Francesca is a list-maker. She loves to write things down and make lists of things she wants, things she likes, people she likes/doesn't like - you get the picture. We always ask the kids to make a Christmas list to give us some idea of what we should be looking for. This year she outdid herself - she started her list on a long piece of drawing paper and has been taping and stapling extra pieces of paper on to the bottom as the need arises. So here (in no particular order) are some of the 70+ things on F's list. Keep in mind some of these things are requests for Gavin, Mommy, Daddy and the cats too!
Francesca's Christmas List 2009
- a TV for my room (good luck with that one, not happening this year!)
- cat food for the cats
- more mixes for my Easy Bake oven
- icing mixes for the Easy Bake oven
- 3 fish for Gavin to keep his fish Spot company
- a Nintendo DSi
- a case of hash (they ask for, and receive this every year from my parents - they LOVE hash)
- OJ for Big Guy
- socks
- a toothbrush and toothpaste
- a package of paper (to make more lists I guess)
- a more sleep for Mommy and Daddy (boy am I wishing for this one!!!)
- the Wizards of Waverly Place "Alex" doll
- a Jonas Brothers CD
The list goes on and on and on and that is all I remember at the moment. We'll see what they actually get!Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from the LaDore's.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
What ARE nipples for anyway???
Leave it to Gavin...as he was waiting for the shower to heat up tonight, he puts his hands on his chest and looks at me and says, "Mommy, what ARE these things called?". Oh my...Well Gav, they're nipples. "Nipples?" (giggle giggle giggle) "What do you do with them?" Oh my AGAIN. "Well Gav...boys REALLY don't do anything with them" I can see the wheels turning in his brain. Then he says to me "well what do WOMEN do with them?"
I told him to hop in the shower and that was a conversation best left for a few years yet. I just don't know where he gets it, I really don't.
I told him to hop in the shower and that was a conversation best left for a few years yet. I just don't know where he gets it, I really don't.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Ladies Love Big Guy
LLBG. That's what Scott and I call Gavin sometimes. It stands for "Ladies Love Big Guy". This kid is a chick magnet. He attracts all girls, ages 5-15. Yesterday I went to pick him and Francesca up at religion class. I was talking to the director, who mentioned that Gav had come out of class to go to the bathroom. Another mom who was standing there at the time (I hadn't arrived yet) told the director that her daughter had a crush "on that little blond boy" and the director said "oh that's Gavin". I am also a catechist in the evening religious ed. program, so they know my kids. Yessss I said, that is a common occurence. Girls love Gavin. Just watch, I told her as class was dismissed and Gavin came to stand next to me.
Gavin was standing next to me as the other classes came down the stairs. Then he started to slowly inch behind my back.
"Gavin...come give me a hug...Gavin, come here, come here you cute thing."
"Mrs. LaDore, Gavin is so cute I just want to eat him!"
Poor Gav. Those were 2 FIFTH-GRADERS. Scott told me at religion drop-off a fourth-grader went up to Gav to say hello and smile. Gav just grunted and walked away. That is his general reaction to girls.
When he was in the tub the other night we had a little chat about love. He told me that 2 kids in his class "were in love" and he knew this because they always try to talk to each other in class and they sit next to each other at lunch. He also told me that the girl who was "in love" with the boy ALSO loved him; interesting! He was very nonchalant about the whole thing, as if girls just automatically think he's cute, which, frankly, they do.
Gavin is a magnet for older women too. At last year's Halloween dance 2 girls wouldn't stop "petting" his head, telling me how smooth his hair was and how cute he was. He is going to be the "bad" Spiderman this year for Halloween. It has a mask that fits over the head. Gavin told me that he picked this costume not only because he liked it, but because with a mask no one will know it is him, and the older girls will not be able to follow him. He made Francesca promise not to say his name or call him at the dance "and give it away". I told Scott the other day that someday, Gavin will be some older woman's Ashton Kutcher to her Demi Moore.
Gavin was standing next to me as the other classes came down the stairs. Then he started to slowly inch behind my back.
"Gavin...come give me a hug...Gavin, come here, come here you cute thing."
"Mrs. LaDore, Gavin is so cute I just want to eat him!"
