Trip to Boston: July 6-10

In early July we flew back to Boston for Auntie Lisa's surprise 30th birthday party.  It was the first time Simon had been on a plane since mid-February and flying with him was a much different experience for everyone than it was when he was smaller and less mobile.  He didn't get an afternoon nap since we were traveling to the airport, and we hoped that meant he would fall asleep in Emily's lap during the flight like he did on all the previous trips.  No such luck though... he was way too fascinated by the plane, and the sliding window cover, and all the magazines in the seat pocket, and the fact that people were sitting in front and behind us.  Those things were all much too interesting to let him fall asleep, but sadly not interesting enough to keep him busy for the whole flight (except for bugging the people in front of us - he would have been happy to do that all day).  But in general he was very quiet and well-behaved.  It took a lot of patience and Cheerios to get through it, but we landed on-time in Boston and met Grandpa Ken and Grandma Cindy who drove us back to their house.

They have peas here too?  I'm giving this place 5 stars on Yelp!

Tons of pictures after the jump...

A very tired Simon gets some help from Grandma Cindy

Saturday July 7
Grandma and Grandpa took care of Simon in the early morning so Emily and I catch up on sleep a bit.  Later that day we drove out to Leominster for Lisa's surprise party with Grandpa Ken's side of the family.  Lisa was very surprised (or did a great job acting that way) and Simon got to play with his second cousins and swim in the pool.

Grandma and Grandpa were able to get a highchair for Simon to use, which made things easier for everyone

Cheese, grapes and Cheerios for breakfast

These rubbery blocks were a birthday present Simon got a few weeks earlier, but he didn't get a chance to play with them until we brought them to Boston with us

These feel different than the wooden blocks I play with at home

Just as fun to knock over though!

Morning storytime

Simon is fed up with Mom and Dad taking so long to post on the blog, so he took matters into his own hands

ALKHJL:HB:LHlkhja;lsdujhadsbhkhdfh!  More after the jump...

Simon, Abby and Jake

Simon teaches his cousins how to pretend-nap

Jake is still getting the hang of it

Abby is about to get ferociously dunked on

Jake and Abby teach Simon about bowling

Lisa thought she was just stopping in for a quick visit... she didn't know there was a party and didn't know we were in from Chicago

Simon wishes his Auntie Lisa happy birthday

We spent a while hanging around the edge of the pool, trying to convince ourselves that it was ok to swim even though it was cool and cloudy (we eventually did)

Big Steps away from the pool

Lots more grass to play in than at home

Abby blew bubbles for Simon and Jake to chase down

Abby tells Amy her plans for remodeling the house

Your telephoto lens doesn't fool me, Grandpa - I can see you and your camera way up on the deck over there

Simon inspects the fence for weak points

Now, here's yer problem right here... this hinge is all rusted up

Grandma and Simon take a break for a snack and a snuggle

This card... plays music??

THOSE ARE MY FAVORITE!!

Thank you for this wonderful musical card that says "Happy Birthday Lisa" on it for some reason!

Ten year old Simon even stopped by from the future

Sunday July 8
On Sunday we all relaxed a bit in the morning before driving out to Stow to visit Great-Grandma White.  At this point Simon was getting a little sick of traveling and being strapped down in an airplane or carseat all the time, but we had a nice visit all the same.  Simon was especially happy when he had a chance to run around on the big front lawn while we were there.

You need help with the laundry?  You got it!

Don't forget to wash this one... it's almost as dirty as my shirt

Auntie Lisa gives Simon a birthday present AND another musical card (which was actually intended for him)

Auntie Lisa took Simon for a walk in the wrap for the first time

Amy and Lisa were playing a game with Simon on the car ride home on Saturday where they would toss his stuffed dog aside and then throw up their hands saying "where is he??".  Simon loved this motion and sound so much that he kept doing it the rest of the weekend, and still does it pretty often today.  Whenever he's looking for something (even if it's something he just dropped himself) he'll put up his hands and make a little questioning noise.

Auntie Amy puts the finishing touches on a block tower masterpiece.  I'm sure it will stand the test of time...

Simon takes down another block tower with a single powerful punch

Let's see... these instructions aren't all that clear on which piece goes next

Where's my water bottle (that I just dropped behind me)?

What, you got a problem?

Simon does his daily good deed by helping Great-grandma (un)tie her shoes

Here I come...

Gotcha!

Let's go get Grandma!

I can run SO FAST

A few more inches and Simon can replace the cane

His poor legs were exhausted from so much running outside, but this long hallway was too interesting not to explore

Trying to bribe Squirmy Simon to sit still for a few minutes for a nice picture with Great-grandma...

...nope, not today!

Back at Grandma and Grandpa's later that day, Auntie Amy teaches Simon to play the piano for the first time

I'm good enough for a duet with Daddy!

I call this piece "Ode to Cheerios"