Vince's Birthday Fun-Day!

In honor of Vincent's birthday, John and I decided to take him to the Philadelphia Zoo.  It was Vincent's first time, and truth be told, so much has changed since John and I were there that it seemed like the first time for us, too!

Unfortunately, however, Vince was not impressed.  He pretty much hated everything with the exception of the carousel.  I have to admit, though, that the Philadelphia Zoo does boast the most amazing and gorgeous carousel I've ever seen.  It's made up of all different animals and the colors are stunning.  Their attention to detail is meticulous, and I would've gladly taken photos of the entire thing had I not run out of film.

Ah well.  At least we got him to pet a goat.  And a sheep!  That was about all the excitement we could get out of him.

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Luckily, the Zoo was not the only thing we had planned for him.  After a quick detour home for his afternoon nap, we came back into Philly for a place called Smith Memorial Play House. 

Again, this was another first for ALL of us.  My mother had told me about it a few times, but I'd never had a chance to go.  Today we were lucky enough to make it, and that place more than made up for the terrible morning we'd all had at the Zoo.

YAY!

For those of you in the general "Philly's not entirely too far for me" area, if you've got kids, you should make a stop at this place.  It's by donation only (and they only suggest $5 for each family who comes in) and they're open 7 days a week.  It's a mansion they converted into a huge play center.  Each floor has two rooms that are full of all sorts of toys, books, structures to climb over and play with. 

The main floor, stocked with a huge wooden train, a huge wooden house and a model city for cars to drive around in kept Vince entertained for most of our visit.  When we were finally able to lure him upstairs, he got to play in a kitchenette, stomp over a wooden "bridge" and play with more trucks and puzzles than he ever thought possible.

We took a very brief stop in the library, but he was gunning for the steps, so we took him into the "basement" area which actually houses a raceway full of cars, trikes, and a real working traffic light!!!

Seriously - this place is just too adorable!

However, my only draw-back was the fact that some kids over the age of 5 were beginning to get too rowdy down there.  We opted to choose that moment to take a look at the outside playground. 

Vince was beyond happy.  He was running over hills, climbing up rock structures, swinging on and sliding through tubing, and meeting all sorts of fun little friends.

However, his crowning moment was finding their huge, burlap sack slides.

Made of polished hardwood, this slide is big enough to have four to six adults slide down side-by-side together.  It's 40 feet long and the only way to get to it is to walk up this gorgeous "Tree Path" that is lined in wild flowers.  John and I must've taken him down that thing a dozen times!

That was really so much fun.  His little cheeks were so rosy from playing that when it was time to leave, he didn't put up too much of a fight.  I'm surprised he didn't immediately conk out!

Ah well.  I'm just glad he had a good time... especially after the bust of this morning's adventure.  Tomorrow we'll be seeing some of the family to celebrate both Vince's and his great-grandmother's birthdays.  Sure to be fun, indeed!

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