Poor Gav. Those were 2 FIFTH-GRADERS. Scott told me at religion drop-off a fourth-grader went up to Gav to say hello and smile. Gav just grunted and walked away. That is his general reaction to girls.
When he was in the tub the other night we had a little chat about love. He told me that 2 kids in his class "were in love" and he knew this because they always try to talk to each other in class and they sit next to each other at lunch. He also told me that the girl who was "in love" with the boy ALSO loved him; interesting! He was very nonchalant about the whole thing, as if girls just automatically think he's cute, which, frankly, they do.
Gavin is a magnet for older women too. At last year's Halloween dance 2 girls wouldn't stop "petting" his head, telling me how smooth his hair was and how cute he was. He is going to be the "bad" Spiderman this year for Halloween. It has a mask that fits over the head. Gavin told me that he picked this costume not only because he liked it, but because with a mask no one will know it is him, and the older girls will not be able to follow him. He made Francesca promise not to say his name or call him at the dance "and give it away". I told Scott the other day that someday, Gavin will be some older woman's Ashton Kutcher to her Demi Moore.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
"Bad Words"
I heard Francesca talking earlier this evening to the boy down the street out on our front porch. They were whispering (well they think they were, Francesca has an "Irish whisper", as in she doesn't have one) about curse words that were uttered on the playground today. After making sure that she was not participating in this bad word party I left them alone and went back inside. Later on we ran to the grocery store while Scott and Gavin were at a Cub Scout meeting. As we were driving she brought it up to me
"Mommy, a few boys were saying BAD WORDS on at recess today. BAD WORDS."
Umm OK Checka, share with me. Spell it, whisper it, tell me what it rhymes with. Does it rhyme with "truck"..."spit"..."smell"??? Nothing. She's not talking. She told me that she didn't want to say it because she may get in trouble. Noooo I reassure her, Mommy just wants to know what they were saying so we can be sure it's something you shouldn't say. So tell me Francesca, what does it begin with???
"Well Mommy it begins with an 'S' and I'll tell you what it rhymes with. It sounds like 'HEXY OBAMA'. Baaaad words Mommy."
Hexy Obama? Damn I'm confused. Hexy Obama...Then she whispers it from the back seat...
SEXY MOMMA!!!
Ohhhhh sexy momma. Yep, I guess to a bunch of 7 year olds that would be a bad word. To someone my age, it would be a compliment. As long as no one's calling HER a sexy momma. Nope, she's another word that rhymes with Obama...she's DRAMA!
"Mommy, a few boys were saying BAD WORDS on at recess today. BAD WORDS."
Umm OK Checka, share with me. Spell it, whisper it, tell me what it rhymes with. Does it rhyme with "truck"..."spit"..."smell"??? Nothing. She's not talking. She told me that she didn't want to say it because she may get in trouble. Noooo I reassure her, Mommy just wants to know what they were saying so we can be sure it's something you shouldn't say. So tell me Francesca, what does it begin with???
"Well Mommy it begins with an 'S' and I'll tell you what it rhymes with. It sounds like 'HEXY OBAMA'. Baaaad words Mommy."
Hexy Obama? Damn I'm confused. Hexy Obama...Then she whispers it from the back seat...
SEXY MOMMA!!!
Ohhhhh sexy momma. Yep, I guess to a bunch of 7 year olds that would be a bad word. To someone my age, it would be a compliment. As long as no one's calling HER a sexy momma. Nope, she's another word that rhymes with Obama...she's DRAMA!
Monday, October 5, 2009
A Curious Phenomenon
So Scott discovered something about Gavin yesterday while at church. AT CHURCH OF ALL PLACES! We get to church and Gav, OF COURSE, has to go to the bathroom. Gav has a bladder the size of a flea - either that or he just likes exploring bathrooms. He's been to the one at Our Lady of Mercy before; several times in fact. But of course, right in between the homily and the Prayer of the Faithful Gav starts doing the pee pee dance. I thought Scott was going to shoot him - not in church of course, but Scott was not happy. But he took him.
