Our Labor Day BYU/Boston Trip

We headed out for Boston the Friday of Labor Day weekend.  Janelle had called us earlier in the summer to see if we wanted to come up their way because BYU was coming to play their opening football game against UConn. in Hartford, CT.  Sounded good to us....got to see the Cougars play and then spend time with the Robertsons in Boston.  

We left early in the day and planned to stop and see the World Trade Center Memorial with our kids and maybe check out some sites in Hartford, too.  Steve and I had been to the memorial earlier in the month when we went up to the Manhattan temple, and wanted to show it to the kids.  The first two photos are actually from our earlier trip.  I don't have any from when Steve went with the kids.  We decided it would be better to have me drive around for a while rather than try to park since we had just been there a few weeks earlier.  I think the kids really liked seeing the site.

Steve in front of the Freedom Tower

Steve and I in front of one of the memorial pools that are 

positioned in the footprints of the twin towers

It turned out that it was a very good thing that we left early.  The later in the day it got, the tougher the traffic got.  Steve was trying all kinds of new routes to avoid the traffic, but no matter what way we went....cars, cars, cars!!!  We abandoned our idea of seeing any Hartford sites.  While driving  along one of the back roads we tried, Nathan mentioned that an under construction building we were passing looked kind of like one of our churches.  I told him it was way too big to be an LDS chapel and said it must be a mega-church or something.  As we passed it, we noticed a big sign on the corner that said Hartford Connecticut Temple.  Wow...who knew!  We got out and looked at it through the fence, but the construction area was closed.  Still, pretty cool to be able to see it.

As it turned out, we got to the game about 40 minutes before the game started.  Phew!!  It had been a long time since we were at a BYU game and it was a lot of fun to be there and enjoy the atmosphere.

Megan and Evan posing as a cheerleader and Cosmo

And here's the crew at the game.....

Janelle, James, Scott, Alan, Scott's Dad - Rob,

Megan, Evan, Steve, and Nathan.

Not exactly sure what is happening here....

Those BYU flags

James watching the marching band with his "blue ball blankie"

Alan checking out the scoreboard.  Whenever the Huskies did something good there was a huge wolf-looking dog with glowing eyes that growled on the scoreboard.  It was pretty intense!!

Megan and  her Momma

Alan with Aunt Meg....Look at that smile!!!

We had so much fun at the game and the Cougars were victorious which made it even sweeter!!

After the game we headed up to Billerica, MA to Janelle's house.  Grandma Robertson had stayed home with Lucy for the game.  I think they both liked that arrangement.  :) We got to see our little sweetie the next morning.  She had just had her first birthday the week before and looked so much bigger to us than at the reunion only a month ago.  Crazy!!

Playing downstairs

Look at that sweet face!!

This cracked me up.  I looked over to the TV area while we were playing with Lucy and saw this sight.  Evan playing on some device (probably Steve's phone) and Alan and James intent on some program.  James looks quite comfy up on that ledge, don't you thing?  What a guy!!

Check out Lucy's piggy tails.  Aunt Meg had them in almost immediately  :)

They like each other just a little bit

We went to an ice cream place that had a farm with it too.  

Here we are hiking through the field to get there.

James found a stick and had an instant wand....very convenient

Alan and Grandpa checking out one of the sheep

Evan with his new friend, Mr. Goat

Having fun with the animals....

....Right Nate?

Lucy with her Daddy

It was a sweet day for most of us on the challenge.  But Scott's birthday had been earlier that week, so Scott and Janelle weren't able to get ice cream on Saturday.  Sorry guys....but obviously not sorry enough to not get it ourselves.  

Lucy enjoying the big rocks at the farm

She's become such a good little walker

These two tough guys climbing on the rocks....I think Alan enjoyed that ice cream!!!

Two very happy girls

Just chillin' outside the ice cream parlor

The next day we headed out to play some mini-golf.  It was SOOO hot!!  We have been so lucky this summer to have a very temperate August this year.  So nice.  Because of that, the Labor Day heat was such a shock to our system.  No worries....we had a great time anyway.

James and Alan (non-fitness challenge participants) were the only ones that could have ice cream that day.  Janelle had coupons for ice cream so we figured we should get them some.  But just shortly after this shot where James looks totally thrilled, the heat got the best of the boys and James had a major melt down.  

Here they are looking much calmer.  :)  

Love these sweet kids and were so glad we got to go see them.  

Thanks for your hospitality, guys!!