30 Sep
We woke to chilly temperatures Sunday, but by noon, it was clear, sunny and nearly 80 degrees. Tom and Katie accompanied us to the pumpkin patch (as did Bryan, though Ava noted I’d prefer he’d have stayed at home: “You buy A LOT more pumpkins when Dad’s not along.”) Halloween decorations are up (as is our fall task list) and we’re looking forward to the best season of the year!
28 Sep
Last Saturday, Bryan and I arrived in Boston. For the first time in many trips to Massachusetts, Katie didn’t meet us at the airport. We missed her, but we appreciated the cab ride through the city to our hotel—it’s important to be reminded of your mortality every now and then.
We stayed at Bryan’s conference hotel in South Boston, but spent most of our time up and down the Red Line. Our first top was Cambridge, were we revisited a pub Katie introduced me to years ago. We stepped in to find it filled with Husker fans, and we had a great time chatting with other Nebraska alumni during the game.
Towards the end of the night, I felt a tap on my shoulder, and turned around to find our friend Steve. He and Bryan were in the same lab in grad school, and Steve’s now a professor at Tufts. We toured his lab and had a lovely dinner at a Lebanese cafe in the area.
(I have to apologize for the photo quality throughout this post—I’m using a very old (vintage!) iPhone for a while.)
The next day, we walked most of the Freedom Trail, stopping along the way for a few “restoratives.”
We had dinner at another favorite of Katie’s—the Barking Crab. I love this restaurant. We sat at a picnic tables and drank wine from plastic cups, taking in the incredible view of the city and river.
Then, we met up with two friends from Lawrence—Alex and Laura, who just started post docs in Boston.
The next few days brought a bit of extra sleep, some remote work, and of course, a conference presentation for Bryan.
I was able to sit in on his presentation—while I can’t say I really understood a whole lot of it, I can tell you he was handsome and charming.
By Wednesday, I was so ready to be home, I didn’t even hassle Bryan (much) when he had me at the airport and through security a full three hours before our flight. We followed the sunset west, home to three sleeping kiddos and an equally exhausted Katie and Tom.
26 Sep
Me, on the way home from a five day trip to Boston: “Well, back to reality…”
Bryan, rapping an Eminem song in response: “Snap back to reality, oh there goes gravity. Oh, there goes Rabbit, he choked. He’s so mad, but he won’t give up that easy, no. He won’t have it, he knows his whole back’s to these ropes. It don’t matter, he’s dope.”
Me: “Good talk, Bry. Thanks.”
24 Sep
We found this cute photo of Owen and his grandpa as we looked at pictures of the kids last night. We’re having a great time in Boston, but we are really missing the littles. (There are THREE of them, a tired Aunt Katie keeps reminding me.)
20 Sep
These silly girls celebrated Thursday’s much needed rain with a crazy dance in the front yard.
17 Sep
We took the kids to the aquatic center on Sunday, and it was most definitely a job for two. While we kept an eye on the girls from a distance (as they played on the lily pads and scooted down the big slide), we followed close behind Owen as he explored as much of the baby pool as possible. He had an absolute blast.
He’s so drawn to water. He comes running when the he hears the washer, obviously understands the word “bath” and makes us regret leaving bathroom doors open for a much as a moment.
He’s a real handful right now, but he’s also incredible cute. It mostly evens out.
10 Sep
Ava: “Mom, you forgot to call Grandpa Gary on his birthday.”
Bec: “No I didn’t, I talked to him last night.”
Ava: “Really? When?”
Bec: “Remember when I was putting laundry into the washing machine and you were standing behind me saying, ‘Mom? Mom? Mommy? Mooooom? Mom?’ Then.”
Ava: “Oh, right…”
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