A Trip to Gettysburg

We went on a quick trip to Gettysburg today.  I don't think my aunt knew exactly what she was getting into with my two year old.  She had proposed that we maybe go to a children's museum.  I said that would be great, but what would really make my son's day would be cannons.  My son was happily looking forward to his adventure to see cannons.  He even said, "Thank you Jesus for cannons" last night.  I'm glad he doesn't know the historical impact that cannons have.  In his mind, cannons are cool celebratory tools, like fireworks.  His first exposure to cannons were at the 4th of July Celebration we went to.  His exposures to cannons have been mostly as large objects at parks to climb on (we live in the Mid-Atlantic, so there are plenty of historical areas with cannons around).

My husband and I watched a special on Gettysburg last night.  It was a show I had DVR'd the last time we went to Gettysburg, so I think my husband was happy to use the trip today as impetus for me to watch the show and get it off our que.  I'm a history buff, but more of colonial and recent history than Civil War.  My hubby is a Civil War history buff, so hopefully my son will get a little bit of everything from the two of us.  Anyways, it was a great refresher before we embarked on our journey today.

What would have been an intimidating journey no longer was.  After surviving the 9 hour car ride to Cincinnati, a trip to Gettysburg was nothing.  He did fine in the car and we arrived to meet my Aunt.  My aunt had originally suggested the visitors center and then a audio tour in the car.  I asked her if she was up for the toddler to get a run in first.  Well... we ended up embarking on a journey that ended up at the spot where my Aunt had wanted to drive to.  Along the way we sat in the middle of the sidewalk and ate crackers, happily sitting on the ground and watching butterflies fly by, we also embarked on an acorn chase, throwing an acorn and then trying to find it and throwing it again and random periods of hide and seek.  Life with a two year old is ALWAYS interesting.  Just as he was beginning to lose interest on his excursion, we came up to Cemetery Ridge where there were TONS of cannons to explore.

Having the memory of the show I saw last night, I was able to get historical meaning out of the excursion and my son just had a great time in the fresh air looking at all the cannons.  My aunt looked slightly winded.  We then embarked on seeing the multiple monuments.  One of the monuments that quite frankly, I wouldn't have gone up on on my own (but a two year old must explore everywhere!), had a staircase that actually went up really high to see the battlefield.  The things you find when you explore with a two year old.  While in another couple of years, I'm sure we will be teaching our son a lot on this historic excursion, I think he taught my aunt and I a lot.  She remarked that we had done over 10,000 steps and so she had exceeded her quota for the day.  He then was ready for lunch and a sleepy ride home.  To be two again....