When they got back, Scott had a smirk on his face. He whispered to me, "I sent you a text message. Oh, and I figured out why Gavin holds his hand behind his back on his butt when he pees". Really? Hmmm I can't say that this was keeping me awake nights, wondering why my son holds his ass when he pees. Not to be gross, but watching Gavin pee is hysterical enough. We do value our privacy here at 62 Wesley, however, Gav tends to pee with the door open. He POSES when he goes to the bathroom and it reminds me of Mark Wahlberg in "Boogie Nights" - you know the last scene, when he's standing in front of a mirror, admiring his super-long...well you catch my drift. Gav literally poses and pees. It's hysterical. And he knows he's funny. But back to the hand on the butt thing. Mind you, I have my misselette in hand and I'M TRYING TO CONCENTRATE ON BEING HOLY AND MY HUSBAND IS TRYING TO DISCUSS OUR SON'S TOILET HABITS. So I shoot Scott a dirty look and tell him I can't check my phone and he can tell me later. OK, Scott's idea of later is the sign of the peace. I lean in to kiss him and shake hands and I get:
"Babe, he holds his hand on his butt when he pees because he says he doesn't want the poop to sneak out"
Oh my God. Put a fork in me, I'm done. I can't even look at any member of my family because if I do I'm going to bust out laughing. Thankfully there is no one in the row in front of us. In back of us is Scott's sister Joelle, our niece Ali and her friend Trina. I pray they didn't hear this, although that little revelation would likely liven up Mass for them. I look at Gavin, who just shrugs his shoulders and shoots me a smile.
Never a dull moment in the LaDore house.
When they got back, Scott had a smirk on his face. He whispered to me, "I sent you a text message. Oh, and I figured out why Gavin holds his hand behind his back on his butt when he pees". Really? Hmmm I can't say that this was keeping me awake nights, wondering why my son holds his ass when he pees. Not to be gross, but watching Gavin pee is hysterical enough. We do value our privacy here at 62 Wesley, however, Gav tends to pee with the door open. He POSES when he goes to the bathroom and it reminds me of Mark Wahlberg in "Boogie Nights" - you know the last scene, when he's standing in front of a mirror, admiring his super-long...well you catch my drift. Gav literally poses and pees. It's hysterical. And he knows he's funny. But back to the hand on the butt thing. Mind you, I have my misselette in hand and I'M TRYING TO CONCENTRATE ON BEING HOLY AND MY HUSBAND IS TRYING TO DISCUSS OUR SON'S TOILET HABITS. So I shoot Scott a dirty look and tell him I can't check my phone and he can tell me later. OK, Scott's idea of later is the sign of the peace. I lean in to kiss him and shake hands and I get:
"Babe, he holds his hand on his butt when he pees because he says he doesn't want the poop to sneak out"
Oh my God. Put a fork in me, I'm done. I can't even look at any member of my family because if I do I'm going to bust out laughing. Thankfully there is no one in the row in front of us. In back of us is Scott's sister Joelle, our niece Ali and her friend Trina. I pray they didn't hear this, although that little revelation would likely liven up Mass for them. I look at Gavin, who just shrugs his shoulders and shoots me a smile.
Never a dull moment in the LaDore house.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Week in Review
Well Monday to Friday let's say...This was a busy week - Mommy's meetings started again. Religion. PTO. Back-to-school night. It's always something. The kids start clay class today at the Clay Arts Center http://www.clayartcenter.org and they are soooo excited. All I can think of is the mess they are going to come home with. Francesca is going to have clay in her hair, Gav will probably have it up his nose or in his mouth. OMG I cannot even start to think how bad this will be. But they asked to take this class, and they asked nicely, so who am I to refuse? They made clay tiles at Port Chester Day and had a blast, so Scott and I thought it might be fun for them.
PC Day - that was last Sunday. It was supposed to be on Saturday but the crappy weather put the kibbosh on that. The kids could not wait until PC Day, mostly because of the jumping castles. They were so itchy to get there they wouldn't sit still at home! We got to Lyons Park around 11:30 and the kids ran straight for the jumping castles, tossing their sneakers at us and barely yelling goodbye. I was left holding their sneakers...and their PC Dept. of Rec. visors...and the free balloons from said Dept. of Rec...and free frisbees. Ugh! All this free stuff. The kids were delighted. Me, not so much, I had to juggle all their crap. Until I wandered around and found myself a freebie from USA Bank - a tote bag. Oh yeah and Gav snagged himself a free piggy bank from them too - his 4th or 5th piggy bank I might add. He has QUITE the collection of freebie banks from well...banks.
