Philly

For a year now we've been planning a beach day with some of our best friends.

We got all the details worked out, picked a lovely beach, and were ready to go.

Until the weather called for 75 degrees and a 60% chance of rain/thunderstorms.

No more beach.

Our backup plan was a day trip to Philadelphia!

We began with lunch at Reading Terminal, where Seth was very excited to see the pig statue again:

We LOVE Reading Terminal, but doing it with kids (especially in a stroller) is not a task for the weak.

After lunch it was on to more kid-friendly activities.

Seth & Ian, discussing pigeons while their dads try to figure out which direction we need to walk

First up, Franklin Square:

I swear my kids would swing 24/7 if I would keep pushing them.

Catherine & Henry take on the climbing wall together (they're 3 months apart).

Handsome Jonny & Princess by the fountain (thanks for the picture, Kellie!)

We couldn't leave the park without a ride on the carousel, of course!

All moms & kids got to ride (under 2 were free, otherwise the babies would have been ditched).

And here is where Seth chose to ride:

Seriously.

I could NOT get him on a horse.

Catherine was a bit more cooperative & rode on a cat.

Until about halfway through, at which point she jumped into my arms.

Basically, I paid $5 for Seth to sit and me to stand on a rotating platform while holding a baby.

Whatever.

I didn't get a picture of Audrey, but at least 2 of Kellie's 3 stayed on their rides!

Then it was off to the Please Touch Museum!

Okay, easier said than done.

This first involved getting our cars from the parking garage, which ended up taking an hour.

Which meant Kellie & I had a chance to catch up while the kids played in a grassy area.

It sounds nice, except for the part where the kids were READY TO LEAVE at the end.

Oh, and the part where Catherine, Seth & I stepped in dog poop and didn't notice until we were on the freeway.  We spent 20 minutes scraping it off our shoes when we got there.

Then it was off to the Museum!

Okay, this place was AWESOME.

There was so much for the kids to do, and it was all interactive.

If it hadn't cost $64 for all four of us to go, I would highly recommend it.

Seth, looking a little nervous to be stuck in a house with a giant Alice.

Can't blame him.

(from now on, all pictures are of Catherine.  We had to split--I took her, Jon took Seth, and I didn't see Scott, Kellie or kids AT ALL while we were there!)

Child prodigy, perhaps?

"Ooh!  A balance beam!  I got this."

"Totally got this."

Happy Princess in a tunnel.

The kids were in heaven and were not happy to leave when it was closing time.  

We had great plans for dinner together, but those fell through when we realized the restaurant was in the city and had no parking.  We said a very unceremonious goodbye over the phone before heading for home in opposite directions.

Thank you, Scott & Kellie, for a lovely day.

We WILL get to the beach next year!

PS--Can we please live closer to each other?  Our kids play so well together...