Day One: Washington D.C.

A little before two we arrived in DC and we didn't waste anytime. Our first stop was the Museum of Natural History. The kids were doing great and thankfully still loving each other. 

One exhibit was the butterfly habitat where we were able to go in.  They were beautiful and landed on our hair and clothes.

The kids were intrigued and scared at the same time.  There were so many butterflies.

The girls made sure to see the gem exhibit which features the Hope Diamond.

Seriously pretty.  

Then off to the Nationals ballpark for the game against the Phillies. Hey cutie!

It was another gorgeous night and Connor and Garrett even managed to get balls from the players before the game.

We all had fun and couldn't believe how much we accomplished in one day with 8 kids.

Baltimore Here We Come

Road trip time although via airplane.  We were joined by the Chings and Silvermans for an adventure to see baseball parks and more of the United States.  Our first leg of the trip was to Baltimore and the kids were great on the plane - Emily is still working on her airplane voice.  Here we are collecting our luggage. 

  

It was a quick trip to the Hotel right outside of Camden yard so we were off to investigate the city.

There are many public areas of the park so we were able to walk right into an area in center field.  It was an impressive view.  

A quick stop for lunch and a pose with a statue.  

We then went to explore the Baltimore Harbor on this beautiful day. 

We took out dragon paddle boats to really absorb the view.  We didn't count on the amount of exercise we got from pedaling.  

The kids loved playing bumper dragons.  

Then it was off to the game - Orioles vs Angels.  The picture below is Mike Trout who is a young all star outfielder.  

Emily entertained all the spectators around us without realizing it.  So cute!

The next day after a quick breakfast and swim in the pool, we had just enough time to explore a little. Below is the statue of Babe Ruth. 

Our limo bus arrived at noon and we were off to our next destination.  

Division Game Time

After a Sunday rain out, we returned to Foxboro for the big division title game. The boys were all ready and primed.

 

They fought and played hard but the Wellesley team edged out Needham Gold by a score of 5 to 3.  The kids should be proud of their play and be so happy for a great season.  They were presented with trophies for their amazing season.  

The town even won the Jim Finn trophy for most wins by a town in the league.  What an honor!  Congrats Connor and Needham Gold.  

Coach Henry kept very detailed stats and here are Connor's from his spectacular season:

At Bats - 36

Hits - 23

Fielder's Choice - 2

Doubles - 5

Runs - 15

Walk/HBP - 7

Batting Average - 0.639

OBP - 0.698

Connor was honored by his team as the MVP.  What an honor - you should be so happy that you had so much fun this season.  The MVP award was a really cool personalized baseball card.  Here is a picture of both sides of the card.

A Party for Our Princess

Ready and dressed to party!

So beautiful.  

We decided to have a small party with all the things Emily loves.  Girls on their way into paint.

After sifting through the gold mine and finding beautiful ruby necklaces, everyone sat down to paint.

So many masterpieces and lots of smiles. 

Then it was off to lunch.  

And of course ice cream for dessert.  

Buddies. 

Emily has wanted her nails painted for a year now.  I told her she could have it done when she was 4.  So our last stop was the nail salon for a manicure and pedicure. 

They were all so well behaved and loved being pampered. 

How cute are those toes.  

Fingers complete too with the tiniest little flowers on the thumb nails.  

These happy girls had so much fun. 

Happy birthday Em!  

4 Today!

Emily is 4 today and is very much our little princess.  First thing, our Belle costume was on and she was ready to party.   

Connor and Garrett helped make the day extra special with personally picked presents and lots of excitement.

The theme was Frozen so our kitchen was decorated with Elsa, Anna and Olaf.  To keep with the theme, we had Olaf cupcakes at Connors playoff game and ice cream cake later that night for second dessert.

After the game, the evening was all about Emily.  So many hugs...

And kisses and of course, presents.  Happy Birthday Em!

A Walk-Off Single to Win the Game

Needham Gold had an amazing summer regular season.  It was the first time Needham unseated Wellesley for the number 1 spot of the division.  The team won their first playoff game and now they are playing the fourth seed.    It proved to be a tough team as the game was scoreless going into the bottom of the eighth inning. This is a very big deal since little league games are only 6 innings.  

With two out and two men on base, Connor was up.  Connor hit a line drive between the shortstop and the third baseman to win the game.  A walk-off hit!  The kids ran to surround Connor at first base all chanting his name. The sideline erupted with cheers.  It was an amazing scene. 

Connor and his baseball buddies, Harrison and Owen

Proud coaches and sons

What a game!   Well played C!

Long Island - Bikes and Adventures

We took the Friday off and decided to take the day to enjoy our trip down to Long Island.  Our trip was to go to Jen's graduation party...Congrats Dr. Dardzinki.  The day proved to be perfect - bright and sunny but still not overbaringly hot.  The ferry ride was smooth sailing and we even sat on the top deck to enjoy the sunshine.  Upon arrival, we parked across from the ferry station and went for a walk.

It is such a gorgeous area and the girls led the way.

The kids were so excited to be on the beach...although they had to get used to the rocks.  Don't worry it didn't take them long to start throwing rocks into the water.

Enjoying the view!

The whole family ventured out on the rocks - in the back ground you can see the lighthouse that is nicknamed the coffeepot.

Our little walk brought us to the very end/tip of the north fork of Long Island.  After our hiking adventure, we stopped off at a restaurant overlooking the sound.  There is just something so peaceful about eating on the water.

Papa and Grandma wanted to do something very special for Emily's fourth birthday.  They took Emily to get her very first two wheeler.

Emily was so happy and to have Papa's attention to teach her how to pedal made her day.

Before we knew it, we headed off to the party.  It was a great time and they had the best balloonist I have ever seen.  Emily got Elsa.

Here are some of the kids who all looked like they were having fun.

Of course, Aunt Jen R. knew it was your birthday and you loved opening your American Girl doll..Thank you!

If we hadn't accomplished enough, Papa even taught Garrett how to ride his bike without training wheels.  He was off and riding - sometimes with a little tilt but Papa kept him straight.  We are so proud of you G!

Now all our kids have wheels and we can't stop them.  Off they go.

What a jam packed weekend!  Thank you for everything.