More, Boston!

Cousins are great!

"Killer", I mean wicked Boston trip!

Last week we went to Boston for an Orthodontic meeting and to see the sites. I'm pretty impressed by everything that we saw in a short amount of time. John and Cathy went along for the marathon event. The day we arrived we took the subway out to Fenway park there wasn't a baseball game while we were in town so we just walked around. The Second day we went to the Science Center, which was amazing and perfect for the kids. They actually got to touch a heart/lung of a sheep! That same day we took a duck boat tour around Boston and Tagg was even given the chance to drive the boat on the Charles River. Day three, Cathy, Matt, the kids and I walked the entire Freedom Trail, yes all 3miles plus some extra detour miles for treats! It was worth the walk and we ad lunch at the oldest restaurant in the US and by total chance we were seated in John F Kennedy's favorite booth *picture. I guess the reward for the walk was at the end when Andy, Emily, Harry and Gregory were waiting for us at the USS Constitution. The other Pershing's were able to come to Boston and experience all the fun. At the USS Constitution Tagg and I watched a man build tiny ships and put them into glass bottles, one of my highlights! Day four we went to the Aquarium with a special behind the scenes tour. We were given the opportunity to see fish that no-one else could while seeing people at work. The aquarium was so fabulous, it was hard to leave because the longer you stayed the more you noticed. That night, the Maine Pershing's returned home and I'm not sure if I have ever seen Tagg soo sad, very unusual. The last day, Dad and John went to their meetings and Cathy and I took the kids for a final adventure. We traveled by subway out to Harvard University, which had a store that only sold cupcakes, I love the Ivy League. The kids loved to travel by subway, and I did too, except for the looming threat of H1N1. The kids have talked alot about the trip but Tagg insists that his favorite part was being with his cousins. And yes, we stayed at the Craiglist Killer's hotel, another part of history that we were expecting.

Easter Everywhere

This year Matt and I tried something we had never done before, we each took one child on a separate trip. Saylor had a friend that she wanted to take skiing last year when Tagg and I didn't ski. Unfortunately, when the trip was planned last Feb. I had a mishap with my port and had to have surgery, canceling the trip. Thus, this Easter was the make-up ski trip in Breckenridge for the Dad/Daughter ski EGGstraveganva! Tagg and I rode in the car with the ski group as far as Denver and then took a short flight to Albuquerque to see Grandpa for the weekend. When I planned the trips initially, they made alot of sense, but in hind sight I feel lucky that everything went as smoothly as it did with no weather problems. Tagg, Grandpa and I went to the aquarium and botanical garden. We had been to both before but it was really nice to go with one child and get the full experience with them. The botanical garden has a castle for kids with enormous plants, pumpkins and bugs that create the feeling of being an ant. When the trips were over and we were home we all agreed that we had missed each other but that we each enjoyed the time spent away too. I learned that Tagg was very little trust in my abilities in an airport and I had to loudly explain that I have backpacked across different countries using trains, boat and airplanes without any help. If anything, it was a good learning experience.

Fun Family Weekend

Once again the Albertson family was able to gather in Iowa for a fast paced, fun filled weekend to witness Jude's baptism. The kids, Saylor, Tagg and Lucy have such fun together that we rarely saw them. It wont be long until Jude is part of the mix. I can't get to all my pictures to add but I will start with a few. As usual, I am really good at doing one thing and true to form I took many great pictures of Chris's family and my family but got almost exclusively adult's in the pictures. I either get the kid pictures or the grown-ups, maybe someday I will quit enjoying the people and get serious about the pictures.

JUDE! (the dude)

On Sunday I got the BIG phone call from Sarah that she was being induced as the heart rate of her unborn son was having a few decelerations. I was able to leave immediately and do the made 6 hour dash to Waterloo in hopes of being with Sarah and Chris before the baby was born. While I did the best i could, I missed the c-section by 1/2 an hour and made it the hospital just as Sarah was rolled into her room. I am very thankful to my family and friends who really helped out a ton watching my two kids so i could be with Sarah. They all are all doing well, the baby is amazing and his big sister is darling as well. I got some bonding time in with Lucy as I was able to put her to bed one night and get her up in the morning all by myself! She is an outstanding little lady with a wonderful sense of humor. The first day I too her to daycare I got a little lost and I tried asking Lucy for navigation advise, every house I asked "is this where you go?" and every house she would answer "I don't know". Yes, I finally figured it out but the next day as I pulled into the driveway Lucy says "this isn't the right house". Kids are so smart. I got home yesterday and my kids wanted to know all about "Jude the Dude". Saylor told me last night that if we went to see Aunt Sarah's she would still play with Lucy even thought Jude was there. I have not downloaded any pictures yet, but wanted to give a fast update on our new family member.

Uncle Andy

Last month, Matt's grandmother died after years of battling Alzheimers disease. I was having a difficult time bridging the gap between major life events and the flip attitude a blog often conveys. After multiple attempts scanning in an obituary of Eldene and never succeeding, I gave up. There was a beautiful memorial service in Lincoln NE that included many photos and video tape of the last recital Eldene performed in. Of all the funerals I attended, I thought it was the best representation of a person's life portrayed in a honest and memorable way. At the funeral we had the chance to re-connect with two of John's cousin's and his Uncle, who were really amazing people! Thankfully we had plenty of time to get to know each other and plan future events. Matt's brother, Andy, was also able to fly in from Maine for the funeral and spent some quick quality time with us.