Old friends in New places

Lisa and her mom came through Boston to visit some of their family and it was SO much fun to catch up.  I guess it was a little more than two years ago that I went to New York and Niagara Falls with Lisa.  Such good times.  We had dinner at Boston's best Greek restaurant on Monday and then met for breakfast on their return to the airport.  It was so great to see her!
The same week I had a visit from another friend, Nick, who moved to NY from SC.  We had fun exploring the North End and I got to see Bunker Hill.
It was a fun week of having visitors.  Everyone is welcome!!!

Apple Week

So... In order to channel my creative energy I've started "themed weeks"  Last week was Apple week and we went Apple picking with Alexandra (a girl in my ward) who keeps kids just one day a week.   It was lots of fun and although four kids in the stroller is a bit much we made it.  Ryan and Andrew had a good time too and it was a great day.  I'll keep ya'll posted on how "Bird week" goes :)

We've got Black Leotards!!!

Now I just have to get them the right kind of ballet slippers... maybe one day we'll get this right. 

I feel busy... oh so busy...

I'm not sure where all the time is going, but it is sure going fast. I can't believe that I've been here a month already.  Sometimes I feel like I've only arrived- other days I feel like I've been here forever.  I'm really looking forward to Conference this weekend and seeing my mission friends!  Until then though, I have to make it through this week.

Sadly lacking in photos

Still here, but unfortunately I've been slacking in the picture department.  I will be getting some pictures from my friend Amy at some future date yet to be determined.  For now I'll tell you that it has been an extremely busy week filled with:                     camping          playing                                      cleaning                                                                                    driving                                dancing                         walking                                  painting                                baking                                                       reading             kayaking

                                      etc...  you name it!  

 Hope everyone else's week has been equally entertaining and full!  

We made a fort around the bunk beds- they thought it was so cool.

Ballet

Today was day one of ballet classes... they were so excited and looked so cute in their leotards.  Unfortunately their leotards are supposed to be black.  After many hours of searching yesterday we had to go with these (that they already had)  and we'll just have to keep looking for the black ones.  Seriously... a 3 hour search yesterday yielded no black leotards.  We did, however, get drenched in a deluge after we left one store... the girls thought it was so much fun :)

Urban Nature Walk

 One afternoon after we'd gotten Carter from school, it was just too beautiful outside to stay inside so in order to lure the kids away from toys we made little "bags" and went on a leaf hunt- which turned into a nature hunt including rocks, sticks, pine cones, acorns, etc.  It was fun and an absolutely beautiful afternoon! 

Falling behind

Yikes!! I feel like the weeks are flying by- although Friday did feel a little long.  It was a great week.  The days are starting to feel cooler and sometimes even a bit chilly. I'm going to do a very quick recap and then post the two pictures that I've taken this week.  Yeah, I'm slacking and I know it.  But, my friend Amy took a couple pictures so hopefully I can get a few from her.
Wednesday Carter was gone for a play date so the girls and I went to Costco. They were great, but I'm afraid that my head just wasn't screwed on right all day long because I kept forgetting to lock doors, or in one case to even close the van door (thankfully, it was while I was parked in our parking garage) .  Yeah, serious issues.  Wednesday evening I went to Institute and I'm ready for that to get going.
Thursday morning the girls had a "zoo class." A 45 minute activity at the zoo.  That was good and I drove us home without any casualties.  Thursday evening I went to the temple.  Loved it!

Friday was Carter's first day of kindergarten.  He was SO SO SO excited and absolutely loved his first day. He actually has four teachers in the classroom and there's only about 20 students.  There's his regular teacher and a helper and then two student teachers right now.  It must be nice to have so many grown-up hands in the classroom.

While Carter was in school I got to go to the gym with the girls, but it seemed so quiet without Carter's constant chattering. Surprisingly it made the day feel like it went by so much more slowly.  I'm really going to have to plan more for my time with just the girls.I feel like I really had to dig deep for something to do and the best I could come up with was to glue noodles on our names as a way to keep us busy, so I'm really going to need to plan ahead.  
Friday night I went with Amy and a few other friends to play racquetball.  We actually went and played at Harvard, but all they actually have are squash courts- which are a little different, but it was really fun. We then went out to eat and I had sweet potato fries for the first time and then we played board games until the wee hours of the morning.
Saturday I slept in WAY late and then went to practice for the ward variety show at the camp out.  Good times.  After that Amy came home with me and we took the kids to the park and tried our best to tire them out.  (I worked some on Saturday this week because I had Monday off).  It was fun to have another grown up around and the kiddos loved her.  Saturday night we went to a "movie under the stars," It was actually for an international movie night in a different area of Boston and so it was an Argentine film about their version of the tooth fairy who is apparently a mouse named Perez who comes and gets your teeth and then they are turned into pearls.  It was a kids movie, but very fun.  It was a perfect evening for it too.
Today has been good.  I went to church, which was fantastic, and then had lunch with Amy and played with her.  It was a pretty lowkey Sunday- then we went to church to watch the fireside.  Elder Scott gave a very good talk.  I feel inspired to cherish familial relationships more.  What's more important than eternal relationships, right?
Wow, this was a very wordy blog- I'll try to do more pictures and less words for next time.  We'll see if I can get at least one post a week.

