Boston!!

We went to Boston last week!  I have continuing education money that I have to use every year by July 1.  I was either pregnant or on maternity leave for most of the year, so I didn't go to any conferences this past year.  I had a few days to decide if I should go somewhere, so I made a last minute decision to attend a conference in Boston.  I asked my mom if she wanted to come, and she graciously obliged.  Fast forward 5 months, and taking 2 little ones on a plane didn't seem like that great of an idea after all.  I think my mom was this close to changing her mind about this little trip when she realized how much stuff we were bringing.  Her eyes are closed in the picture below; probably hoping that this was all just a dream!  No, no, no!  That carseat backpack and a million pieces of luggage were very real!

Andy dropped us off at the airport with plenty of time to spare, so we let them play for a bit.  I had to put my germaphobia aside for this one.  (For the whole trip for that matter.  I woke up one morning to see Josh SUCKING on the side of the pack 'n play. YUCK!!)

The floor Joshy, really?!?

After much (mostly internal) debate, we opted to check Ben's car seat and let him sit in the seat without it.  He was not understanding why he had to have a seat belt on the whole time.  But, for the most part both boys were perfect little angel flyers!

Neither of them slept a wink, but they were happy the whole time!

When we got to Boston, we thankfully had some family to pick us up!  I'm not exactly sure of the relation, but I do know that they are amazing and the most gracious hosts ever.  (Third cousins twice removed or something like that.  I'll have to reference the family tree that Anna made.)  I give them full credit for actually convincing my mom that we would survive the trip!  They dropped us off at our hotel to check in before taking us to their house for homemade pizza!  It was AMAZING!!  (21 day fix went on hold for that meal, for sure!)

And since Ben doesn't eat pizza, they kindly made Ben a huge batch of fries.  

They also got us a "welcome to Boston" cake which was so sweet!  Ben ate that too, of course, a long with orange soda.  He thought it was in heaven.  Oh, and he requested candles for the cake--3 to be exact.  I wonder why? ;)  

It was pretty late by the time we got back to the hotel, so I put Josh to sleep right away, and thankfully he fell right to sleep.  We did Ben's bedtime routine in the bathroom, so as not to wake up Joshers. 

The next morning, I started my conference and my mom started her duty with the boys.   Unfortunately, we were not really in a happening area, so there wasn't a lot for them to do that was within walking distance.  We were right near MIT's campus, but that was about it.  

The good thing is that the conference was in the hotel where we were staying, so I was able to go back and forth to see them between lectures.  

We took many a trips to the hotel gift shop.  Ben picked chips every time.  The first time we went, he asked if he could sit in the cart.  Sorry buddy, no carts here!

After I was done for the day, we decided to check out the Harvard Square area.  There were a bunch of cute shops including the world's only Curious George store.  Apparently the author grew up in Harvard Square.  Curious George is literally the only show/movie Ben watches, so he was pretty excited!  Though he was equally excited for the random bin of balls at the Curious George store too.

We walked around for awhile looking for a restaurant, and while a nice relaxing dinner would have been divine, the reality is that thing 1 and especially thing 2 are NOT in to leisurely meals.  We found a sandwich shop where we could eat outside because it was so nice out!  

While we were waiting for the hotel shuttle, Josh was getting a little antsy, until this pack of girls showed up and starting fawning all over him.  They were all in love with him and he was definitely flirting back.  It was so funny and definitely helped make the time go faster.  :)

We love Boston! :)

Luckily for everyone, my 2nd day was only a half day.  You can only play with a lunch box on your head for so long.

After I was finished, our fabulous family picked us up and took us to the Rainforest Cafe.  As anticipated, the boys LOVED it. 

Santa was already at this mall!  Ben introduced himself and told him he wanted balls for Christmas.  It reminded me of the "A Christmas Story" movie because he keeps saying he wants a scooter for Christmas, but then when we saw Santa, he fell back on his safety choice of a ball.  :)  Luckily, we have since seen Santa again, so he was able to set things straight.

The next day, our last day, we said goodbye to our hotel before we were picked up. 

As if we hadn't been spoiled enough, Toni and Tony made us another fabulous meal.  This was only lunch, too!

It was another beautiful day, so the boys were able to play outside.  Ben found a soccer ball and a goal, so he was a happy camper.  All in all, it was a great trip to Boston!  Both boys slept really well.  (Josh was up 2 times/night, every night, but went back to sleep nicely after he nursed.)  It was exhausting, especially for my mom, but I think she still had fun too!  A HUGE thank you to my mom for coming along so that I didn't have to leave the boys at home.  And another giant thank you to Tony, Toni, Rosa, Joey, Sal, and Marissa!   Goodbye for now, Boston!

For my own personal record, neither of them slept on the way home, despite the fact that Josh was REALLY tired.  We were thinking of taking the boys to Europe this spring or summer, but after that short flight I really can't imagine a long one.  I do love traveling with the boys though.  We will have to bring daddy-o next time!