Boston, New York then Back to Boston!

In June we headed to Boston. Quinn had applied for a workshop in Lowell Massachusetts. He got it and had some friends in Chelmsford who had offered to let the family stay if we ever got out that way. So we took them up on it and headed out East.


Miles and Carter on their first plane ride. We keep trying to tell these kiddos how lucky they are. They were both SO excited to go on a plane ride. We had one connection both ways and they were both such good travelers.



We arrived at Chuck and Martha's house, but no one was home. They had been waiting to adopt for about two years. Go figure a baby would be placed with them right in time for us to come out there. Martha was so kind as to still let us stay there even though we may not even cross paths. There was a lot of praying on our end for their adoption to get cleared for them to bring their little baby back home before we left.

This is all outside of the Crannell's home. It was beautiful. Miles sat and sketched while Carter got to know Seuss, the cat. They also discovered Mr. Bun Bun the rabbit.


The Duck Tours had come highly recommended so we decided to splurge on the tour. It was a great way to see a lot of Boston in a short time without walking. As we went into the water both Miles and Carter got a chance to drive the boat. They thought that was pretty darn cool.


After the Duck Tours we continued on touring more areas in Boston. And it started raining. And raining. And raining. It was never pouring so we were able to keep on going, but we did get pretty drenched. We went through the Boston Public Garden and saw the duck statues. We also fed the ducks while we were there. We passed Paul Revere's house and went to the Old North Church. Wonderful historical sites.


Poor Carter had a few moments that were hard on a little guy. Lots of walking. Lots of rain.


It was a long day. We wore the boys out. We also got to add the T (Boston's subway system) to our modes of transportation.


The next morning we got up super early so we could head to New York. We left Martha's house around 5:00 in the morning and a car service took us to the bus station (more modes of transportation). We took a bus from Boston to New York which took about 4 hours. I tried to sleep most of the time which makes the time go faster. As we arrived and were driving through New York to the bus station, Miles could not get enough of the sites. His face was plastered to the window. And yes, it was raining in New York too.


New York City!! We headed to Times Square and visited the Toys R Us there. The boys were pretty impressed but majorly disappointed when nothing was purchased there. Miles was going to tell people he went to the coolest toy store and couldn't buy anything. I know, we are mean parents.

We also stopped by the New York City Library. They had an exhibit of the original Winnie The Pooh stuffed animals. It was a break from the rain, which I needed. I was grateful it wasn't so hot that I couldn't manage, but being drenched caused me to have a small breakdown at the library.


Next stop - The Empire State Building. We had been told to prepare to wait in line for several hours to get up there. Luckily, when it is pretty foggy you can go right up. There are some drawbacks to not having the perfect weather, but there were also some positive things as well. Miles continued his sketching.



We were going to meet up with some of Quinn's friends for dinner and we had a little time before they were off work so we stopped at a little park in the city. Miles and Carter played leap frog for about 20 minutes straight. It was pretty funny. For dinner we met up with Cathy, Joe and Ryan (who kindly let us stay at their apartment in Brooklyn) and Ryan's girlfriend Stacy. It was fun for me to get to know all these people that Quinn has known for quite some time. After dinner it was back on the Subway to Joe and Ryan's. Carter didn't need to see anything on this trip. He just wanted to be on a plane or train or subway or boat or....



Day 2 in New York City. We took the Subway to the Staten Island Ferry (another mode) and went across and back so that we could see the Statue of Liberty. The Ferry is free and it is a great way to get a good look at the Statue of Liberty in a much shorter amount of time. Again, we had Miles sketching.


After that it was a short walk through Central Park. We ate a hot dog in Central Park and also tried to find the spot where Miss Piggy got mugged. Didn't find it.



And of course we had to make a stop at FAO Schwartz. So many magical things to look at. Legos, legos and MORE legos! And check out that BIG piano!


Back to Boston. In Boston we spent time with all of Quinn's friends. They met up with us and we searched for things to do. We went to Great Brook Farm State Park. Carter had a fabulous time feeding the goats. And they had a fabulous time eating from Carter. The feeling was mutual between the two. We also had some yummy ice cream.


The next day was more historical. We went to Lexington and Concord which are the points that Paul Revere was to warn of the British.


Martha and Chuck made it back with a two month old Casey in tow. We were so glad we got to spend some time with them. The next day Quinn had to go to his conference so Martha took me and the boys to Gloucester to have a beach day. We met up with her sister in law and her two girls who were the same ages as Miles and Carter. The four kiddos had a blast at the beach. It is definitely different than a Southern California beach and we loved it.


That night Martha treated us to a Lobster dinner. She got an entire lobster for me, Miles and Carter. Quinn, who does not eat seafood, was treated to some beef tips. Miles and Carter enjoyed their lobster and were even brave enough to try a clam. Carter wasn't able to get his down, but I was proud of him for trying. We also had an evening where we made smores outback. Watching the fireflies at night is somewhat magicl. We can't thank Martha and Chuck enough for letting us stay at their house without them and then still be there as they returned home to a life changing event. What house crashers we are. Plus they have a pinball machine in the basement. The boys thought it was the best place ever!!


Martha also got us passes to go to Kimball Farm. Lots of fun stuff for the kids to do and some really good ice cream to eat. We did some miniature golfing, played some arcade games and the boys did bumper boats. All this while Quinn was at his conference.


One evening we went to the Boston temple and walked around. This was such a great trip and we are so grateful for everyone that helped make it happen. Hopefully we can visit again sometime and would love for our East Coast friends to come visit us sometime as well.