My new favorite spot

Spy pond at Sunset.

So, after work today I went for a little bike ride to Spy pond and took a book.  Along one of the short little paths to the lake there were perfect rocks for sitting next to the water, reading, and enjoying the sunset.  It was incredibly relaxing and perfect!

I do realize that I've been neglecting the blog a little bit and it's cause I've been kinda busy :) But I'll try to catch up a little...

Church was fantastic on Sunday and I feel like I'm settling in.  After church I went home and had lunch with Mike and Jennie and then I went with some random girls to chauffeur  them around and we went to the Old North Bridge- where the first shots of the revolution were fired.  It is an absolutely beautiful spot.  Makes it hard to believe that it was the site of such carnage.  There was another site on our tour, but because of a blunder- by me- we had the wrong address and couldn't make it.  But it was still fun.  Not the best first impression, i'm afraid...

Monument, Old North Bridge, and "The Little Women" house, or Louisa May Alcott's house.

Today's been good.  I went to a meeting this morning with a bunch of mom's to organize the little pre-school swap that Sammie and Cate will be going to.  It sounds like it should be fun and it's a good system.  We went to a park this afternoon and were sea animals.  After lunch we played with play-dough and made little creatures.

Go RedSox

I got to go to a redsox game today!!! Fortunately, the game got rained out last night (Thanks, Earl) and Amy wasn't able to go on her date to see the game.  Her date was going out of town on Saturday and wouldn't be able to use the rescheduled tickets- So I got to go!!  It was so much fun!  They played the White Sox and I still don't really get the whole "sox" thing, but whatever.  Boston lost, but it was still a really fun game, and the weather was absolutely perfect. 

Afterwards, Amy and I went to Northborough (About an hour away) for an activity.  We got there a little late, but got dinner, played ultimate frisbee, and then I got to watch almost the first half of the BYU football game!!!!!!!!!  I was so happy!  Especially when I saw (after I got home) that BYU won!  It was my first BYU football game since I left on my mission and I didn't realize how much I'd missed it.  

http://www.byucougars.com/Schedule.jsp?SP=130

Bending but not Breaking

I saw these Legos in the kids room the other day and couldn't help but think of the phrase "bend but don't break."  Such a good theory- I think most of the time I do a pretty good job of not breaking :)  Of course, I haven't had too many things try to break me, so that could have something to do with it.

I love to see the temple...

This morning I went with the kids to the Museum of Science.  It was so cool!  I want to go back because it is just huge and I feel like we've just barely scraped the tip of the iceberg.  Really really fun.
I got off fairly early and went to the pool for just a little while.  It's a free community pool and it was really packed because it was one of the last days that it's open for the season.
Then this evening there was a trip to the temple to do baptisms.  I realized I hadn't put a picture up yesterday, so here's one now.  It really is great to be so close!  There was a pretty good turnout from the ward and it was nice to get to know some more of them- or at least their names.  A girl named Amy actually let me know about it and gave me a ride.  She's so ridiculously nice- she would make Santa Clause look like an ogre.  Anyhow, she's also pretty new here so we're going to be friends.  It's official :)
Okay, that's all for today.  It's been another good one!

Pleasantly enjoyable

 

This morning I tried to head to the park with the kids, but it was just SO hot!  So we headed home and made some forts in their bedroom.  They each had their own fort and they just LOVED them and loved filling them  with toys.  

Sammie said something really funny today.  She was in her little fort and was trying to squeeze her little body in a tiny little space because she said, "the holy ghost told me to sleep here."  

After fort time, Jennie came home and I was able to go to the Boston temple.  It was great and it's nice to be so close- it think it took me about 15 minutes to get there.  There was a little excitement after I got out though.  Upon exiting the temple I saw a huge cloud of black black smoke, but didn't really think that much of it and I meandered around the temple.  Upon reaching the front again I realized just how close the smoke cloud was and saw a few people looking toward the main road that passes in front of the temple.  As it turns out there was a semi that was in flames.  It was crazy!  Occasionally one of the wheels would blow really loud and the flames were heading up the hill beside the truck.  It was kind of cool in a destructive sense.  I have to say, I was not impressed with the response time.  Apparently it had been burning for quite some time before anyone got on the scene.  

I had a really good picture, but again it was taken with my phone and for some reason certain pictures just don't want to send.  Bummer. 

This evening I went with a girl from the ward and some friends of hers to a free orchestra performance in a park along the harbor.  It was right at sunset and it was just beautiful!  All in all- it was a really nice day.