Boston 3/3

Here we are at the end of our trip. Wednesday was a lazy day. We hung out around the house until people started getting home from work.

We went for an early dinner where my girls were terrors. Then we went over to the local mall so we could get some energy out. Luckily, there happened to be random rides sprinkled around the mall and we happened to have doting grandparents who paid for rides.

Elise absolutely loves Bryce. She most definitely remembered him immediately. She was happy to play whenever he was around.

And I forced him to take this picture with Lou.

This car ride was really just the car making noises and tipping to the left over and over. Elise got somewhat smashed. Oops.

After the mall we headed home and I let other people watch my kids some more.

Sadie called this game on the blanket "camping". Her friend Hyrum went camping with his dad once and she saw an episode of Max & Ruby about camping and she insists she is going to go camping soon.

Elise supervised the camping with Nana.

And later that night we returned to Friendly's for round 2 of Reese's sundaes. They are the best.

 We kicked Thanksgiving off right with some high school football. I layered up the girls with clothes, but it turned out to be almost 60 degrees and sunny. We were all sweating. My girls weren't too interested. They wanted snacks and bottled water. Belmont High School lost by a lot and I felt right at home.

*This pic is for the TAJ family. Something to aspire to, Will! 

Some annoying middle school kids spilled their popcorn and Elise started eating it. Eh, it's good for you to eat other people's food off the ground sometimes.

Sadie was thrilled to find out Alicia was baking a pie. She got right to work bossing Alicia around as much as possible.

We ate dinner mid-afternoon and Sadie was pants-less. She was also pants-less while baking with Alicia (above). She is frequently found without pants when she is inside. Haven't figured out how to make her keep pants on yet.

Elise was being hilarious after dinner. She wrestled with some stuffed animals, got to Papa's reading glasses, and then played in the powder room. 

It's a mini-Doug John!

She loved that bathroom all week.

Thanksgiving was a great day. I was most grateful for my little family and the fact that I got to be in Boston with extended family for the holiday. 

On Friday I slept in (again) while my family watched my kids. Have I mentioned how great that was? I was totally spoiled. And my kids slept really well at night, so I was just getting bonus sleep.

Alicia and Bryce were wonderful with my kids, just like they were when they lived in Utah.

Louie finally started understanding ring around the rosie.

They spent a lot of time in the basement playroom during our trip as well. My mom mentioned that the guest bed was great so in the early morning she could doze off a bit as she was "playing" with my kids.

Where do you think Sadie is hiding?

We walked up to my elementary school playground with 5 adults and 2 kids. Love that ratio. 

Unfortunately all the slides were soaking wet because of the frost from the night before. Sadie happily went down this slide and flew about 3 feet off the end before my dad caught her. Bryce spent a while trying to convince Elise to go down, but she was not having it.

Sadie designated my mom as the mean crocodile and giddily screamed as she was chased. 

Where's Elise? This picture makes it look like the peak of fall. 

On Friday afternoon we boarded the plane to come back to Utah. Unfortunately, we sat on the plane for 2 hours before being cleared for takeoff. The girls were very curious about the planes around us. 

Everything went decently well until the last 90 minutes of the flight. Then all hell broke loose and I tried not to join my children in crying. We were all happy/relieved to see Daniel waiting for us in the airport. 

I am so thankful to have a wonderful family that I love visiting. We had a great time. 

Thanks for making it an awesome week, Mom & Dad, Alicia & Bryce, and Matt. Matt may be the real hero of the trip, as he gave up his room for Elise and slept in the basement, so my kids and I could have the most comfortable sleeping arrangement. And we all know how much my happiness revolves around sleep. 

Until next time, or actually, until February, when my parents will be here next! 

Boston 2/3

Sunday was a great day, mostly just hanging out with family. Probably a few fights between the girls. Nothing too exciting. Sadie loved going to nursery in my parents' ward with all new toys. She also liked that they separated the big kids and little kids

On Monday my mom took the day off and we went to the Children's Museum. Both of my girls thoroughly enjoyed every part of the museum. If I lived in Boston I'd be mighty temped to get an annual membership.

