Matt, Christen, Derek & Rylie

Our Time in Boston - June 2016!!

We have had a great month here in Boston spending quality time with family, exploring Boston and making memories that will last forever! The kids did amazing to be away from their home for 30 days. I am grateful for time with family, lazy days, creative play, being outside and
learning about Boston history.

Eating dinner and playing cards on the deck

Building Legos in the morning on the deck

Visiting Elsie and Last Dinner in Boston

On our last visit to Elsie's apartment the kids played "War" with her. It was so cute to watch both of them and Elsie get excited for double and even a triple "War." I am very grateful for all the time we got to spend with her during this visit to Boston. The kids really got a chance to get to know her. She was so sweet and right before we left each time she reached into her pocket and gave them each a $5 bill. It was so fun to watch them get so excited to be given money. It was just like when I was a kid and she used to give Patrick and I $2 each.

That afternoon the kids and I made a cement tile for Grammy's garden. We never get to give her a homemade Mother's Day or Birthday present so this time we made something that she will always be able to remember the summer we spent a month with her.

Our last night in Boston, we went to Uncle Patrick and Auntie Katie's house for dinner. The cousins had a blast playing with one another. They enjoyed cookies for dessert. Love the faces in these pictures. I am sure going to miss watching these kids play together and I

bet they are going to miss each other too!

Strawberry Festival (Uncle Dave's Concert) and UNO

We went to the Strawberry Festival in Hollis, NH where my Uncle Dave conducts the orchestra. It was so nice to be outdoors and listen to the music. The kids had a blast getting their faces painted and of course enjoying giant bowls of vanilla ice cream covered in strawberries. It was just as I remembered it from when I was a kid. After intermission, Uncle Dave called up Derek to pick the winning ticket from the hat for the person who would be able to direct the band for 1 song. Derek loved being in front of everyone and had a great time pulling the ticket.

Later that night we played a few games of UNO on the deck with Grammy and Pops.

Strawberry picking and Ice cream truck

Coffee and muffins at Grammy and Pops house before strawberry picking. Rylie and Jack love helping Pops make the coffee.

We took the kids strawberry picking at Smolak Farms. The berries were very small and hard to find (unlike the last time we picked strawberries in Maine), but still fun to pick. Derek was much more focused than Rylie. She was hot and spent time in the shade under the apple and plum trees with Auntie Katie and Jack.

Lunch on the front porch in the shade, enjoying some fresh picked strawberries!!!

Grammy reading to Rylie!

Watching Star Wars episode 7 with Pops!

The Hudson family came over for dinner. Derek and Rylie had a blast playing with Kristin and Gavin. Right before we sat down to dinner we heard the ice cream truck and went running through the neighborhood to find him. We finally tracked him down and bought ice cream for after dinner. The kids loved choosing from all the different kinds of ice cream. $2.75/ice cream these days. LOL

Played Bocce again!

Playdate with Renonis

It was fun to get together with Jackie, her 2 boys (JT and Griffin) and Elise. The kids played so well together. They went swimming, go-carting, played on the playground and had a blast! We ended up having a 6 hour play date in order to avoid the traffic. Jackie and I have been friends since we were 3 yrs old and now our kiddos are friends!!