Out N' About

We recently went to Canobie Lake Park in New Hampshire.  I'm so over theme parks, but since my work was paying for us to go, and Berke loves rides, we went.  Berkeley was in HEAVEN!  He couldn't get enough of the rides and entertainment.  We watched a Lady Gaga impersonator and ever since then Berkeley has been obsessed with her music.  He hasn't been able to stop talking about all the rides since the trip, he has to tell everyone we see all about this fun place. 

 This is Molly, Berke is convinced that she plays with Mickey Mouse at his Clubhouse.

 We recently added this lovely 2010 Subaru Outback to our family, he's a real beauty.  We are now a 2 car family, which is kinda crazy in the city, but was necessary for this years work schedule.  Christian will be commuting quite a bit between two schools, and I travel quite a bit with my work.  We just couldn't figure out how to make things work with only one car, so we made the plunge that we had planned to make in a couple of years, and buy our (my) dream car.  We LOVE it!  Berke has named our car Axel Rod after one of his favorite characters in cars 2.

We visited the Fruitlands Museum in Harvard, MA.  It is about 40 minutes from our house; it's amazing that you can go from a crazy busy city to nothing but green trees.  This place is pretty amazing and beautiful.  It consists of a small art museum, a native american museum, an old Shaker House and the house where the Alcott family tried to do communal living which failed miserably within 7 months. They also have a lot of walking trails that you can enjoy with small children. It is a really nice day trip, and for those of you in the area, it is a spot for a FREE FRIDAY during the month of August, so check it out.

 We enjoyed the art.

 These adventures are always fun when you have a great group of people to go with.  

Eat Your Heart Out Chris Evans...

Cause this kid is about to take your job!

Auntie G and Aunt Stefy told Berkeley they would make a shield for him since he had this awesome costume (which he calls a dress).  Once they worked out their artistic differences, they came up with a great plan and executed it.  They made this amazing shield out of cardboard, rope and 4 colors of duct tape.  Berkeley LOVES it and hasn't put it down unless we make him, cause it is seriously the coolest shield EVER!

Filth, Grime and Dirt

We had a lovely time camping in the Berkshires this weekend with many friends.  While it did rain this year, it was MUCH less mild that in years past.  We spend a good amount of time at Laurel Lake at Lenox Beach swimming, kayaking and tubing.  Auntie G and Stef brought lots of fun toys for us to enjoy in the water, and enjoy we did!  Berke got a new life jacket and it made his fear of water disappear.  He swam in the lake with us and became a little fish.

Some of the bigger kids found some frogs and turtles at the lake, Berke was brave enough to hold one.

I was gifted 2 tickets to the 75th Anniversary Concert at Tanglewood this year in the shed.  It was quite a big ordeal and a wonderful concert with many big names.  It was a lovely night and I have never seen so many people attend Tanglewood.  Berke stayed back at camp with Auntie G and Aunt Stefy so we could enjoy a lovely night out. 

Berke loved spending time with his pal Soren (love Soren's expressive face, I think he notices Berke's glasses are crooked!) These two are alike in many ways and have a lot of fun together.  He also loved following around Noah and Rami around everywhere and playing with the "girls."

Berkey always loves getting to spend time with his Aunties who spoil him with love and attention; this kid could not be any luckier to have so many people in his life that love him so much.

More fun in the water; we were all worn out by the end of the weekend.  It was a great camping trip, but sadly this year I got the majority of the mosquito bites which I am not a big fan of.

Captain America

For weeks now, Berkeley has been OBSESSED with Captain America.  I don't even know where he learned about him, but the obsession has been increasing over time.  For the last month now Berke keeps saying, "I'm going to be Captain America soon." Anytime he would talk to a stranger on our street, on a walk or even on the train, he would tell the, "I'm going to be Captain America Soon." This week a girl asked what his name was and his response was, "My name is....I'm going to be Captain America soon." 