Some of the museum remains the same since my childhood. I remember the bubble room clearly.

Both girls could have spent another 15 minutes just watching this random snake. Sadie was excited because I had told her there would be no animals and I was wrong.

The golf ball room was another big hit.

Then we found some musical chairs. When we sat on them they played music. Each chair played a different instrumental part to one song. As you can see, Elise and Nana really loved this. Elise kept trying to wander back to these chairs.

Next up was the Arthur exhibit. My mom remembers my younger siblings spending a lot of time here, but Sadie doesn't really know who Arthur is. She did enjoy watching herself on the tv screen.

 

I was dancing with her in front of the green screen until she told me to get out of the way

She got those sweet moves from her mama.

We hit up the art corner after that. Sadie could have stayed there for another hour, but I limited her to 5 paintings.

Plus, Elise would not stop eating chalk, She cried every time I moved the chalk basket out of her reach.

 

Then I realized Elise might be starving since we had already been at the museum for a couple hours. So she got some Fruit Loops, which are generally known as colored Cheerios in our house.

I appreciated the safety goggles in the construction zone. Sadie wanted to take hers home, but her mean mom said no.

The view out of this room was beautiful. Had one of those kairos moments as I watched Sadie play with my mother with the beautiful Boston backdrop.

Sadie had her best concentration face on in the sand table exhibit. Again, I had to rip her away from that as we had been in the museum for over 2 hours and still had many rooms left to check out.

My mom and I decided that the Children's Museum is a must-do every time we are in town with our kids. Even if the tickets are not free like they were for us that day. Really wish it was in Utah. Or maybe I wish I lived in Boston. Probably the latter.

On Tuesday the girls and I had a townie day. I showed them around Belmont. We went to "the center" for lunch and ice cream. I spent many a middle-school afternoon in Belmont Center- eating at Greg's, shopping the clearance rack at Gap, browsing expensive toys at Belmont Toys, and finishing with a candy mix at Chocolate Dream that I just hoped I had enough pennies to pay for. Most of those stores are gone now. Cue Madonna's This Used to Be My Playground.

My girls both smiling nicely for a picture and it comes out so dark. Why me? I live a hard, hard life.

We stopped to play in the library too. It's funny how it was actually exactly the same, except for a few computers. Sadie learned how to use a computer mouse and she actually played a computer game by herself for 1/2 hour while Elise ripped books from the shelves.

Our final stop was my mom's classroom at good old Belmont High. My mom started teaching physics at my high school about 5 years ago. Love that there has been a member of my family in those halls every day since 1995. I reminisced about those incredibly uncomfortable desks and the middle school science class I had in the same classroom (our middle school burned down so I had 2 years of middle school at the high school).

Later that night I went to dinner at Bertucci's with two friends I hadn't seen for about 5 years. SO disappointed in myself that I didn't take a picture. I found out they read my blog, so HEY MEREDITH AND NICOLE! They came over and met my girls and then we talked for a few hours at dinner. It was great to see them. Maybe I'll try to find a childhood picture of them later and post it.

Boston 1/3

So the morning after Disney on Ice the girls and I took off for Boston. I completely ate my words that I would never travel alone with my kids. It seems like almost all of my declarations about never doing blah blah blah with my kids end up making me a liar. My girls were surprisingly great on the plane. Sadie actually fell asleep within 5 minutes of takeoff (see above). 

The 3 of us fit fairly well into two seats. We watched lots of movies, ate lots of snacks and arrived in Boston without too much whining.

The girls got right down to business, the business of playing with the toys in my parents' playroom. 

After the girls were in bed I got right down to the business of delicious Reese's ice cream sundaes at Friendly's.

The next morning we got up (and NO, my children didn't sleep in, even though there is a 2 hour time difference) and headed downtown to the aquarium. A friend I grew up with generously offered me her company's tickets to various museums in the city. (Thanks Meredith!) 