While Gav was jumping around on the blow-ups apparatus Francesca was exploring the fire department "burning building" simulator, where she climbed through a house that was "on fire" and had to figure out the safest way out. Scott managed to snag himself a free fire extinguisher - GREAT, MORE CRAP TO CARRY. He actually carried it the majority of the time though. The kids bounced around for somewhere around 5 hours, taking quick breaks to socialize with friends, grab more freebies and have something to eat. The Village of PC needs to give some serious thought to this whole jumping castle thing. Either provide benches for the poor parents carrying bags of free crap to sit on or install an invisible fence around the whole thing that would beep when a child goes to leave. It was exhausting walking back and forth, back and forth among the attractions. Plus I was carrying all that crap! Scott had a really good idea for next year's PC Day. He thinks that the village should fence the jumping castles in and surround the fenced-in area with a beer garden so that the parents can watch their kids and have a beer at the same time. Of course then the Village would also have to find a way home for all the now-drunk parents.
The rest of the week was kind of un-eventful. Francesca had several clothing crisises throughout the week. Her socks were too bunchy, her shoes were too tight, her jeans were too loose and then too tight (?) - ummm that's why they're called SKINNY jeans Francesca...My child cries at the drop of a hat over the most stupid things! Then there was Gav. He really doesn't complain about what he's wearing; he just wants to make sure his hair is done right. He likes to have a "faux hawk" sometimes so he can look cool for the ladies. Apparently Gav is "the man" - as told to me by the mom of a 5th grader. "Gavin is 'the man' - he walks around like he owns the place" - greaaaattttt. My 1st grader thinks he is a BMOC. That kid is going to get to PCHS and be voted "most likely to date a teacher" or something like that. Mark my words...
Scott and I went to "Back to School" Night on Wednesday. We squooshed into little desks and chairs, admired schoolwork and left little notes for the kids. They left notes for us too. Francesca signed hers "Fanny" - hmmmmm now she has a new nickname? Fanny? Um no. Not now. Not ever. I'll even take "Franny", but "Fanny"? No. She just laughed at Scott when he asked her about it.
Tonight starts the weekend and tomorrow Francesca stars tennis classes. THAT should provide lots and lots of blog-worthy material. I won't be at tomorrow's class because I have to work but I will be sure to get the blow-by-blow from Scott and fill you in accordingly. Enjoy the weekend bloggy peeps.
PC Day - that was last Sunday. It was supposed to be on Saturday but the crappy weather put the kibbosh on that. The kids could not wait until PC Day, mostly because of the jumping castles. They were so itchy to get there they wouldn't sit still at home! We got to Lyons Park around 11:30 and the kids ran straight for the jumping castles, tossing their sneakers at us and barely yelling goodbye. I was left holding their sneakers...and their PC Dept. of Rec. visors...and the free balloons from said Dept. of Rec...and free frisbees. Ugh! All this free stuff. The kids were delighted. Me, not so much, I had to juggle all their crap. Until I wandered around and found myself a freebie from USA Bank - a tote bag. Oh yeah and Gav snagged himself a free piggy bank from them too - his 4th or 5th piggy bank I might add. He has QUITE the collection of freebie banks from well...banks.
While Gav was jumping around on the blow-ups apparatus Francesca was exploring the fire department "burning building" simulator, where she climbed through a house that was "on fire" and had to figure out the safest way out. Scott managed to snag himself a free fire extinguisher - GREAT, MORE CRAP TO CARRY. He actually carried it the majority of the time though. The kids bounced around for somewhere around 5 hours, taking quick breaks to socialize with friends, grab more freebies and have something to eat. The Village of PC needs to give some serious thought to this whole jumping castle thing. Either provide benches for the poor parents carrying bags of free crap to sit on or install an invisible fence around the whole thing that would beep when a child goes to leave. It was exhausting walking back and forth, back and forth among the attractions. Plus I was carrying all that crap! Scott had a really good idea for next year's PC Day. He thinks that the village should fence the jumping castles in and surround the fenced-in area with a beer garden so that the parents can watch their kids and have a beer at the same time. Of course then the Village would also have to find a way home for all the now-drunk parents.
