Last weekend we went to a re-enactment at a local historical place. It was a perfect event for our family; it was close, not overwhelmingly huge, perfect weather that wasn't too hot or cold, and a few of our friends even came to see us!
Two very funny things happened at this particular event. First of all, camping over night was an adventure as usual. I decided that sleeping on an army cot in 45 degree weather was not the best option for me, at 32 weeks pregnant, and so I went home to get off my feet for the night (good decision!) Nathan and the kids stayed over night, and they were exhausted! By 7:30pm, both kids were in bed (they share a cot, one at each end) and they were sound asleep. At 9:00pm, the Confederate drum core, which was very talented, decided to play a goodnight song. Or two. Or three....about twenty feet away from our tent. You wouldn't believe it, but the kids never woke-up. They slept right through the night, even in the cold, until 5:45am when the drum core practiced again! Then Lydia woke-up and went to snuggle with Nathan because she was cold. After about 15 minutes, Luke's head popped-up from his pillow, and he said with a smile, "It makes me want to dance!" Then he hopped out of bed and did a dance in his PJ's on the floor.
Secondly, and I am sad to say it, Nathan experienced his first casualty of war. It was, um, himself.....he died. In battle. The second battle; cannons tend to have that affect on soldiers. I am not trying to take lightly the reality of war or the sadness of human loss, but in some respects you have to make light of such a serious thing when you are re-enacting with children. It is VERY hard to explain what re-enacting is and why we do it to a four and two year old. If I tell them that war is bad and that's why we try to teach others about it, it is difficult to make sense of.
Anyways, to make a long story short, Nathan died in one of the final cannon blasts in the second battle that they re-enacted. The kids were already a little upset about the cannon, because it was very loud and very close. When I saw Nathan go down and told the kids that he had "died", they were upset. Luke seemed to be fine once I reassured him that it was just pretend, but Lydia was just plain mad. When we saw Nathan after the battle, she said, "Daddy! I don't want you to die next time! Make sure you go to the back of the line!"
Soooo many life lessons. I'm just waiting a few years to explain them all. :)
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