Swan Boats

For Ian's baptism, his Godmother (my aunt Cathy) got him a painting of the Swan Boats in Boston that we have hung in his bedroom. Often when I am putting him to bed at night he will look at it and tell me he wants to ride the boats, so we have been looking for an opportunity to give him and Jocelyn the experience. Over the holiday weekend we met our friends the Goggins and their kids in Boston for a ride.

Here is a shot Momma took just after we got on board...Ian is behind Jocelyn but too busy watching the operator get ready to cast us off to look at the camera.


He spent most of the time standing up on our bench looking around, wondering why the operator was pedaling away, and checking out the scenery.


He had lots of other things to look at, because it was a beautiful day. The swans and ducks were out in full force waiting to be fed, and the weeping willows swayed in the breeze. The other kids were soaking it all in as well.


After the boat made its way around the island and headed back toward the dock, we saw a family of turtles heading either home to the island or out for a swim.


What a nice way to spend part of a holiday weekend!

Make Way for Ducklings

After the stretch of bad weather we have had the past few weeks, it was great to be able to get outside and enjoy some sunshine this Memorial Day weekend. On Sunday we took the kids into Boston to meet our friends the Goggins for a picnic, and of course we had to stop to see Mrs. Mallard and Jack, Kack, Lack, Mack, Nack, Ouack, Pack, and Quack!

Here Ian had just hopped on to Mrs. Mallard's back when Jocelyn decided that there was room enough for two. I am not sure the young man agrees.


He then looked for another duckling that he could ride solo and found one right next to Katherine Goggin. Much better.


William Goggin got his own turn on Mrs. Mallard's back and decided to give her some blinders.


After riding the ducklings we saw an artist who was setting up shop to paint them. They were nice enough to let the kids look at their supplies. While the rest of the kids were happy to sit back and watch...


...true to form, Ian jumped right in and grabbed a brush. Perhaps we have a future Matisse on our hands.

Thick as Thieves

Prior to her recital, Jocelyn had a dress rehearsal at which Momma took some great shots of her with her friend Sophia. We couldn't resist the opportunity to post some close-ups of them in their adorable dance outfits.


Jocelyn loves to show off her dance moves at home, but it looks like she is taking her cues from Sophia here!

Jocelyn's first dance recital

Jocelyn loves to go to dance class every weekend to see her friends Sophia, Noah and Amelie. This morning was her first recital. She was great!

Mother's Day 2011

We've been so busy lately settling into the new house that I haven't had a chance to post photos from Mother's Day... Julie decided that what she would like most that day would be to have a nice breakfast after church at home with Grammie, Nana and the kids, so that's what we did!

A nice shot of her with Ian, who is transforming from toddler to little boy before our eyes.


And one with Jocelyn, who decided just before this was taken that the headband would make a nice accessory for her new dress.


Here's a nice shot of Momma and her cherubs (and of our as-yet unfinished mudroom in the background).


Nana came to enjoy the chocolate chip pancakes whipped up by yours truly...


...which the little man and Jocelyn did quite a number on.


After breakfast these days Jocelyn likes to pretend she is getting ready to drive to school with Grammy with her backpack on.


At one point Momma decided to hop into my lap to thank me for breakfast, which caused Jocelyn and Ian to want to climb up too. The more the merrier I guess.


As we got near nap time Jocelyn and Ian got a special treat, a story read to them by Nana. They ate it up and were ready to hit the sack right afterward!


We hope all our friends and family had as wonderful a Mother's Day as we did!

Ian's 2d Birthday - Family Party

We invited family to the house for a small birthday party for Ian a couple weeks back. The little man couldn't wait to dig into his cake when he woke up from his nap!


Sesame Street (or as he calls it, "Elmo") is his favorite TV show.


He hasn't quite gotten the hang of blowing out candles yet, but he had plenty of help!


He also had plenty of help with eating the cake! Jocelyn is a fantastic cake-eater, one of the best we have ever seen.


She was very excited to see her Godfather, Uncle Greg, and to get to spend time with all of the cousins.


It was a team effort opening the gifts Ian received, since Jocelyn's eagerness to open any wrapped gifts, whether hers or not, has been known to set off small skirmishes.



One of Ian's gifts was a set of balls, including a basketball and football, from Uncle Tim and Aunt Marie. There was a scrum when they came out of the packages, but in the end the birthday boy successfully defended his turf.


Later, Ian and Jocelyn played with Julia and Timothy for quite a while, giving the adults a nice break. Apparently the hall closet became a makeshift clubhouse. This picture was taken just after surprising them by opening the door!


Thanks everyone for reminding us how lucky Ian is to have such a wonderful family!

50 Degree Day at the Park

Jocelyn and Jakob are classmates at Wellesley College Child Study Center. Since Dave and I were in NH for the day, Ashley came to babysit, and I coordinated a playdate at the Sprague School playground across the street with Jakob and his little sister Julia. This picture was taken by Jakob's mom, Naama. No shots of Julia (Jakob's 8 month old sister) or Ian, although I was told Ian had a great time "holding" her!