Balloons & a Bike

One of the first things Kate said to us when we arrived in Salt Lake City was that her birthday was only 2 days away. Imagine that, someone counting down to her birthday! I wonder where she learned such a thing. It became quickly apparent that we could NOT gloss over Kate’s real birthday like I had intended and plan a joint party with Jane a week later. Kate was very specific in her requests. She wanted “a bike and balloons” and she knew what day she could expect them.

At breakfast Monday morning Kate had me sing every version of happy birthday I could think of. Then we set out to have a fun day together as a family. Our first stop was to get the girls’ hair cut. The week before Kate had taken her giraffe scissors to her hair, the dreaded but inevitable event of childhood. Fortunately, the shortest piece was about 5 inches long so it still looks cute--short and sassy for summer.

The grand finale of our adventures was going to REI to look for a bike. We had decided to get Kate a skuut. Unfortunately, no one told REI to hide all their shiny pink bikes with sparkly streamers. Kate, deep in her princess phase, has eyes only for pink frilly things just now, so when I first brought the skuut around she said, “no, not a bike like that.” Fortunately, all I had to do was say, “This bike is just like Gracie’s” and Kate was immediately sold. We found a helmet and then headed home for the real fun. Kate and Josh put the bike together and pumped up the tires. We put Kate’s helmet on and she was off without a moment of hesitation. She is the perfect size and level for a skuut and she looks so cute riding it. All week whenever there was a break in the rain she would beg someone to take her out to ride her bike.

Kate’s two best friends, Grace, her cousin, and Makenna, her friend from Philly, both turned 4 at the end of last year. Consequently, Kate has been waiting for 6 months to be 4 like them. When she came and woke me up on Monday, I gave her a big birthday hug and told her she was 4 now just like her friends. As if not to bring the long awaited event to an end too soon she said, “no, not yet.” She spent all morning deciding when she would actually turn 4. First, it was after she ate breakfast, then it was when she got dressed, then it was when she ate cake, but once she got on her bike she knew she was 4 and big stuff to boot!

We had a fun birthday dinner complete with balloons, gooey cupcakes, and homemade birthday hats. For all my worry about not planning anything, the day worked out very well. I think Kate’s hopes were more than satisfied, which means the birthday was a success.

It was pretty fun to watch my little four-year-old cruising around on her bike. I love that little girl more than I can say. I love to hear her continuously singing to herself, sometimes in her high, screechy mermaid voice. I love to do workbook with her and see her excited to learn to read, write, and add. I love to watch her enter into her world of imagination and play there an hour oblivious to all around her. I love to hear her tell her jokes and see her joy in making people laugh. I love to see her play with her little sister. I love to see her get excited about Jesus stories when we read the scriptures. I love how she wiggles and squiggles to get out of being held any longer than 3 seconds at a time. I love to hear her tell me stories. I love to see her spin and twirl and dance and glance over her shoulder to make sure I am still watching her performance. I love to see her do new things, even if it means she is growing up without my permission. I love my little Katerpiller, my adventure buddy, my ball of energy and enthusiasm. Happy Birthday, my beautiful girl!

The rest of this week was spent refinishing the deck, recovering from refinishing the deck, clearing our eyes, noses, ears, and mouths after refinishing the deck, cleaning the house after refinishing the deck, and cursing the rain for messing up our cycling plans. We have loved being around grandparents again. It is nice to take life at a little slower pace for a bit.

Woodford Planning

Woodford Planning (n) The act or process of talking about future occurrences in general terms without taking the necessary steps to make specific plans until it is absolutely unavoidable.

Last Sunday evening we found ourselves in Philadelphia without our girls. They had arrived safely in Utah with Grandma Shelly and Grandpa Larry. Josh had finished school. Summer had officially begun and we, of course, had no specific plans for the next month. We used Sunday afternoon to catch up on sleep. Monday we kicked it in to high gear. We ran a few errands, deep cleaned our house, packed our bags, and caught up on a few long neglected to do items. We thought we could leave on our cross country drive around 10:00 the next morning.

