Montessori Visiting Day

Prior to the Holiday break, Maksim's school hosted a Parent's Visiting Day.  We always look forward to these days, as it is uncommon for us to get a glimpse of his daily routine at school.  In Florida, there was a Mom's Visiting Day, a Dad's visiting day, and a "Special Guest" visiting day for parents, relatives or friends.  These events occurred once per school year, respectively.  So, I usually had 2 chances per school year to see what was going on firsthand.

Hollis Montessori School - Children's House II

His new school is very similar to his old one (both are AMI Montessori schools).  There are more opportunities to sign up to observe the classroom individually (but let's get real - how likely is this to happen with a younger sibling at home with me?), but they also host a formal "Parent's Visiting Day" in December.  We'd planned on Bryon attending for 30 minutes and then myself experiencing the final 30 minutes of the visiting hour.  However, Deklan was invited into the classroom with us.  He thrived!  He's so excited to go to school himself, but after much contemplation about him starting school this January, we've decided that he's going to wait until Fall 2017!

I can remember back to Montessori Children's House of Hyde Park and how he spent the majority of his time during those years perfecting this area of the classroom - practical life.

The order and organization to these classrooms has my heart SINGING every time I step inside.

Maks had picked out a specific lesson that he wanted to show to us.  His choice: Sound Cylinders.  Most likely because Bryon likes to joke around with Maksim and refer to them (incorrectly) as "sound tubes."  Maksim has been waiting for his opportunity to prove his dad wrong!  Anyhow, I love watching these little Montessori bodies in action.  Every little detail is thought out.  You can tell that the students have carefully observed their teachers in each presentation they've received.  The way they carry items, the step-by-step process that they go through...everything has a purpose.  It's amazing.

After our sound cylinder lessons were complete, Maks was excited to branch out and show us other lessons/presentations he's received.  He's currently spending a lot of time at school doing map work.  I didn't know what to expect with map work, but this kid completely blew me away!  He started by showing me how to put together the entire map of the United States of America.  He'd take each state and move it from the wooden board and put the new map together without any sort of frame or picture to work off of.

He needed the placement of each state to fit perfectly.  No exceptions!

But then!  My 4 year old put together a map of Africa!  I was of absolutely no help in identifying the countries or their correct placement (and thankfully he didn't need me to be!).  Time for me to brush up on world geography...and probably every other subject he's about to school me on!

Maksim also enjoys freehand map work - where he takes the individual states/countries/continents and traces them with a coordinating colored pencil onto a large piece of paper.  When he's finished, he'll have an entire country/continent/world map completed.

Deklan was ready to jump in with both feet when Miss Anjali offered to give him some of his very own presentations!

Deklan's very first Montessori lesson/presentation.

After receiving the lesson once, he knew exactly how to get to work solo!

Working diligently.

Poor kid has no idea that when he'll begin school in the Fall he will need to go to Children's House I (Maksim is in Children's House II) because they like to separate siblings between the two classrooms.  In the meantime, I'm sure he'll spend the rest of Winter (and Spring and Summer) dreaming about the day when he gets to get out of the car with his older brother in the morning drop-off line!

He's so anxious to begin Primary school!  These counting beads had better watch out!

Winter Solstice

And just like that, it's really Winter.  

School cancelled = sledding!

Snow Day!  (I write this with an exclamation point in an attempt to not have my disdain for the cold & snow rub off on my kids.  What I really want to say is, "Winter.  Ugh.")  We're in the depth of the Winter Solstice - marking the sun being as far away from us as it gets, and my heart is weeping.  Please come back, sunshine!!!

This snow "angel" ain't fooling' no one

We've had some sleds packed away as Christmas gifts, but one found its way to our kids last week when the first snowflakes fell.  Well, with the arrival of the first significant snowfall, the 2nd sled managed to magically appear as soon as Daddy came home from work.  2 sleds are still left in hiding.  We'll see if the manage to stay hidden for another week...

Daddy delivers the 2nd sled and sledding commences:

Before calling it a night, we decided to help the boys make their very first snowman.  Maks was quick to learn how to roll the snow together into a ball.  He also thought it was a great idea to send the snowballs down the hill so that they could accumulate a lot more snow (with minimal manpower).  What he didn't take into account was how he was going to retrieve those snowballs once they stopped rolling at the bottom of the hill!

