Out & About

10 Minutes in the car.
And we can smell it as soon as we get out.

We catch a glimpse as we head down the big grassy hill. Their little feet bound quicker than I think possible as the little baby points from my back. The sweet, salty air floats upward and we greet it enthusiastically.

Into the winter wood we go. Barren trees, muddy moats, tiny chunks of ice reminding us of how the weather should be. We skip past giddy with the surprising warmth, anxious to meet our reward.

We burst from the wood and pause to take it all in.
The marsh, the river, the ocean just beyond.

We linger until it is almost dark. Finally leaving after soaking up our fill, content to know we will be back soon.

History

3 generations traveled down to Battleship Cove this weekend. Our mission was to see a piece of our history, not just ours as Americans, but ours because our Grandfather helped build this ship. 

My Grandpa Toot (as in Tyler Toivo) spent years working on the USS Massachusetts. This was after serving as a Navy man himself. He told my Dad countless stories, painted his basement workshop with leftover paint from the shipyard, and watched the ship launch for the first time. 

And we climbed, walked, and explored it on Saturday. 

It was a great chance to reflect on our military. Walking through ships and submarines there is an almost overwhelming sense of Service and Sacrifice. And I also felt fear. I can't imagine manning a gun, hiding from enemies and searching them out, running off a boat into Battle. I can't imagine my son or my husband sleeping on those cots or washing the deck. 

I left that day proud and thankful, as an American and a Granddaughter. 

Mini Rave

Sometimes I send the kids to the basement, turn up the music, turn off the lights and give them lightsticks. It buys me about 45 min to an hour of peace.

Sometimes I feel like a genius and sometimes I feel like a lazy no good mama.

But to them, Im a hero every time...and if there are friends over, celebrity status!