Swan boats in Boston.

Have you ever ridden the Swan Boats in the Boston Public Garden? It's one thing I've always wanted to do! Maybe it's my lingering childhood obsession with swan lake, lifelong love for Make Way for Ducklings, or the romanticized image of the boats gliding in the water as street musicians perform on the bridge? Either way, it's an activity I've long had on my 'to do' list and the other weekend we finally checked it off!

We made sure to listen to Robert McCloskey's book aloud as we drove to Boston on a Saturday morning. It was the perfect (read: sunny and HOT) day for a visit to the city. The boys always seem to enjoy Boston, no matter what our activity.

They just loved exploring the garden and interacting with the (overly) eager ducks (who are obviously far too accustomed to tourists feeding them.) At one point, Judah was surely going to pet a goose and I had to remind him that it was not a friendly puppy!

We didn't really snap any photos of our actual ride, because handling two active boys on a floating vessel was quite enough for both John and me. I literally had Abram clutched as he attempted to dangle his body over the water. He was convinced he was going to swim, I swear. Despite that fact, the ride itself was short and tranquil. The city noise all but disappeared, and we made friends with an elderly couple sitting behind us who played peek-a-boo with Abram to keep him from throwing himself overboard.

If you're ever considering doing this, don't let the long line fool you- it moves fast and tickets are very inexpensive, so it's a welcome break if you're out and about in the city for a day.

John and I are trying out best to make more room in our lives for little moments like this with our boys. We don't always get it right- sometimes we're over scheduled or just want to be homebodies, but this little adventure reminded me that simple things like running around a park and a swan boat ride make for wonderful family memories.