2022 :: week 18

May 1

On Sunday we were again grateful for the late weekend breakfast, because we all slept in. The Salazars invited us to go to a park with them, but when they got there it was closed for a "event." They found a different park for us to go to, and then gave us a ride there as well. The kids had fun playing in the woods and stream as well as in the sand, on the playground and on the basketball court. I didn't take a single picture, probably because I was still feeling so tired from the day before. It was fun visiting with Ben and Hillary and filling each other in on what was new in our lives. That afternoon we visited Ford's Theatre. Will did a book report on Chasing Lincoln's Killer and was excited to visit the scene of the crime. That evening we went back to our hotel and watched National Treasure and ate delicious ice cream. We joking called this our "Nation Treasure Trip," because we were going to visit both DC and Philadelphia. We went to bed early because of lingering fatigue. 

May 2

Monday we met the Merrills at the zoo. I really wanted to see the pandas, and the Pandas lived up to the hype. They were outside, moving and playing. They were very cute. We have been to the National Zoo a few times on previous visits, we didn't have enough time to explore the entire park, but we hit most of the highlights. That afternoon we headed to Union Station to board our Peter Pan bus to Philadelphia. We had hoped to take the Amtrak, but waited too long and when we went to buy our tickets the lower fare tickets were all sold out. We decided to save the money and bought bus tickets instead. It was still a pleasant way to travel, the seats were comfortable and there was plenty of room to spread out and sit where we wanted. When we arrived in Philly we walked to our hotel. It was located in the heart of the city, across the street from the gorgeous City Hall. 

May 3

I was very excited to take the kids to Independence Hall and to see the Liberty Bell. Our tour guide described the room where the Declaration of Independence was signed as the "most important room in America." After spending the morning exploring the Old City, we got lunch at Sonny's. It was so good! Anthony, Will and I got cheesesteaks (with Cheez Whiz--oddly delicious!), and everyone else got burgers. That evening we headed to City Park to see the Phillies take on the Texas Rangers. Philadelphia fans are knowns for being passionate, and among the meanest in America, and that certainly tracks for the game we attended. The booing felt wrong to my Midwestern sensibilities, but Anthony and the boys thought it was funny. To get to and from the game we had to figure out how to navigate the SEPTA. Besides the rides from friends in DC, we totally relied on our own feet and public transportation on this trip.

May 4

When I got back from eating breakfast Tuesday morning, I had a text from my sister Melanie that they were en route to DC from Boston, but currently a little over and hour away from Philadelphia. We made plans to meet up for a bit. We packed our belongings and walked to Reading Terminal Market. We bought delicious donuts from Beiler's Amish Doughnuts to share with the Staritas. Then we walked to Logan Square and the Philadelphia Temple and waited for them. When they arrived we walked to a small park next to the Franklin Institute. As is our way, the kids played and the adults visited. The Staritas had to continue on, and we went over to the Free Library. We had hoped to go to the Franklin Institute, but it was closed due to an award ceremony the next day. I was too tired to walk another 1-2 miles roundtrip to the Art Institute to run the "Rocky Steps" and see the Rocky Statue. One of my biggest disappointments of this trip is that we were so tired by the time we got to Philadelphia that we didn't get to explore as much as I would have hoped. The Free Library was huge, with crafts and toys in the children's area and various board games upstairs. We spent a few hours there before eating a final meal at the Reading Terminal Market, then headed to the airport. We flew through St. Louis to KC. When we arrived home that night we were all happy to be back in our own beds.

May 5

I was hoping to sleep in a bit Thursday, but all the kids were up and at 'em around 7am. I spent the day unpacking, grocery shopping, and getting recalibrated to "real life." That evening Tony and I saw Fiddler on the Roof at the Music Hall. It was my first time watching the play (previously I have only seen the movie) and it was a great performance! 

 

May 6

Miles and I spent some time outside Friday. Miles is following in the footsteps of his older brothers and becoming increasingly interested in baseball. He spent half and hour swinging his bat at pretend balls, then throwing the bat, running the bases and cheering for himself. His little fingers pointing up at the sky like Elliott does when he celebrates himself were killing me. He pays attention to everything Elliott does.

May 7

We had a busy, productive, fun Saturday. Yard work, haircuts, baseball games, and Saturday chores. April was pretty rainy, but now our grass is so green and thick. That evening Anthony and I went on a double date with Carrie and Chris. It was a gorgeous evening! We were able to eat outside at Pigwich. Then we walked on the bridge to the Missouri River where we saw some otters swimming in the river. We had a wonderful evening. It was also great to arrive home to a clean house. Lauren and Will "babysat" for us and did an excellent job getting their little brothers to bed and cleaning up the kitchen. It was the perfect pre-mother's day treat.