A star is born; learning about the moon

Back on New Year's Day Kaelyn asked us what a resolution is. She then decided that she wanted to learn more about nature this year. When we got back from Wisconsin we made a list of different nature topics she was interested in. We decided to start with the moon since a lot of the list was seasonal and we could study the moon any time.

She started by making a little book about the moon phases. Her favorite is the crescent moon. She's also been charting the moon phases all month on a calendar. We've read The Moon Book by Gail Gibbons, Full Moon Rising (a book of moon poems) and she explored the moon and a few other planets on our iPad app Skywalk.

Last Friday when I heard about a special full moon event at Carter Hill Orchard I got really excited and knew it would be the perfect way to wrap up our study of the moon.  We learned about the moon from an expert from the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center. 

Thanks to a reporter/photographer from The Concord Monitor this is the only picture of her from the night.

The sky was clear when we got there and we could see a ton of stars. But when we went outside after the presentation to check out the moon through the telescope clouds had come in and covered most of the sky. I was super disappointed for Kaelyn. But we hung around and got a glimpse of Jupiter through a break in the clouds.  I was ready to call it a night and head home after that but Kaelyn really wanted to go on the moonlit hike. And I'm so glad we decided to go. She loved it. All the adults were impressed with what a trooper she was. 

Unfortunately this is the best picture I could get

Then we came to a clearing by the pond toward the end of our hike and saw that all the clouds had disappeared and we could see a beautiful (almost) full moon and plenty of stars. So we rushed back over to the telescopes and got to see the moon up close and Betelgeuse (the red star) before we headed home for a late bed time.

To top the night off, our little star made her second appearance in the local paper. Which was helpful since I didn't get any good pictures even when we were indoors. And I thank the photographer for blurring me out in the background.

Here are the things she wrote in her notebook that she's learned about the moon:

• Phases
• Eclise (Eclipse)
• Telescopes help you see better
• Alan Shepard landed on the moon
• He is from New Hampshire

On to the next adventure!

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!