As a mother, I recognized an opportunity to make my kids wildest dream come true.  I ordered him a Captain America outfit so soon could be a reality.  I really didn't care if it wasn't Halloween, my kid needed to be Captain America in July!  It arrived today; he put it on and didn't take it off until bed time, and that was only with the promise that he could wear it again tomorrow.  For the first hour he literally ran around the house yelling like a super hero!  He would say, "Mom, what's my name?  You have to call me Captain America!"

Captain America by Day, Berkey Boo by night.  

This is truly what childhood is all about.

Light and Love

 On Thursday we attended a lantern festival in Jamaica Plain.  It is a Japanese tradition to have these festivals; you decorate lanterns for a lost loved one and then at sunset you light the candle and put it out to water, sending your messages of love to the other side.  

We made a special lantern for my Grandpa Taft; he's been on my mind a lot lately, so I felt this was an important even to attend.  We had them write the Japanese words Love and Laughter on our lantern, then I wrote Gram a message and Berkey drew him a picture.  I really miss Gramp and hope he got our message that we love and miss him every day! It was a very sweet and touching night.  There were hundreds of people there to honor people or animals they have lost in the last year.

(I'm so grateful my husband goes along with my last minute plans)

 Once the sun started to set everyone lit the candles in their lanterns and put them on the water.  There were hundreds of lanterns floating around this little lake in Forest Hills Cemetery.  It was beautiful and humbling.  Isn't it wonderful that God puts so many wonderful people in our paths in life and when they go they truly are missed and the impact of that loss is great.  This was such a lovely night.

 We were happy to meet up with my two favorite JP people while we were there, Bob and Kelly!  

I am glad Bob told me about the event, and that Kelly made time in her busy schedule to meet us there.  

Hey! How's Your News?

There have been a lot of people asking us lately what are plan for the next academic year is.  Did Christian get a job?  Are you moving?  Etc?

We are really happy to let everyone know that we will be staying in Boston for at least another year.  The thought of leaving this wonderful place was really hard to imagine, so we are happy that thought has come and gone.
Christian didn't get a tenure track job this year, which is not unusual for someone who is applying ABD(all but dissertation).  As the jobs all seemed to be filled and no interviews came his way, it was pretty depressing for the both of us. Christian applied for everything he could and in many creative ways and nothing seemed to be coming his way.  There are not any post docs in his field so that was  an option.  We worked to stay focused on the positive things, that I still had a job, that he could work on writing pieces and papers to build up his CV for the next year.
Christian decided to write a letter to music department of the universities in the area to let them know he was available to teach as a visiting lecturer if they needed.  Surprisingly a few months ago he heard from Framingham State University, he interviewed him and offered him a job to teach one class in the fall with the possibility of more in the spring.  He felt excited that at least he would be able to get some teaching experience and that it could potentially turn into something more.
Last week he got an unexpected call from New England Conservatory asking him to interview to teach three courses for the fall semester.  This was such wonderful surprise!  Christian interviewed and got the job.
Just this weekend he received an e-mail from Framingham State asking him to teach yet another class this fall, as one of the teachers there had to go on medical leave last minute.

There has been an abundance of good news this week and we are so grateful for these huge blessings that have been graciously given to us!

So there you have it! We are staying in Boston for the year.  I will continue the work I love in hospice, and Christian will be teaching 2 courses at Framingham State and 3 at New England Conservatory; he will be teaching a college writing class on popular music criticism, a freshman seminar on country music, a music history class and a music theory class.  All of this will help him to be very marketable next year!  Our lives are about to change in a huge way, there will be a lot more juggling of schedules and much less time together as a family, but we feel very lucky to be in the position we are in.

Three and one half

My sweet little baby boy is not so little any longer.  He is growing out of toddler stage right into what we call "little man" stage.  I often miss my littler man, but this stage is pretty fun and I am enjoying every minute of it.  

No doubt about it, Berkeley is a quirky kid; but mostly he is sweet, lovable, happy and silly.

(This is one of those posts that just talks about how adorable my kid is, so feel free to skip over if you hate this type of thing.)

