Traditions

It was a pretty crazy holiday season this year. But somehow we managed to carry on at least a few traditions. I think traditions are important. I still remember my family's traditions when I was growing up.  Christmas cookies, tinsel, peanut butter balls, chex mix, going to grandma's Christmas morning... I think traditions add to the anticipation and magic of the season. Even for adults. Some traditions may not last. New traditions may be created down the road. The thing that makes all traditions special, old and new, is the memories they help create and the time we spend with our loved ones. 

Cutting down our Christmas tree. We may not be able to do this every year based on travel plans, but when we can it's a fun part of the season.

Decorating the tree. New ornaments from Maya and Buppa.

Christmas cookies! We had just enough left Christmas Eve for the kids to each have one for dessert and leave two for Santa.  Brennan just woke up from a nap - love his bedhead.

After Christmas Eve Mass

I was going to skip this but Kaelyn insisted on making treats for the elves like we did the last two years

Reading The Night Before Christmas. Kaelyn rung her jingle bell after every page.

Tracking Santa

Reading The Night Before Christmas again because Bren refused to sit and read it with Kaelyn.

Christmas morning. They look so cute in their matching Christmas jammies. I never thought about doing it before but we may have to make that a new tradition.

Going to look at Christmas lights around the neighborhood before bed. Sometimes we do this Christmas Eve instead of Day. Elsa and Anna joined us for the adventure.

Bookworm

Reading Chapter books. Growing up too fast.

Not a big surprise that the only thing on her Christmas list (until we saw Frozen the day after Thanksgiving) was books. Maybe I should put more bookshelves on my Christmas list this year.

Dust of Snow

The way a crow

Shook down on me

 

The dust of snow

From a hemlock tree

 

Has given my heart

A change of mood 

 

 

And saved some part

Of a day I had rued. 

 

- Robert Frost

Hikers in training

It may have been the shortest hike in history and I may have had to carry Brennan the entire way back to the car, but hey, they have to start somewhere.

Seawalls Falls Park Trails along the Merrimack River

And what would a hike be if you didn't end with a stop at the coffee shop for hot chocolate and hot apple cider and a chocolate croissant.

Bye-bye paci

Last weekend was a busy one. We made the long journey back "home" to Indiana for the Notre Dame game. We did not, unfortunately, get to see all of our friends who were a mere 3 hours away (which seems like chump change when you now live 20 hours away). But we did get to see lots of family.

The tailgate was a little soggy. Poor Nana and Pop lost their tent to a sudden gust of wind during a brief heavy shower. Luckily the kids were safe and warm inside with Auntie Care Care and Megan at the time.

Staying dry in the trunk

A boy and his "shootball"

Team spirit

Girls can play football too, especially with a tutu on.

Brennan loved his pom-poms, maybe even more than his new football

But perhaps the most memorable thing, for me at least, was a huge milestone for Brennan. I can't believe I'm actually getting a little teary eyed thinking about it now. We'd been preparing for this moment for about a month but I don't think either Brennan or I were completely prepared for all it would mean.

Brennan, very happily, gave his precious clippy paci to his baby cousin Connor right before we left to come back home. He didn't hesitate a bit. In fact, he almost just threw it at him and ran. I guess he was pretty excited to open the presents he got in exchange.

Brennan's "clippy" was to him what Bun-Bun has been to Kaelyn. So I actually feel kind of bad making him part with it. But we knew this day would have to come eventually.

As smooth as the hand-off went the rest of the week has been a bit rough. He asks for paci at every nap and bedtime. When we remind him that he gave it to baby Connor he asks for blue paci (his back up paci's that we packed up several weeks early). Unfortunately blue paci's are still in the house and I've been tempted several times to get one out, but I have stayed strong.  Getting Brennan to stay in bed and go to sleep this week has involved a lot of stall tactics, crying and snuggling - his favorite stall tactic.  Next we're going to have to wean off the snuggling since more than half the time we've ended up having to stay with him until he falls asleep. It's just so hard to say "no" to "nuggling" with that cute face. Kaelyn has even been a trooper and pitched in by reading extra to him when snuggling time is over.

Here's hoping the transition starts to ease soon and paci will soon be forgotten. At least by Brennan. Carolyn, I actually want clippy back once Brennan has forgotten about it so I can pull it out to remember my baby boy when he's all grown up.  Just not too soon, lest I give in on a weak night.

Fairies and Super heros

I was feeling ambitious (for about 5 minutes) and decided to go the homemade route for Halloween costumes this year. I think we saved quite a bit of money since Brennan's whole costume cost about $3 in duct tape and felt, but it may be the last time I do it. They turned out halfway decent though and the kids seem to like them. (In case you you're not sure but too afraid to ask, Brennan is a super hero and Kaelyn is Tinker Bell.) Actually, at first I was worried that all my hard work was a waste when Brennan came down from his nap to see his finished costume and insisted that it was for Baby Connor and cried that he wanted to be a car. But fifteen minutes later he had it on and has worn it almost every day since.

The kids had a blast downtown Concord last Friday for the annual Halloween Howl on Main Street.

