Boston Aquarium

For his birthday, Geoff wanted to head into Boston for the day. Being a cold day in February, with a two month old, we needed to find something kid friendly and indoors to do. Hello Boston Aquarium! It was very crowded when we got there, which did surprise us since it was a weekday and they are doing construction on part of the Aquarium (note- the penguins are on vacation right now so if you go, you wont see them). While we missed out on a few things we still had a great time! I can't wait to see what else they have for everyone to see once they are finished with the upgrades in July! (In case you are planning a trip- Tickets are discounted due to the construction.)

We went down with two of our friends Jason and Hye (who was also celebrating her birthday as well) and had a fantastic time! They took a few family photos for us, which is nice since we don't have many photos of the three of us together. :) Once Logan woke up, he had fun looking in the fish tanks even though I'm not so sure he knew what he was looking at. :)

After the Aquarium, we quickly headed to Chinatown to warm up over some Hot Pot. We spent the dinner enjoying each others company and trying to convince Logan not to scream in the middle of the restaurant. I think it was the longest day we have had out of the house with him and all in all he managed to hang with us pretty well. Each time we go out, it gives us a little more confidence that we can handle adding a baby into everyday life. (Until we get pooped or peed on and then it breaks that confidence just a little... but that is a story for another day...)

I've been to a few Aquariums and this one, while not the largest, was pretty fun! I can't wait to bring Logan back when he can really experience it with us! Random fact, did you know that in Chinese culture it is preferred to wear red at celebrations like birthdays. We didn't have anything clean for Logan to wear that was red so we made sure he had some on his socks... I must plan better next year! Geoff didn't have to since it was his birthday. The color red signifies happiness, prosperity and good luck! I have a lot of fun learning more and more about the Chinese culture, even after over five years of dating/marriage. It will be exciting to share it with Logan as he grows.  Here's hoping this year brings all the happiness, prosperity and good luck to my wonderful and loving husband. :)

Finding a park- a fail and a success

 Moving is hard. I should know... I have moved around a lot the past few years of my life. From Cincinnati to New York to Michigan and then to New Hampshire. Each time it's exciting to start new but a struggle to find friends, doctors and get life established. I'm happy to report we are starting year number two here in NH. YAY! That being said, with flying, pregnancy sickness and travel there are still a lot of things I am having to find a year into living here. One major thing I was missing was a favorite "park" or outside area. In NYC I loved going into Central Park for a run, rollerblade or just sit in the grass and enjoy the afternoon. I anticipate it's going to be even more important to me this coming year when I  have a little boy to hang out with and entertain.

I decided to take an afternoon and explore a little bit of my area. I came upon Pulpit Rock Conservation Area. I read it had three miles of walking trails. Awesome! When I got to the parking lot, I discovered I was the only car there.

 I checked the map to see which trail I wanted to take and started out. Just a few minutes in, I discovered the trails weren't really paved walkways but rocky trails through the trees marked by color arrows to keep you on the trail. This was much more hiking and less park than I was looking for. Definitely a nice place for a relaxed hike (a little strenuous when pregnant) but not a place for a run or a stroller.

The scenery was gorgeous and it was another beautiful afternoon so I took advantage of the walk for a nice workout. 

While it was a nice hike, it was a fail in my books. Maybe I can enjoy this hike once we have a walking kid on our hands... 

A few days later I tried again at a park a bit farther away in Nashua- Mine Falls Park. The park was fairly big and I read of a few different places to park and enter. The parking lot had quite a few cars in it and a lot of people on the trails. It was a beautiful day and I had a great time walking around the paved, flat trails. Lots of runners and families walking with strollers- much more of what I was looking for. I didn't explore the whole park but I also didn't see a huge grass area to sit and play... something to still look for. 

Anyone familiar with NH parks and have any suggestions on where I should look next? 

Fall festivities- Apple picking

We have had some amazing fall weather before Sandy came through the Northeast. Geoff and I decided to take advantage one day and pick some apples before the season was over. We headed over to Hollis, NH to check out Brookdale Farms where they have a ton of apple varieties available throughout the fall.  There were Cortland, Red and Golden Delicious and Mutsu available for us.

We decided that we had to have half a bushel of apples to get the most out of our money, even though that is a lot of apples for just two people. (Plus- I have been on a BIG apple kick as one of my cravings. Good timing.) So we picked, picked and picked in the beautiful afternoon sun. It's actually a really cool thing to pick the food that you are going to eat right from the source. We used to go Strawberry picking in Ohio when I was little and I remember it being some work but a lot of fun. 

I can't wait until next year when we can bring out little boy to experience this with us. With all the apples, we have had a lot of cooking and baking going on in the house.
Here is what we have been making...

Crockpot Applesauce

Apple pie

Caramel Apple Muffins

Quinoa & Apple Stuffed Acorn Squash

Overnight Slow Cooker Apple Cinnamon Steel Cut Oats
Do you have any favorite apple inspired recipes that I should add to my list?