He's here!!!!

After many weeks of waiting, wishing, and planning, we finally got a package yesterday!!!

We were a bit concerned as the box looked a little bit squashed. Our sock monkey, Stinky (yes that is his name), was excited and concerned as well:

First, Stinky wanted to pose for a picture with the box that surely contained his new friend...
Then it was time to get Monkey out...
Monkey was very excited, and immediately wanted me to take his picture under our flowers...then it was time for introductions...

At first, they were being shy. Stinky attempted to hide behind the flowers, and Monkey didn't want to make eye contact. But then it all changed...

They were chatting up a storm!!! It was if they had known each other all of their lives. We asked Monkey if he wanted to rest, but he insisted that we go out on the town right away. Look how eager he was -

He was unable to get the door open all by himself, but with a little help from a friend -

They were off and ready to go. They wanted to read on the ride downtown, so we gave them a Richard Scarry book...

First Phila stop - the US Mint! There are only 2 mints in our country that allow open tours, and luckily the Philadelphia Mint is one of them. Unfortunately, you couldn't take pictures inside the mint, but we did manage to get this one outside -

Alissa is at camp this week, so Evan was in charge of helping us entertain Monkey downtown. Next, it was time for a snack. We wanted Monkey to get some Philly fare, so we treated him to a Philly soft pretzel. They are like no other pretzel in the world...monkey loved it!

Next, it was sightseeing time. Guess what Monkey wanted to see first?

Yup. The Liberty Bell. Unfortunately the line to get in was about 2 hours long, so Monkey agreed to sneak a peek through the window. Then it was Independence Hall time.

Apparently, Monkey is quite a movie buff. Guess where his next stop was?

I'll give you another hint...

Yup. The Philadelphia Art Museum. Monkey ran up the same steps as Sylvester Stallone in Rocky. He was quite fast.

Then the monkeys wanted to pose with Rocky himself.

Then, we got the monkey's picture overlooking the Philadelphia skyline. How cute is that?

We were getting a bit hungry, but first we wanted Monkey to see a couple more hot spots. Here is Monkey at the famed boathouse row: (this is just one of the houses)

Monkey at the zoo - which was just near closing time, but he was so happy to discover one of his own kind there -

And finally, a visit to Philadelphia would not be complete without an authentic Philadelphia cheesesteak sandwich. The monkeys loved the world famous Pat's Steaks, home of the best cheesesteaks in Philadelphia!

With full tummies, and happy memories, it was time to go home. The monkeys wanted to ride home with their Philly stuff in their laps...

Today we are off to the salon for a cut and color! Yippee!!!!