Reality

My three kids are my reality.  They are my every day, my every moment, my priority.  It's exhausting.  It's frustrating.  It's constant. 

But honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way.  Truly.  And not just because they're the cutest babies known to man.

Charlie is such a little copycat.  He watches his brother and sister like a hawk and imitates them all the time.  It's so cute to watch, and they adore him, too.

 

This kid is such an artist.  I won't go into details, because I already have, but he's so impressive.

 

Emily "helping" Charlie take a bath.  He liked it until about the third time he had to come sputtering up for air.  Then I told her to just put the water on his tummy or back.

 

They like taking baths together.

 

She is growing up so fast.

 

And so is he.

 

 

Sliding is serious work.

 

We love Daddy!

 

 

He is so cute and insane.

 

:)

New Arrival

We bought a van!  And we love it.  We don't have to cram all the kids in the backseat, and there's just so much more space. 

 

 

 

Boston Part VIII - Human Suffering, Funny Stuff, and The End

This is the last post I'll do about Boston (I promise!).  This post will just be the random bits and pieces.

 

 

The weather was so crazy while we were there.  We ended up going to Kohls and picking up some cheap end of the season coats because a Tuesday was so cold!  Then later in the week it was so hot we wished we had brought shorts.

 

We went to the Blue Man Group on Tuesday night and had a blast.  It's such a funny show, and we love it! We felt like we were 85 years old though, because there was a bar mitzvah party there or something so basically everyone there was 13.  Mike was laughing at me being so grumpy about them being loud before the show started.  During the show, they threw a marshmallow up where we were, and several of the kids almost threw themselves off the balcony trying to get it.  I'm not really sure what they thought they were going to do with it when they got it, but I'm sure when I was their age I would have done the same thing.

 

Now I know why you all came to this blog post.  So here it is.

 

HUMAN SUFFERING.

 

I mostly put that in the title to draw you in.  Haha.  But actually I have a bad history of injuries and sickness while on trips.  I was pretty lucky this time to just get some simple stuff. 

1.  I got a head cold while we were there, which gave me a pounding headache.  I hadn't slept for more than a couple of hours for the two days before we left (nerves, excitement, and cruelty from the Sandman) so Wednesday night was spent from 4:00 or so on at the hotel ordering in dinner, napping, and watching mentally stimulating shows like Dog: The Bounty Hunter, Duck Dynasty (which we LOVE), and 2 second bits of t.v. as we flipped through the channels a hundred times.  We actually had a fabulous time.

2.  I got the best souvenir you can get from Boston - I came home looking like a lobster.  We were out all day on Thursday and it was pretty warm, so my hair was up and I was wearing short sleeves.  My face and neck were bright red.  I'm pretty used to it, since my skin is the color of porcelain, but still.  

3.  Due to my cold, and my stupid Eustachian tube being so narrow and causing me trouble, my ears got so blocked on the way home that they hurt pretty badly.  I was finally able to get them to pop a little while after we landed, but have had some issues with them since then.  I think once my cold goes away, it'll all work out.

 

RANDOM FUNNY STUFF:

 

1.  When we were at the USS Constitution, we couldn't stop laughing because at practically EVERY exhibit, video, plaque, etc they explained why it was called "Old Ironsides" (because it was able to withstand heavy blows basically).  For the rest of the trip, one of us would say something like, "I just wish they would have told us why they called it Old Ironsides." or "The only thing that was a disappointment about our trip was that we don't know what Old Ironsides means."  It's probably only funny to us, but whatever.

 

2.  We learned that Michael trying to do a Boston accent sounds REMARKABLY like Baby Bear from Sesame Street.  I don't know that that was what he was going for.

 

3.  This is officially the weirdest picture I have ever taken.  We were trying to make it look like the penguin mama was feeding me, but somehow I look....more bizarre than anything.

 

4.  On our first trip on the subway, this little old man was talking to us, and when we asked him what he would see in the city, he told us that "I've lived here my whole life, but I never been on no Freedom Trail or nothin.'  You didn't miss nothin' not being here before.  It's all a waste a time."  He was super nice, but that cracked us up.

