Uncle Tyler's Visit

Back from Jamaica for no less than 48 hours and we were driving to the Manchester Regional Airport to pick up a special visitor!  Uncle Tyler found himself working out east for a handful of days spanning over the weekend, so we were lucky enough to host him as a long weekend visitor at our house.  

Of course, Aunt Katherine sent care packages (in pink polka dotted bags) for each kid.  You know, fun stuff like whoopie cushions, stuffed animals, sticker books and more!  The boys even received handmade wooden toys brought back to the US from her latest work trip to India.  However, their favorite items just may have been the peppermint candies sent to them especially from the ponies!

Handmade toys from India

Since Maksim had no school due to conferences on Friday, it worked out exceptionally well timing wise for Tyler’s visit.  I was able to leave both boys with their uncle while I attended Maksim’s conference.  (Ahem, I’m being told that the minute mom or dad walks out of the house, Maksim is pushing the limits of his rules to no end!)  Ms. Anjali had nothing but positive comments about Maksim’s progress, which is always comforting to hear.  He’s ready now for full day Montessori in the primary classroom.  We’ve been planning on having him start full days this Fall, but after meeting with Ms. Anjali we are considering jump starting that change and beginning full days this April.  Nothing concrete yet, but it’s wonderful to know he’s progressing and thriving at school.  And I love seeing him so eager to always know everything about EVERYTHING (well, most of the time)!

Gears, gears and more gears at the SEE Science Center

Having and extra day for visiting and exploration gave us the opportunity to visit the SEE Science Center.  I figured it’d be the perfect place for these three science loving guys to spend the afternoon.  We were pleasantly surprised at how much time we ended up spending at the museum - 4 hours!  Maks’ favorite activity was learning about pulleys and racing Uncle Tyler to the top!

Pull!

Pulley racing with these science guys.

Who's going to win???

We finished off the afternoon with some time at the library and then headed to the Black Forest Cafe for dinner.  Unfortunately, Bryon got caught up at work and was unable to join us.  I love having visitors because it gives me an excuse to re-visit all of my favorite local restaurants, as well as try out some new ones, too!  Bryon and I never make time to do so otherwise!  I got my usual scallop and strawberry salad with barley and asparagus (3rd time I’ve eaten here and it’s the 3rd time I’ve ordered the same dish) and it definitely didn’t disappoint.  Tyler tried The Count, which was a Monte Cristo styled sandwich.  He said it was incredibly tasty, but almost too rich to finish in one setting!  Some fresh fish tacos with mango salsa to go for Bryon, and a quick stop at the adjoining bakery for desert and we called it a night!

Always more to read, always more to learn.  

Saturday was rainy and cold, which provided the perfect opportunity to be lazy around our house.  Well, as lazy as one can be with 2 monkeys climbing on them at all times, right Uncle Tyler??  This poor guy.  Let me tell you, what an awesome uncle!  I know my boys are non-stop high energy and completely exhausting.  Add to that and excitement of having one of their favorite relatives come to visit, and they’re out of control!  I’m sure Tyler left our house more exhausted than he arrived.  But the memories my boys have of their Uncle keep stacking up and their love for him continues to grow and grow.  Not much more I can ask for than that!

Another dinner out and we tried a new spot in a neighboring small town.  After calling Bar One to make a reservation and being told that they don’t accept them…we showed up to find ourselves facing a 45 minute wait.  Not a total bomb because the lack of waiting space in the gastropub afforded us the opportunity to drive up the road to explore a fun toy store.  With games for infants through adults, we were entertained until the store closed.  We made our way back tot he gastropub to find out that our wait was extended by another 30 minutes because the party in our reserved area had paid their bill but wasn’t quite ready to leave the restaurant.  Whomp, whomp.  Oh well.  Bryon, Tyler and the boys watched a movie in the car while I texted them photos of the menu so they could select their meals.  It made for a super quick order once we were finally seated!  The. Food. Was. Amazing.  Our spread ended up including Roasted Duck Poutine, Chicken & Waffles with local Maple Bourbon syrup, Thai Wrap, Truffle Fries and an "Up in Smoke" Burger…and somehow I was the only one at the table to need a to-go box.  Bryon and Tyler both seemed pleased with their beers to boot!

On Sunday we needed to drive Bryon to the Boston-Logan airport (he’s off to San Francisco, Las Vegas and San Diego over the next 2 weeks), so we made a morning of the trip and walked the streets of Boston.  Tyler treated us to all sorts of deliciousness at Modern Pastry.  Seriously, can this weekend include any more food?  Yes.  Oh, yes it can.  Berry tarts.  Chocolate cupcakes.  Creme Brûlée.  French puffs.  Eclairs.  It was a box from heaven.  

We spent some time roaming Faneuil Hall and listening to street performers.  We all got a laugh when the boys gave a few dollars to a gentleman playing music on plastic buckets and steel pans and he jokingly told them, “Can you go back to your Mom and Dad and ask for more?!”  Before we knew it, our bodies were freezing (hey, we are still Florida blooded) and it was time to drop Bryon off at the airport.

Our new dice from Toyland.

Tyler, the boys and I had just enough time to drive home, relax for a bit (Uncle Tyler introduced Maks to polyhedral dice and he’s obsessed with rolling them and writing down the numbers on a pad of paper…his goal is for Tyler to help him write the numbers from 1-1000) and then take Uncle Tyler to the Manchester airport before calling it a wrap.  My kids were fed, in bed and asleep by 6pm.  So much fun!