Boston Day 3

Because we transferred to a hotel last night, the kids didn't fall asleep till 10:00, then they woke up at their normal 6:00 a.m., so I knew they'd be tired for a nap very early in the morning. Mary was already shrieking with fatigue at 9:00 a.m., so I got the kids arranged to lay down for a rest. John insisted repeatedly that he was not tired, so I convinced him that he was a big boy who didn't necessarily need to nap, but Mary needed him to be quiet so she could nap because she is just a baby. Amazingly, my boisterous boy actually (finally) quieted down, reading a book to himself in bed and, lo and behold, he fell asleep within mere minutes. So much for, "I'm not tired!"

The view from our hotel room window

After the children took their early morning nap, I took them on an hour-and-a-half-long trolley tour of Boston. It was actually quite enjoyable and I felt confident as a mother, seeing how it turned out. I decided not to take advantage of being able to get off and on the trolley as often as we wanted because I thought that might be too much for me, alone with a three-year-old and 15-month-old and without a stroller. Instead we hunkered into our seats and my job was to enjoy the sights while keeping two littles cheerful, yet quietly so. I wasn't surprised that while I was fascinated to hear the tour guide describe the illustrious history of Boston, John would shout out at the sights most interesting to him: "Look! Pigeons! A digger [construction vehicle]! An ambulance! Smoke!"

After the trolley tour, Chris had a break between meetings, so he joined us to drive half an hour north to the town from which my dad's family comes. (My grand plan was that the kids would take an afternoon nap while we drove around to see sights, but they didn't nap and instead Mary screamed a whole lot--resulting in overtired, grumpy children during dinner.) First we visited a beautiful cemetery where my grandfather and aunt (my namesake) are buried.

We took fresh flowers and said some prayers. Visiting a cemetery caused John to ask me what a "cemetery" is. I tried my best to answer the question by reminding him about how bugs die and Jesus died (the two things he knows that die), then saying that when people die, their bodies are put in the ground. I talked about the soul separating from the body, so he wrestled with that idea. Then he confirmed, "Are we alive?" At the cemetery itself, he was messing around with a freshly dug and filled grave, so we kept admonishing him to stay away from there, first giving reasons like, "that is not respectful," and finally using reasons he could understand, "you'll get muddy." As we were getting back in the car, John surprised us by saying repeatedly that there was a body under that mud, so we shouldn't play there--so he had actually been listening. He isn't old enough or conscious enough to be scared of the idea yet (it seems), so he was simply stating it matter-of-factly.

Located immediately across the street from the cemetery is the home where my father grew up. I've never been inside, but it sure seems beautiful from the outside.

My parents rented the attic apartment of this home (more than 100 years old) and that is where I was born in a planned home birth. When I was taking photos today, the current owner came outside to inquire if I needed help. Once she determined that I was not intending her harm, she was very friendly.

The home where I was born is across the street from the Andover Commons. (I was told that New England towns used to have common grassy areas in the center where cattle could graze, so they were called "commons.")

More of the Commons

In the evening we visited my Aunt Mary and Aunt Sarah at Mary's home for dinner. John had been inquiring for hours about playing with her stash of toys, which turned out to be a very good collection.

Here Aunt Sarah shows Baby Mary how to be gentle with the very big, very old kitty.

Having dinner with family I haven't seen in about twenty years! (Aunt Sarah in black, Aunt Mary in peach)

We really wished we could have stayed longer to catch up with my family, but we were constrained by a late night business meeting Chris needed to attend. Let's plan on visiting again sooner than 20 years from now!