The rest of the week was kind of un-eventful. Francesca had several clothing crisises throughout the week. Her socks were too bunchy, her shoes were too tight, her jeans were too loose and then too tight (?) - ummm that's why they're called SKINNY jeans Francesca...My child cries at the drop of a hat over the most stupid things! Then there was Gav. He really doesn't complain about what he's wearing; he just wants to make sure his hair is done right. He likes to have a "faux hawk" sometimes so he can look cool for the ladies. Apparently Gav is "the man" - as told to me by the mom of a 5th grader. "Gavin is 'the man' - he walks around like he owns the place" - greaaaattttt. My 1st grader thinks he is a BMOC. That kid is going to get to PCHS and be voted "most likely to date a teacher" or something like that. Mark my words...
Scott and I went to "Back to School" Night on Wednesday. We squooshed into little desks and chairs, admired schoolwork and left little notes for the kids. They left notes for us too. Francesca signed hers "Fanny" - hmmmmm now she has a new nickname? Fanny? Um no. Not now. Not ever. I'll even take "Franny", but "Fanny"? No. She just laughed at Scott when he asked her about it.
Tonight starts the weekend and tomorrow Francesca stars tennis classes. THAT should provide lots and lots of blog-worthy material. I won't be at tomorrow's class because I have to work but I will be sure to get the blow-by-blow from Scott and fill you in accordingly. Enjoy the weekend bloggy peeps.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Summer Recap, Part 1
Well since I was such a bad blogger I am giving you, my readers (wait do I even HAVE readers??) a recap of the LaDore Summer of Fun. I will say right now that Francesca and Gavin had a way-funner summer than did Scott and I, mostly because we still had to go to work...boooo work. We started our Summer of Fun at 11:31AM, Friday June 26th, 2009 - one minute after school let out. Scott and I both took the day off of work and we picked the kids up at Park Ave., bid adieu to friends and headed for Boston. Yippeee!! My home-away-from-home from September 1991-June 1996. The home of Northeastern University, my alma mater. I was soooo excited and so were the kids. Scott was too, I guess. Scott is way low-key compared to me and the kids. Anyway, after 3 hours, several bathroom breaks (Gavin has a bladder the size of a flea) and many many many "Are we there yet's???" we were there!!!! We were able to check into our hotel, the Colonnade on Huntington Avenue. A BOUTIQUE hotel. A BIG RISK with the LaDore children. They were a bit miffed that this hotel did not offer continental breakfast, as they are used to when they go away with my parents and stay at a Hampton Inn or a Holiday Inn Express. For Francesca and Gavin a good hotel is not measured in AAA stars but whether or not they get cinnamon rolls, unlimited juice and all-you-can-eat cereal in the lobby in the morning. We assured them that they would not starve and once they saw how cool our room was they lightened up. They also saw the rooftop pool, which was way cool in their estimation.
We headed first for the Boston Childrens' Museum, which on Friday nights from 5-9PM is only $1 admission. Such a deal! They had a great time at the Childrens' Museum, exploring all 3 floors, climbing, jumping, playing and just having fun. We followed and occasionally got to help. After leaving we headed back to our hotel and had dinner at the Cheesecake Factory across the street at the Prudential Center. Of course the whole weekend was overshadowed by Michael Jackson's death and the ever-present litany of questions from the kids about him. Such as "Why does he look THAT WAY and his brothers look so different?" Oh boy I did not even want to delve into that one...not then, not ever. I don't remember what answer I gave them, but I guess it shut them up for the moment.
