Cocoon of Chaos

A Day at the Fair

Our annual trip to the Topsfield Fair was filled with giggles, smiles, and full bellies.

Last Hurrah at the Shore

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our last hurrah at the beach was a few weeks ago, which in New England, is pretty rare for such a warm day in late September. We reveled in every single minute. A proper farewell to a season that was so good to us as a family.

We Happened Upon a Parade

After a very long weekend, filled with wonderful things, we decided to take it easy and head into Boston for a bite to eat and a little walk around one of our favorite places. One of the many reasons why I miss city living is the surprises each day holds. We were at the Frog Pond Playground, soaking up the sun and watching the kids run off the chilly air, when we heard a marching band. Lo and behold, there was a large parade beginning for Veteran's Day. We grabbed the kiddos, ran across the gold leaves strewn about the park, and graciously accepted flags from a lovely lady. We danced to the drum beats, waved our flags, and were left humbled by the sacrifices made by past and present service men and women.

this city is not only champions of baseball, but champions of spirit

this boy is a HUGE fan of parades

a little treat from a delicious coffe shop, The Thinking Cup after our lovely day!

 

A Respite in the Woods

Over breakfast the other day, Pippa,  announced, "I really need to get into the woods." So, away we went to the woods. 

girls had their Ergo carriers, Oliver his backpack

nesting fields

Oliver kept calling these kitty tails

can you spot the turtle?

into the Rockery

Our summer is coming to a close and this was such a lovely, quiet way to end it. It was the best summer yet, hands down.

 

 

Reunited...

I will admit, after being separated for 5 days, I missed my kiddos VERY much; and they missed us, too. My mum drove them up to Vermont and we had a lovely weekend together. The best part was walking down the gravel road to the swimming hole and feeling entirely filled up with love. We work very hard to have a happy, warm, and loving family unit and being all together again was just electric. It was really quite lovely.

Pippa picking wildflowers

Happy boy running through the fields

kite flying

even Chloe had a great time

words cannot describe how much I love this picture

a certain little lady lost her tooth, too

and another little lady conquered some serious fears

not a bad place to swim everyday

after a rather wobbly walk to the waterfall

naturally...

All in all, I'm feeling so very lucky and so very blessed. 

Untethered...a.k.a. vacation

We had the privilege of being away without the kiddos for 5 days last week. To say it was bliss is an understatement. We have never been away that long and it was just divine. We headed north to my mum's place in Vermont and did nothing for 5 days. It was lovely. My phone did not work, the t.v. was not turned on, and the quiet was soul soothing.

We had a kid free vacation to a tropical locale planned for this summer, but another plan came up with my family, and in the end, Vermont was just perfect. We had cocktails with lunch, ate dinner after 5:30, read book after book, and walked along gravel roads as the sun set. All in all, it was perfection. Of course, we missed the kids but being away was good for all 5 of us. 

Friday Field Trip #1

I decided to institute Friday Field Trips this summer, as both a carrot to dangle in my face to make it through the week and as a carrot to dangle in the kids' faces for the same reason. The first weeks of summer are always an adjustment period for all of us, myself included. We are not used to being around each other all day, everyday. Yes, I am around other people's kids all day, but that is different.

So, up first was the zoo. We were all excited, had our bags packed, maps ready, and then it started raining. Not a small drizzle, a massive downpour. Meltdowns and tantrums were inevitable so I hatched up a plan to go to a local museum instead. We were on the brink of torrential tears, but everyone agreed that The Wenham Museum would suit us just fine for this first Friday Field Trip. 

 

every superhero fire fighter needs a string of pearls

an amazing non-creepy doll collection

 

My goodness, we had a blast. This little gem of a museum celebrates childhood of the past, showcasing different toys from different eras and has an entire room of model trains and towns. It is catered so very much to small children, they forget they are in a museum. It is a wonderful thing to watch children play amongst old treasures and artifacts from the past. I do declare our first Friday Field Trip a success!

