Philadelphia

We went to Philadelphia for a family vacation!  We left on Thursday morning and made the 4 and half hour drive to the Philadelphia Zoo!  It was fun, the kids enjoyed it.  Their favorite was the petting zoo where they got to pet and groom sheep and goats.  It was also very hot and humid and like most zoos it seems to all be uphill - so we were ready for some swimming when we went to check into our hotel.  Unfortunately the pool was closed and we were not able to go swimming - the kids settled for exploring the hotel room and watching cartoons.  We went to dinner and watched The Croods at the hotel.  We were lucky - the thunderstorm that was suppose to dump on us held off until that evening.  The kids were way too wound up to sleep and it was a long night with little sleep.  The next day was not pleasant.  We drove into the historical part of the city and saw the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, The Betsy Ross House, Benjamin Franklin's Grave and lots of old buildings.  There was lots of whining and complaining due to the heat and the walking and the lack of sleep for everyone.  Lilah had a complete melt down on our tour of Independence Hall - she and her Dad had to leave early.  Celeste decided she was done with the tour shortly after so the rest of us joined them outside while Lilah finished her tantrum.  It was lovely!  After lunch we gave up and packed everyone back into the car.  We had some friends move to New Jersey last year and so we went to visit them - the kids played while we got to tour their house and catch up!  It was nice.  We went back to the hotel and the kids were able to swim for a quick half hour before the rain and lightening drove us out of the pool.  The kids slept really good that night so we decided to give the city another try on Saturday morning and I'm glad we did.  The kids were much better behaved and it was an enjoyable morning.  We went to the US Mint and learned how they make coins, The Carpenter House where the Continental Congress met, and we tried to go to a Military Weapons Museum but it was closed.  We walked back through the visitor's center and then headed home.  We hit some awful traffic on the way home, but we finally made it!
It was a hard trip - but it was good and the kids had fun.  Their favorite things were swimming, the breakfast buffet at the hotel, and seeing their friends.  It's a good thing we drove all the way to Philadelphia to stay in a hotel.  Maybe next time we'll get a hotel with a pool and a free breakfast buffet here in Richmond =).

You can see from the pink cheeks and sweaty hair how hot it was (and this was inside resting!)

This tiger walked right in front of us - he almost brushed up against the glass he was so close.  Celeste slunk back and tried to climb behind me - apparently a sheet of glass wasn't enough of a barrier for her.

Grooming the shorn sheep

Lilah and Madeline really enjoyed this part - I think Madeline made sure to brush every goat and sheep there!

Celeste was a little unsure of them, but we convinced her to pet a few of them.

We are looking at the large gorilla.  He came right up to the glass as well.

This is after they all finally fell asleep our first night at the hotel.  It's too bad they didn't stay asleep!

This is our 'ducky' picture.  When we are all out together Mike says 'duckys' and the kids all line up like ducks and follow their daddy duck - Mom usually brings up the rear.  We've done this for years and when we first started it they would quack.  This was a silent duck line in Philly.

The Liberty Bell

Pennsylvania State Hall - aka Independence Hall - this is where the liberty bell hung and it's where the Declaration of Independence was read and the Constitution was written.  It was gorgeous inside!

Stopping for a rest and a snack

The kids listening to a story about Betsy Ross - just outside of the house she lived in when she was asked to sew the new country's flags.  

Madeline, Lilah, and Calvin signing their names on parchment with old fashioned quils and ink

Saluting with a soldier

In other news our summer break has been kind of crazy.  I've been going into the office more, including a really long trip to Baltimore for some meetings, Calvin had a week of Cub Scout Twilight Camp, we've had some crazy weather and it's been a crazy couple of weeks.  I'm ready to settled down into a summer routine and enjoy some 'regular' summer stuff!

Calvin with his two buddies at Cub Scout Camp - this is the day they got rained out.  Calvin had a great time - he LOVED it and can't wait to do it again next summer.