Mack played his last flag football game of the season — looks like a little offensive and defensive holding going on there boys. Meanwhile Reid has a ball.
After the game we drove up to Philadelphia for Saturday night and Sunday. First we headed to a Phillies-Giants game at Citizens Bank Park. We got to our seats just as Barry Bonds came up to bat in the first inning. I’d been worrying, ever since I made these plans, that he would take the night off when we came all that way to see him. So I was immensely relieved that he played, and that it didn’t rain. (The other game we considered was Sunday afternoon, and he sat that game out, so…whew.) It was a fun game, the Phillies won, and we saw Bonds hit a massive double, a single, and score. Just as fun, we saw him strike out with a runner in scoring position in the ninth, and drop a routine fly ball. The crowd went crazy heckling him, and Mack of course was immediately into that.
Mack was enraptured by the game and made close friends with the strangers sitting next to him. Aidan was more interested in lemonade, pretzels, and eating ice cream from a tiny helmet.
On Saturday we toured the historic area for about six hours. The kids weren’t too impressed by the Liberty Bell. But they liked Independence Hall. Mack tried to answer all of the tour guide’s questions, and Aidan just wanted to know if Lincoln ever came here. Once he found out that Lincoln did in fact make a historic visit, he was happy.
We walked through some of the other historic streets and buildings, and then the boys were recruited into the Continental Army for about half an hour. They got pretty good with their muskets, but Mack got a bit nervous when the Captain marched them off and told them to wave goodbye to their parents, because they wouldn’t be back for at least six months.