hay rides + caramel apples + hot apple cider + homemade cider donuts {ah, heaven.} + feeding furry friends + running through a hedge maze + we walked up and down rows of apple trees, picking as we pleased = the most splendid afternoon at the orchard!
…it was about thirty minutes out of our way,
.....
we look forward to halloween big time around here. i go into costume-planning-frenzy at least two months before. the decorations go up in september, we usually have a big festive party.
and. i just love this *time of year. while halloween plans are underway, i’m scouring magazines for the latest-greatest thanksgiving dinner recipes + i’ve started christmas shopping. it’s like holidays on crack in my mind, and i kinda live for times like this.
so. with all that said, there was no way we were going to miss the annual october festivities in salem, massachusetts.
known for the famous witch trials, the town lives it up this time of year. total tourist trap, mixed with history.
.....
we chose the most beautiful weekend to visit our nation’s capital.
this l’il trip is one of many that is on our “while we live in boston, bucket list”.
…because we were sight-seeing on a 3-day holiday weekend, we joined masses of people from all over the world to visit the heart-touching monuments and memorials that scatter washington, district of columbia. washington is one of the best places to visit if you are interested in taking tours. due its historical significance, there are many places like Tours4Fun that offer tours that could teach you a lot about this country.
…i think having a family makes me so much more aware of patriotism.
.....
this year, we are having our-family-only birthday parties. which is a brand-new party philosophy for us rhodes. each kiddo will get to help plan their special day, and i hope each one chooses something unique for our first year here in boston. sela’s original request – the american girl store. we didn’t have this store in utah, so i truly dodged it with my older girls. i never even let them know it existed. however, they were fans of build-a-bear which is somewhat of a trade. but, our last child – sel-bels – she is a doll lover. so, it’s totally appropriate we cave for her. ::smiles:: and, our new local mall, which i swear is the best mall on the planet,
.....
no lie! this might be one of the most beautiful places, on earth.
“elm bank reservation”
thank you google maps for this aerial view
{used my little ‘screen shot’ feature on my mac for this, so don’t judge the photo quality!} —
last week kj started lacrosse & flag football; myla started lacrosse & field hockey all through a local kids club.
the classes are taught at ‘elm bank reservation.’
…our first day, we pulled in, crossed a truly magical bridge, and literally my heart did a little skip.
we made the slow drive around the reservation,
.....
…a few weeks ago.
shannon & cory brought boston {their 12-year old son} out here for a special birthday trip for his 12th birthday. it was time he visited his namesake city! boston and myla have grown-up with each other at home, and of course shannon & cory are dear friends.
we visited newberry street + went trail running together one morning + played lots of blokus + went shopping + had a little karaoke-concert by the kiddos, sela made a sign for her band, it was called “tea & the band” and she set-up her tea set for us during the show – hilarious little girl! + spent a morning at nahant beach. the taylor family also did lots of other sight-seeing while our kiddos were in school &
.....