Patriots Day and the 2008 Boston Marathon

Monday was Patriots Day in Massachusetts. Ironically, when I first realized this holiday was coming up, I thought it was strange to have a holiday for our football team (New England Patriots) in April. However, much to my embarrassment, it turns out that Patriots Day is in celebration of the first battles of the Revolutionary War. (Of course!) There were re-enactments of the battle held in Lexington and Concord, which I would have liked to witness, but because it was held at sunrise... at 5:30 am... we weren't able to make it. But we did make it to another event held on Monday.

It was also the day of the Boston Marathon. Wow. It was awe-inspiring. I actually teared up as I saw the leading men and women run past us. The course entered Brookline around mile marker 23. So as the runners came near us, they were near the end. We watched near Coolidge Corner, just a few miles from our home. Sadly, Brandon had to work, so I had to manage the girls and take a few pictures without him. Now that I'm more familiar with the Boston communities, I'll always watch the Marathon in the future with more interest and more perspective.

Beacon Hill and the Public Garden

Next on our tour of Boston..... :)

Saturday after Lauren's friends birthday party and lunch, we headed into Boston for another day of sight-seeing. It was a beautiful spring day with plenty of sunshine but was a little chilly.

We walked up to the Massachusetts State House from the Boston Common. Can you figure out what is going on in our city right now? It has to do with THE Playoffs. Boston is celebrating another sports team success.

Behind the State House is a neighborhood known as Beacon Hill. It is home to beautiful streets that once were paved in cobblestones and continues to house the very wealthy and very lucky. I love this part of Boston. Turn of the century brick row homes sit side by side. Chimneys decorate the tops of the brick buildings, and you literally can jump from roof top to roof top, just like Mary Poppins. Many homes have flower boxes and with Spring arriving, many of them are fresh and colorful.

Close by is the Public Garden. We walked through and saw that the Swan Boats are out from hibernation and that the tulips will be in bloom very soon.

Boston's Children Museum

With a forecast of rain expected, we planned on spending our Saturday inside the Boston Children's Museum. It turned out to be such a fun day. We started off by taking the "T" into Boston and having some pizza for lunch at a favorite spot in the North End. The weather was actually beautiful (no rain). The sky was clear and bright blue. It wasn't too cold or too hot... I THINK spring is finally on its way!

After lunch we made our way over to the Children's Museum. When we first moved to Boston last summer, we spent a Friday evening at the museum. But this was the first time that we could go and spend the time we wanted and to see and experience all of the exhibits offered. Lauren was really looking forward to this day. The only "downer" was because it was Saturday, it was packed.

Before going into the Museum, and because it was so nice outside, we stopped and got the girls ice cream cones at the Hood Milk Bottle. Elle managed to eat an entire chocolate ice cream cone without getting chocolate ice cream on her white shirt! I was close by with a wet wipe handy and was willing to lick the sides of the ice cream so it didn't drip down the sides. :)

Inside we found ourselves exploring the Science Playground with golfball raceways, creating giant bubbles, building wooden sailboats, crafting finger puppets, and much more.
Another fun day exploring our home away from home.

Is There Room on the Feather Bed?

We have an actress in the family! On Wednesday, Lauren's kindergarten class (along with the other two kindergarten classes at her school) performed the story, "Is There Room on the Feather Bed."

Lauren was a brown dog, and with the five other dogs sang:

"Woof, Woof, Woof,

We can't relax,

The rain is pouring on our furry backs."

Other characters included pigs, skunks, sheep, geese, cows, hens, cats, a "wee" man and a "wee" woman. The kids did a great job!

Lauren had been sick over the weekend and missed Monday's dress rehearsal and Tuesday's performance for the school. BUT LUCKILY she was able to recover enough to be in the play. She is doing much better. Kindergarten is so fun!

Exciting Family News

After months of contract negotiations, excitement, tears, stress, and relief, Brandon finally signed his contract for an orthopedic surgeon position in American Fork, Utah!  He will be working at the North Valley Orthopedics and Plastic Surgery group, which is part of the Central Utah Clinic, a multi-specialty clinic with over 90 physicians in 19 specialties.  Brandon will be the only total joint fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeon in the clinic, so we are hopeful that his total hip and knee replacement practice will grow quickly. 

We plan to move to Utah in August.  We are very excited for this next phase of our lives!

(This photo is of Brandon during a knee operation.  Isn't this amazing?)

I Have Been Tagged

10 years ago ... It was 1998. I was dating Brandon, had no kids (of course), and was working full-time as a public accountant for a national accounting firm. I was living in Salt Lake City with three roommates in a cute duplex. A lot has happened in ten years!

5 Things on my to do list today.
1. Buy Brandon's birthday present
2. Start making the decorations for our Relief Society birthday party on Saturday
3. Go grocery-shopping
4. Clean, cook, and pick up Lauren from school
5. Read my book (Their Eyes Were Watching God)

Things I would do if I became a billionaire. I would buy a beautiful home and have it professionally decorated. I would love to travel the world and stay at expensive hotels. Take care of my extended family. AND buy a cute store with pretty things.

5 of my Secret Bad Habits.
1. I drink too much diet coke.
2. I don't exercise like I should.
3. I love to eat anything sweet and creamy.
4. I hate cleaning bathrooms
5. I don't like to go visiting teaching (sorry!)