Saturday morning we were up bright and early - because even on vacation F and G don't sleep late - and hopped on the "T" (the Boston subway for those of you not in the know) and took it to Government Center, where we could walk to Quincy Market. We bought tickets for the Red Trolley and waited....and waited...and waited. For God's sake, where is this trolley? Every other trolley went by except the Red Trolley! Finally we were picked up and were happy to discover that we were just about the only people on the trolley. There were 2 other couples but we picked up a few more people at the next stop. As is the case with the kids, they will talk to anyone. Anyone. Not always a great thing, but anyway. The trolley driver was very animated - an ex-New Yorker I believe. Gavin kept answering his questions and the next thing you know, Gav and Checka were being invited to sit at the front of the trolley across from the driver. Oh boy they were so excited. For me and Scott it was almost an hour of sightseeing uninterrupted. We were sitting halfway back, enjoying the sights and the kids were up front, helping give the tour. Within 10 minutes the tour driver knew their names, what grades they were in and what we planned on seeing that day. The funniest moment had to be when we crossed into Cambridge and drove past MIT. The driver started talking about MIT and Gavin says "Oh my mommy went there!" and the driver said "Really??" like he was all impressed. I had to correct Gav and say nooooo I am a Northeastern alumni. He was still impressed, just not so much.
We got off the trolley at the Constitution and waited for about 30 minutes in the hot sun to board. You actually have to go through National Security to get on line. Kind of sad that it has all come to that. But we all loved the tour and had fun exploring the ship. After we re-boarded the trolley and headed back to Quincy Market we had decided that we needed to take a boat cruise. So we did. We took a tour of the Boston Harbor. The kids loved that and we loved sitting down for 45 minutes. After that we were suckered in to taking the kids to Build-A-Bear.
Back at the hotel we were very disappointed that it started to rain and we could not swim in the rooftop pool. The hotel manager gave the kids water pistols instead and suddenly their impression of the hotel improved. "No cinnamon rolls Mommy but I did get a water pistol". We couldn't leave as quickly as we wanted to because there was a wedding going on and every freaking wedding guest had valet parked and our car was blocked in. What a nightmare! It took us, the manager and 4 valets to get the van out. 30 minutes later we were on our way to the "No Name Restaurant" on the water for seafood. Yum-O to quote Rachel Ray! We waited for about 20 minutes and then were amazingly sat at a table overlooking the water. Granted our immediate view was the docks where fish is unloaded but hey it was still the water. The waitress gave us a big plate of garlic bread, which the kids eagerly ate. They didn't realize it was garlic bread and we didn't tell them. Not until the plate was clean did we tell them what they ate. If looks could kill...Scott and I would be dead. It was too funny. We all enjoyed our dinner - deep fried seafood for me and Scott, chicken fingers for them. Followed by gooey chocolate and carrot cake for dessert. One cannot come to Boston and not have fried seafood. The kids just about collapsed into bed and we started packing the suitcase to leave the next day.
Sunday June 28th - a national holiday in my book. Actually it was my birthday. The trip was my present. We ate breakfast and then headed out. We drove past Northeastern and I was shocked how much it had changed! Buildings went up where parking lots previously stood. Wow. A former dive bar was now the faculty club! The kids were not impressed. I was. It made me remember how much fun I had going to college there. Francesca said she thought she might want to go to school there. At almost $40K a year I hope she gets some sort of scholarship. I did read that they give athletic scholarships for every sport offered - over 40. Guess we will be finding an obscure one for her to pursue. On the way home we stopped at the "Travelers Rest" restaurant in Vernon, CT. I think it was Vernon - it was exit 74 off of I84. It's a restaurant that is also filled with used books. In fact, everyone gets a free book when they leave. The kids agonized over what book to choose - I think that took longer than eating lunch! After that we drove the 2 hours home and were happy to be back.
We saw so much in Boston but there is so much more to see. The kids definitely want to go back. So do we!
We headed first for the Boston Childrens' Museum, which on Friday nights from 5-9PM is only $1 admission. Such a deal! They had a great time at the Childrens' Museum, exploring all 3 floors, climbing, jumping, playing and just having fun. We followed and occasionally got to help. After leaving we headed back to our hotel and had dinner at the Cheesecake Factory across the street at the Prudential Center. Of course the whole weekend was overshadowed by Michael Jackson's death and the ever-present litany of questions from the kids about him. Such as "Why does he look THAT WAY and his brothers look so different?" Oh boy I did not even want to delve into that one...not then, not ever. I don't remember what answer I gave them, but I guess it shut them up for the moment.