Since Kaelyn is on a fairy kick we took her to a fairy house building event Matt found out about in a nearby town last Saturday. It wasn't exactly what I was expecting but it was pretty cool. I was a little worried that we might have some tears and/or pouting once she found out she wouldn't get to take her fairy house home but I think the authenticity of it staying in the woods actually made her more excited.

And we can't forget our annual tradition of the jack o' lantern kiss. Brennan got in on the action this year too.

We also attempted something new this year. The kids painted 3 smaller pumpkins with chalkboard paint. The plan was to have them color, draw or write whatever they wanted on them and then we could change them for Thanksgiving. Unfortunately when we tried that we mostly ended up scraping the paint off. Oh, well. Guess I probably should have read the entire instructions but I was lazy. They had fun painting at least. I practically had to drag Brennan away after his 16th coat so he could take a bath.

It was a wet, but thankfully not too cold, Halloween in the Northeast. The kids were adorable trick-or-treating and got way more candy than they actually need.

Hope everyone had a safe and fun Halloween!

If I Was a Little Bit Taller...

The kids got Matt a basketball for his birthday. Brennan has been bouncing it around the house, which I'm sure the neighbors love. So, we finally took them down to the school to play. Check out their mad skillz.

And here's how they spent most of their time at the court.

I think Brennan will be more comfortable on a soccer field.

Doing tricks on the bike rack.

October

Where has it gone? I can't believe we have less than one week left of October. It has been a very busy month for us. Visits from Nana and Pop and Maya and Buppa and Matt's birthday have been the main highlights. But first, the every day life things.

Getting up early has definitely caught up with Kaelyn. And by that I don't mean she's actually taking naps ever. Somehow she always seems to get a second wind five minutes into quiet time. Why can't she nap and I get the second wind? Sure would make it easier to get some stuff done around here.  No, what I mean is that she no longer gets up at 6am excited to get to school. I have to drag her out of bed in the morning to get to school on time.  And she has frequent moments of crankiness and sassiness (is that a word?). For example, we went to Farm Day at a local farm with Maya and Buppa. Remember how she used to love farm animals? Well, she willing went to pet some of the animals and then absolutely freaked out, clinging to people's legs (one person she didn't even know) and sobbing asking "why do I have to pet the animals?" I feel like we're getting a preview of the teenage years with mood swings lately.

Right before she flipped out

Brennan's meltdowns, on the other hand, have seemed to level out a bit (knock on wood). He's still a typical two year old though. His new routine involves watching Oso every morning after Kaelyn leaves for school. His imagination is really taking off. Maybe it's from watching and playing with Kaelyn but I don't remember her make-believe play being quite as advanced as his at this age.  He also likes playing with the "ostri-juices" on one of the new games on the ipad. Despite a few mispronunciations his vocabulary is really taking off. He loves playing "shootball" with Dada and his new favorite joke is:
"Knock, knock"
"Who's there?"
"Brennan"
"Brennan who?"
"Brennan loves Kaelyn!"
He made it up all by himself.

And now I'll stop talking and bombard you with pictures from the entire month.

Nature hike at the Audobon Center with Nana and Pop

Trip to Dover/visit to the Children's Museum (fun, but nothing compares to the Indianapolis Children's Museum)

Day trip to Wolfeboro and Lake Winnipasuakee

Kaelyn's first field trip to SEE Science Center at White Farm to study shapes

Farm Day at Miles Smith Farm. Complete with tractor ride, serenading fiddle and feeding the cows (Brennan was delighted to feed a cow named Puff).

Brennan singing "Old MacDonald" while coloring his 3rd place winning picture at Farm Day

 Beach Day! Just for Maya :)

Another Farm to get pumpkins (and ice cream). Kaelyn thought the animals were stinky. And another pretty fall hike.

Visiting the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center

Impromptu day trip to Franconia Notch State Park. I really wanted to see the flume gorge but we decided taking the tram up to the top of Mt. Cannon would be better for the kids. We were not disappointed. It was a cool, clear day (the last they were open for the season) and we had views into Canada, Vermont, New York, Maine and Massachusetts. Kaelyn loved every minute.

 Happy Birthday to the most wonderful husband and best father to my children I could ask for. We love you!

Signs of fall

Sunday was the first official day of fall. And it's actually felt like it. For awhile. Crisp, cool air.  Ahh... We've been wearing jeans, leggings, sweaters and coats pretty much every day for the past 2 weeks. It's been starting to look like fall too. Mums and pumpkins on people's doorsteps (I still need to get some for ours). Squash. Sweet potatoes.  Red, orange and yellow popping up on the trees. Guess it's time to dig the fall decor out of the attic.

 

But it really feels like fall to me once we go apple picking. And make lots of yummy apple and pumpkin treats.  We made our first batch of applesauce on after we got back from our first trip to the orchard on Saturday.

Since we don't have the best backyard right now, we decided to stay awhile and play at the orchard's playground. And we were very dirty when we left.

The kids helped me make a second batch of applesauce after we picked Kaelyn up from school this morning. It's simmering in the slow cooker now. Yum!

Concentrating very hard on this

Now I just need to decide what to do with that can of pumpkin sitting in my pantry (and probably buy a few more).

Even the orchards in New Hampshire have a view. From the top of the Audubon Raptor (hawks, not dinosaurs) Observatory.

Happy Fall!