Joyful Noises times six!: Philadelphia

My inspiration for this record of my days:

“The biggest mistake I made [as a parent] is the one that most of us make. . . . I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. There is one picture of [my three children] sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages six, four, and one. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less” -Anna Quindlen

Wednesday, August 5, 2015

Philadelphia

I LOVED Philadelphia!

We stayed across the river in New Jersey, and got to take the train into the city in the morning. That was the highlight for a couple of the kids!

Our first stop was the Liberty Bell. Before the trip, I had assigned each kid two subjects for reports. I was hoping that they would get excited about some of the sights before we got to see them, and that they would be more meaningful. Simon did one of his on the Liberty Bell. In this case, my plan really worked! He was so excited to see the bell and get his picture taken with it. He even spent his own money on a Liberty bell keychain!

We went to the US Mint, which was really cool. They had a great interactive setup for kids, and we got to see coins being made. They didn't allow pictures, but we did get this one of Eli's chin. He tripped and fell while we were there. Poor guy!

It was a pretty long wait for our turn to tour Independence Hall.

It was pretty hot, and Simon was mad about something or other.

But so worth it! We had a very entertaining tour guide, so even the kids enjoyed the long tour. It felt almost like a holy place to me. The place where those men prayed and sought Heaven's guidance as they laid the foundation for this great nation.