Saturday morning we were up bright and early - because even on vacation F and G don't sleep late - and hopped on the "T" (the Boston subway for those of you not in the know) and took it to Government Center, where we could walk to Quincy Market. We bought tickets for the Red Trolley and waited....and waited...and waited. For God's sake, where is this trolley? Every other trolley went by except the Red Trolley! Finally we were picked up and were happy to discover that we were just about the only people on the trolley. There were 2 other couples but we picked up a few more people at the next stop. As is the case with the kids, they will talk to anyone. Anyone. Not always a great thing, but anyway. The trolley driver was very animated - an ex-New Yorker I believe. Gavin kept answering his questions and the next thing you know, Gav and Checka were being invited to sit at the front of the trolley across from the driver. Oh boy they were so excited. For me and Scott it was almost an hour of sightseeing uninterrupted. We were sitting halfway back, enjoying the sights and the kids were up front, helping give the tour. Within 10 minutes the tour driver knew their names, what grades they were in and what we planned on seeing that day. The funniest moment had to be when we crossed into Cambridge and drove past MIT. The driver started talking about MIT and Gavin says "Oh my mommy went there!" and the driver said "Really??" like he was all impressed. I had to correct Gav and say nooooo I am a Northeastern alumni. He was still impressed, just not so much.
We got off the trolley at the Constitution and waited for about 30 minutes in the hot sun to board. You actually have to go through National Security to get on line. Kind of sad that it has all come to that. But we all loved the tour and had fun exploring the ship. After we re-boarded the trolley and headed back to Quincy Market we had decided that we needed to take a boat cruise. So we did. We took a tour of the Boston Harbor. The kids loved that and we loved sitting down for 45 minutes. After that we were suckered in to taking the kids to Build-A-Bear.
Back at the hotel we were very disappointed that it started to rain and we could not swim in the rooftop pool. The hotel manager gave the kids water pistols instead and suddenly their impression of the hotel improved. "No cinnamon rolls Mommy but I did get a water pistol". We couldn't leave as quickly as we wanted to because there was a wedding going on and every freaking wedding guest had valet parked and our car was blocked in. What a nightmare! It took us, the manager and 4 valets to get the van out. 30 minutes later we were on our way to the "No Name Restaurant" on the water for seafood. Yum-O to quote Rachel Ray! We waited for about 20 minutes and then were amazingly sat at a table overlooking the water. Granted our immediate view was the docks where fish is unloaded but hey it was still the water. The waitress gave us a big plate of garlic bread, which the kids eagerly ate. They didn't realize it was garlic bread and we didn't tell them. Not until the plate was clean did we tell them what they ate. If looks could kill...Scott and I would be dead. It was too funny. We all enjoyed our dinner - deep fried seafood for me and Scott, chicken fingers for them. Followed by gooey chocolate and carrot cake for dessert. One cannot come to Boston and not have fried seafood. The kids just about collapsed into bed and we started packing the suitcase to leave the next day.
Sunday June 28th - a national holiday in my book. Actually it was my birthday. The trip was my present. We ate breakfast and then headed out. We drove past Northeastern and I was shocked how much it had changed! Buildings went up where parking lots previously stood. Wow. A former dive bar was now the faculty club! The kids were not impressed. I was. It made me remember how much fun I had going to college there. Francesca said she thought she might want to go to school there. At almost $40K a year I hope she gets some sort of scholarship. I did read that they give athletic scholarships for every sport offered - over 40. Guess we will be finding an obscure one for her to pursue. On the way home we stopped at the "Travelers Rest" restaurant in Vernon, CT. I think it was Vernon - it was exit 74 off of I84. It's a restaurant that is also filled with used books. In fact, everyone gets a free book when they leave. The kids agonized over what book to choose - I think that took longer than eating lunch! After that we drove the 2 hours home and were happy to be back.
We saw so much in Boston but there is so much more to see. The kids definitely want to go back. So do we!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)