Baby Dean Came! (And he brought his parents)

My sister-in-law, Madi, surprised my brother, Jimmy, with a trip out here for his birthday.  So we got to see baby Dean!  (by my pictures you wouldn't even know Jimmy and Madi were here.  Truthfully, Dean barely made it into my pictures either.)  We cram packed the week full of adventures and plenty of lazy time, too.

We explored downtown a bit the first day they were here.  

Checking out the seals outside the aquarium.

Caught a street performance outside Faneuil Hall

Jonny got to help with a hula hoop!

The Old State House.  Site of the Boston Massacre and now a T-Stop station.

Visited China Town for the first time because Jimmy thinks he's half Chinese.

For Jimmy's actual birthday we went down to New York for the day.  It's about a 3 and a half hour drive and Madi had never been.  So we set out early and came home late.  It rained a lot and we had little time, but we crammed in what we could and it was totally worth it.

"Don't you just love New York in the fall?"

See, look!  They did come hang out with us!

Aside from Central Park and Times Square, my kids and I didn't venture much.  We let Jimmy and Madi go so they could get in as much as possible with my kids slowing us down.  And the three of us were perfectly happy exploring Times Square.  Atticus and Jonny loved it.  We visited the M&M store and Toys R Us.  We gawked at the buildings and people in Times Square.  We waved to the characters trying to con people into pictures with them and watched the world go by.

Atticus loved New York and can't wait to go back.

We walked back to our car on the upper west side that night.  Halfway through, I realized both my kids, who were snuggled up in the umbrella stroller together, weren't responding anymore.  We had worn them right out.

On a lazy day I found Jimmy asleep while trying to comfort Dean, who was wide awake.

Hanging out with Uncle Jimmy.

We went up to Salem for some Halloween festivities and of course had to go visit this house.  This is me "...over there, dancing about idiotically".  

"Come little children, I'll take thee away..."

Found a little Harry Potter shop.

Gryffindor!  Or perhaps a new house full of smarts and sass.

I'll go with Gryffindor.  Wherever Ron might be, really.

Quidditch in his future.

We went on a family-friendly, walking ghost tour and it was a lot of fun.  If I remember right, this house has something to do with The Parker Brothers.  Like, the house Clue was based on or something to do with Monopoly or something.

Nathaniel Hawthorne

Our guide really knew his stuff and was very entertaining as well.  Also, because he knew there were Utahns/Mormons in his group, he pointed out this house, which is where Brigham Young was staying when he heard Joseph and Hyrum had been killed.  (And where some crazy Mormon kept having visions of treasure in the basement and kept digging until the whole basement was dug up.)

Obviously she's pointing and laughing at me.

My little witches

Such a scary face.

Salem's Town Hall.  "Dance!  Dance! Dance! Until you die!"

Love the New England houses.

Clinging to Jimmy's leg to keep him from leaving.