 

5.  There was no middle ground when it came to our waitresses.  They were either amazing and totally helpful and friendly and excited that we were visiting from Missouri, or they ignored us and were terrible.  It got to be a bit of a game to see which of the two we would get.

 

6.  Apparently, everyone in Massachusetts thinks that Missourians know NOTHING.  We ended up lying to make people not feel stupid a LOT.  When we asked where was a good place to eat in Rockport, the lady told us, "Have you heard of lobster? Okay, well you can either get it in the shell, or out of the shell. Etc. Etc. Etc."  When we asked if there was a local food that you couldn't get other places (like toasted ravioli or gooey butter cake or provel cheese in St. Louis to name a few), a lady said, "Have you ever heard of fudge?  Like as a candy?  It's really really good."  When we went into a local candy shop where they made their own candy, I saw salt water taffy.  When we were checking out, I said that I was excited because I've been dreaming of it for days.  The owner said, "Have you ever had it before?"  We were laughing later about me dreaming of this mysterious candy that just happened to be real.  I nearly swallowed my tongue laughing later that day when Mike said in this mystical voice, "Sir, I also have dreamed of an elepha-raffe.  Half elephant, half giraffe.  Do you happen to have one of those??"

 

7.  ...I swear there were more funny things that happened, but I'm tired.  :)  We laughed all week.  :)

 

 

We had such a fun time, but were ready to come home and see our little kids again.  Thanks again to my Mom and Dad for taking the week to watch our kids.  They loved it.  The kids keep telling me that Grandma does things for them.  "Mommy, Grandma makes us lunch."  "Grandma wipes my bottom."  "Grandma plays with me."  "Grandpa swings Charlie."  Apparently they do it better!  :)

Boston- Part VII - History Come Alive

If you like history at all, Boston is a great vacation spot!!  We went on the Freedom Trail, and paid for a guide.  Most of the guides had large groups, but our guy had just us.  It was a VERY detailed tour.  What took everyone else an hour took us two and a half, but he had a good Bostonian accent, was very knowledgeable, and was a big time history and family history buff.  Plus he was a heck of a nice guy.  I think I have these all labeled correctly, but if not, sorry! 

 

 FYI, no, I am not pregnant.  Apparently I just hold my arms like I do when I'm walking by a colonial actor.

 

Some of the graves in the gravesite were famous people, others just had been buried there during that time.  It was so interesting to walk through and see these very old stones, and realize that these people were real.  Benjamin Franklin's parent's graves had the most touching dedication. 

 

Paul Revere is actually buried right next to this memorial site.  And here's a funny story.  We stood there while our guide told us all about the history of Paul Revere, when we noticed coins on the top of the marker.  Apparently it's a Jewish custom/sign of respect and people put the coins on the top of graves of people they want to thank.  I remembered I had a penny in my pocket, which was weird because I never have money on me.  I held it up and apparently made some sort of mischievous smile because Mike looked at me and with the most shocked face ever said, "Did you TAKE that?!"  I immediately started laughing and said that no, I had gotten it from my pocket.  Then I said, "Why in the world would you think I would steal a penny?"  It was so hilarious.  I told him later that if I HAD taken the penny, he would have been the worst snitch on the face of the planet.  Way to have my back, babe.  :)  Anyway, we laughed about that all week.  And we are still laughing about it.

 

 Mike showing respect to a great American.

 

Me with my "stolen" penny

 

Samuel Adams' grave

 

At the Charlestown Navy Yard, they have an old WWII destroyer called the USS Cassin Young.  You can board her and poke around.  It was pretty cool!

 

The USS Constitution Museum is right by the Cassin Young, and is totally worth going to!!  It was good for all ages, and helped me understand the War of 1812, which I believe is the war that nobody really knows anything about.  We had a lot of fun, and learned a whole lot.  They had a tour of the actual Constitution, but by that point, we were so worn out that we headed back.

No, I'm not trying to look like I'm touching his rump.  We were just trying to take a funny picture.  Because apparently we act like kids when we're on our grownup vacation.  But we're not complaining.  We love it. :)

 

Mike's was better.

