Quincy, Mass. & the Red Sox

Today we took the T south of Boston to Quincy, birthplace and home of John Adams and John Quincy Adams. We walked all over Quincy and L earned a Junior Ranger badge from the National Park Service for filling out five pages of a booklet about the Adams' houses. The one pictured above was John Adams' "retirement home" but he was elected president while they were living in the house so it hardly counts as retirement. He was living there at the time of his death.

We were exhausted when we got back to the hotel, but Andy wanted to see if we could go to a Red Sox game. We found some tickets through a broker online (about $12 each, I think) so we bought them. We were really high up in the bleachers (though they were actual seats) and it was really windy. B said the ballgame was his favorite thing during the entire vacation. He likes watching ballgames, but I think the cotton candy he got had a lot to do with Fenway Park being his favorite vacation stop.

L wasn't sure who to root for (we were amid a huge amount of serious Red Sox fans so I suggested she cheer for the home team) so she just clapped and yelled when everyone around her did. She was dancing and cheering - what a funny kid.



The Red Sox beat the Kansas City Royals 13-9. We let after the sixth inning because we were cold ... and really, really tired.

Freedom Trail

Today we hit the Freedom Trail which connects the historical sites throughout Boston's downtown area. We visited the Boston State Capitol and walked around a bit, visited Paul Revere's House, Faneuil Hall, Old North Church. This is one of my favorite pictures, with the kids posing like the statue of Samuel Adams in front of Faneuil Hall. They said they would die of embarrassment if I used it as the Christmas card picture.

Andy, B and E climbed up the steps to the top of the Bunker Hill Monument. Here's B after the climb:

I had to lie down on the ground in order to get Andy, E and B in the photo with the top of the monument. They all thought that was pretty funny. I did get a few weird looks, but then I noticed other people doing it too. Hmm.

We took the T out to Harvard and walked around there. L bought a hot pink (suprise!) hooded Harvard sweatshirt. We had lunch at Mr. Bartley's Burger Cottage, apparently a Harvard landmark. Who knew? Both the Wall Street Journal and the Boston Globe named the restaurant's burgers the best in the nation. I wouldn't necessarily agree with that, but they were good. Here we are at the Burger Cottage:


We also visited MIT and walked around on campus a bit until it started to rain. Then it was back on the T. Oh, and today was L's 9th birthday!!

Hello, Beantown!

We arrived in Boston this afternoon. We took a T ride to the hotel then walked over to Boston Common, which was established in 1634 and is America's oldest public park. L and B had fun playing in a wading pool (called the Frog Pond) at the Common.


While in Boston Common, we also rode the famous Swan Boats. The price was right - $2.75 for me and Andy; $1.50 for each kid. The park has high school students hired to pedal the boats like bicycles so we sat back and enjoyed the ride. We even spotted a turtle, lots of ducks and a couple of swans.

Package for L

L ran to the porch this morning when she heard the mailman drop off a package. Sure enough, it was her presents from Aunt Cindy and Grandma. She opened it up (commenting that Cindy uses a lot of tape!) and found a new pink wardrobe and some scented nail polishes.

She put on one of the outfits, posed a few times and ran out to play with her friends.

Early birthday

L has been a little upset that she'll be spending her birthday on vacation. She already had a small neighborhood party and today she got her present - a light pink Nintendo DS Lite. She's been wanting one for a loooong time.

The expander

B and I headed up to the orthodontist's office this afternoon so he could get his expander put in. Before they could install it, the doctor had to first remove a chip of a baby tooth. B has been pulling and tugging at the chip for weeks trying to get it out before his appointment, to no avail. The doctor also decided to "wiggle" B's other remaining baby tooth and "wiggled" it enough to pull that out, too. Obviously, that was his plan and he said B did great. They put the teeth in a little plastic treasure chest to bring home - his last shot at getting some money from the tooth fairy.

The hygienist showed me how to turn the key in B's expander so it will widen the roof of his mouth. We have to turn it 20 times before his next appointment in mid-August. B left the appointment with a Popsicle - pretty sweet. She said he should eat soft foods for tonight. She was naming off soup, mashed potatoes and I said, "He was hoping you'd say White Castles." She said, "Oh, that's a must." I think B has a new best friend.

Softball party

Tonight was the end-of-the-year party for L's softball team. Her coach hosted a cookout at his house. The girls were each given awards the coach created. L received the "Magnificent Mascots" award for always bringing stuffed animals to the games to serve as mascots. L seemed much more interested in playing with the stuff animals at the games than in the actual game itself so we're thinking this may have been her last year of softball.

Any way, L had fun with her former teammates, playing basketball in the back yard and tossing around water balloons.

Wet and wild

Today L invited her friends from the block over for an hour of water fun. They tossed water balloons at each other, squirted the hose all over the yard and ran through our sprinkler. And although it wasn't an official birthday party, apparently L made sure her friends knew it was "close" to her birthday and they brought her gifts. She was so excited to have her friends playing here. Usually, she's on Elmwood Avenue, riding her bike and seeing who is out to play.


After about an hour, we decided to walk the girls over to the pool (and to turn off our water!) Only one of the girls was able to come to the pool with us, but L had lots of fun playing with her.

Yu-Gi-Oh across the country

B's friend L called again today and they decided to Skype each other and play Yu-Gi-Oh. It was pretty funny, playing cards via computer. I had to get a pic of B, talking with L through the computer, drinking his root beer from Door County and snacking on BBQ chips. He couldn't have been more content.

Making a buck

This afternoon B had his friend, I, over. They had a plan to sell lemonade. Once they got started in the kitchen, however, they decided it would be best to sell lemonade for 50 cents, make fresh-squeezed lime-aid and sell that for 75 cents and a combo of the two to sell for $1. They were doing a bang-up business. Here's one of the many happy customers:

For a cut of the action, E played her clarinet to attract a few more customers. That's the theory, any way. In all, they made $17.50. Not bad for a couple of hours in the sun. B and I were surprised when I brought the phone into the yard to have them chat with L, who was calling from his grandparents' home in South Carolina, on the speaker. It was the first they had heard from him since L's family moved to Ohio.