We The People (In Shorthand)

First of all can I just gloat a little and say that my beloved football team is the NFC Champions as of last night and are going to the Superbowl? Can I get a SEA----HAWKS!?! Ahhh. Sweet, sweet victory never tasted so good. 

Look at that trophy! It's so puuuuurdy

Also the second super awesome news of the day is that Brad finally came home today after a week away! It clearly has been years since I have dealt with several-month-long deployments because I was stretched thin this week having the boys alone. And since the boys and I had to drive two hours to Philly early this morning to pick him up from the airport, we decided that a day trip into Old Town historic Philadelphia would be a good way to spend Martin Luther King Day.

We actually spent a historical holiday looking at history! Maybe the wrong history (the African American History Museum had a line about two blocks long), but American history nonetheless.

Also, consider yourself warned. I'm a bit of a history nut and am about to geek out on you just a little.

First off for as gross and dirty as the majority of what I've seen of Philadelphia is, the historical district is gorgeous. Seeing buildings literally as old and even older than our country was astonishing. I'm sure many have been restored, but regardless they stand tall and beautiful just as if they had been built ten years ago and not 200. 

Also, because we were touring with a four and two year old, we clearly were not insane enough to stand in any lines to stare at any Liberty Bells, or walk through every stuffing boring (for littles) museum, or walk miles in various directions to see everything, so we had to keep it to a short game plan. 

And so I give you, Philadelphia. Abridged version. 

We chose one grown up museum for the kids to suffer through experience right in the middle of the historical district. So we went to the National Constitution Center, a museum completely dedicated to everything involving the creation of the US Constitution (you know, "We the People...."). Actually the kids seemed to enjoy the museum, not that they understood a lick of it, but the little video screens everywhere of course caught their attention, and this touchpad questionnaire of whether you could vote or not in each respective era was a big hit with Calen (he thought it was a video game, and would randomly check yes or no to each question box, and then would get upset that he "lost" the game since the outcome always ended up being that he was "denied to vote" in that era. "This game is TOO HARD" he would say). 

Inside the museum

Calen signing the REAL Constitution. A real copy of it.

Also there was a big room with a ton of life sized bronze (or whatever) statues of the signers of the Constitution, which completely freaked Camden out for whatever reason (maybe they were staring at him strangely?) but Calen said they were made out of chocolate. Okay but don't lick them Calen. 

Calen and his "chocolate people". That's Ben Franklin next to him

After the museum, we walked across the Independence national park, past the Liberty Bell building (and it's ridiculous line) to Independence Hall, which we appreciated from the outside instead of standing in line to tour with the inside. 

History nerd fact: Independence Hall is where both the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence were created and adopted into law. 

History is a serious matter people.

Independence Hall

Ben Franklin's old hangout joint.

Ben's front door.

After wandering around the perimeter of Independence Hall for a while, we walked down towards Penn's Landing (where the founder of Pennsylvania first docked) and had a Philly Cheesesteak lunch at the supposedly famous "Campo's Deli"

Because no Philadelphia experience is complete without an authentic cheesesteak.

We figured the kids had enough boring grown up nerdness for the day, so we drove across town to the children's Please Touch Museum (sorry but the pervert in me makes the name of this place creeps me out a little.) so that the kids could just play and explore and have fun. 

Calen asked if he could live there. It's that cool. 

 

Pretend grocery store. This area as enormous. Also Calen only buys top shelf Pop Tarts.

 

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