in philadelphia

We went to Philadelphia for a day but did not see a single historical site. Gasp! Two-year-olds and six-year-olds don't really care for the Liberty Bell or for Independence Hall. They didn't really tell me this, but as a mother, I just knew. They love hands-on museums, however, so we decided to try that instead. Philadelphia has a fantastic museum for kids called the Please Touch Museum. I decided since we only live about two hours away, we could go back another time (perhaps with visitors) to see the historical sites. And to go to the museum again. It was that good.

How many people does it take to run a plastic ball gathering trackhoe? Apparently, three.

The water play area was a favorite of Zach's. He could not get enough of the ducks and boats. The water may have played a minor part in his enjoyment as well. I loved how they had little smocks for the kids to wear.

The lock was also a big draw for my love of all things to play in the water children. Many a duck and boat made the journey through the lock under their direction.

Dr. Sarah. Both her father and I were subjected to her medical attention. I wasn't sure we were going to make it out alive.

And the brick making factory. With a dump truck, wheelbarrows, a conveyer belt, and bricks, it was heaven for all little boys. Zach enjoyed carting the blocks around for a long time.

No children's museum would be complete without a pretend grocery store. This was probably the best one I have seen. Sarah shopped and shopped and shopped some more. She purchased significant amounts of bread, frozen treats, and seafood products.

While I wasn't crazy about the Alice in Wonderland exhibit, I did like this spot where you weren't sure if the hallway was shrinking or you were getting bigger. Sarah was stumped.

Not pictured is the train set where Zach played for over an hour. It wasn't even a particularly good train set, but you know Zach and his trains.