BOSTON :) Saturday

So Saturday we got the first part of Hurricane Irene.  It wasn't so bad and didn't start raining until the afternoon.  We started out the day by getting lunch at the Hard Rock downtown.  We have always gone to these restaurants on vacation because my mom collects pins from all around the world.  Usually it is pretty loud and busy so I was worried about Jewels being over stimulated again.  But thanks to Irene not many people were braving the weather, so it was pretty calm.  This is where Jewels had her first taste of real food (rice cereal so does not count!)  She had green beans and actually seemed to enjoy them...as much as one can enjoyed pureed veggies.

After lunch we walked over to Quincy market and Fanueil Hall.  They are these places to shop and eat.  You walk down the aisle and there are 20 different little stands you can eat at...picture a really awesome food court where the food is great!  We did not eat anything since we just had lunch (and I don't eat things that swim) but it was cool to see all the different sea foods and desserts.  We also went to a bunch of different shops that had souvenir type things...and of course tons of Boston Red Sox merchandise.




Fanueil Hall



Quincy Market



Inside Quincy Market

  This is where it started to rain.  So instead of walking the freedom trail we decided to drive around downtown.  We got the see the Federal Reserve (where Cody works) in Boston, and Boston Common. 



The Boston Fed

Boston Common...Basically the Central Park of Boston

We also saw this guy!!

After that we headed home but, before that we stopped at Bob's.  I don't really know what to compare this store to...kinda like a Khol's and Academy that only sells clothes.  They have a lot of regular clothes but, then also work out clothes and lots of Red Sox stuff for good prices.  Cody and I both got shirts, mine is a long sleeve T ( My Favorite) and I am so excited to wear mine once it gets colder...if it gets colder :(

After shopping we went home and had a delicious home cooked Italian meal. After we got all cleaned up we went to The Movies.  The girls saw The Help.  It was soo good, I loved it!  The boys saw Planet of the Apes.   My Mom saw nothing.  She stayed out in the hall the entire movie with my naughtykins daughter so that I could see the movie.  What an amazing Mom and Nana!  This entire trip would not have been nearly as fun without the help of my Mom and Dad.  I am so glad they got to go with us!!  Sunday is the day the hurricane really picked up...

BOSTON :) Thursday and Friday

So our first vacation with a little babe was a success!  Rocky at some points...definitely, but a success none the less :)  We started out the vacation with a Ranger game at home Thursday night.  It was baby girl's first MLB game and she LOVED it.  (by loved I mean, didn't scream through the whole thing when we were in the air conditioned store.)




Too bad we did not even get one good picture of us at our first game. But this is the jist!

The next morning we left super early at 5:00 to catch our flight.  That went fairly flawlessly other than me forgetting my ID and having to turn around once we got to the airport to go get it.  I couldn't believe it, I planned for this trip for weeks and had everything organized...including a color coded packing list for me and baby.  What do I do?  Forget my ID.  But the flight went well Jewels slept through most of it...just waking up every so often to let out a scream and remind everyone that she was still there!

 When we landed we drove to My Grandma's house, had lunch and got ready to go to Fenway.  This was by far the thing I was most excited about...I think we all were!  We got there early and since my Dad is a member of Red Sox Nation we got to go in an hour early and go to go to the top of the green monster..AmAzInG!!  We saw the A's take batting practice and ate a little snack and Juliette got her diaper changed on top of the green monster...How embarassing AWESOME!

Back of the Green Monster as we are walking in



Yawkey Way

The game was so different from any other game that I had ever been too, and very different from the Ballpark in Arlington.  It wasn't very family friendly (no games in between innings), was super squishy (the seats were SUPER close together),  and just had a different atmosphere. It seemed more legit...like every one was there for great baseball.  Not the dot race, or taco inning or all you can eat seats.  (Don't get me wrong I enjoy all of that stuff too.)  It was so great to finally be there.  Cody and I have wanted to go there for so long and we finally got to go.  It was all it was cracked up to be for sure!  Jewels did pretty well for most of the game, she just gets over stimulated and then very upset.  It will be her last game for a while...two in a row is a lot for a 4-month old to handle.



Please excuse the hairs...I had just taken her flower off cause it was pretty hot and windy!