My sister Meredith was down from New Hampshire since she and Weston were about the fly to Washington to spend Thanksgiving with the Maxfields. We loaded up the minivan with the 3 kids and my brother Matt and after a little adventure trying to find the parking garage we had a coupon for, we just gave up and parked in the expensive lot next to the aquarium.

My girls enjoyed the aquarium and I enjoyed the fact that we didn't have to pay $23 a piece to get in. I'm sorry, but I do not understand paying that much to see fish.

Hey look, it's me in a picture with both my kids. Rare gem right there. Too bad I kind of look pregnant.

 Weston also enjoyed it. Especially when we let him out of the stroller.

These penguins were adorable. So small. Most of the penguins are gone right now because the aquarium is under some major construction.

My favorite part was the seals. This one female seal kept yelling, but it sounded like a male human. In fact, when we first entered the seal area we laughed that there was some guy screaming. Then we laughed even harder when we found out it was a seal.

 With Uncle Matt. Sadie did not want to stop for a picture. She ran through most of the aquarium. She loved it, but didn't want to spend more than 10 seconds looking at each exhibit.

Elise, on the other hand, would have spent 10 minutes at each display if we let her. In fact, a few times she tried to walk back to where we had just been. 

Overall, it was great and we were in and out in just over an hour. Great outing for young kids.

That night we had a little shindig for Weston's first birthday.

He wasn't quite sure what to make of the excitement that came from Sadie.

But once that candle was lit he was loving life. He still had no idea what we were doing, but he was excited about it. 

Weston and Lou enjoyed their cupcakes together. Weston happened to be in Utah for Elise's early 1st birthday celebration in April. Compare the photos below.

I love this picture of Weston trying to steal Louie's cupcake.

My girls kept trying to steal the toys we had given Weston for his birthday. Sadie was also concerned that some of them were still in the packaging. She wanted them open for Weston so that she could play with them.

The next day I captured some precious moments with my girls playing hair salon with their Nana.

Does it look like Elise is kind of punching my mom with the brush? That's because she was.

Thanks for being a good sport Mom. I don't have the patience to sit as Sadie repeatedly gets brushes stuck in my hair, so Sadie was thrilled to have a willing victim playmate.

Stay tuned for parts 2 and 3

DOI

That's Disney On Ice to you.

And Sadie enjoyed every second. The Andersons surprised Elly with an early 6th birthday present.

Sadie's favorite part was probably when all the princesses were dancing with their princes. 

Lacy tried to get a picture of the girls. This might be the best one. Eh, they were all about this quality.

Grand finale

Evidence of a good night. 

A late night, but worth it to me. I'm a sucker for how much Sadie loves it. 

I just got a poster in the mail for the next Disney On Ice in March- all princess themed. Fighting the urge to buy tickets.

PS- We got on a plane early the next morning for Boston. Not the best-planned 12 hours by me

Sadie's Gratitude List 2012

-gluesticks

-cups

-house

-boxes

-daddy

-nana and papa

-Louie

-me

-dance class

-gymnastics

-Wendy (my teacher)

-Claire, Jenna, Winni

-making turkeys

*Just to be clear- where it says "me" that does not mean me, as in Carly. That means me, as in Sadie. I'm so glad Sadie is grateful for herself. We should all be grateful for ourselves. After all, without myself, I would not exist. Sadie is such a deep thinker. 

I explained to Sadie what being grateful for something means and then wrote down everything she said. We've got some great ideas here. Never mind that she excluded her mother and most of her extended family. Gluesticks and boxes are where it's at.

Happy Birthday Wes Doug Max

Weston is 1! Meredith's pregnancy announcement is the first and only time I have happy-cried about someone being pregnant (including myself). Such a joyful phone call. Kind of crazy he's already a year old. We are lucky enough to give him his birthday present in person this year since we are in Boston. Happy birthday big guy. We love you!

Movie Night

On Friday evenings (and sometimes other evenings too) we usually do a movie night.

 Elise gets most excited about the popcorn.

And the main reason for the blanket on the floor is to mark how close the girls are allowed to sit to the tv.