Philadephia!

 Our plans changed at the last minute at the beginning of June. Essentially, Chris had some time off and we didn't have any where to go. So we decided on Philadelphia and we are so glad we did! This city is packed full of amazing things and it was only a three hour drive. 

You know I love a good mural picture! 

If you ask the boys their favorite part of the trip, they will probably say the hotel. Chris picked a good one and the boys could not get over the view. It was incredible! They have never seen anything like it. 

We got there just in time for dinner so of course we had to try the famous Philadelphia Cheese Steaks. Jack and Luke didn't care for them, but Abram and I loved them!! 

We left our van in a parking garage that we couldn't get out until we were ready to head home, so our main form of transportation was the metro and bus. Chris loves to figure out the transportation system in new cities. He always does an amazing job. The boys loved hopping on and hopping off. They became pros by the time the trip was over!

The city has so many amazing historical sites which was perfect because we just spent the year studying American history in our homeschool community. 

Elfreth's Alley... Our Nation's Oldest Residential Street

With my boys infront of Independence Hall

Where the Constitution was written... so cool! 

Woohoo!! The reason for our trip... the Liberty Bell.

Couldn't get too many pictures. 

Benjamin Franklin's grave 

My favorite place... The Reading Terminal. So many amazing food stalls inside. It was hard to pick where to eat. 

The City of Brotherly Love... I need to frame this picture. 

Walking the Benjamin Franklin Bridge at the most amazing time of day. 

Look at this breakfast for our little peanut! Cookie Dough stuffed French Toast

Okay, I was kidding about the hotel being their favorite part... this place was. The Eastern State Penitentiary. We took them to tour an old prison and they were amazed the whole time. This was like a dream come true for them.  They did a great job listening the audio tour and learned so much about this historical landmark.

And of course no trip is complete without a visit to the city's art museum. Chris could walk around all day, but I just like to find the highlights of the familiar artists (mainly the ones we have studied). 

Luke with one of Van Gogh's Sunflowers. 

Picasso! They loved studying him this winter and were thrilled to see an original. 

Luke with one of Van Gogh's self portraits. Can you tell he's my little artist?

And with a Monet! 

And of course we couldn't leave Philadelphia without running up the steps and taking a picture with the Rocky Statue. I'm such a boy mom!

My four boys!