June 9th - Bean Town!

June 9, 2010
Believe it or not, we all slept past 7a.m.!!! I couldn’t believe it. Nice. I went to wake up Cam about 7:45….only to find that he’d completely peed his bed (pack-n-play). Yuck! Damn Huggies…I’ve had trouble finding Pampers. So I had to use the 5 cent miniature bar of soap to scrub his p-n-p mattress.
After showers, I hustled the kids to Dunkin Donuts for breakfast. Today was Boston day and the kids were very excited about taking a “train” (the infamous T) into the city. Gin was less than excited. She said that she was an “insecure public transportation person.” So she headed to the lobby for the continental breakfast and a map of the T. She looked frazzled and asked for my atlas before I left. I decide to just call Marcie (she lived here and worked in the city) for the 411. But by the time I got back to the hotel…Ginny was waiting out front…and she did not look happy!
Long story short – we drove into the city, which at the end of the day turned out to be the right thing to do. I got to drive!, so that as cool. We had a very full day. We took the kids to Boston Common and they got the merry-go-round ride they missed out on in D.C. From there we headed to Boston Garden for the Swan Boats. Bear was a little antsy with waiting in line (which was not long). He just pushed to the head of the line….ugh! But I’ve discovered that if I HOLD Barrett…seriously…he’s okay. But, he is about 60lbs! Any wonder way Disney scares me?
We did make it to the boat…and he loved it. He had the biggest smile on his face watching the ducks and their babies fight for food. It was beautiful out. Perfect. After the boats, we walked back through the Common to Tremont Street and found Paul Revere’s grave. This was very important for two reasons. One, Hunter had a tough time with the historical figures segment of social studies this year…much to my chagrin. Paul Revere was one of the figures, so I was hell bent on him actually seeing some stuff. Two, twenty-six years ago, I visited the city with my dad and brother and we visited Paul Revere’s house and his grave and I wanted to “recreate” a picture of Edmund and I on Revere’s grave with a “modern day” picture of Hunter & Aud. Mission accomplished.
Then we headed to Quincy Market for lunch. Barrett had a little meltdown…minor. He used the restroom and ordered a grilled cheese which seemed to appease him. I order a class of pinot grigio and fried clams (my favorite). I called Marcie, to reminisce about a drunken girl’s night 14 years earlier, in Quincy Market…but I digress.
After lunch we headed back to the car and drove to Fenway Park. Hunter was soooo excited, which was beyond cool. Another fanatic! Unfortunately, I didn’t take them in (they wanted $50!) and immediately felt bad. I will make it up to them tomorrow….at Gillette.
I was tired – corralling the kid in the city was exhausting and it had really clouded up. We headed back to the hotel, because I had promised some swim time. By the time we got back the temperature had dropped to the 60’s and it was raining. The kids would not be deterred….and headed to the outside pool. Swear to God. After 30 minutes I made them go in.
I went on a hunt for Subway….never found it so I got Panera Bread…and was really gone too long. I knew it….and felt like a teenager when I got back, explaining to Ginny why I’d been gone so long. And I still had to get our pizza from the restaurant next store. The younger three were okay, but Bear was a bit nervous about my being gone.
I ordered the pizza to go and sat at the bar to have a glass of wine. The bartender was seriously flirting with me, which surprised me. Then he saw my diamond and said …”Oh, look at that rock.” I was like, “Yeah, it comes with 4 kids.” So he bought my wine for me…I still got it… and told me I didn’t look like I had 4 kids. I love Boston Boys.
Little buzzed when I got back - tripping over explanations to Grand Ginny. I’m 40, can you believe this? Aud has a sore throat, she claimed, so I had to “manage” her. She may be telling the truth given my week-long cold. Tomorrow could be rough…

Quote of the Day: Camden, “Mommy, be quiet!” – while I was singing in the car!
Silly Band Award: Hunter
Still in Dedham at the Fairfield Inn