Tuesday rolled around. We started finishing up the last loads of laundry, packing the car, and doing all those last minute things that take far longer than you think they will. Pretty soon our goal for departure was 12:00 noon, then 1:00 p.m., then I stopped making time specific goals. We pulled out of Meredith Street just before 4:00 p.m. and drove to the hospital to visit a sister who I visit teach and Josh home teaches who had just had a nasty surgery. It felt awfully familiar to spend all day packing and anticipating leaving town only to swing by the hospital “really quickly” on the way to the freeway. I think that is how every family vacation of my childhood began. And, of course, we had to swing back by our house to pick up a couple essential items that we forgot. By the time we got on the interstate headed out of town it was past 5:00 p.m., just in time for rush hour traffic. At least we finally had some time to think about what route we wanted to take West.

Using our phones we mapped our way to Nauvoo and headed in that direction with the idea that we would drive as long as we wanted and stop when we were too tired to go on. The beginning of the drive was beautiful. Spring is in full swing in Pennsylvania so we had a very pleasant drive through the green, lush countryside. Once it got dark we started taking turns driving while the other one slept.

We had packed up a cooler of food and as we were driving out of town we decided we would try to eat only that food and save ourselves some money on the trip. That lasted until we stopped for gas right after crossing the border out of Pennsylvania, when Josh simply had to have a corn dog. That part of the plan was definitely better left behind.

We continued to drive on through the night toward Nauvoo. At 6:00 a.m I had to pull over and we both crashed for a little over an hour in our seats by the side of the road. That was the low point of the drive. We pulled into Carthage at about 9:30 a.m, the only tourists in sight, and had a private tour of the Carthage jail. That is a sacred place. The Spirit there was beautiful.

From Carthage we headed to Nauvoo. We drove along the edge of the Mississippi River and into the historic part of the city where you see the temple crowning the settlement. We were able to go to a session in the temple and then again, because it was not crowded, we were able to walk around and see different areas inside of the temple. It was so beautiful. The building itself is lovely--inside and out--but the history and context of that temple make it even more poignant an experience to be there.

After the session we drove around the city a little in the rain and then headed to a hotel and slept and slept and slept. Feeling refreshed the next morning, we started off on another day of driving. The highlights of our next long haul were highway 2 running through the Iowa countryside and the view of the stars as we drove through Flaming Gorge at 2:00 a.m. We were the sole travelers on that highway in the middle of the night, so we pulled over and looked up at the stars. Then Josh made me play frisbee for a few minutes just because we could.

The day after we woke up in Nauvoo, Illinois, we woke up in Roosevelt, Utah. Since we arrived there at 4:00 a.m. we slept in as long as we could, but then we rallied for a wonderful day playing with that cute pack of little girls. Greg and Shannon’s house is one of my favorite places on earth. It was a little sad to be there without Kate and Jane but at the same time it was kind of nice to be the carefree aunt again.

Saturday we went for a 43-mile bike ride in preparation for our century ride at the beginning of June. Being on my bike again felt great. Climbing up what in Pennsylvania we would call a mountain but it Utah we call a hill didn’t feel so great. Any lack of pep I will conveniently blame on the elevation change! Let’s just hope three weeks of training can get me where I need to be.

It is good to be in Utah again. It is good to be close to family. It is good to be close to mountains. It is good to see people walking to church. It is good to feel the cool breezes at night.

My girls didn’t even give me the cold shoulder as I had feared they might when we met up with them in Salt Lake. They have been darling, much more cuddly than usual. Jane keeps saying, “I need you, Mommy.” and coming over to be picked up. Getting the girls ready for church today was a challenge, however. They fought me every step of the way. Their favorite response to everything I asked them to do was, “Grandma doesn’t do it that way.” At least I know they enjoyed being with their Grandma for a week. Maybe someday I will figure out how to be a caretaker of her caliber.

