Day in Philadelphia

Before we left the Mid-Atlantic we decided to take a day trip to Philadelphia to meet Cole's new [second] cousin, Matthew. Matthew is the son of Peter's cousin, Rod. When Peter and I first heard that Rod and his wife were expecting we were beside ourselves with joy for them and our own children. You see, by the time they announced their pregnancy we knew that I was pregnant again but were still keeping the news private. The wee ones will end up being no more than two months apart in age. 

Sweet Matthew was born on Wednesday, July 31 and we met him Friday, August 1. What a precious little boy he is! Cole knew he was family right away and was very interested on loving on the babe.

 

After we left the hospital, we decided to take a trip to the Philadelphia Zoo. Kelsey came with us since she had to pass through Philadelphia on the way back to New Jersey. We were all so impressed with the zoo. It was much larger than I expected and the exhibits were so well tailored to kids. I'd go back in a heartbeat!

Rockin' n' Rompin' (and Kid President!)

On Saturday we went to Rock-n-Romp. Just like we did in April and May. We just love it! This month, Rock-n-Romp was a bit different because it was indoors at Bridges. In brief, Bridges is a local nonprofit that helps youth build teamwork and leadership skills. They have a rock wall that Cole desperately wanted to attempt. But, I think you have to be at least two years old to try it.

One negative of an indoor Rock-n-Romp was the volume. It was a great deal louder than the outdoor shows and we forgot Cole's ear plugs. We hung around the fringes and let Cole do some of the activities in the side rooms. In one room, Bricks 4 Kidz, a program that encourages learning in the STEM fields using legos, set up a craft area. Cole was able to draw on a paper plate while the plate was spinning. She was into it. But she wasn't into showing her work off.

A bunch of Sit 'N Spins were set up for the kids to try. Cole watched the big kids before deciding sitting wasn't interesting enough.

Kid President made a special appearance at Rock-n-Romp so we made sure to introduce the girl to him. She took the opportunity very seriously and made a case for her run as Vice President.

Chip Chockley Photography

On The Boardwalk

A trip to Rehoboth isn't complete without a stop at the boardwalk. The mile-long boardwalk is home to a number of eateries, shops, and Funland. Funland, which has been open for over 50 years, is a small area with rides and games. While there are a handful of rides for older children, Funland caters to the wee ones. Cole had a blast on the boats, trucks, swings, and other rides.

 Ever fond of her baby ASL, Cole asked for "more, more" each time a ride would end. I should mention, she spent a few minutes eye-balling the big rides and even asked to go on some of them. The child was born an adrenaline junkie. 

I believe Cole set the record for longest time spent in this ride. The concept is simple: cross the ball pit, go down the slide, walk through the punching bags to the trampoline and bounce out. Cole wanted to get her money's worth. After crossing the ball pit and going down the slide the first time she turned around, crawled back up the slide and jumped back in the ball pit. All told, she was in there for twenty minutes.

Nothing like some mother-daughter enthusiasm about the helicopters! 

After our first trip to Funland, we stopped for some standard boardwalk snacks: fries and ice cream. To say Cole liked the snack would be an understatement. She absolutely ruined her dinner that night. But, hey, it was vacation. 
As we set out to, we got July's family picture. It's not the best we've taken or the worst but I'm hoping August's picture is better. Then again, as I've said, the goal isn't perfection. We're just hoping to get all three of us in the picture.