MFA Toddler Field Trip

A lifetime ago before the pandemic we took a glorious preschool field trip to the Museum of Fine Arts in downtown Boston. The kids were angels. I brought my camera. It deserves a blog post.

Museum of Fine Arts Field Trip

A lot of the magic of motherhood these days is found in the small in between moments – if I slow down enough to find them. It’s the giggle from Westley when Adelaide shows him her new bow. It’s the helping hand Lincoln offers Adelaide when she stumbles on the steps. It’s the group hug before bed when the kids are all finally in pajamas, thirty minutes later than anticipated.

Every once in awhile, though, there is magic in a whole afternoon or a full morning. When the kids had their field trip to the Museum of Fine Arts, it was one of those days. I want to relive it over and over.

Ben was traveling for work so the morning started sometime around 6am (quite possibly after it started at 2 am, 3 am, and 4 am but I’m writing this a week later and I can’t for the life of me remember how Westley was sleeping that particular night). We had breakfast, did some Cosmic Kids yoga, and got dressed in our special “museum clothes.” Lincoln wore a comfy sweater blazer and Adelaide agreed to wear the navy gingham dress I picked out for her in Paris in 2018. We loaded up in the car and left with plenty of time to get to the museum.

There was a little parking snafu and we tried to enter the wrong side of the museum but we eventually got all children to the meeting spot.

The kids had two hours in the halls with their class and they were overbooked for chaperones so I had two hours to wander with Westley and catch up with a friend. We talked about parenting and God, painting and photography.

After picking up the kids we braved the museum gift shop to pick out postcards of our favorite pieces of art from the museum that day (and no one broke ANYTHING!). While we were attempting to find our way out of the museum we passed the museum cafe and Adelaide declared she was hungry – why not? Once we were all seated and ordered overpriced apple juice (with no straws #boston) I realized Westley needed a diaper change ASAP. The nearest bathroom was a floor away so, after checking with the waiter, I left Adelaide and Lincoln and dashed out with Westley. When we came back, clean and happier, four minutes later, those two were sipping their apple juice across the table from each other, still seated with their napkins on their lap. Who are these angels?

We chatted over salmon and kids pepperoni pizza about their favorite art pieces in the galleries. Lincoln loved the glass blown tree. He asked if we could look at more art after lunch. We took a long scenic route out of the museum so he could take in a few more pieces and then we walked out to a glorious 50 degree day. We heel-clicked out way back around the museum to the parking lot and vowed to spend the rest of the day at the park.

Some days the joy comes in the moments in between… and every once in awhile, the whole thing is one big in between.

P.S. I don’t usually bring my big camera when I’m out without Ben…and certainly not when I have all three kids by myself. But I am grateful I did, grateful that a stranger was willing to take a picture for me, and grateful we have this glorious day. A few more pictures: