Tanglewood

We spent much of today at a timeshare tour (aka twist your arm to sign up for a time share you don't want and can't afford tour) and while it wasn't super fun it did make this trip super cheap so we endured. I may or may not have exited with the kids who may or may not have been being a nightmare at the part where they were trying to get us to sign up for it. :) We didn't let them convince us but MAN...those people can put the pressure on!

Old town hall in Lenox, MA. It is now a Yankee Candle store.

I thought it was very cute.

The main event for today was Tanglewood--it's the famed summer home of the Boston Pops and a huge outdoor "campus" dedicated to bringing music performance and music education to the masses. I actually remember going to a Boston Pops concert in Phoenix when I was a young woman. It was somehow a church activity. I figure if I heard about the Boston Pops as a kid in Arizona they must be somewhat famous.

Tonight's concert was directed by John Williams and of course featured the Boston Pops with guest singer James Taylor. Whoa. If those names weren't amazing enough this concert was even more impressive and wonderful because the kids were free and our admission was relatively cheap. I really wished my Mom and co. could have been there. They would have loved it.

I was struck by the elaborate picnics that people brought. It was the most enchanting place. Many folks had candles, tables, and UH-MAZH-ING spreads.

You can see all the people, a fraction of the crowd, and the tent that housed the orchestra. We opted to sit on the lawn and even though we could only see by video it was the perfect choice. We heard everything and our boys did really well.

Some nearby picknickers with their fancy layout!

The boys listen to the show. Will had a dirty face from eating a few to many peanut M & M's. What a huge night. It was all wonderful. The movie scores from John Williams and the James Taylor stuff. How could you even pick a winner?

It was fun listening to James Taylor talk about his song "You've Got A Friend" that he did with Carole King. He admitted to liking it but then made a joke saying if he had only known how many times he'd have to sing it... James Taylor owns a home near Tanglewood and he and his wife are involved in giving to the organization.

The Berkshires

The first time I head the term "the berkshires" I remember thinking "What the heck are the berkshires?!" Turns out the Berkshires are a small mountain range or highland geologic region in western Massachusetts. The area is famous for many reasons and has been dubbed "the inland Newport." History lessons aside it was a great place for a short family weekend away.

We stayed in a town called Great Barrington.

I loved this town hall all decorated for the 4th of July.

David and Will walk along the cute rows of shops.

We decided to eat dinner at a Thai place on main street. It was just a short walk from our hotel. We were wary of taking our kids into restaurant that seemed nice. Amazingly it was one of the most pleasant moments I've had dining with kids since I've become a mother. The restaurant was a quiet and peaceful. David and William behaved like little gentleman

Will really loved those chopsticks! The restaurant manager found a rubber band to keep the sticks together so they were easier for him to hold.

Even picky eater David found something he liked!

It was such a pleasant and tasty meal.

I had to record it with a photograph of the entire family!

Thanks boys for making this night part of a really nice get away.

Twilight Birthday Party

I'm always up for any excuse to have a good party. I was shopping the Christmas clearance racks at Target this past January (apparently a habit for me) and bought a Twilight SceneIt game on a whim. It was only $7.00 and I figured it could be fun for a girls night. My party planning partner in crime Jenna and I hatched a plan for a night centered around this game.

We decided that Melanie would like a Twilight birthday party. None of us are overly huge Twihards but we did have fun reading the books and seeing (making fun of) the movies so the theme fit.

Red drinks!

We also had apple slices and red and black chocolate covered pretzels.

Cupcakes with Jacob and Edward toppers.

We had a little garland of plastic forks all strung up to represent the town forks. We also had some umbrellas wedged in the corners of the room since it was rainy place.

Some of the other decor...

It was really fun to put this together! We planned and giggled about lots of the silly things we did and had waaaay more ideas than we had time or money. Did you know that it is nearly impossible to find pretend fangs in the summer? Remember that next time you want to throw a twilight party.

This is one of my personal favorites...we were glad that Melanie obliged us with a photo of herself when she didn't know what we were up to.

Happy Birthday Melanie! You are a great woman and friend.

Jenna gets her werewolf thing on!

All of the ladies...

Thanks Christy for photographing the party. It wouldn't have been possible with out Jenna's bottomless craft supply and talent. It helped that both Jenna and I love to decorate with red. Even the birthday girl helped put things together! I'm smiling just remembering how fun this night was.

Cars 2

Maybe you weren't waiting the entire summer to see "Cars 2" but we were. David and William often want to BE cars instead of little boys. It fits that the Disney Pixar film is their favorite. We often drive through Watertown Square. It's the city "center." Both kids squealed with delight at the Cars 2 posters that were up near all the bus-stops.

The day finally came (ok, well the half price day a few days after) we were ready to go! We happen to have fellow CARS loving friends who live walking distance from a great theater. Perfect. Brad was very disappointed that he didn't get to go.

5 boys ready all ready to see the show!

And Janelle is having a girl...good thing. This group needs some pink!

Can't you just sense the excitement!

Ready to watch...

I know the movie didn't get great reviews but we loved it. It was everything little boy hearts could desire. There were old favorites like Mater and McQueen, fun new characters, and lots of intense chase scenes. I love the little jokes they throw in for the adults. We already have plenty of CARS 2 products...wonder what else they'll come up with?

Oh yes, we did see it at the theater AGAIN a few days later with Brad.