philadelphia.

I am a very lucky girl.  Over the Thanksgiving Holiday our little family was able to take a little road trip.  We went for Thanksgiving to go see my Sister on the East coast, and decided to make a trip of it and stop for a couple days each in Philly and New York!  The entire trip was amazing!  We started preparing for our little mini-historical tour by watching the John Adams mini-series (now I need to read the book...I'm very intrigued by him.)  and watching the History channel's American Revolution mini-series.  We tried to start reading 1776, but wow.  It was a little dry, we couldn't get into it!  I even studied some of my old American Heritage notes!  Hee hee.  Anyway, I felt sufficiently prepared to soak it all in.

(BTW-I took way to many pictures, and so get ready for a picture overload...And this is just Philadelphia, Valley Forge and Wharton Campus!)

We drove at night to make sure there were no car seat meltdowns and it worked.  She slept most of the 8 hour drive to Phildelphia!  The roads were really bad and we drove through some AWFUL rain storms, but we made it!

Enjoying some Elmo and getting veeerrryyy sleeepppyy...

Philly! View from our Hotel.

First Stop... the Liberty Bell!  For some reason I always thought it was displayed outside.  but, I guess it makes sense that they put it in a building to preserve it from the elements.  It was interesting to read the facts and quotes they had displayed and also sort of sad to know that there were still some people who still didn't have liberty (slaves).

I mentioned to Connel that it was SO COOL that we were walking along the streets where John Adams and George Washington once walked.  And Connel said "Yeah like this!"  Wha..?

Then we walked to Washington Square...(everything is in walking distance, we saw almost everything we wanted to in one day!)  I actually got a little emotional here.  It touched me to know that people gave their lives...some literally their entire lives, comforts, etc. in order for me and my family to be free.  I definitely felt the spirit of their sacrifice as we were in Washington Square.  This quote kind of summed it up.  "The independence and liberty you possess are the work of joint councils and joint efforts of common dangers, sufferings and success."  -George Washington Farewell Address Sept 17, 1796

After that we toured Independence Hall.

Hannah was a little sleepy!

Totally Awesome feeling to be here!!!  Here the delegates from the thirteen colonies gathered and by July 4, 1776, had adopted the Declaration of Independence.

George Washington's "Rising Sun Chair".  Benjamin Franklin said about this chair while waiting to sign (one of the documents, I don't remember which one.) "I have often...in the course of this session...looked at that...without being able to tell whether it was rising or setting; but now at length I have the happiness to know that it is a rising and not a setting sun."

The tour guide said they didn't know for sure, but John Adams and the other Mass delegates sat somewhere over in this area.  Can you tell I'm a small fan of Mr Adams?

Independence Hall (under restoration)

Carpenter's Hall  where the first Continental Congress met!  There is also a lot of other history attached to this building!

Original Windsor chairs used by first Continental Congress!

We ate at a place called City Tavern.  It was the a gathering for the Continental Congress, so people like John Adams, George Washington and Benjamin Franklin spent time here.  I ate Martha Washington's Chicken Pot pie.  And Connel had what he called "squished sausage".  Sounds appetizing doesn't it?

These gravestones are up against the building of Christ Church, where "the signers" went to church it also held the original baptismal font where William Penn was baptized as an infant.

Elfreth's Alley--one of the oldest residential streets in America.  VERY ENCHANTING!

Cute Daddy-Daughter picture in an Elfreth's Alley Courtyard.

There was a lady who kindly came out of her home on Elfreth's Alley and offered to take a picture for us.  She ended up directing us into a mini-photo shoot!  She was great!

Petterson Family on Elfreth's Alley.

Next up, Betsy Ross House!

Us with "Betsy" in her shop.  Did you know she just made the flags, but someone else designed them?  I didn't.  Lots of myths and skewed facts straightened out for me on this trip!

One of my favorite facts (in the movie John Adams it shows them to be good friends, then enemies, then friends again!)

I captured this cute moment on camera.  I can just hear her little giggle!

Benjamin Franklin statue with keys...get it?  See the one on his chin?

Last stop of the day was the Constitution Center.  It was a little cheesy at first, but after a bit I learned and felt a lot!  There were no pictures until this room, so we took full advantage of being goofy with the statues!

Signing the Constitution!

I had to make my signature all funky and cool like back in the day...although I'm pretty sure none of them used little hearts like that!  Hee hee!

We decided that even though it was dark and a little cold we couldn't pass up the chance to run up the "Rocky Steps" (steps in front of the Art Museum that Rocky runs up in the movie like a CHAM-PI-ON!)

Du-nut-nuuuu, du-nut-nuuuu!

Our little Champ!

We did it!  Hear the crowd roar!

We "rock"!

Just a cute pic of Hannah in the Hotel tub.

Need help with your bags?

The next day we headed out to Valley Forge.

George Washington as a baby, my he WAS tall!

If you take one more picture I'll blast you!

Hanging out in our barracks...not quite as cramped as it would have been back in the winter of 1777-78.

The people who took this picture were hilarious, they must have had their morning upper or something cuz they were a little tipsy!

Hannah in front of Washington's Quarters.

The Generals' boots!

What a ham!

We then went back in to Philly to check out Wharton Business School and the UofP Campus.

If I'm right ...this is the LIBRARY!!!  Whoa.

And we found a mini "LOVE"  sculpture. (not the original, as I learned later...to my dismay)

After all that we headed to New Joyzee to stay for the night...next stop MANHATTAN!