heat wave!

well, not quite a heat wave, but warm enough to drag out the kiddie pool. ben showed her how to play with pool toys. she loved it, of course.

Ladybug Sunday

Every year we get a package of ladybugs from the garden center to release into our garden. They eat up the aphids and mites that gnaw on the veggie plants. As an added bonus, it's so fun to watch hundreds of ladybugs crawl around.

This is how we roll at the garden center:

Dad helps Ben build a ladybug terrarium to keep a few as pets for the next day or two.

Ben pushes his ladybugs terrarium on the swing. "They love going high!"

Bus ride with Rosie and Charlie

Our dear friends from down the street are moving in a few weeks, so we're trying to get in as many playdates as we can in the meantime. Ben will miss Rosie horribly, I suspect, and Frankie will definitely miss the doting that her friend Charlie bestows upon her.
We went on a bus ride to a nearby playground on Saturday, and they had a terrific time.

Mount Auburn Cemetery

It was a chilly April morning, but we decided to go to Mount Auburn cemetery today while Tony was at a swap meet. It was such a crazy week in Boston,  and we felt like it would be a nice peaceful place to meet our buddy Clem and enjoy the early spring scenery. Ben and Clem ran around with big sticks and laughed like crazy, which was just what we all needed.

Frankie's lunchdate

Frankie has a very special friend, Charlie. He giggles whenever she's around, pats her head and puts her binky back in her mouth whenever it falls out. Very sweet. Today, they had lunch together at the kids' table at Rosie's house. He shared his popcorn and ham with her.

Aquarium visit

I took the kids to the aquarium this afternoon. It was Frankie's first visit, and she loved it! Ben was excited to try to wake up the snoozing seals by jumping up and down, and to see the giant sea turtles. We did the whole downtown trip without anyone getting cranky; hooray! Maybe we need to get a goldfish?

Happy diner!

Little miss Frankie is an impressive eater, to say the least. She put down a full plate of salmon and sweet potatoes at the diner last week, and looks pretty pleased with herself.

Easter!