 Favorite Toys:

 B is loving the summer, he loves to run and play outside.  While outside he is ALWAYS collecting sticks and rocks, this kid is obsessed.  We have a rule that he cannot take them inside, so our porch, yard and next to our stairs are filled with these treasures.  He has many uses for his sticks, from dancing accessories, to "shooting gums", light sabers, drum sticks, to a conducting stick.  Rocks are always fun to collect and mostly used for throwing.  While at the ocean or a lake this exercise could be executed for hours on end, there is simply no end to the fun and entertainment this activity provides.

Berke LOVES Lightning McQueen and all the CARS gang.  We have been collecting all the little cars from the movie and he loves them.  He plays with these little cars everyday and knows all their names.  They are his most prized possessions at this time.

He is still obsessed with his musical instruments, which we have A LOT of.  He plays with them everyday as well.  He loves anything he can drum on.  His favorite instrument (besides the drum, the drum is always the best) is his toy violin and saxophone that he got for Easter.  He informed me that this year Santa was going to bring him a Bass Guitar and a Drum set with cymbals.  This kid has BIG dreams for our small apartment.  We often play family band and it never sounds good, but we sure have fun making "sounds" together.

The iPad is another favorite but has to be limited as he would be on it all day if he could be.  He has to do educational games before he gets to play fun games which he is perfectly content with.  This "toy" has come in handy for road trips in keeping the kid entertained and for that, I am grateful.  

 My little man is a picky eater, but recently has been enjoying a few more foods.  We have had to incorporate a rule where he has to eat what we are having for dinner.  It has been a VERY painful process for everyone involved, but has resulted him liking a few more things.  He will finally eat mac n' cheese and cheese pizza, which we couldn't be more excited about.  He has discovered that he loves grapes.  He doesn't love veggies, but is at least eating them now. He is finally eating cake and ice cream like a normal kid.

Favorite foods:

Raisin Toast, craisins, apples, grapes, spaghettios, CHOCOLATE, string cheese, pancakes and fruit snacks

Favorite Places:

If you ask Berkeley where he'd like to go on any given day he will tell you the "Z of Science."  He would go to the Museum of Science every day if he could.  Luckily for this kid, we have a season pass and his daddy takes him at least 2-3 times a month.

B also loves the donut store, aka Dunkin' Donuts.  Clearly he goes there a bit too much with his daddy.

B loves going to the park, specifically the "dog park" which is where we take McDuff to do his daily business.  It isn't really a park, it is more like a green space to sit, but we always have races there and he loves it.  This kid will run in circles for hours at this park.

Berke loves to eat at "The Hot Dog Place", SPIKES, where they have great veggie dogs!


Favorite Books:
Pieces
The Grouchy Little Ladybug
Ah Music!
The Night You Were Born

Favorite Shows/Movies:
Yo Gabba Gabba
Dora the Explorer
Mickey Mouse Club House (Minnie is his favorite character)
Finding Nemo
Cars
Curious George
Blues Clues
The Incredibles

 Favorite People:

Mommy and Daddy

Auntie G and Aunt Stefy

Charlotte (big and small)

Agnes

Bob

Soren

Q

Jonas

Sophie
Noah and Rami

Megan and Christopher

Nikki and Ryry

Judi 

Berke loves to be around people but does better when he is not in a big crowd.  He really loves our sweet neighbors who are so good to him.  He adores his little friends and talks about them all the time.

SLEEP

Berke is a great sleeper but still wakes up in the middle of the night singing and talking.  His favorite songs to sing in the middle of the night include: I Want Candy, Bruno Mars' Marry You, ABC's, Old McDonald and Twinkle Twinkle.  This odd behavior is fine when we are at home, as we can shut the door and drown him out (as he is fine, he just likes to sing), but when we travel it is NOT fun.  We have invested in a box of ear plugs that travel with us anywhere we go.

He is still taking a 2 hour nap every day and if he doesn't get it, it is not pretty! 

Berke is such a happy kid!  He wakes up every morning with a smile on his face and always greets me with a big hug.  He is always making us laugh with the things he says. 