5 Places I have lived.
1. Rexburg, ID is where I grew up and attended Ricks College.
2. Logan, UT while I attended Utah State University
3. Salt Lake City (With roommates and with Brandon) while I worked and where Brandon went to Med school
4. Sacramento, CA for Brandon's residency
5. Boston, MA for Brandon's fellowship. This summer we will be moving to Highland, UT… for good I hope.

5 jobs I have had.
1. Public accountant in Audit at Ernst & Young in SLC.
2. Accountant at Utah State University in Logan, UT
3. Secretary at Rudd & Company in Rexburg, ID
4. Sales person at Bowen Music in Rexburg, ID
5. Okay, maybe this doesn't count (I think it's funny) but I worked for two weeks in a grocery store bakery. Yuk.

5 things most people don't know about me.
1. I have been to France twice, but would like to go many more times
2. I was the President of an accounting fraternity in college (I know, very nerdy… but, hey, it got me a good job after graduation)
3. I took piano lessons from first grade through high school and an extra class in college
4. I love Florence's and Sees chocolates
5. I make some yummy rice pudding

Now I tag: Alison Woods, Amber Lewis, Melissa McDonald, Erin Hakes, Greta Griffeths

Easter Sunday

Our Easter Sunday was filled with candy, Easter eggs, food, and friends (and to be honest, a little stress on my part and some grouchiness on Elle's part due to the amount of candy she ate)!

The girls woke up Sunday morning to find that the Easter bunny had brought them an Easter basket with Webkinz pets, a game, and some eggs full of candy.

We all got ready for Church, and the girls looked so cute in their new Easter dresses.

After church, our ward had an Easter egg hunt at a nearby park. While Brandon and the girls were there, I was able to finish cooking. We ended the day by getting together with several families to share a delicious Easter dinner.

A Question

What do wheat thin crackers and a doll have to do with my rain boots?

I stepped into my rainboots on Tuesday and felt something crunchy under my foot......

I stepped into my rainboots on Thursday and stepped on the doll.  

Oh Elle, what am I going to do with you?

By the way, today while we were at Target, we lost Elle.  She was hiding under a clothes rack.

We Love Having Visitors!

My sister Julie came and visited us for a few days. She flew from Dallas where it was sunny and 90 degrees outside... to Boston, a cold and windy city of about 35 degrees. Ouch! Spring where are you? We were able to do some sight-seeing, but the best part was having company and visiting with family!

We took the "T" into the city on Thursday to shop and visit Faneuil Hall. We were there as the shops opened and as the food counters displayed their fantastic looking food. Our mouths were watering in expectation of what we were to eat that day for lunch. Would it be a bowl of New England Clam Chowdah (You have to say it with the New England accent)? A lobster roll? Or any of the delicious looking ethnic foods? We decided to shop for awhile and then come back for lunch a little later.

A little later... We decided on splitting a plate of Teriyaki chicken and a shrimp roll. Sadly our food didn't taste as good as it looked. The shrimp roll was so nasty. Sorry Julie.

Friday we took the day to shop at a beautiful mall in Natick, Mass. We found a few good deals and had a good time. That evening, Julie and I visited the Museum of Fine Arts. This is one of my favorite places in Boston. It was even better that night, because I was able to leave the little-ones at home. :) Here are a few of my favorites:

Saturday Brandon, the girls, Julie, and I made our way up to the North Shore and stopped at Marblehead and Salem Mass. Marblehead has many homes and buildings that predate the Revolutionary War. If the weather had not been so cold, I would have liked to walk the streets and visit the shops. We stopped here for lunch and had some delicious clam chowdah.

Four miles north of Marblehead is Salem, home to the Salem witch trials in 1692. We visited the "House of Seven Gables," and the Salem Witch Museum. It was a dreary day for this spooky town.

(Julie and I are about the same height... regardless of how this pic turned out)

On Sunday we made our way up to visit Harvard University and to stop at the Boston Temple.  Here are some pictures while the weather was warm last summer.

Thanks Julie for coming to visit. We loved it! I hope you are now recovering in your backyard pool.

Learning to Read

Ever since Lauren was a toddler, I have loved reading to her.   We would go the library almost every week to check out new books.  We have also been able to collect a nice library of books of our own.  There is something so wonderful about having a new book.... especially a brand new book.  

At night, the girls (and now Elle is included in our reading time, of course)  are able to pick out books for me to read to them before bedtime.  It is a great time to quiet down and get to spend time with them without other interruptions.  I love the questions they ask while I'm reading that tells me they are REALLY listening to the story.  

Lauren is now in Kindergarten and has been learning to read on her own this year.  It has been so fun watching her begin to understand "How" to read.  She has really done so well.  It is so exciting to me as her mother!

A few months ago, Lauren selected this Dick and Jane book out from our public library.  She had just started to sound out words and recognize some "sight" words being taught at school.  She had so much fun (even though I thought the idea of having a "Dick and Jane" book old-fashioned and kind of boring).  A few weeks later she was so sad when we had to return the book.... because she loved the idea that she could read!  A few days ago, we were at the library once again, and Lauren wanted to check out this book.  This time, she has been able to read everything and understands what she is reading.  I realize this is a very "Easy Reader," but learning to read and ENJOYING to read is so important.  This is her first step.

"Go Lauren Go! Said Mother."