Gratitudes

Happy Thanksgiving!  I'm up early this morning with Logan and Stockton talking about the Thanksgiving holiday.  We have been discussing the refugee crisis that is going on in the Middle East, and what we can do to help.  We have been talking about our blessings.

Here are some of the things Logan is grateful for this Thanksgiving:

• Pokemon
• Family
• Our Church
• The Plan of Salvation
• A home
• The earth
• Food and clean water
• TV and screen time
• A good life and everything else
• The chance to go to school
• Holidays

Here are some of the things Stockton is grateful for this Thanksgiving:

• Orange purple and blue sunset last night
• Pajammies
• Going on a trip to St. George
• I"m not happy about my pre-school friends laughing at me and I am thinking about how they can be quiet
• Mrs. Lori, who has a few good books that we don't have
• Zander and Raegan and Talmage, Harper and Davis
• Cat in the Hat
• Noah's Ark

Humpback Whales and Cotton Candy

Recent Quotes from Stockton...

"Barnacles are mysterious creatures. They grow on humpback whales for hundreds and hundreds of weeks."

"Mom, do you know why I love eating cotton candy? Because it tastes like eating a cloud."

"Mommy, you are going to have to pay me one dollar since you made me run fast and my shoes ripped.... How about 10 dollars?"

After dragging his toys, pillows and blankets to the middle of the kitchen floor while I was trying to cook dinner, I asked him what he was doing. My tone implied that he needed to get that mess cleaned up. He replied, "It is my pet zoo."

He asks me to turn on some Chinese music for him to dance to. He did a "beautiful," then "awesome," (when the music sped up) dance, which turned into a Kung Fu show.

"I am going commando crazy. I don't wear any underwear, because I am rich."

"Mom, can you take me to the dollar store?"  I ask what he wants to spend his money on, "A dishrag.  I need to clean some things." Maybe he does take after me a bit after all.

Cambridge

One of the highlights of our trip to new England was visiting the campus of Harvard. We happened upon the most incredible tour guide, a Harvard history graduate from the class of 1978. He walked us through the campus and told us so many interesting facts and stories.

John Harvard, the university's first president.

We thought it fitting that this lovely building was covered in Ivy. This lovely plant is not the reason Harvard is considered Ivy League. The name actually came from the Roman numeral four. I V. There were four original founders of Ivy League schools, Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia.

Harvard has the third largest library in the world. They hold the treasures such as the Gutenberg Bible, and a collection of books bound in a human skin. The collection below ground under where I am standing houses 50 miles of shelving. There is a phone system in the underground library that students can use to call for help if they get lost, which apparently happens regularly. 

Here is Topher sending over the bridge where the Charles River flows. Men on campus are expected to jump off the bridge into this river before graduating. All of the graduates should be able to swim, thanks to an endowment provided by a woman whose son and husband were lost in the titanic. Her son was a great lover of books, and his died trying to fetch one of his books from the sinking ship. She gave millions of dollars to the university after his death, along with his collection of books, and because he died drowning, she insisted that all Harvard graduates be able to swim. Until the 1970s, every Harvard graduate had to swim 50 yards before being granted their diplomas.

Here I am with our wonderful tour guide, Dan. Harvard offers a full ride scholarship to the top 10 members of the graduating class in the neighboring high schools in Cambridge. Dan was the recipient of one of the scholarships, along with Matt Damon. Both of them were number 10 in their class. We also learned that Al Gore and Tommy Lee Jones were roommates at Harvard. 

We learned about the freshman dining hall is modeled after the dining hall in England where JK rolling got her inspiration for the dining hall at Hogwarts. She was one of the most famous commencement speakers at Harvard in the last hundred years.

This building is referred to Hogwarts at Harvard.

Harvard has produced eight presidents, four more than Yale. We went to this burger joint right off-campus, which was one of John F. Kennedy's favorite places to eat.

We particularly enjoyed this advertisement hanging above our table, of Ronald Regan smoking.

After our campus tour, we enjoyed visiting the Museum of Natural Historyand looking at the collections there.

Afterward, we strolled through the neighborhoods in Cambridge, and visited this home of Longfellow, where General Washington Took command of the colonial Army in 1776. 

In an act of love, at the end of our day, Topher took me to search for some darling little houses, of which there are no shortage.

Boston in the Fall

On our visit to Boston Public Gardens, a man was there making large bubbles over the duckpond. He reminded me of John. He didn't say anything, but just kept making the bubbles as the crowd gathered to watch them, mesmerized, float and bounce across the water on a crisp, sunny day.

Watching the bubbles

The autumn colors were absolutely stunning! This is the Make way for Ducklings monument in Boston Public Garden. We spent Sunday afternoon walking and picnicking here.

They have an actual redbrick trail that runs all through the city directing you to the Freedom Trail sites. Boston is the birthplace of the American Revolution. This is Topher sanding on the spot where the Boston Massacare took place.

The famous old North Church, where Paul Revere hung two lanterns in the steeple before his Midnight Ride. One if by land, two if by Sea.

Just off the freedom Trail they have a very moving monument called the New England Holocaust Memorial. It has the numbers of all of the Jews that were killed during World War II by the Nazis. There is steam coming up through vents at the memorial, which symbolizes the last dying breath of those who died, along with the smoke from the gas chambers. There are beautiful quotes and heartbreaking stories from survivors engraved throughout the memorial. The one below reminds me of Grandpa Reed, who just passed away. 

Charles River.... Travel route of the British soldiers on their way to the battle at Lexington and Concord.

We did a great interactive tour of the Boston Tea Party! This is me below deck on the ship in the harbor where we participated in the reenactment. 

Topher did a great job navigating the Subway, which was the first one built in the U.S.

Yes... He ordered a casserole. His favorite.

We took a day trip to Salem, Massachusetts. We hired an outstanding tour guide (Jeff) who taught us all about the Salem witch trials that took place in 1692. He grew up there, and has spent his life studying the history of the trials. It was a tragic story, and very sad to hear about the lives that were ruined on the speculation on a rumor. Many of those targeted weren't outcasts and unable to defend or protect themselves. Before all was said and done, 50% of the population of Salem on the surrounding area had become involved. Many of those doing the accusing store to gain from the imprisonment of others, because they were able to confiscate their land and property once they were sent to prison. The picture above is me standing at the cemetery where many of the accused are buried, along with their accusers. 

This is one of the stones at the Salem witch trials memorial. There is one for each of the people who were hanged for witchcraft.

Turns out, no one's New England clam chowder is as good as New England's.

Growing Up Woes

Sweet little Stockton came home from the trunk or treat Haloween activity at the church a little bit distressed about his new position in the family. He dressed up as Batman for Halloween. Logan was a transformer, and Lillian was a mouse. After coming home from the party, Stockton said, "I think next year I will be a mouse. Everyone thinks mice are the cutest."

I still think he is cute.