Spring Break!!! I've officially fallen in love with Boston. All I needed was some sunshine and sight seeing. Our family has really hit a stride with traveling. Ava and Ez were angels and kept each other entertained, and Mark fell in and out of sleep.
Day One:
- Navy Yard. USS Constitution was sadly closed for the day, but we did get to tour a destroyer.
- Bunker Hill- Ava refers to the Bunker Hill Monument as "Rapunzel's Tower." Mike was working off and on through our adventurous day, so I took the kids to the top of the tower myself, and Ava and Ezra climbed the 290 steps all by themselves! Dad met us at the top and the kids took turns having rides on the way down. I was strapped with Mark already.
- Mike's Pastry-If you've come to Boston you'll know what I'm talking about. All along the freedom trail are people carrying boxes of Mike's Pastry. Mike and I hadn't made it yet, and didn't know when we'd be back, so Mike told me to load up. Boy did I. $20 later we had a box of delicious pastries that didn't last us as long as they should have considering the amount of sugar purchased.
Day 2-
- Met Curly Girl!- "Who," you ask "is Curly Girl?" A very talented artist who Jenn has introduced me to and I've fallen in love with. I was determined to get a specific card for my sister for her birthday, but didn't want to have them ship me the card because I knew there had to be a store near me that sold them. I called the company, and turns out, their show room is a half mile from my house. I trotted over (literally stopped by on my run). Guess who was behind the counter? The Curly Girl herself. Turns out her studio is in the basement and she was working the floor that day because someone called in sick. I got on her mailing list and happened to get invited to a party this week, where I won some pretty jewelry in a drawing. It was so fun meeting a personal celebrity. Check out her stuff here
Day 3- I told the moms at Ava's gymnastics class that we were thinking of taking a trip up to see York's lighthouse. They gave me tons of ideas to do on the way there, and we had a such a fun day trip. York is only an hour and a half away, but with all our stops we were gone all day having fun.
- Newburyport, MA- A quaint brick port town with a fantastic antique shop pictured below. My creative juices were flowing as we walked through and saw all sorts of old tools and things. I wanted to buy old hubcaps and license plates for Ez's wall, but the back-to-school budget halted my spending. That's good though, because reckless spending without thinking the design through, is probably not a good idea. Don't you love the eclectic feel of the place?
- Portsmouth, NH- Ah! The Friendly Toast. Yummy unique food, large portions and cheap! Very artsy little town.
- Dover, NH-They have a great Children's Museum that Ava, Mark and I toured while Ezra took a nap and Mike graded papers in the car. It was small and creative. Just perfect for me. Easier to keep an eye on the little ones. Ava keeps asking when we can go back.
- York, ME- The Nubble light is the most photographed lighthouse in the world. Isn't it quaint? Do you see the little white bucket hanging from the wire on the island? I guess at one point, the man working the lighthouse put his children in that bucket to get the to and from school everyday. Crazy, huh? The kids loved climbing on the rocks. Particularly Ava. The neighborhood we were driving through in Maine was beautiful too. Rocky beaches, beautiful houses with gorgeous views.
Day 4
Plimoth Plantation- Native Americans are dressed in traditional clothing and can tell you all about their ancestors as well as anything you'd like to know about being a native american today. Pilgrims are actors and do a great job going about their regular day business, answering questions and telling their story. I wish I could have talked to every single one of them!
Ezra looking good in the parking lot.
A barn filled with hay. "Rumplestitskin's pile" according to Ava. I love her fairytale twist on our outings.
What a great week. We are loving our adventures out east and feel so lucky to be living here!