 

 

Clockwise:  Mike at a replica of the wheel.  Me pretending to shoot the cannon.  (This was actually really interesting because it taught you how they used to load them, etc)  A real sea biscuit.  And Mike with his hand in a cannon.  Because when he was a kid he got his arm stuck in a cannon at the Smithsonian.  Yep.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We met a guy on the subway who said that when he was a little boy, he and his friends used to get on the Constitution with play swords and play pirates.  How times have changed, huh?  :)

 

We also went to the Paul Revere house.  It was in a neat neighborhood and was pretty from the outside, but don't pay to go inside.  It's really not worth it.  That being said, you never know until you try.  :)

 

We loved all the history in Boston.  These were just a few.  And in case you're wondering when the heck these posts are going to end, never fear!  There's just one more.  :)

Boston Part VI - Glub Glub

We went to the New England Aquarium and had this little beauty taken when we first came in.  We could have bought an awesome copy of it, starting at only $30.  :)  Not gonna happen.  Although it does amuse me.

We got to pet stingrays, which is always pretty fun.  This time was a little more eventful, because when Mike petted one, it reached up and slapped his hand, spraying him with water.  It was pretty funny.

 We thought it was a beautiful aquarium, and we were glad we went.  There were some fish that were really unique, including the tiny seahorses and the eels that bury themselves in the ground.  After walking around for close to an hour, though, we both decided that there's only so many fish you can see before you start thinking that they all look the same.  :)

 

 The penguins were so cute, and were so excited to eat.  What a fun job that would be!

 They had a tank full of a school of fish, swimming around and around and around.  I've never seen so many fish in only space.  It was really interesting.

These were my favorite part of the aquarium.  They were called comb jellies.  They were absolutely gorgeous.  They had little lines going through their bodies that scrolled like neon lights.  I can't really describe it, but it was the most beautiful, fascinating thing ever!  Just gorgeous.

And of course the beautiful jellyfish.

This was a giant fish tank that was 2 floor high.  It housed tons of big fish, and a giant sea turtle.  It was really pretty, too.

And here we are in the sea lion/seal area.  They didn't have any shows, but they did have the biggest/hairiest/grossest looking sea lion I ever saw, that was a plus.  :)

We Interrupt Your Regularly Scheduled Blog Posts....

...to bring you to a bunch of the cutest pictures known to man.

 

Andrew is such a good artist.  He'll be 5 on June 2nd, and he is just so imaginative and detailed.  On top of that, he is SMART.  We're so lucky to have this cute kiddo living here, and hope we can help him continue to develop his many talents.

 

Here's a worm on a plant.  Not sure what the thing on the left is.

The bones!

"A cart that moves itself so the people can just relax."

A pizza chef.  The hat is just the cutest thing ever.

He told me this was the other part of the bones of the arm.  I think he means a cross section.  He's seen it before in books on animals and things.  Like I said...this kid blows me away with how smart and detailed he is.

A fairground.  Adorable.

Andrew and a roly poly

A roly poly and a tree.  He started to do the bark but got bored with it.  THE KID DRAWS THE BARK ON THE TREE.  I'm not even that detailed...ever.

Tadpole (FYI, ours totally died because I fed them Cheerios.  They loved them, but apparently needed something more substantial to their diet.  Oops.)

A puppet show.  THE CURTAIN!



He gets the "From" and "Love" mixed up.

A bunch of fish, with Andrew holding one of the fishbowls.  You can tell because of the glasses.

My favorite part of this is the guy chugging the soda.  The circles are his full cheeks.

A city.  "A whole city."  I love the numbers on the buildings.

Some people climbing an A

A boat with a big wave on the right.  I LOVE the guy holding on his hat and the one looking out to sea.

A big race, with cars that move themselves and a roly poly drawn carriage.  He also drew a worm pulled cart but I don't have that scanned yet.

I love how happy all his drawings are.  Here is a water chef making "all different kinds of water, and a worm that came to say hello, and all the ingredients smiling.  And decorations on bottom."

And these are just the drawings from the past couple of days.  We are just bursting our buttons proud of this little sweetheart.