Here Comes A New Shelmet

Zoe had a dentist appointment today, and with my modified work schedule I was able to take her downtown a little early. The main reason was to bring her to Dilworth Park so that she could experience the giant fountain that bubbles up from under the ground. When we first got there, she wasn't very impressed, walking past the small bubbling waters. I was trying to explain to Zoe that the waters shoot up fairly high, and it's pretty cool. I'm not sure if whether or not she believed me, but when they shot up she was certainly caught by surprise. Once she got used to it, she really enjoyed running around between the water. She also did a really good job of staying dry.. mostly. We made it to the dentist on time and everything worked great. Flickr has some more pictures of the fountain play.

We purchased a deal for the Philly Rock Gym so that the family could give rock climbing a try. Since the offer allowed for four people, we opted to take Zoe's friend Maya with us. For our initial outing the girls started with the easiest walls, which did not pose much difficulty to climb. After the easy walls it was time to move on to another part of the gym with more challenging climbs. This involved the face wall climb, as well as climbs that went across the wall instead of straight up. About an hour of climbing left the girls were sweaty and tired, but they still wanted to climb. Thankfully there were some handholds on the giant PRG initials, so they were able to climb up, on, and through them while we tried to leave. Even though this was only our first trip here, I doubt it will be our last. There are more pictures on Flickr of the girls climbing around, be sure to take a look.

For her sixth birthday party, Harlie had a bunch of friends and family meet her at a local shop where they direct the group to paint a picture. Before the art got started, all of the girls were asked on stage to sing a song. The birthday girl got the microphone. When the song was over, Zoe and I found a basket with some signs they have for other events. These were the most appropriate ones we could find for a sixth birthday. After that, the painting began. All of the girls were given a canvas that had the outline of the picture they were going to paint. The leader at the front of the room then talked them through all of the different steps to make their painting. Zoe took her artwork very seriously. When they were all done, the paintings looked amazing. Zoe was proud of her finished product. Once the painting was finished it was time for food and cake. There were delicious cupcakes with purple icing. I didn't have one, but I did get a chance to sit with Brooklyn...

In looking for something to do over the weekend, Cheryl found a gym nearby that has Ninja Warrior equipment and allows children Zoe's age. They had an open drop in time on Sunday from 4:45pm to 7:15pm. To prepare for her day, Zoe put on her exercise outfit, added some body glitter on her shoulders and then used markers to make some tattoos. She looked especially cute and tough. Once we got in, she was all over the place: running up the wrapped wall, swinging on the ropes and rings, jumping on the trampoline. She tried so many times to get up that wall. As soon as the boy in front of her got up it, she was up on her next run. That's a 10 foot wall. Two and a half times her height, and was right up it. She was so excited to get up that thing. Cheryl and I even got in on the action, trying out the different equipment. Here she is, looking amazing at the apex of a bounce on the big trampoline. Zoe was also all over the gymnastics equipment. She really enjoyed sw...

After celebrating Cheryl's birthday, we made our way out to Coney Island in the morning to attend the annual Mermaid Parade. As is our custom, we decided to dress up for the occasion. Nothing to fancy for me, but Cheryl and Zoe were rocking full mermaid gear. We took some pictures in front of one of the  murals when we arrived. Since there was a lot of time before the parade began, we made our way on to the beach. Again, we took a few pictures and had someone take a nice group shot of us, sans feet. If you know Zoe, then you know as soon as she got her feet wet, she wanted to get into the water. In order to save her custom we did a quick swap and she was out in the chilly water really enjoying herself. This kid loves the water! Once she spent enough time in the ocean, she wanted to dry off, warm up, and get back in her costume. Before we made our way off the beach, we wanted to take some pictures on rocks, which we had to do before the life guards spotted us. Ther...