Snowman building by moonlight.

First snowman! (Tomorrow we'll finish the face/hat/scarf.  I was unprepared!)

Deklan was especially affectionate towards the snowman, who he lovingly named Olaf:

"I love you, Olaf.  I'm gonna give you a hug."  

Now, each day when we take Maks to school, Deklan waves goodbye to Olaf as we pull out of our driveway.

The following evening, I had an appointment and left the boys at home with Daddy for 2 hours.  What happened?  Operation Daddy-sends-the-4-year-old-sledding-face-first-down-a-wooded-ravine.

Operation Daddy-sends-the-4-year-old-sledding-face-first-down-a-wooded-ravine.  

Bryon stood half way down the hill next to a big pile of boulders, which Maks did a good job of dodging.  The trees further down the hill?  Whoops!

Perfect timing, as Maks' Winter Solstice celebration/program for his school was the very next day!  He handled the crash and burn like a champ, though.  He now proudly strokes his hair behind his ear and shows his battle wound to everybody he sees.  I've also heard him tell the story of how it happened...which has grown to include running into six trees.  He claims "the next time, I'm going to do a better job of being a human bowling ball and actually knock the trees down!"  We're banking on a little more practice with steering (he did have lessons on steering prior to the big event) and additional lessons on learning when it's time to bail!  Bail, Dude!  Bail!

(Opening song for the HMS Winter Solstice 2016)

Gingerbread Workshop

Holiday activities are keeping our schedule jam-packed!  The other afternoon Maksim and I did some gingerbread house decorating at the town library while Deklan (and Bryon) napped.  

Maksim was thoughtful enough to request making a 2nd gingerbread house so that Dek wouldn't feel too left out.  We read some festive books while our "cement" dried.  Then it was off to the "exterior design" table to pick out decorations!

I was in charge of decorating Deklan's gingerbread house, while Maksim had full control over what his looked like.  The chimney additions on each house were all Maks' idea!  

He was so proud of his finished product!

I couldn't help but taking a 2nd picture to document the other side of this masterpiece.  I'm extremely partial to the sucker he placed on the roof!

Deklan was content to have the finished product when he woke up.  I'm told they didn't taste too bad, either...

We brought home 2 additional gingerbread house construction/decorating kits to keep us busy throughout the week.  Such an easy activity when using graham crackers instead of actual gingerbread!

Stay warm out there!

SNOW

We had the first snowfall of the season - not a lot, but enough for the kids to get a taste of what snow is all about.  Deklan and I explored the front yard while Maksim was at school.  Maks' entire classroom went exploring in the snow-covered woods as well.  (His school has it's own apple orchard and adjoining woods that they regularly walk through.  When he's in Upper Elementary, they'll harvest the apples, make cider and then sell it for profit!)  He was fully decked out in boots, coat, snow pants, mittens and hat when I arrived at the pickup line.  Oh, and he was eating snow.

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

Maksim and Deklan were quick to understand the rules (or lack thereof) for snow fights.

Brotherly love:

Littlest man holding his own:

Kira jumped in on the action, too!  Here's her very first EVER snow experience:

A quick slide down the wooded ravine (against the rules!) by two sneaky boys while I helped the neighbor whose dog got loose, and playtime was OVER!  Apparently Maks had said, "Come down the hill with me, Dek!"  And that's all it took.  

Remember, I'm on crutches for 2 months post surgery.  Maks was able to climb back up the hill on his own, but Deklan was stuck.  In hindsight, it was so very foolish to have them out there.  But seriously, we have an entire front yard to play in - which is where they were supposed to stay!  I actually tried to pull Deklan up the hill with a rope, but he couldn't figure out how to hold on tightly.  He finally gave up, let his little body slide even farther down the hill and said, "You have to come and get me, Mama.  You HAVE to!!!!"  And I did have to.  I crossed my fingers that my boots didn't slip and that my hips didn't rotate (no internal rotation, external rotation, full weight bearing or bending past 90 degrees allowed).  Thankfully, Deklan was only about 10' down the ravine and I reached him on the first try - without slipping (but with some explicit language).  Our snow adventures without Daddy have now concluded.

Leave it to Bryon to show up after work a few days later with a sled for the kids!  Maksim exclaimed, "I knew you would get one!  This totally rocks!"  The language he picks up from the kids at school is cracking us up!  Bryon's back was towards me when this happened, but I can only imagine the gigantic smile that beamed across his face in response.  Now to wait for a real snowstorm...

