Stephe and I took the girls on their first trip in to the big city today. It was a blast, too. We drove to Alewife and took the T to South Station. Charlotte was so excited on the train, all smiles. And Ellie didn't really know what was going on but was all smiles as well. I take out my camera to capture the moment only to find out the battery was dead. Unfortunately now we don't have one single picture to remember the day by. Well, we do have one picture that I'll have to scan in. I was suckered into buying the picture they took of our family as we walked in to the aquarium since I wanted at least one picture from today. Good thing for this little journal so I can at least write about today.
We had the double stroller which was awesome because we did a ton of walking. It was so nice to not have to worry about Charlotte's little legs not making it and one of us having either carry her or throw her on our shoulders. It was a little bit of a pain to maneuver around the aquarium since it was kind of crowded but well worth that little bit of aggrevation.
We walked and found 225 Franklin St - my new office with Merrill Lynch. After a quick tour of where I'll be working, we walked over to the New Englad Aquarium. I hadn't been since I was a kid and it was still as cool as I remembered it being... just a little smaller! Charlotte really took it all in, loved everything - the sealions, the penguins, the sharks, the seahorses and holding the starfish I think were probably the highlights for her. And Ellie, well, she's our timid little pumpkin. She happily rode in the stroller throughout but at one point, Stephe held her up to the window to see the giant fish tank. As soon as a shark swam by, she started crying. She was afraid of it! Poor kid, she got some cuddles and kisses then was happy to go back in her stroller. In fact, she fell asleep shortly afterwards.
From the Aquarium, we walked over to Faneuil Hall. Charlotte rode a carousel and watched some street performers while Ellie continued her nap. I gave Charlotte $1 to put in the case of a guy playing guitar who sounded great. When she dropped the money in, he asked what song she liked. She told him she really liked "the ABCD's" and he broke out singing it. So cute!!!
After Faneuil Hall, we walked back to South Station to catch the train home. On the walk back I was commenting to Stephe how easy it seemed to take both kids out for the day. It's hard to fully appreciate because we've been lucky enough to have two really good babies. But to go out for a long full day with a 3 year old and an 11 month old and not have one single melt down or behavior issue is pretty impressive! Even the baby didn't hold us back. The only thing that slowed us down, which I don't even think you can really call it that, is before we went into the aquarium, I wanted to feed Ellie a bottle. So I found a bench in the shade and fed her while Stephe took Charlotte to buy our tickets and show her the sea lions swimming outside. By the time they were ready to go in, Ellie was done eating. We are the luckiest parents to have 2 such sweet kids!
Hunter & Charlotte after their class
Charlotte & Mackenzie heading in to the dress rehearsal on the big stage - so excited!
Best Buds
Such a goofball!
The big day is finally here. Every day for the week leading up the recital, the first words out of Charlotte's mouth in the morning were "Is it my recital on the big stage today?"
During the finale of the second show, Charlotte tried to make a quick exit stage left but Miss Nancy grabbed her. She was upset because the music stopped. I felt so bad being in the audience not know what was wrong but it was adorable at the same time.
Miss Nancy asked Charlotte if she was going to come back to dance in the fall and you could just hear this little mousey squeek say yes. It was so quiet that Stephe didn't even hear her answer. A three year old in a ballet recital is definitely the cutest thing ever!!
Emma congratulating Charlotte after the first show
Proud Daddy 
