My mom had already been up to visit our new home but my dad and sister were looking forward to visiting upstate New York. So a few days after Andrea got home from her winter semester at school they made the drive up and got in late on a Wednesday night.
The kids still had school the next day and of course Jacob asked to stay home, but I figured he was just excited to see family so I sent him off to school anyway. I had just driven my family around the town and were taking in the view at Saratoga Lake when Jacob's school called and said he had a fever. I felt bad that I had shrugged off him wanting to stay home as excitement when he was actually sick! It seemed like a low fever and he didn't seem all that bad, so after getting him some medicine we drove down to the state park before picking up Blake at preschool.
Luke's office is close to Blake's school and he hadn't seen the family yet since they got in late and he left for work early, so we stopped by his office and then he gave my dad a tour of the plant where they manufacture soda cans. I haven't even gotten the tour yet but my dad found it really fascinating. Luckily there's a park across the street so we got to play while we waited.
The sun had come out and it was relatively warm so we were lucky we were able to enjoy the day. And Jacob seemed better too!
The kids being cute and silly on the swings.
We had dinner all together at home that night and I enjoyed staying up that night with my family talking and laughing together.
On Friday, my parents and Andrea drove into Boston since they had never been! Our plan was to also drive in for the weekend but we didn't leave until Friday afternoon when Luke got home. Jacob had to stay home based on school rules but he didn't have a fever and seemed fine all day. The boys took nice naps on the drive into Boston though. And we always stop at Chick-Fil-A halfway through!
We got to our hotel in the suburbs of Boston that night and put the kids right to bed. That first night was a rough one for Jacob. His fever came back and he was throwing up in the middle of the night. We had planned to tour Boston on Saturday but now were thinking Luke should stay at the hotel with him and could study while Jacob got some rest. Jacob tried to convince us he was better and still wanted to go.
We got a later start but finally decided if we let him rest in the double stroller then he could still be with us but taking it easy at the same time. It was a compromise, and not easy getting on and off metros all day. It was a pain actually, and he was cold and miserable! He actually still looks back and says this was the worst day of his life! So I'm not sure we made the best decision for Jacob, but we did our best!
Jacob was a good sport and tried to stay positive. Here's all of us on the metro ride into Boston!
As soon as we got off the train we were up at the Boston Common and thought that the church we saw there looked just like the top of the Boston temple. We even talked with some missionaries that were standing in the square.
The Common reminded me a lot of Central Park and we decided to let the boys get out and play on the playground and eat some snacks. We had literally just gotten there and already needed a break, ha!
The whole area was really big and we spent a good amount of time just walking through and taking pictures. I got Jacob a balloon by the pond to try and make him feel better, and luckily the weather was fair, and got warmer through the afternoon. Some parts were a little more crowded, but it was all really pretty!
We also really liked walking by the homes downtown that looked huge and really nice!
After we walked through most of the Common, we hopped back on the metro, stopped for lunch on the east side, and then walked around there too. Ava was so cute and such a good sport, sleeping in the carrier, and then happy as we walked around.
We peeked in the Old North Church, and toured Paul Revere's home.
We had plans to go and visit a few more things but my boys were just done. They really had done a good job, but we didn't want to push them more than necessary. Jacob was really cold and still needed medicine for his fever, and we just wanted to get back to the suburbs and out of the city! We went to a mall near our hotel to get dinner that night, and then went to church together there the next day before we each drove home.
We had been to Boston twice in two months, and felt like we had failed seeing the city twice! In February it was just too cold to explore, and this time with Jacob being sick we didn't see as much as planned. Luckily my family had extra time to explore Boston that first day before we arrived, and we live close enough that we know we'll be able to come back and tour another time! It may be awhile before we get the courage to visit Boston again, but it's always great to explore new places together and have an opportunity to see family!
