village".

There's a small church (the girls loved this the best and we played in there the longest).  There were pews and a pulpit to stand behind, etc.  It was fun.

The other favorite was the school house.  I know this is all about Laura Ingalls Wilder, but, I, for one, was having major Anne of Green Gables nostalgia flashes.  Frankly, though the Little House books are a part of my regional heritage, they do not hold a candle to my love for Prince Edward Island.  And, my girls are being brought up right on a healthy diet of Avonlea.  I digress.  Back to the school house...

There are neat old things everywhere- Grace had a great time pointing out things from the books.

I don't know what this is.

There were several scenes brought to life from the books.



The girls had a blast trying on tons of outfits.

And then, because of course you exit through the gift shop, we saw a huge selection of clothes etc. for our American Girls.  Since they were right out in the car... the girls dropped big allowance bucks.  We finished up in the store, went out to the van, and traded trendy modern clothes for outfits from a bygone era.  It was fun.  The gift shop lady correctly thought my girls were absolutely adorable.

So THEN, though we'd already been there for 2 hours, we went BACK in through the entrance and Daisy, Emily, and Charlotte went to church, 

and of course school.