So, in spite of Woodford Planning we managed to make it home. Two all night drives wasn’t how we anticipated crossing the country, but it all worked out in the end. Maybe one of these days we will learn the benefits of planning ahead, but for now we are just flying by the seat of our pants. It is Kate’s birthday tomorrow. Ask me if we have everything ready like good parents would. Nope. Again, Woodford Planning; we have talked about it several times and thought about it a lot but nothing is really ready.

Send Them Away For Mothers' Day?

Any time I take visitors to the airport I am sad. Invariably I cry as I drive back toward the city. Kate always comforts me by saying, “Don’t worry, Mom. I’ll be your buddy.” And she is. But today not only did I loose my visitors, I also lost my little buddies. My mom and dad and Kate and Jane are all on an airplane flying to Utah. Who is going to be my buddy now? Maybe I’ll go pull out my old teddy bear.

We had a wonderful week with my mom and dad here. We played a lot but we also did plenty of relaxing at the same time. The day we went out to Valley Forge we took along a picnic and a kite. We tromped to the middle of a huge field, set up our blanket, and enjoyed the afternoon. Valley Forge is undoubtedly the best place I have ever flown a kite. Not only is it open and beautiful but it has the perfect breeze. We literally took the kite out of its package, unrolled a few yards of string and watched as it gracefully floated up into the sky. There was no running or throwing the kite upward in hopes of catching an air current. In fact, you could just sit on the blanket munching your lunch while simultaneously flying a kite like a pro.

Because my parents have been here before, we were able to see some historic sites that are not on the typical 24 hour tourist trail. We visited the Declaration House where Thomas Jefferson was lodging when he wrote the Declaration of Independence. We toured Walt Whitman’s house in New Jersey. (Inspired by Doug’s enthusiasm we are all becoming Whitman fans.) We visited the Franklin Court--what is left of Benjamin Franklin’s printing press, post office and house. We walked through Christ’s Church and Elfreth’s Alley, and although we were off the beaten path a little, we made sure to conveniently end the day near the Franklin Fountain, our favorite ice cream parlor.

The girls wanted to show Grandma and Grandpa one of their favorite places so we went across the river to the aquarium and saw hippos swimming and sharks cruising all around us. Sitting in front of a two story tank at the aquarium and watching sea turtles, sting rays, fish and sharks swim around has a similar mesmerizing effect to watching a camp fire burn. I could have stayed there all day.

A trip to Philly would not be complete without an outing to Longwood Gardens, so we were careful to squeeze that in as well. We saw the end of the Spring flowers and the beginning of the bright Summer colors. One thing I love about Longwood is that the girls enjoy being there as much as I do. There is room to run and play. The girls will disappear under a weeping birch, run to the top of a hill and roll down, splash in a fountain, and smell the flowers as we walk through the conservatory. It is a great place for childhood delights and imagination. Another thing I love about Longwood is their food and, of course, we made the most of that as well.

We managed to make the most of having Grandma and Grandpa around. Grandpa completed all of our long neglected home repair projects. Mom helped me cook creatively to use up all the food in the house. They both played and pretended with the girls. Kate would dress them up and pretend she was their dance teacher and they would prance around just like she asked them to. Is there anything better than grandparents?

Josh was in the middle of finals this week while we were off flying kites and smelling flowers. He would come home each night and play games with us to unwind a bit. The good news is that he is finished! You can now refer to him as a mighty SECOND YEAR Wharton student. Last night after we put the girls in bed we walked across the street to Figs and had a celebratory dinner. It is always nice to have a reason to celebrate.

Our summer has officially begun. Josh and I will wrap things up here in the next couple of days and then drive to Utah to reclaim our girls. Instead of worrying about how to entertain two little ones on a four day drive, we can think about what book we want to read out loud and what off the beaten path place we would like visit. The girls will be happily playing and we will be peacefully driving. (Thanks to mom and dad for making this possible.) I don’t know what kind of mom I am to send my kids away on Mothers’ Day, but now I know I’ll only think of their endearing traits until we are together again.

Hooray for the beginning of summer!

Thank Heaven For Finish Lines

Shortly after we moved to Philadelphia I started sending my dad links from active.com for marathons out in this neck of the woods. I figured as long as he was running a marathon a month, he should run one where we could cheer him on. He took my not-so-subtle hint and signed up for the Rivertowns Marathon on May 1^st. So, here we are on May 2^nd. Dad ran the marathon yesterday.

