Our Boston Summer: Week 8

Weeks eight and nine of our internship were ones we had waited the entire summer for... WE HAD VISITORS!! And not just any visitors, our favorite people in the entire world...our families! It's been too long since we've seen everyone and we absolutely loved having them!
Since we left eight weeks ago, Grant has started walking, Christian has gotten taller, and is now pronouncing his "r's", and they both have become little rambunctious boys instead of babies (insert broken heart here). Needless to say, we were excited to show off all our new tricks, and show everyone our favorite things about Massachusetts!
But first, we had to get everything ready. Haircuts were definitely in order, so we went all out (it's all about the experience right) and went to Snip Its, a salon especially for children. Christian enjoyed watching cartoons, while Grant enjoyed eating all of their snacks.

 Very lucky for us, during our errands we discovered that Barnes and Noble does a story time, which happened to be at the exact time we were there AND it was superhero themed... could it get any better than that? Not for Christian.

The next morning, our first visitors, Mark's parents were supposed to arrive! The boys were so excited, they could hardly sit still. 

 And finally...They were here!!

Now, get ready for picture overload, because we had so. much. fun. First stop, New England Aquarium!

 My favorite part of the Aquarium was the huge circular tank that went up the entire middle of the building filled with every kind of sea creature you could possibly imagine, I think the boys' favorite was being able to touch the starfish and stingrays (or maybe just the splashing...it's hard to say).

 We also loved the sea lions!

 On Friday, we spent the day at Fenway Park! I loved how excited Christian was to wear his Red Sox attire and go the the field, all the while knowing nothing about any of it. But, we sure did learn a lot on our Fenway tour! After a stop at the official Red Sox store of course.

 Grant was over it before it began.

 Everyone was patient with me as I made them stop every two seconds for another picture. I'm such a tourist.

 On top of the "Green Monster"

 Eventually, the boys got tired of pictures and I just had to catch some good "action" shots. I'm learning that with little boys, I have to get pretty "artistic" with my photography.

 Before the tour, we had told Christian about the "Green Monster", so the entire time he was looking for an actual monster. He kept asking, "Are we going to see the monster?" "Where's the green monster?" The fact that the "monster" was actually a wall was a tough one to explain to a three year old. Thanks to Grandpa and Grandma, he did end up getting his green monster, but I could tell the confusion was still there...

The history behind The Red Sox, and Fenway Park is really neat, and fun to learn. And if for no other reason than the fact that we were Massachusetts residents for three months, we will always be faithful Red Sox fans! #RedSoxNation

 We had so much fun at the Aquarium, and at Fenway Park, but we sure missed Mark. He was working away during those fun adventures (I guess that IS why we're here). We were so excited to have him join us on Friday night and he was glad to spend time with his parents too!

 Friday evening we took a Duck Tour! The duck call whistles were definitely a favorite.

The boys also thought it was so funny to wave at everyone out the window. They even got a few waves back!

Of course they were fascinated that the bus could also go in water and thank goodness too, because by that time Grant was ready for a change.

 Yet another favorite part was getting to drive the duck. We're just lucky these quacks didn't sink us!

After Duck Tours, we spent the evening down town walking the Rose Kennedy Greenway, and having dinner. I've decided that one of my very favorite attractions (I know, there are so many) in Boston is this darling carousel. The animals are amazingly detailed and just so neat. I was in awe of the art work as I watched it go around and around. Every one was incredible.

The city was a really fun place to spend the evening. 

On Saturday morning, we made the long drive to Cape Cod (We didn't think about Saturday traffic...so it was a LONG drive). But it was all worth it when we finally made it to the fun little beach town, and quaint little candy shops. 

 After dinner, we went to the funnest Drive-In theater. Christian thought it was the coolest thing to watch "Planes: Fire and Rescue" outside in the back of the van. And Grant just thought it was pretty awesome to be able to crawl all over with no restraints.

 On our last day together, we spent the morning at the beach. As always, the boys loved the sand and dabbling in the sea. The goggles were a must and did not leave Christian's forehead for anything.

 And what would the beach be without a jumping picture? Mark's got hops. (Or I'm just a really good photographer...)

The beach left us sandy and salty, so what better way to rinse off than the hotel swimming pool? We're the best guests. 

After we were all cleaned up, we headed to Plymouth. One of the awesome things about being in New England is that there is so much to see and do, and so much historical significance, all within a short distance. We really enjoyed Plymouth Plantation and seeing the Pilgrims and the Indians errrr... Native Americans (we were quickly corrected when I pointed an "indian" out to Christian). 

Christian was pretty fascinated with the Pilgrims' accents and required a few translations in order to answer some of their questions ("How many years hast thou?"...uh...blank stare.)

Our last stop was the Mayflower and Plymouth Rock. And when they say Plymouth "rock" they aren't kidding... It is literally a rock.

What an eventful and exciting weekend. We absolutely loved having Mark's parents here, and can't thank them enough for all of the memorable experiences they provided for our family. Not to mention the good sports they were and the patience they had during some of our melt downs and tantrums (mine included).

Thanks for visiting Mom and Pops! You guys are the greatest!