A Hidden Treasure: James P. Kelleher Rose Garden Boston, Ma

On our family date night the other night (see here), we needed to run off that rice krispy treat sugar outside of the museum. So, we headed out, crossed the street to what seemed like a small green space and found a gorgeous rose garden...by total accident.

I was in heaven. I love flowers. So much so, there were hundreds embroidered on my wedding dress, we got married in a rose garden and each table at our wedding was named for a flower and there is a line item on our monthly budget for flowers. They just make me so damn happy.

The kids loved looking at all the roses, we saw a mama bunny and her baby, and we all had a good laugh at some of the names...family favorite was "Sexy Rexy Rose". I'm serious. And yes, it was pretty damn sexy. What is the point of my post here? My point is don't be afraid to get lost or explore new places, it is the unexpected beauties that stay with us the most. If you're ever in the Fenway area of Boston, do check this garden out, it is amazing. (see here).

 Baby bunny getting the hell out of dodge...

Despite the look on my husband's face, he had a lovely time, really, he did. (Photo credits go to him for this floral adventure.)

A Family Date Night with Samurais

The mister is on a lengthy trip currently and we try very hard to have a little extra fun before he leaves. This little man of ours is currently OBSESSED with ninjas and samurais and the girls LOVE art, so we thought our sans kids date at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston (see here) would be just as fun with kids. As luck would have it, Wednesday nights are free, so we prayed for good behavior and headed into the city. Our prayers were answered with a wee bit of traffic so the little man got a quick cat nap before heading in, which was a key component to our successful evening.

mesmerized by the samurai

in awe of Van Gogh

treats for all...rice krispy treats for the littles, chilled wine for the bigs

 

this was a moving exhibit. quilters from all over the country designed a square in honor of the Boston Marathon bombings. A literal representation of our country coming together, stitch by stitch, to support one another. It was so beautiful and moving.

Disappointment turned into Adventure

It was a relatively warm Sunday and Devin and I were aching for our monthly city fix. We tossed around the idea of so many things, but settled on ice skating at Frog Pond in the Boston Common. Kids were all psyched to go, so off we went. I should have known that our perfect free parking spot in downtown Boston was the universe's way of apololgizing. We walked down to the pond and lo and behold, they were closed for the day because the night before was too warm. Needless to say, I had some very disappointed kiddos and one who never takes disappointment well was a mess. Luckily, there is a playground, so we headed there. My 3 children looked tortured, slowly walking along the play structure, disappointment weighing down on their every step. The mister and I knew we had to think of something pronto. We already had our lunch plans at a small french cafe, so we walked there, talking it up like crazy, only to find that they were closed for a private party. Yes, seriously. But, ever the optimists, we ploughed on to Quincy Market and ate at Ned Divine's. Luckily, basketball was on, the kids were entertained while the mister and I devised a plan. Our plan was to have no plan. We just walked around, happened upon the Freedom Trail, and ended our day with delicious cupcakes at Sweet. On the drive home, we all agreed that good did indeed come out of disappointment and all 3 kiddos hatched a plan to explore the city once a month. Next up is Chinatown!

State House

2 peas in a pod

first public school

walking the freedom trail

amazing  mini cupcakes at Sweet (decor was adorable, too!)

the mini carrot was my absolute favorite

while we were enjoying the cupcakes, I looked out to see this beauty and chuckled. The mister and I used to have a Vespa when we lived in San Francisco and I was flooded with nostalgia for those carefree days of no plans, no tantrum tiptoeing, and spontaneity. But then, I looked over at those three faces, smeared with frosting, and was reminded that this day did turn out to be carefree and my goodness, how wonderful it is to slow down and walk through the city, explaining its splendor to three curious creatures. Besides, our city adventures will begin again on a Vespa soon enough, we may be sporting gray hair, but they will indeed return. And then, I'll be sitting in a cafe remembering my sweet babes with frosting all over their face. Life is funny, isn't it?!