I am hoping to ride Little Red, a century ride through Cache Valley, with Shannon again at the beginning of June. In an attempt to prepare for that ride I have been running. Josh’s schedule doesn’t offer a lot of opportunities for cycling, so I decided to focus on getting aerobically fit first hoping the cycling muscles would develop quickly once school is out. Perhaps not the greatest training plan, but it was the best I could do. I can run with the girls, but pulling a bike trailer doesn’t do much for your cadence.

In a weak moment I decided it would be fun to run the half-marathon in Danville while Dad ran the full marathon. Then I further decided that Josh should run it with me. That was a stroke of genius. We have had a good time preparing together. Whenever Josh walks in the door we herd the girls into the Chariot and head outside for some exercise. The girls play together, I focus on breathing in for three counts out for two so as to avoid side-aches, and Josh keeps me going by telling me about school and things he has been thinking about. We stayed as close to our training schedule as graduate school allowed, trying to turn yours truly into a runner. Yesterday, Josh & I ran the half-marathon.

The course for the Rivertowns Marathon runs along the Susquehanna River through a couple rural PA towns. The scenery was certainly not lacking! The tall hardwood trees arched over the road. The river lazily flowed along beside us. The sound of birds was inspiring. And, occasionally, a “beautiful fly” would fly right by and almost kiss your nose. We ran across three bridges--one offering a great view of the river, one an old railroad bridge so picturesque it could have been on a calendar page, and finally an old covered bridge to cement in your mind that you were on the East Coast.

As beautiful as the run was, however, it was still a long hard run. At about mile 11 as we were running along a beautiful forest trail my heart rate suddenly sky rocketed, my breathing was labored, and I wanted to sit down and cry. That is the part when I was really glad I made Josh run with me. He told me to just stick with him and keep going and he chatted on merrily about something or other. We got back on track and ran the last mile and a half at our usual speed. Thank heaven for Josh and thank heaven for finish lines!

Yes, my father ran right past us and kept going another 13.1 miles. I was happy to be done. We went back to the hotel, ate a water ice, showered, and then went back with our cow bells to cheer Dad on at the finish line. I sent Kate out to run the last few feet with him, but she insisted on climbing on his shoulders like she used to when we were in Salt Lake.

This morning we went back and walked part of the route again. We wanted to see it when we weren’t in quite so much pain. ☺ We walked along the forest trail and crossed the railroad bridge. The girls threw rocks in the river. Grandpa taught them about the restoration of the Aaronic Priesthood while we stood right by the Susquehanna River. We saw frogs and even a beaver!

I am warning you now that I am going to try to convince as many of you as possible to come run the Rivertowns Half-Marathon (I have no desire to run a full marathon) with us next year. Start those wheels a turnin’ and think it over. You couldn’t ask for a prettier route.

We are excited to have Grandma Shelly and Grandpa Larry with us this week. Josh will be taking finals, but the rest of us are going to have a great time.

Kate was so excited when she woke up Friday and realized that Grandma & Grandpa were sleeping downstairs. She wanted to run down and wake them up immediately. I distracted her with other things for about an hour, but then there was no stopping her. I told her to go down quietly, climb up on the bed and give them a kiss on the cheek. Josh told her to run down and jump on them. She thought about it for half a second and said, “I’m following Dad’s example.” Off she ran down the stairs.

Jane talks up a storm these days. She has strong opinions about how things are and should be and now she is starting to express them. I made a great dinner one night. I was so excited about it because it was delicious and I had invented it myself. Josh--surprise, surprise-- was not home. The girls were not terribly enthusiastic, but I was loving it. I was praising myself as I ate and saying, “This is so good it could be served in a restaurant.” Jane looked at me with a scowl and said, “This is not resternaut. This is home!”

