Monkey's Salon Day.

So, the day after our Philly adventures, it was time for Monkey to experience the wonders of my salon, Before and After. Shameless plug for Before and After - they are in Trooper, Pa., and they are FABULOUS hairdressers, and equally FABULOUS people. So, I go to leave for the salon and cannot find Monkey and Stinky. Guess where they were? They had gotten into my car and were waiting for me on the dashboard. Silly monkeys!

The monkeys were very patient while we waited for our turn.

Monkey amused himself by checking out his current 'do in the mirror. Then he perused the hair products for sale, and picked out this one:

I couldn't figure out why monkey wanted to have "big sexy hair", but then I saw why...he is quite a flirt. He kept trying to flirt with the pretty girls, but I don't think he realized that it was only a poster.

Next, while I got my hair colored (not pictured, because it is too alarming), monkey decided to check out hair color options for himself. Which one do you like best?

1. Member of the Beatles hair...

2. Rainbow hair...

3. Or do blondes have more fun?

I think I like monkey with brown hair best. So, next thing I know, the monkeys were fooling around in the salon... Stinky decided to wash Monkey's hair,

Then, Monkey decides to try his hand at hairstyling:

Next, a latte and biscotti break!

After being refreshed with a snack, the monkeys proceeded with their fun...with dryer time. Stinky turned the dryer on for Monkey,

and then they decided to huddle together under the warmth. They decided they weren't warm enough yet...but then it was time to get down to business. Monkey had his own turn under the dryer.Monkey is also a very good reader. He promptly picked up this magazine:Then the monkeys said they needed to use the facilities. They were in there for quite a while, so I went in to investigate and found Stinky taking pictures of Monkey:

I shooed them out of the bathroom, and they made their way to the lobby. Look what Monkey found! Candy!!!!!

Ever the gentleman, Monkey shared his candy...

Finally, it was time to say goodbye. Monkey and Stinky had a great time. Here is their last pose from the salon. They wanted to advertise for Before and After.

Thanks to the staff at Before and After for being great sports and welcoming the sock monkeys with open arms. By the way, if you ever find yourself in Pa, check them out! 610-635-0539.

I can't believe it, but we forgot to get a picture of my finished hair. Oh well, the monkeys were cuter anyway. Thanks to Evan, my 6 year old, who shot a majority of these pictures.

A taste of today with Monkey. I made cookies last night, and came downstairs this morning to find this...looks like it will be an interesting day.

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!!!!

Memories of Monkey

Our time with Monkey has come to an end. We have so many memories of our new friend. We spent a lot of quality time together and his presence will be missed. I put together one last photo collage of our time together:

Monkey enjoying a delicious ice cream on a hot day. Monkey getting to stop by Fenway Park home of the World Champion Boston Red Sox. Monkey enjoying a Lemon Drop Martini with our friend Judy. Madigan giving Monkey a goodbye hug before she left for camp. And finally, Monkey experiencing his very first and likely last OB/GYN examination. We're gonna miss you Big Fella!

A Monkey's Day at the Beach

HI guys, monkey has been trapped inside my camera for the last few days. I left my USB cable at the office and decided to pick it up this morning so I could get some monkey talk your way! It was a pretty calm visit that he had here in Boston. I really am bummed out that he could not make it to the parade for the Celtics. I think he would have had a great time swinging from the lamp posts had he gone! Instead, Monkey was invited to a six year old's garden birthday party. He had a great time there despite the 87 degree temps!! Monkey and the girls had a blast dancing with the two dance leaders. He then scoped out the party table that had some groovy things on it like edible bubbles (cherry flavor), huge lollipops, and great goodie bags although Monkey will always be partial to his monogrammed backpack!

After leaving Weston where the birthday party was, we had to trek all the way to Plymouth, Mass home of the pilgrims. A long car ride for Monkey and Madigan. They passed the time together by watching Barnyard. About an hour and half later, we reached our destination for a beach day with my friends that I've had since Kindergarten and all of their children.

It was a perfect beach day and Monkey wasted no time in checking out the view

Then it was down the 300 steps (more likely 40 steps) to have some fun in the sun and feel the sand between our toes. Madigan was very protective of Monkey because most of the kids were 4 and under. Also, Ruby the Black Lab was there and we did not know if Monkey would be carried off into the sunset in her mouth. Monkey found a great spot to catch some rays and then he was off to Boogie Board school. We played and played and played and as the sun was setting, monkey wanted to try to get that perfect shot with the girls on the rocks. You can tell that everyone had a fantastic time with each other and especially Monkey.