The Things We Do For Our Children

Wednesday was our 15th wedding anniversary! Woo hoo! Our plan was to take a trip. A year ago, we had decided that it would be a big trip. Like a "we'll need our passports for this one" kind of trip. But, when we felt the call for Ryan to return to school, we decided to scale those expectations back significantly. Instead, we decided we would take a small trip together and just get away for a few days. That was our plan.

Then, a few weeks ago the kids and I were reading a book on Ellis Island as part of our history studies. Abby and I were recalling the visit that we had there about 5 years ago when Isaac was quick to remind me that he couldn't remember it because HE had never been. That got my wheels turning and I decided that I really wanted to take the kids to NYC soon. I mentioned it to Ryan that night, and he was ready to go immediately. We brainstormed the money end of it and decided that a bit of our tax return coupled with our anniversary trip money could do it. So, I spent the next week deciding what we would take the time to see, working to turn reward points into free hotel visits, messaging my precious cousin who lives in the city to petition for floor space, and finding the best and most economical ways to make everything happen. 7 days later, we were headed north. Abe stayed back in NC as we weren't up to navigating the subway system with him just yet. He had a great time with Grammy and Pa!

Day one was actually spent in Philadelphia and we had a great day. The weather was gorgeous, and we absolutely loved the city. There was a ton to see for little to no money and it was all within walking distance. I highly recommend a visit there to anyone with elementary age kiddos. The whole trip really made me appreciate our National Park Service! Here are a few highlights from day 1:

Independence Hall, where both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were signed. Amazing!

This is the room where those famous documents were signed. That chair at the front was used by none other than George Washington.

My favorite girls at the site of Ben Franklin's home. He is one historical figure that my children love learning about. I think he would make their top 10.

Inside Ben's print shop with a friendly park ranger.

The kids were amazed by the Liberty Bell. I must admit, I was surprised by just how large that famous crack is!

We decided to take a carriage ride, which was surprisingly affordable for a family of 6. The kids were thrilled and it was a good way to rest their feet while soaking in the sights.

Our carriage

Betsy Ross House

Elfreth's Alley, considered our nation's oldest residential street

Isaac enjoyed all the nifty stuff at the firefighter's museum

Christ Church where many of our founding fathers worshipped. This was one of my favorite things we saw, it was pretty amazing.

We have several friends who are Philly natives and they had all raved about the pretzels. Since pretzels are already Lizzy's favorite treat food, we decided we had to find some. We ate some early in the day at a street vendor and then in the evening, we found our way to the Philadelphia Pretzel Factory, where we feasted on some yummy, hot, and very cheap pretzels. They were a big hit along with the rest of day 1!

So, while we didn't have the restful getaway we'd dreamed about, Ryan and I thoroughly enjoyed our "anniversary trip." Grammy was gracious enough to keep the kiddos last Friday so that we could at least have a date night, complete with dinner at a restaurant, and sleeping in on Saturday AM. I guess that means we got the best of both worlds. I'll post more about our time in NYC soon!