As long as I am openly saying what a great runner and cook I am, I may as well add one more story to remind you all of how beautiful I am as well. ☺ As we were driving out to Danville for the marathon Kate was singing quietly to herself as she often does. Suddenly she started singing a little louder so we could hear what she was saying. Imagine her high soprano voice (which she thinks is how a Princess sings) singing: “Dad, I love you because you are so cute. Dad, I love you because you are so cute...almost like Mom.”

Coasting Though Spring

Life was pretty low key again this week. We went on a behind the scene’s tour of the zoo and saw a Jaguar only a few feet away. We went to Longwood Gardens and spent an entire afternoon enjoying the sunshine amidst the incredible Spring flowers. I started reading The Lord of the Rings again. I tried, without much success, to make a dent in my ever increasing laundry pile. (Is there life after laundry?) And really, until yesterday, that was about all. This coming week we will have to gear up for finals and preparations for our summer wanderings. Last week we coasted in neutral.

Yesterday we rounded up as many of the young men & young women from our ward as we could find and drove them out to volunteer at the Special Olympics. I was pretty surprised that so many of them woke up on a Saturday morning to join us. We had eight youth, which is a pretty impressive turn out for the Independence Ward. The activity was very well organized and they found a good job for our group helping out with the standing long jump. I am always amazed to see the transformation in the countenances of our youth from the beginning of an activity or lesson to the end. The Spirit really does transform them before your eyes. We didn’t get home until almost 5 o’clock but it was a pretty good way to spend a day. Kate and Jane were amazing. We just took them along with us. They entertained themselves and were patient and content the whole time.

Driving through the suburbs was a new experience with a car full of kids from inner city Philadelphia. I heard things like, “The people who live around here are mean.” “I could never live in a place like this.” And, my favorite, “It is scary out here. At least where we live they don’t kidnap kids.” Interesting. We lock our car doors and worry about getting shot in their neighborhoods and they are equally as uncomfortable in the world we are used to. A few of them loved it and said they would like to live in a place like that someday. The things they were the most excited about were the basketball hoops in the driveways and the fact that you “could have a room for everything.” I couldn’t get over how quiet it was!

After a long day in the sun we still needed to get in a training run for our half marathon next week. We fed the girls a nutritional mac-n’-cheese meal after their pizza lunch, packed them up in the chariot, and headed out to race the sun. We ran the Schuylkill River loop just as the sun was setting. The evening light was reflecting off the willows and the water. I don’t think it could have been any more beautiful.

I’m starting to really love the East Coast...just in time to go to Texas for the summer!

Regrouping

After two weeks of non-stop adventure we very effectively bridled the pace this week. We did a lot of reading, rediscovering toys, walking to the park, and reconnecting with friends. Nothing monumental. No great stories. Just a nice chance to regroup.

During that regrouping it finally dawned on me how close we are to our summer break. Even the Woodfords had better start making some firm plans with only three weeks until the end of the world as we know it. Somehow that really snuck up on me.

Yesterday we drove out to Valley Forge and went for a long run. Talk about a beautiful place to run! The trees have all leafed out. The grass is green. The air was clear and crisp. The birds were singing. We found the perfect place to fly a kite and have a picnic. Whoever comes to visit next, that is on the agenda.

I planted flowers in our window box yesterday. Well, I shouldn’t say I planted them. WE planted them. Josh was so nice to help me select the plants, replace the old yucky liner, and plant the new flowers; all of that thirty minutes before we had guests coming to the house, of course. Josh deserves as much credit as I do for the end result. We made a huge mess, but had a lot of fun. Dirt in your fingernails and a chance to make something beautiful are both good for your soul. For now, we have the prettiest window box on Meredith Street. (No one else has planted theirs yet.) Here is hoping it stays alive all summer.

Jane had a rough spell mid-week when she decided she didn’t like food anymore. Every meal I put in front of her met with the dreaded, “I don’t like it.” Everything but fruit was suddenly black listed. That girls can be super stubborn. We had a bit of a stand off. Now she is eating again. She was chowing down a turkey sandwich yesterday at Valley Forge and I said, “I’m glad our happy Jane is back.” She looked right up at me, reached her arm around to pat herself on the back and said, “Jane back happy.”

