We went to see the Liberty Bell. Security there is no joke. They look through all and every bag (even the see-through kind) and they have everyone open their coats so they can see inside. There is no way they will let you out the entrance way. They were wholly unimpressed by my kids being junior rangers (rats!).
It was really neat to see the bell. I think it would have felt more awesome if everyone in the place were using their inside voices, but hey, it was still neat. I love being in places where what has happened there seems to seep in and speak to your soul, especially when extraordinarily wonderful things happened there---the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, a bell standing for life, liberty, and happiness.
It seems to be another testament that we have a Heavenly Father that loves us so much to give men the insight, determination, and courage to stand for liberty and establish a government based on good, true principles. Each morning growing up saying the Pledge of Allegiance each morning it felt as if I was giving the whole country a big hug--because most days ;) I meant every word.
Hunger stuck like a clapper in a bell. We went to the building nearby that boasted a food court. We got pizza. R had suddenly reached the end of his patience (which happens to all of us when we are crazy hungry or tired). He decided that he would sit on the ground by the pizza place with a huge frown on his face.
Determined to let him have his moment of self-time-out I sat with S and T at a nearby table. He sat there for a good 10 minutes and I had gotten T out of the stroller to eat. I saw the pizza man looking down and talking to him. R gave him an instant of eye contact and no more. Realizing this could be hurting the man's business I reinstalled T into the stroller (pathetic tears and all--can't have him run away while I talk to R) went over and talked with R. He told me he was hungry and that I didn't listen to him. He said I only paid attention to S and T and never to him. :( He said I hadn't even asked him what he wanted to eat.
I determined with him that I would pay more attention to him and he just needed to tell me what he really wanted to eat so I could see if we had money for it. We went and ate a little pizza and some pudding. Then we walked over to the shops. I only had $2 cash on me at that point. I told him that is what he could spend.
He went, of course, to the pastry shop. We looked at the pastries for a good 10 minutes before we noticed something crawling on some of them. There was a cock roach in with the pastries (a baby one albeit). We told the lady at the counter--I don't think she really understood us well at first. Finally when she figured out there was a bug in there she took out one small column of pastries and attempted to get the roach with a rag. We coached her (which helped but may have made the poor lady feel even more uncomfortable).
R had apparently decided the roach meant nothing, but after seeing it crawl over half the pastries in the window I had determined it may be better to get something elsewhere. We discussed the fact that we were not interested in eating a stray bug (or it's tracks) and went back to the Independence Center, got a toasted bagel with butter, and watched the Independence movie.
During the movie S decided she needed a bagel too, threw a small fit, and fell promptly to sleep in my arms. T decided it was time to run and ran around the theater (I attempted to get S into the stroller so I could capture and hold T but it was nearly impossible. Some guy was standing close to the stroller and I was a little worried about leaving S and my purse. T was in eyesight, so I wasn't too worried. Sorry for our family rudeness people watching the movie with us.
One lady started clapping during the movie when Abigail Adams said we women need rights to voice our opinion and that they had better put it into the Constitution and that if they did not we would be stubborn and brutal so we would get our way eventually (which I am grateful for). I did not clap. . . I felt grateful.
Oftentimes when I see women fighting voraciously for womens rights and such they make we women seem like men--I love our rights--I would fight for them too, but I don't want to be a man. I love being a mother and I feel like women can do more good as mothers than those that are out spending their entire lives fighting for gallant causes. Motherhood is the most gallant cause ever. I feel like many of these women look down on mothers that don't work full time or engage in politics as subordinates because we don't see things as they do. . . and then there are women who claim to be for womens rights that are just ducky with pornography and such---which makes a woman seem an awful lot like an object of lust--not a person that values herself.
Stepping off the soapbox, pardon me.
W called soon after that to inform us he was finished (delighted cheer). I stopped my mind when into autopilot and I assumed T was in the stroller for a brief minute as I talked. Suddenly I realized S was in the stroller and T was nowhere in sight.
My brain screeched, "Noooooooooo." My eyes searched the entire place. I had been watching the doors so I know he did not exit the building. Up the ramp. . . . .RUN. . .T had run about 200-300 feet ahead of us laughing and giggling. . . why is it toddlers never sense the seriousness of the situation? Do not let those little legs fool you, they can run like the wind.
I did not put him down until we got to the car. . . silly autopilot needed rewiring. I blame it on the lack of sleep. Three and a half hours of sleep with a 2-hour-drive, sight-seeing, lunch, fits, etc. and any body's autopilot may need an overhaul.
I got one after we had walked the eight blocks back to the car, loaded, up and left with W (I got to sleep for 45 glorious minutes). We got home and I relaxed.
