Recently, Clark and I took a trip up to Boston to visit Chad, Janet, Violet and Lucia. In the spirit of Boston slang, it was wicked fun! Janet had an amazing itinerary planned for us, and from the time we arrived there was never a dull moment! I am kind of amazed by her ability to accomplish SO much with two busy, angelic little people in tow.
Violet made us feel so special by counting down the days to our arrival with a paper chain. She also wrote us a nice, welcoming message on her chalkboard. She's such a sweetie.
We spent the first morning at the Garden in the Woods. It was a little drizzly, but the girls were prepared with their princess umbrellas.
I'm sure Lucia was trying to determine the best possible way to get on the other side of the roped off area...unfortunately for her, there were too many adults to keep her on the gravel path!
Counterfeit parents. We like to pretend :)
We were told that there were many flower species in bloom. However, I think this was one of the only flower species I actually saw blooming.
After the enjoying the Garden in the Woods, we made our way to the U.S.S. Constitution and respective museum. Here is the Boston skyline from the ship.
Below deck, keeping the girls in check ;)
Later in the evening, we drove down to Cambridge for Thai food and amazing hot chocolate. Seriously, I have never had hot chocolate quite like this. The dark hot chocolate was UNBELIEVABLE. Should have taken a picture of the hot chocolate, but instead I took a picture of this:
Someday we'll have this print in our kitchen.
The next day we filled up on an amazing assortment of donuts before heading to Salem, MA. These donuts really were killer. So good, in fact, that we got a dozen twice within our five day visit.
Salem was a cute, quaint town and fun to explore.
The stone benches in this photo have been dedicated to the 19 innocent people wrongly accused and killed for dabbling in witchcraft. I'm sure glad I didn't exist in 17th century Salem. Yikes.
We had a wonderful lunch near the waterfront, and afterwards the girls needed some time to run around. Lucia made a friend who shared his ball with her.
She was not happy to leave, yet it had to happen sooner or later.
We ventured down near the
House of the Seven Gables. Lilacs were in bloom and smelled so delightful. Oh, how I wish I had a lilac tree. They're beautiful
and they smell good. Unlike the tree that is beautiful but smells like partially cooked hamburger (I have no idea which tree emits this smell, but it is horrendous).
We didn't want to splurge and tour the property, so I decided to snap a quick photo of the manicured lawn and posterior view of the house.
We attempted to take some family photos.
The girls crack me up in this one.
That's one good looking family!
Gosh they're cute!
On our drive back from Salem we drove up to Prospect Hill to get a good look at Boston.
Sunday before church we walked part of the minute man trail, and learned some factoids about our great country's history.
We even got a photo with a Red Coat at the site of the North Bridge.
The North Bridge from a distance.
Later that evening I helped Janet with some crafts. She helped me tap in to my crafty side. I now know how to make a flower out of felt. Alright!
Monday we finally had a beautiful, sunny day! We spent the day walking around downtown, eating our picnic Burger King in the Boston Common, playing on the playground, and riding carousels.
Violet's not quite tall enough for the water fountain yet.
Reflections of buildings on the Frog Pond.
Lucia loved the carousel so much that when the ride was ended and we had to leave, she grabbed onto the metal fence and started shaking it. Lucia is so cute when she's upset.
Violet happened to love the carousel, too!
We missed the release of the swans in the morning, but were still able to see the birds preening their feathers in the park.
And Janet finally found where the duck statues are located!
We had such an incredible time with the Chad Tobler family. Thank you for your hospitality and for having us. We can't wait to see you all again!
