Green Thumbs

Yesterday was the annual Beacon Hill Garden Club tour.  This was the first time I have participated and it was a really neat experience.  The tour included going into 12 privately owned gardens, many times only accessible by going through the homes, and four other gardens that you peeked into.  It took us over three hours to complete which included a snack and swing break at the Myrtle St. Playground.

Kimberly and Grace

It was challenging to capture the gardens in a photograph.  The garden below belongs to the home where Louisa May Alcott lived on Loiusberg Sq.  All of the gardens were so peaceful, a true urban oasis.  They really are hidden gems that regular pedestrians would never know about.  

http://www.beaconhillgardenclub.org

Below is a pic of Emma's signature move that she has been doing for the past few months.  It's always accompanied by a cute little sound as if she is trying to say, "What?" 

At this moment I am positive she is trying to say, "What's the big deal?  Of course I need three crackers in my hands!  I must always have three crackers in my hands." 

2.5 hours into tour! 

On a side note, we had a fun surprise visitor in town!  My cousin Katie! Katie just finished her first year of dental school at Nebraska and is doing an east coast tour of friend visiting before summer school starts.  Emma and I are thrilled Boston was on the literary as this was Emma's first time meeting Katie.  These two girls share a lot in common- names! Below is a pic of Emma Katherine and Kathryn Emma :) 

Mother's Day Weekend

Mother's Day 2013: The annual "Make Way for Ducklings Mother's Day Parade" in Boston this morning and Emma wanted to dress the part. 

The parade route has historically been up & down Beacon Hill, but this year because of the popularity they took the route through Boston Common & ended at the Public Gardens at the site of the ducklings statue.  The Harvard marching band led the way playing some classic tunes.

 Below a series of 3 photos as our little duckling's finger finds different resting spots.

And then another set of 2 photos w/ Emma getting tossed in the air.  The second one is pretty funny - it looks like a real duck w/ mini human arms.

Here we are with our friends after the parade in the Garden.

Kimberly sent the photo below showing the 2013 photo and last year's photo.  We've grown up quite a bit & made even more friends since last year.

After the parade, we went over to Kimberly's house in Beacon Hill to play & have brunch.

Playing with your friend's toys is always a new learning experience.

 Now that we're cruising all over the place, we've become quite comfortable going up to other adults and hitting them up for food.

 Braham's Rhapsody in B Minor in Duck Outfit. 

This weekend got off to a great start on Friday night when we went out with some friends to see the Red Sox game.  It was a perfect high 60s/low 70s, we had great company and saw Jon Lester throw a 1 hitter complete game shutout.  Very exciting and good Red Sox win.

 But the fun wasn't over yet.  As we were leaving the stadium a real B-list celebrity.  Can you guess who this guy is (note it's the guy on the right - and look closely - I think those are pink flamingos on his shirt - what an outfit!)

It was our favorite character from one of our favorite shows:  Barry from Storage Wars!  

Yay, It's May!

Spring finally showed its face with the arrival of the month of May and now Boston is in full bloom.  We LOVE spring! Emma and I have urges now all the time to get out of the apartment and our walks can now be better described as strolls.  Emma has been a good sport by humoring her mom by modeling in front of flower beds on almost a daily occasion. 

These two pics were taken on Monday- I found it fascinating how empty the Gardens were.  On the weekends these paths are filled. 

Patrick enjoyed a night at a Bruins playoff game so Emma and I enjoyed a picnic dinner on the river.  

Patrick was envious of our evening so we went back the next night. 

Last weekend I surprised Patrick and Emma with a Raffi concert!  Baby Beluga is Emma's second favorite book (it follows Goodnight Moon)- she must love her mom's singing ;)    

Many of Raffi's songs we sing weekly at our Isis classes or we frequently sang in our Baby Wiggles classes.  It was really fun to see Emma at her first concert.  She loved it!  She bopped and clapped to the music and watched Raffi with interest.  I hope Raffi comes back to Boston because he now has three groupies! 

Tuesday marked the annual return of the swans, Romeo and Juliet, to the Public Gardens.  The two swans spend the winter at the Franklin Park Zoo.  They have a big celebration for the event which included a reading of "Make Way For Ducklings" at the statue.

Our friends Kimberly and Grace came too!

Then the swans were paraded all around the gardens while being led by a brass band.  

We watched the swan release from afar.  

Here is a link with some pics and videos of the amusing event:

Annual Return of the Swans