10/23/13

Observatory

We found out that the local observatory has free viewings clear Friday nights.  We've tried to go for a month but weather and illness prevented us.  Although foggy, we thought we'd give it a go.  

The members were awesome.  They talked to the kids like they were people.  They stayed with us and answered questions. They showed us their favorite posters, star maps, resources, telescopes.  They happily let us use the telescopes.

They even opened up the dome to let us take a look at the big telescope in action.  We focused on the moon since it was still pretty foggy.


The moon.

What a gem of a place.  We'll be back the next clear Friday night for sure.




10/16/13

Aquarium came to Town

The Aquarium came to town and there was no way we were going to miss out on that.
LBB is at the end of the semi-circle next to the educator.
Raising hands instead of calling out.  Who knew!
My shark of a little man moving between habitat display stations.  There were 4 in all.
Touching some live sea life.

All in all the presentations were jam packed and a bit too rushed.  I am not sure how much info was learned - definitely some group dynamic skills - but often these things get brought back to light much later during some one-on-one connection  time, or during a hike.  We have the best conversations while hiking.

Theme boxes

We discovered a lending library with ready made theme boxes. We requested Dinosaurs and Space.  LBB was bouncing with glee as he awaited the dinosaur box.

Dinosaur magnets
Dinosaur play
Dinosaur puppet play
Dinosaur rubbings
Dinosaur math
Dinosaur dice lotto game with his new friend Dimetrodon.

Fun, fun.





More of these days

Art class with the symphony.
Pumpkin carving.
Seed art.
Old time gun slinging.
Portage scavenger hunt.
A 'lovely view' as noted by him.





These Days

Sewing
All on his own.
With a little help.
Hiking
How they roll - a train holding hands.
How she rolls - asleep, cuddled close.
Geocaching
Dinosaur puzzles before bed.

10/5/13

There has been...

Exploring new places - huge cedars.
Reading games
Growing, shrinking, measuring dinosaurs
Hanging around (that is LBB hanging from the rings at gymnastics) 
Too many monkeys - number ordering
Atlas adventures - world maps
List writing - for his animal collection
Crib - never too young to learn
Family surprises and hoopla
Visit with a cousin from far away
Cousins united by ...... Computers
Magnet experiments
Crafting lessons
Marble wall drop creation
Animal hide ordering at the empty children's museum

Great times

Life Changes

It has been almost a year since we started seriously thinking of making a big change in our lives- not another child, but a new job for Beefcake.  His days were too long away from us and his potential for growth was limited. This was a difficult decision to take a leap for this responsible, sole income providing husband.  

He found a job easily, but this required a 7 hour move North.  Eek.  I mean, I was born, raised, and worked many years in my hometown.  Beefcake had lived there most of his life, too.

It took 3 months to sell our house.  Beefcake was living out during that time and visiting on weekends.  Things were hard.  We took a step backwards from our goal of spending more time together.
We ended up losing money on our house just to end this negative situation - it was draining.  We made several offers on new houses.  We ended up in a bit of a bidding war and paid more than we wanted for a house I had never even stepped into.  Things would be a little tighter financially, but at least the wait was over and we could realize our dreams.

We have been in our new hometown for a few months.  It turns out the house we bought couldn't be more perfectly suited for our needs.  The neighborhood is more than we could ever have asked for with biking and hiking trails and instant friendships.

After several failed attempts we have sourced out the good Indian and Japanese restaurants.  We tried out a new Japanese place tonight.  I arrived early, before 5, with the kids to order and enjoy the service without fear of disturbing others with our robust and energetic children.  Beefcake entered through the doors with a huge smile just after 5, greeted by a huge smile from the 5 of us.  We enjoyed great food and wonderful conversation.  At some point, one of the kids asked Beefcake a question which i didn't hear, but caught the answer to. Beefcake quickly responded, "Nothing.  My life is perfect."  He looked at me and I agreed with a smile.

10/1/13

So Excited




Can you see the excitement on their faces? They were shaking in there seats. First hockey game of the year.  We bought popcorn, danced to the music, clapped and cheered.  We lasted 16 minutes.  We went home.  The kids were done.  They had the experience they wanted.  We all left happy.  They can't wait to go again - I wonder if we will get free tickets again this year.

Precious





I love it when I find things on my phone like this.