Monkey Bean-Sprouts: The Best of Vermont and Boston

Somewhere wedged in the middle of NYC we had a week long trip up to Vermont and then Boston. It was certainly a relief to be in Vermont where the weather was slightly cooler and where we had a little more space and quiet with no other kids. It has been 2 years since we last saw Gigi and Sonny, and it was so good (as it always is) to spend some time with them. Being on the farm and spending time with them is always so restful for both James and me. The kids loved being in the midst of all the animals and having space to run around. Eowyn was in awe of every creature she saw - and not just the first time she came across it! It was so sweet to see her exclaim loudly - WOOF WOOF! each time she saw the giant St. Bernard/Great Pyrenees dogs that Gigi now has. Those things are small horses but were super patient with the kids. Liam was decidedly more cautious about them as he tends to be with all things. But Eowyn was ready to go right up to them and check them out. But more than the dogs, the cats (which she calls NATS or NAK) were definitely her favorite. I think she had a special love for dear old Fluffy who is still going strong. She managed to be relatively gentle with them, and only got scratched once when she was a bit too meddlesome!

Liam loved the idea of things coming from animals. It was definitely right up his alley to be able to go down to the barn and collect a few eggs which he happily ate for lunch many times. He has been talking a lot about where things come from. So he has asked for example, what comes from a pig. It's really interesting to catch of glimpse of his thinking in this way and his putting things together.

Our crazy moment in Vermont was when we drove up to Arlington to see a camp site and Eowyn got her hands on a moth ball and ate it - or some of it. James managed to get a lot of it out of her mouth, but she definitely swallowed some. We didn't do anything immediately except try and make her vomit, but a few hours later realized it could be really serious, so after calling poison control we did take her into the ER. Basically they did nothing and charged us a whole lot of money, which was aggravating for sure, but at least she seems ok.

Gigi and Liam looking at the calves

Liam was always cautious but curious about the calves

Eowyn took a great interest in all the animals and even let this calf lick her

Eowyn and the bigger calves

Liam and me with his lunch - just taken from the chicken coop! (3 eggs)

Walking around down by the barn - Jay, Liam and Eowyn

After four and half great days with Gigi and Sonny we drove over to Boston to visit Shirin and Nana. We got stuck in a fair amount of traffic getting into the city and over to Nana's, but we managed ok and had a lovely evening with her. We had dinner together and then went back to the club house where we met people she knows and the kids ran around a little. The kids were very wound up because of the long drive and no real naps to speak of, but managed to behave themselves ok. We left around 7pm to make our way to Shirin's and thankfully didn't have any real traffic issues that time.

On Saturday James went and picked Nana up so we could spend the day altogether. We hung out for a little bit at the house and chatted, and then went out to lunch. During the kids nap time we hung out and looked through some old pictures from Nana's and our past. We found some amusing ones for sure! We took the kids out into the yard after naps and they got to pick and eat raspberries to their hearts content. We harvested basil and made a delicious pesto sauce for dinner. It was lovely to just be able to hang out easily and casually with Nana and not have a stressful situation. Shirin and I drove her back after dinner while James put the kids down, and then we even took a quick trip to the stores before heading home.

Liam on top of the world - outside the club house at Nana's

Out for lunch - Shirin, Nana and me

Trying to get everyone in the picture!

Raspberry fest - picking and eating fresh fruit = yum!

Eowyn just took handfuls straight from the bowl! This was one of the only occasions she didn't complain about being held by someone else!

Hanging out in the backyard they even had a baby swing and tricycle!

One of the tricky things on this trip was that Eowyn suddenly decided that she would absolutely NOT be fed by us anymore. So you might think that's great news, but unfortunately she also refused to use a utensil so we were left with the messiest eater ever. Picture her feeding herself yogurt, smoothie, rice etc, with her hands. Not a pretty sight, that's for sure. We're just finally getting her to move towards using the spoon, but honestly, if you try and feed her she is likely throw the food right off the spoon while screaming at you!

Our last day in Boston was a scorcher, but thankfully we got up and drove to Crane beach. We had a really nice time in the water and even fished out a few clams (which we brought home and cooked later!) Eowyn and Liam both had a pretty good time being in the water, which was really fun to see. After a nice little picnic lunch on the beach we headed home, stopping on the way at a farm that makes apple cider donuts, their own ice cream and other delectable treats. The kids got some ice cream and were running around the place being goof balls and doing down dog!
That afternoon I got to go to a yoga class with Shirin, which was really fun, and then we came home and had dinner. After the kids went to bed we had some really nice chats with Shiri.

We left early Monday morning so we could get back down to NY in time for the family reunion. All in all it was an uneventful drive down!