Kate bonked her head really hard while she was playing around this week. When the girls do that I always ask them simple questions amid the kisses and hugs just to make sure they are tracking right. I asked Kate what her name was and she replied, without hesitation, “Cinderella.” All worries set aside, we continued to play.

Today has been one of those days where everything you try to do turns to mush--a good reminder of how easy it could be to find yourself waiting for the bridegroom without enough oil to get you through the night. The only solution I see just now is to take a nap and try again tomorrow and that is precisely what I am going to do.

Veer Left Before Normalville

As incredibly beautiful as the magnolia trees, the dogwoods, and the cherry trees have been here in Philadelphia, the highlight of our Spring so far was without a doubt a visit from Doug, Carrie and Annie. (Josh will certainly agree with that statement since along with the blossoms his allergies are in full swing.) We had six full days with the Jackson Three and a list of over forty things we wanted to do. Doug had his list. I had a list. And Josh would come home every evening with his own idea of what should be going on. The incredible thing is, we almost fit everything in. After the dreaded drive to the airport to send them away I was completely useless for 36 hours--partly because I was in mourning after having to say goodbye yet again and partly because I was utterly exhausted.

A slight traffic jam on the way into Philly after picking the Jacksonians up from the airport and a quick dinner were all the down time we gave them to recover from their late night, early morning, and long day of traveling. We had places to go!

Our first stop was the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Every Friday night the museum has live music and opens a few of their galleries. There is nothing quite like going to an art museum with an artist. Somehow it helps you to slow down and see things in a different way. There is also nothing quite like going to an art museum after bed time with two crazy little girls who missed their naps. Annie and I found a nice hall where there were no pictures, no guards, and no guests, called it a dancing place, and let the girls spin to their hearts’ content while Doug and Carrie perused the galleries.

The next morning Kate was so excited to have visitors in the house that she hurried downstairs and jumped on the futons as soon as she woke up. We needed to get an early start anyway, so we were glad to have such a cute alarm clock. I hope Doug and Carrie and especially Annie felt the same way. Our plan was to make a pilgrimage over Easter Weekend to see Falling Water, the Frank Lloyd Wright masterpiece, in Western Pennsylvania. We drove through Lancaster County on the way out. It was beautiful to see the countryside coming alive in the Spring. We saw Amish men plowing their fields with teams of six horses. We saw laundry drying on the lines. We bought some apple butter and a fresh loaf of bread from a roadside stand and ate that for lunch. Everything was bursting with life and energy and an undertone of simplicity. The entire drive was spectacular.

About five miles from Falling Water we came to the outskirts of a town named Normalville. Anxious as we were to see such a place, we were directed to veer left just before entering the town. Doug started to laugh and we decided it was rather appropriate for our assemblage. A new mantra for the family: Veer left before Normalville!

Falling water was incredible. Absolutely incredible. Touring it was one of those experiences where you keep thinking, “Wow, I am really here.” After studying the design, the architect, and looking at pictures over and over again in books it was amazing to actually be walking through the house. And again, being there with Doug was great. He notices every detail that I am so quick to overlook but that makes the whole design what it is. I was glad to know he had a camera and I could copy all his pictures. Like Carrie said, being at Falling Water was almost a spiritual experience for Doug and I was happy to be hanging on the coat tails of greatness.

Josh gets the dad, husband, & brother-in-law of the year award because he stayed outside and played with the girls while we went on the tour. For some odd reason they didn’t want our little monkeys inside the house. I must admit that in the main living area there are low couches with colorful pillows arranged geometrically that echoed the construction in the walls and windows. I took one look at those pillows and wondered how long it would have taken my girls to run over and pull all of them onto the floor. That is one of their favorite games at home. Earlier in the day we had been telling Doug and Carrie about our trip to New York City and how Kate and I went to Mary Poppins while Josh and Jane explored Times Square. As we exited the tour and met up with Josh, Doug said, “Wow, you have seen the outside of some really great attractions lately.” Too true. Too true.