The one red seat in Fenway..Represents the longest home run ever hit in the park by Ted Williams.  Rumor has it, that's where the ball landed :)

The train ride home was an adventure in itself.  The subway was super crowded because everyone takes it due to no parking.  Long story short, there were HUGE lines, we stood most of the way, took the wrong train, and didn't get home until 1:30am. Given, that our day started at 4:30 we were a little tired.  Yes, it was totally worth it!!  However, Baby Jewels has a different opinion :)  More on the rest of our vacation to come!

MY Summer Vacation

Isn't it crazy how different summer is once you are out of school.  Man, it seemed like I just endured a lot of heat and even more kids everywhere I went.  I know that I will appreciate it once I have kids that are school aged but, in the mean time, I'm going to miss the anticipation of summer.

That being said I did have somewhat of a summer vacation these past two weeks because the kids I nanny were out of town. Boy did I cram every bit of relaxation I could into two short weeks.



I started the week off with leaving the baby with my Dad and going flying with my brother and Mom.  Before my brother left for his mission he got his pilots license so we decided to fly about 45 min from Denton to go to this amazing BBQ restaurant.  Now I have never been up with him before and it was an experience.  Since my Dad is a pilot I have been flying on airplanes since I was days old and I love it!  I have never really understood when someone has a fear of flying, but I somewhat get it now.  This was such a tiny plane and you felt every jolt and since it was a windy day, the plane was a little bit harder to control and very bumpy.  By the time we landed back in Denton I was somewhat used to dropping and then going back up, but still a little scary at times!!



This is their plane…it seats three whole people comfortably...and I use that word loosely.



It was fun listening to him talk to the control tower and getting permission to take off, land, and everything in between.

When we got home we found Jewels and Grandpa having so much fun together!  However, later that afternoon she peed all over herself because her diaper was on backwards...we all got a kick out of that one  :) 



My little sister Cassie also went back to school this week, which makes me really sad.  We were able to spend so much time together with all the kids and it was so much fun!  We really miss her already around here but, before she left we had some last minute adventures.  This summer my family has had tons of barbecues and it has been our way to celebrate everything...delicious food and swimming.  So before she left we all went to my parent's house for one more!  



Right before we went swimming, she loves the water!

The next day we went shopping and Juliette had her first to trip to North Park!  She loved every second...especially when we went to Tiffany's to get my necklace shined.  That was her favorite.  Mostly she just liked all the lights but, anyway you look at it...her Dad is in trouble!  He's wishing for lots of boys in the future :)



She loves shopping!  All the bright lights and being pushed in her stroller makes her so happy :)

SuPeR SaD to see Cass go but, I know that she will do amazing things in Utah and we are all so proud of her!

Last adventure of the "summer" was Juliette's 4 month well check up.  She is growing and growing!  12 lbs 8 oz. (30th percentile), 24 inches (64th percentile) and 33rd percentile for head circumference. Just perfect! She also had to have her second round of shots...the actual shots went better than the first time but the aftermath was not fun at all.  I was at LDS family services with a friend and while he was talking with the people there, she sorta lost it!  She is a very content baby and only truly cries when she gets hungry.  Well she cried and cried  for at least 30 minutes.  I eventually put her in her stroller and pushed her outside until she went to sleep.  Luckily it was a cooler day and was only 102*! I got home and took her temperature and gave her some Tylenol but, she still ran a fever for the next 24 hours.  Made me so sad to see her so upset. 



I also pushed her a little in the house later that night, it always seems to calm her down.



On Friday and Saturday Cody and I had the opportunity to go to the movies and the temple!  It was so much fun to spend time alone together.  I am so grateful for wonderful friends and family to take care of our little one!  These past two weeks have been fabulous but, I am so excited to get back to work and see those kids again!  I have really missed them :)  I don't know what I am going to do with myself when they go back to school for good!  I guess just enjoy tons of time to play with my little girl :)) 

Our next adventure is at the end of the month...we are taking baby girl on her first airplane ride to BOSTON!!  We are so excited to see the Red Sox, tour the city and visit with family!

Bunny Pictures

When Juliette was only a few weeks old Cody suggested that we get a stuffed animal to take her picture with every month.  My Dad got her this cute bunny in the hospital so I decided to use that!  It's only been a few months but it has been really neat to see how she has grown!  I am on a mission to get a smiling picture.  She has been smiling huge, gummy smiles for a while now but, everytime I get the camera out she refuses to smile...So by 4 months I am determined to have a happy bunny picture!

We are SO obssessed with our baby!  But how can we not? Do you see how cute she is? ;)