bicycle

Daddy unpacked and put together Bennett's first real bicycle (birthday present from the Seymours) tonight.  

Bennett loves it.

Daddy is jealous of Bennett's new bike.  He wants to take it for a spin as well.

Bennett's favorite part is the bell.  I only had to show him once how to use it.

Thank you to the Seymours for the best present ever.

eagles

Independence Day weekend is coming up.  This week we are going to do a couple of crafts related to the holiday.  Today we are making two eagles.  I glued a few popsicle sticks together, traced Bennett and Winston's hands and prepared the eagle's heads in advance.

Bennett painted his eagle brown.  He continued to do some painting on the large paper I laid down to protect the table while he painted.

I painted Winston's eagle blue and red.

Later I glued the heads and wings(hands) onto the boy's eagles.

These are looking really festive on the refrigerator.

first smiles

This past weekend Winston smiled at Ryan.  I was sad not to catch that on camera.  Today I was more successful and caught one of his first smiles.

mud pie

Feeling very sad tonight because our company left earlier today.

Winston and I needed some snuggles.  He is looking dapper in his mud pie outfit.

Thanks for the warm hugs buddy.  I love you!

goodbyes are never easy

And, we hated saying goodbye to the Seymours today.  It was so much fun having them stay with us.  I know Bennett will miss playing with his cousins.

 

These kids play so well together.  You wouldn't know it by looking at these pictures.  Why is it so hard to get a nice picture of the kids?

 Bennett cried when the Seymours pulled out of the driveway.  He also spent a good half hour looking and calling for them after his nap.  I think a road trip is in the near future for us.  We miss you  guys already!  Thanks for driving up.

nashoba winery

It is a lazy morning at the Schifferle's today.

After a busy day in the city yesterday, which flew by, we are slowing things down by heading to Nashoba Winery for a relaxing day outside, wine and beer tastings and a picnic.  Our friends Andrew, Corinne and baby Rhys met us here as well.

The boys were having a blast climbing around in the apple trees near our picnic table.

Bennett couldn't climb the trees but he played nearby at the foot of the tree.  He loves hanging out with his big cousins James and Ryan.

Alice did her own thing and mostly hung out with the Mommies.   

She is so stinking cute in her little dress.

We had a great time catching up, eating and relaxing.  The weather was perfect and so was the company.  We finally left when the kids needed naps.    

boston common

After a quick lunch at a nearby Italian restaurant, we continued our day in Boston at the Boston Common.  Dating from 1634, it is the oldest city park in the United States.  The Common's purpose has changed over many years from cow pasture to camp for the British during the American Revolution to a site for public hangings from a large oak to a site for riots to today as a public park for all to use for formal or informal gatherings.

Events such as concerts, protests, softball games, and ice skating (on Frog Pond) often take place in the park.  Famous individuals such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Pope John Paul II have made speeches there.   Judy Garland gave her largest concert ever (100,000+) on the Common, on August 31, 1967.  On October 21, 2006, the Common became the site of a new world record, when 30,128 Jack-o'-lanterns were lit simultaneously around the park at the Life is good Pumpkin Festival.  The previous record, held by Keene, New Hampshire since 2003, was 28,952.

The kids enjoyed a visit with Mrs. Mallard and her 8 ducklings.  "Make Way for Ducklings" sculpture was inspired by Robert McCloskey's 1941 beloved children's classic book about the duck family that takes up residence in Boston's Public Garden.

The kids also enjoyed playing by the nearby lagoon where you can take a ride on a Swan Boat.  They have been delighting passengers with 15 minute rides here since 1877.  

We were all enjoying the gorgeous weather and beautiful scenery.  

The boys took full advantage of the spacious grassy lawn perfect for running around and letting go.

A quick walk away is Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market where we spent the rest of the afternoon.  Our last stop for a drink and a snack was at The Bell in Hand, America's oldest pub (first pour in 1795).

We headed home exhausted.  I hope the Seymours enjoyed their tour of the city as much as we enjoyed bringing them here.

duck tour at the MOS

We got out of the house early for our day in Boston.  We started off with a Duck Tour in the morning.  It was overcast but warm.  Perfect weather for a tour of the city in a "Duck."  These W.W.II amphibious landing vehicles take us on a tour around the city and on a ride in the Charles river.

Winston enjoyed the tour from my lap.

Our conDUCKtor was really knowledgeable and funny.  We learned that most of the city was a landfill at one point.  It sat on a bay which got filled in to make living space for the city.  

 Boston's Public Library has a collection of over 23.7 million items making it one of the largest municipal public library systems in the United States.  It was founded in 1848.

The Trinity Church across the street was founded in 1733.  It is the birthplace and archetype of the Richardsonian Romanesque style, characterized by a clay roof, polychromy, rough stone, heavy arches, and a massive tower.  This style was soon adopted for a number of public buildings across the United States.

The statue of Sam Adams is in front of Faneuil Hall which has been a marketplace and a meeting hall since 1743.  It is part of the Freedom Trail and the site of numerous speeches by Samuel Adams, James Otis and numerous other encouraging independence from Great Britain.

We are bracing ourselves as we go into the Charles River.

James and Roo really enjoyed this part of the tour.

Attached to the ceiling are all the life jackets in case we started to sink.

All of the kids got to "drive" the duck boat.

We floated down the river past a hospital under some bridges and toward MIT.

We got back on land and dropped off at the museum just when it started to drizzle.  

Back at the Museum of Science Bennett wanted to see the rah-roos first.  He was very sad when we were leaving for the duck tour that he couldn't go and play with the large dinosaur outside of the MOS.

Bennett was very happy in the dinosaur exhibit.

Our next exhibit was about lightning.  We did not stay long.  Nothing keeps the attention of the kids for very long at these ages.

It would have been nice to see the show but all the kiddos wanted to move on.

 In the nature room we saw this bizarre chair made of multiple animal parts put together like alligator skin and deer antlers.

Audrey and Ryan played the Mystery Shell Game.  

 Bennett found an empty amphitheater and used as a jogging track.  He had the most fun here I think.

Ryan and Alice ready for take off.

Alice loved the old school house exhibit.  She was a natural.  I remember when I was a kid liking to pretend I was a teacher as well.

The weather outside was improving quickly so we decided to move on and explore the rest of the city and find a place for some lunch.

We have already done a lot this morning but there is still a lot to see and do in Boston.