I do think, however, that he enjoyed some adventure time with his girls one-on two. They threw sticks in the river, climbed trees, collected rocks and had fun being together. Jane fell into the river. We decided for her the estate could be called Falling In Water. Kate and Josh had a conversation about the creation. Kate was wondering where the trees and water and grass came from. Josh talked with her about how Heavenly Father and Jesus created it all for us. She asked if they created ALL the trees and ALL the rocks, etc. Then she concluded, “They must have been tired when they got back to Heaven.”

Our Easter Sunday was a little different. We forewent the plastic eggs and baskets and candy and even church and went to Gettysburg. (In case you think we are total heathens we did read a few conference talks and the accounts of the Resurrection from the New Testament as we drove.) We are getting better at Gettysburg. Before our last trip we watched the Ken Burns’ documentaries on the Civil War and this time we borrowed an in-car audio tour from our friends. It gave us a great grasp on what took place where and how the battle unfolded. In a way, it was a very appropriate place to be on Easter. The ground in Gettysburg almost feels sacred. It is beautiful now although it was the site of so much horror and suffering. There is so much to learn, to remember, and to be thankful for from the battle that occurred there. I don’t know of a better place to feel the reality of the fact that the sting of death is swallowed up in the hope of the Resurrection through the grace of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Monday morning, after our pilgrimage weekend we decided to “take it easy”. Instead of driving we walked...and walked and walked and walked and walked. We headed from our house toward the Art Museum and then down the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. We passed through Lincoln Square where the main library, the science museum, the catholic cathedral, the natural history museum and the LDS temple lot are located. (How does the church acquire such real estate?!) The girls played in the fountain for a few minutes and then we continued on to LOVE park, City Hall, and a fun plaza with giant game pieces scattered around it. We all played there for a few minutes and then continued on to Reading Terminal Market.

Reading Terminal Market is a huge indoor market. It can be rather overwhelming at first. There are hundreds of vendors offering just about anything you can imagine. If you get past the initial shock, however, it is a really fun place to wander around. We made a couple laps and then we all chose something different for lunch. Kate & Jane had noodles. Carrie had a sandwich from a Mediterranean place. Annie had lasagna. I had falafel. And Doug had a cheesteak. Then we all went together to get a smoothie and some treats to top us off.

Nourished and refreshed we set out on our Center City trek again. We walked to the Kimmel Center for Doug and to H&M for Carrie. The girls were ready to implode by then so we headed home with Carrie while Doug and Annie, ready for more adventure, went to the Franklin Institute, the science museum, for the rest of the afternoon. Josh arrived home in time for dinner and made sure we had a fun evening playing games and eating tasty treats.

The next day was our historic district tour. We braved the public bus so as to avoid paying through the nose for parking. One man, two women, one teenager (almost), two little ones, a double stroller, lunch, cameras, bags...we were quite the addition the rush hour bus traffic. The Jackson Three were eager to see everything so we had quite the day: Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, Congress Hall, Benjamin Franklin’s burial place, Betsy Ross House, Christ Church, and Elfreth’s Alley. That may not sound that impressive but when you add the security checks, the Ranger tours and all the walking, it was a pretty ambitious agenda. Josh met us a Christ Church and we were all able to tour it for the first time. Then, of course, we ended at the Franklin Fountain, an old fashioned ice cream parlor that is quickly becoming one of our favorite spots to take visitors, especially after a day like that. The real question is this: Was Josh really that excited about touring Christ Church or did he just show up for the ice cream?

After our Center City excursion and our Historic District exploration we were in prime condition for a smovie night. Once again, party planner Josh got us all ready and excited for an evening of fun and brought in the incredibly tasty treat. We watched National Treasure because it has scenes in a lot of the places in Philadelphia, all of which we had seen. I’m pretty sure it makes you a vicarious movie star when you could give them directions through Reading Terminal Market and show them the short cut through security at Independence Hall.