He recently became obsessed with the Avengers and tells anyone that he sees, "I'm gonna be Captain America soon." Not sure when that is going to be.
Lately, when he wants to do something he will say, "Hey Mom/Dad, I have a big idea!"  Then he proceeds to tell us what his big idea is, such as, "My big idea is to get chocolate ice cream. Is that a big idea?"
B has become very independent and doesn't want to use his stroller any more.  While walking up our hill on a hot day he said, "This is really hard and hot." He's already learning how hard it is being a grown up.

We love this kid!

This is My Country, Land that I Love

I sort of loved having 4th of July in the middle of the week; not gonna lie, it was a great way to break up the work week.  We spent the day in Framingham with Auntie G, Aunt Stefy and our pal Justin.  I showed up in the same shirt that G was wearing; TWINZ! 

We're sexy and we know it.

I forced Berke into the pool in an effort to get him over his fear of swimming and it worked!  He loved being in the pool and being the center of attention by not just his parents but also his Aunties.  This kid does not lack in love that is for sure.  We skipped the fireworks this year due to Berke's terrifying fear of loud sounds and my husbands anxiety in big crowds.  We got to bed at a decent hour since work was awaiting us the next day.

This weekend we stayed home...I know, your shocked.  It was a really great weekend.  We went on a bike ride from our house to Lexington, MA to the Battle Green where the first shot of the Revolutionary War occurred.  Without that shot my friends, we may not be the great country that we are today!  

Berke fell asleep on the 10 mile trek there; he quickly woke up after I took this picture and said, "That was a long ride.  Get me outta here."

"Look a pirate!"  No, its just a minute man.  Turns out he was still good enough without pirate status for Berke to take a picture with him.

 The minute man statue that stands on the Battle Green in Lexington, MA

 The beautiful battle green

 We had a nice picnic here and then biked to a park to play.  We headed home the 10 miles and found the kid in this state when we arrived.  

We had a really fun day together.

 Our friend Zoey came over for a sleepover.  We had fun at the park and riding in the wagon.

summer lovin'

This weekends adventure was a trip to a quante trip to Woodstock, Vermont.  Our friends invited us to spend some time in this lovely house that they rented for a week.  It was perhaps one of the most beautiful houses I have had the pleasure to stay in.  It was on the country side, up a long hilly dirt road. Front the darling and perfect L shaped porch, you could see nothing but green trees and hills.  It was truly breathtaking to see such beauty, and to be in such a remote location.  This house sits on 40 acres of land and was amazing to explore.

(We forgot the camera, so these pictures from the I Phone are the best I've got)

 We took a trip into town to visit Billings Farm.  Berke helped churn and make butter which was interesting; we learned how to make butter and think we may try to make it at home some time soon.

 We saw two baby calfs and got to pet them.  Berke was so brave and loved being able to talk to and pet the animals, it was great.

 We were learning about Jersey Cows and the farmer told Berke he could pet this cow.  Berke was petting Jersey and she lifted her head rather quickly throwing Berke back onto the ground.  Clearly it was traumatic for the kid, but after a few tears he went outside and started petting some different cows.

 We met some of the most friendly horses at the farm.  They all came right up to the fence and wanted to scratched; they were just like dogs leaning into the scratches.  They were beautiful and friendly creatures; it was wonderful to be able to get so close to all these amazing farm animals.

 After the adventures at the farm, we headed to the local swimming hole and enjoyed some fun in the sun and in the water.  Berke made a new buddy this trip, "the girl" or Macy as other people call her.  He loved the girl and followed her around the entire time we were in Vermont.

 That night Christian enjoyed star gazing and relaxing on the hammock on the porch.  It was so ZEN!

Sunday we headed to Silver Lake and enjoyed some more sun, paddle boats, swimming and snacking.

We had such an amazing time in Vermont! We are so happy Linda and Brandon invited us to join them, they were great folks to vacation with.

 On our way home we stopped in Taftsville at the Taftsville Country Store.  It is so neat to see how my ancestors have made a mark on the East Coast.  

 I love all the treats Vermont has to offer, we came home with maple syrup, blueberry peach jam, pumpkin maple butter, fresh honey and cheese!  Yummy!

Vermont I think has taken over as my favorite New England state, it is just so breathtakingly beautiful and amazingly fun and relaxing.