Beantown

We loaded up the family on the ol' Amtrak train last weekend and headed north for some Fourth of July fun and a little belated birthday celebration for the Dad-O Man. We had been wanting to go to Boston ever since we moved east ... five years ago ... and finally made it! Here's Dad-O and Mason man checking out the view from the train as we left NYC in the rear-view mirror.

Once we got to Boston, we made a bee-line for Boston Common and took a tour of the Freedom Trail from this lady. Mason, as you can see, was totally enamored with the city's historical sites.



(As an aside, the sleeping was a much better reaction than we got when we took him to see the Liberty Bell. There, he just cried. Alas, both times he was woken up way too early to hit the road!)

Here are some of the Freedom Trail sites. Rob would later go to the pub across the street from the Granary Burying Grounds to "sip a cold Sam Adams while looking at a cold Sam Adams" grave as our tour guide suggested. Since the under 21 set wasn't welcomed, Mason and Mommy went for ice cream instead!



After our tour, we headed for the harbor where we took in the sites and enjoyed some delicious seafood at Legal Sea Foods. I'm still dreaming of Rob's jumbo stuffed shrimp!





Feeling re-energized, we took a walk through the financial district and back to Boston Common so Mason could get in a little playtime. He loved the sprinklers there and we all had a blast wading in the Frog Pond. Mommy's tired feet were especially appreciative!







After a brief respite at the hotel, we hit the road again and headed to Cambridge to watch the fireworks over the Charles River. Based on some faulty intelligence from our waitress, we arrived WAY too early for the show, but landed a good viewing spot. It ended up not mattering too much, though, as we had one terrified toddler on our hands and left shortly after the fireworks started going off! At least we squeezed in a family picture first!



Sunday started off with a trip to Fenway Park. The Sox were in town, but we didn't have tickets to the game. Instead, we just took in the pregame sites and our intrepid little Yankees fan braved the hostile environment to pose for a picture with his Yankees hat in front of the field. He and Dad-O gave the hated Red Sox and thumbs down. Fearing backlash, I turned his hat around once he hopped back in the stroller, but he was fearless and turned it right back around. Luckily, no one hurled any insults at him, though a dirty look or two were directed at Dad-O and I!





After a walk down Newbury Street, we headed to the Public Garden. We had promised Mason a boat ride, so to the Swan Boats we went.







For the final leg of our trip, we returned to Cambridge and took a quick walk through the Harvard campus.



From there, it was back to South Station and all aboard the train that would take our exhausted selves home. All in all, it was a great way to spent a holiday weekend and a great mini-trip for the three of us. We're already looking forward to returning and not waiting five years to do so!

Hanging out

Here's what Mason's been up to this week in Colorado...

Literally hanging from the doorknob while playing with his Uncle Clint -- but, Clint should have tried this trick a little bit sooner. He's a smidge too tall.



Entertaining himself in the backyard while Mommy works. We were outside all morning on Friday and he had a blast playing with his cars, running around in the grass and playing in his pool.



Playing a little ball with Papa.





Catching another rolly-poly bug for his bug box.



A quick snuggle with Auntie Meg.




Meeting the blue bear at the Denver Convention Center.

Check Me Out

We took a trip to Murdoch's today to properly outfit the Mason-man in western attire. It actually started out as a trip for new cowboy boots, as his are getting too small, but turned into a whole new outfit...and a toy to boot!

Grammy, Uncle Kenneth, Aunt Patty and Mommy had way too much fun outfitting Mason in the middle of the store.

Then, we just set him right up on the counter and let the sales clerk scan him from head to toe.

Animal adventures

We had a weekend filled with friends furry, feathered and frisky. Mommy and Mason spent Saturday at one of our favorite spots, the Bronx Zoo, and then we followed that up with a Sunday at a National Geographic Family Day at Chelsea Piers.

At the zoo, we got our first peek at Moxie, the lion cub. He's the smallish one lying in the back.



And played at the new park put up near the giraffe exhibit by Tiki Barber -- who was in attendance, though Mason couldn't have cared less (like the good Cowboys fan his Dad-O is raising him to be).



We also got a look at some of Macey's other favorites, including the zebras. This trip, the kiddo was WAY into hearing all the info that the signs at each exhibit provided. It was really cute.



After an ice cream break, we headed to the children's zoo to feed the sheep, goats and all their friends and to climb the spider web. Mason climbed way above Mommy's head, but got blocked in, so I had to give him a hand getting down!

Sunday, we hit Chelsea Piers for the Nat Geo day. First, Mason was obsessed with playing in the airplane, but he perked up and got a bit more adventurous after lunch, working with Dad-O to unearth some dinosaur bones in a plaster cast.



Then, he got REALLY up close and personal with some exotic animal friends. He got to touch a boa constrictor, another snake, and a chinchilla.





We also saw a tree frog, iguana and alligator, but didn't get to touch those.






I thought it was cool when the handler demonstrated the tree frog's sticking ability by placing him on a nearby window.



All in all, we had a great time and left with a bag full of freebies, including some cool, new blocks.

An Egg-cellent Adventure

We trekked up to Ft. Tryon Park on Sunday for Mason's first official Easter Egg hunt. The little man came away with quite a load of eggs and we all enjoyed the beautiful weather and beautiful surroundings in the process.











Here are some scenes from the park:





And a video of the action -- apologies for the quality...the camera kind of loses focus as I chase after the little egg hunter!

Snowball Fight!

So, yesterday, the tri-state area was blanketed in snow, forcing NYC public schools to close for the first time in five years. Mason spent the day at daycare, but when Mommy came home we headed out of a little frigid fun. It wasn't great snowball weather, but as you can see, Mason managed to find a few hunks of white stuff to hurl at his Mommy!



Here's the extra-blurry Mom-scrambling-out-of-the-way-in-feigned-fear shot:



I exacted revenge by hurling him into a snowbank. He attempted to make a snow angel.



And here are the rosy cheeks (and runny nose) that proved it was time to head back inside for a cup of hot chocolate, a little cuddling time and a story. Not a bad gig to come home to!