Wednesday we were ready for a change of pace. Doug directed us to the Brandywine River Museum. I had passed the sign for that museum several times but in my mind it was full of otter pelts. In reality, it was a great collection of illustrations and fine art. They have a special exhibit now of Caldecott Medal winners, so we saw the original drawing from Where the Wild Things Are, The Little House, Arnold Lobel’s Fables, Make Way For Ducklings, Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, The Snowy Day, etc. Kate loved it because she recognized all the pictures from books we have at home or have checked out from the library and I felt as excited as if I were three-years-old as well. I decided I really like illustration. It is a very approachable form of art.

From there we headed to Longwood Gardens (my favorite place to which I must take all my visitors)! The Spring Flowers are in bloom so we spent the afternoon smelling hyacinths and taking in the beauty of tulips, hydrangeas, orchids, you name it. As we were walking through one of the gardens Jane looked up at me and said, “mine happy!” It is hard not to feel that way amidst such pure beauty.

We also ate lunch at the “resternaut,” where we made an embarrassing number of trips through the line. The first was for our food. Tasty and filling. The second was for an array of desserts to share. Delightful. As we were polishing them off Carrie said, “Now that we have tasted them all, we can all choose which one we would like to have.” We laughed but before we knew it we had another round of delicious desserts, which we had no trouble whatsoever polishing off.

Game night that evening was the time for hard decisions. We had wanted to take a quick road trip down to Washington DC but we still had a list of places we wanted to visit in Philadelphia as well. In the end, Philly won out. I have to wonder how much Annie influenced that decision. She became the official unofficial car sick patrol. Kate has trouble in the car at times. Fortunately, she is pretty good at warning us. Annie is the only eleven-year-old I know who would hear her little niece say she was going to puke and so immediately grab a zip-lock bag, flip around and catch it on the way out. We bought her a pair of sunglasses as a small token of our appreciation, which we affectionately referred to as her protective eye-wear. I have to wonder how appealing another road trip sounded to Annie.

In the end, we crossed the Benjamin Franklin Bridge into New Jersey first thing in the morning to visit Walt Whitman’s home. Being off the beaten path, the house tour was very low key and the Ranger was very personable. Seeing the interest of Doug, he kept giving us more and more information. There were no ropes or glass barring you from getting to close to things. It was just us, big piles of papers, old shoes and canes, and original furniture. We should have left the girls tied to the carriage stop in front, but other than that it was great.

Following our brief New Jersey stint we went back into Philly to see a few of the historic places we had missed. We walked through Franklin Court, the former location of Benjamin Franklin’s house which his less than bright decedents tore down, spent a few hours at the National Constitution Center, and tried to go to the Declaration House, the place Thomas Jefferson was staying when he wrote the Declaration of Independence. Unfortunately, we missed the one hour of the day in which it was open. Who planned that?

Our final grand adventure was a drive out to Valley Forge. We picked Josh up at the Penn campus and spent a few minutes exploring while we waited for him to finish up. Then we hit the road and arrived in Valley Forge just at that great time of evening when things start to get quiet and peaceful and the mosquitos as big as your head come out for dinner. I was hoping to see fireflies, but it must be too early in the season. We got mosquitos instead. In spite of that, Valley Forge was beautiful. We were able to step into a few of the replicas of the huts the troops built and see General Washington’s headquarters. Then we just drove around a little and enjoyed the beauty of the place.

To top off a great evening, a great day, and a great week we went out for cheesteaks. Not the road kill and cheese whiz kind, as I affectionately refer to some renditions, but the food snob kind. Again we ate too much but enjoyed doing it.

One more smoothie. One more game night. One more yummy breakfast. One more mini-adventure to the Eastern State Penitentiary for Carrie, Annie, and me and the Rodin Museum for Doug, Josh, and the girls and our time was officially up. I thought about getting lost on the way to the airport. We had a wonderful week. We packed every minute and did a pretty good job of seeing the sites in Philly. The best part, of course, was being together with family. In case you haven’t noticed from my weekly plea for visitors, I live for company. I love to have time together with those we love and miss so much. I long to know that the family bonds we held so dear while living in the West can extend over twenty-five hundred miles to the place we now call home.

Here is to the ties that bind and stretch!