Day 6: Boston's Freedom Trail

I've had this post partly finished for days now but we've been so busy having fun and so tired at the end of each day that it's just had to wait...

After our time in Palmyra, we arrived at my sister Saydi's house in Boston late at night and snuck the kids into their cousin's rooms to go right to sleep (Saydi had told them we wouldn't be arriving until the next day). There was serious excitement when the kids woke up (all too early) the next morning!

Even though it was almost midnight, I was tired and there was construction traffic to deal with (always the story in Boston), driving into Boston brought out this sweet homecoming feeling in me. My first home was in Boston when my parents lived there while my dad was in graduate school. I lived in the Boston area off and on for 10 years for college, grad school and work. Jared and I met there and spent the first year of our married life living there. Boston holds a very special place in my personal history and in our family history.

Saydi and I went on a beautiful and challenging run while the kids had the time of their lives catching up. Then we headed into Boston to do Beacon Hill and the Freedom Trail. Saydi printed out some great stuff to help everyone look for clues along the way and make everything extra fun.

The kids riding on the T - super excited - trains are always a huge hit!

The T was a big part of my life and Jared's during the many years we lived in Boston.

Ready for their 1st T ride (Eliza and Hazel were so excited to wear their matching outfits and Oliver and Silas just can't get enough of Charlie)

Saydi getting us ready for all the cool things we'd be seeing
(In the Boston Common - State House in the background)

Here we are riding the ducks in the Boston Public Gardens (from the book, Make Way for Duckings). There were exactly enough ducks for all of us.

 Here are the swan boats:

 After the Public Gardens, we wandered around probably my favorite neighborhood anywhere in the world - Beacon Hill. The micro-gardens are exquisite, the flower boxes so perfect, the old gas lanterns, brick sidewalks, and fancy doorways are just plain lovely. 

Acorn Street on Beacon Hill - the most photographed street in America.

Saydi and I on Acorn Street

Ashton, Isaac, Eliza, Hazel, Emmeline, and Peter on Acorn Street.

Silas with a door he found that was just his size.

After Beacon Hill, we began the official Freedom Trail at the Boston State House. (Emmaline likes to pretend to be asleep in all photos...)

 Eliza and Hazel ready to start the Freedom Trail

The Old State House - little building was the capital of the colonies when England was in charge. The Declaration of Independence was first read from this balcony and the Boston Massacre happened right here.

Silas found a little "midget door"

Kids LOVED watching street performers at Fanuiel Hall

Another cool show

Here they are at Paul Revere's house in the North End (oldest building in Boston, I believe)

And here they are with Paul Revere:

The kids did some jumping pictures by the Old North Church with Saydi while I went searching for Isaac who we'd somehow misplaced. Luckily he remembered the rule about staying right were you are if you get lost and I found him pretty quickly. We were so focused on keeping track of the older kids that somehow, Isaac fell off our radar for a bit... In the background, you can make out the steeple where Paul Revere hung the famous lantern (or was it two? one if by land, two if by sea or the other way around?). I'm not good at getting my camera to take shots that get the lighting right in the foreground and background simultaneously...

Ashton insisted we put this one in:

We finished off the day with a delicious dinner at Wagumama at Fanuiel Hall, watched a great band play for a while, then headed home on the T with some very happy and very tired children.

We had to throw in a little subway surfing on the train home - if you move your feet, you're out!


What a perfectly wonderful day full of history and learning and fun and adventure. The weather was perfect. The kids were excited and happy pretty much all day. And we only lost one kid for a few minutes...