Boston Bound!

Sometimes weekends call for adventures outside of the house!

Mid-week, I spotted some tickets to Boston Ballet's The Nutcracker (do yourself a favor and click that link!) for a steal and purchased 2 tickets.  Deklan isn't old enough to sit through (or appreciate) a 2 hour experience in an Opera House quite yet!  However, I figured it'd be the perfect thing for Maks to see since he's currently enjoying his weekly tap & ballet class so much.

(Deklan is in the background reading Where the Wild Things Are to me.  "[Sent him to bed]...without dinner...Gnashed their terrible teeth, showed their terrible claws..."  Pretty good for a 2 year old!)

Since I'm still on crutches, I was happy to have curbside chauffeur service compliments of Bryon.  Honestly, I'd have appreciated the drop-off sans crutches as well.  It was so nice to not have to worry about finding a parking spot!  We kept the performance a secret and just told the boys that Maksim was going to have a special day with Mommy while Deklan was going to have a special day just him & Daddy.

Boston Opera House lobby

Since Maksim and Deklan don't know the story of The Nutcracker, we were sure to have read it to them as a bedtime story the night prior to the performance.  As soon as Maks saw the marquee, he pointed out The Nutcracker to me!  He was all smiles and could barely contain his excitement while we waited for the doors to open so we could find our seats.

He's pretty proud of this crown!

And we're in!  First stop: bathroom...then snacks!

Maks was surprised to learn that the performance had real people and wasn't on a screen (he'd only been to movie theaters).  He also loved watching the orchestra.

His favorite: the xylophone. 

All in all, I'm SO GLAD that I was able to see this performance.  It was beyond impressive.  I've seen The Nutcracker just once before, and (unfortunately) it left much to be desired.  I was a bit hesitant to give it another go (of course, this was a different performing company in a completely different part of the country), but decided to give it a second chance.  Verdict?  There's just no comparison between the two shows.  I'd see the Boston Ballet's rendition again any day!  Skilled musicians, excellent dancers and incredible costumes.  Such talent!  And the best part was that it completely entertained me AND my 4 year old for 2 solid hours!

Boston Ballet's The Nutcracker!

Meanwhile, Deklan and Daddy had some special "boy's time" roaming around Boston.  Bryon is continually trying to convince Deklan that he likes sushi (selfishly!), but Deklan just isn't a fan like his older brother is. (Maks has been devouring sushi since before he could walk.  We regularly have to cut him off!)  He made up for it by taking Deklan to the Public Garden (America's first public park).  Deklan LOVES visiting this park - mostly because it's the exact same from the Make Way For Ducklings book that we read at home.  It's so much fun to be able to show the kids actual places from the children's books that they're reading!

Feeding overweight squirrels.

After getting some snacks, feeding wildlife & playing at the park, they warmed up at a local pub.  Deklan thought it was something special to his own glass of OJ from the bartender!

Pub time!

We met up 2 hours later and headed to Faneuil Hall Marketplace (America's first open marketplace!).  There's something so charming about downtown Boston - but throw in a horse drawn carriage and carolers singing throughout the cobblestone streets and it's the real package deal!

Just saying "Hi!"

Who's that masked man?!

We finished off the day with a viewing of Blink! - a LED light and sound show at either end of Faneuil Hall.  We watched the main tree (it's huge) light up and listened to songs from Boston's Holiday Pops.  It was only a 7 minute performance, but that was perfect as the sun had just set (4:30pm!) and we had an hour drive to get home.

*Bummer that a string of the lights was broken!

NovemBLUR

A month-encompassing, video heavy & photo lacking post, because this month has been a BLUR.  We started in style, introducing our boys to their Halloween candy like the rockstars we are.  Best. Parents. Ever.  

I could watch these shortened clips on repeat (especially Deklan's):

The first week of the month started with a checkup with my OB.  I've been having weekly blood draws since miscarrying my 3rd pregnancy the first week in August.  Yes, you read that correctly, since August.  That's 13 weeks of HCG testing - and continually testing positive for pregnancy, mind you - after my miscarriage.  Although my levels have been slowly dropping, they've never reached zero.  Traditionally, I'm all about taking the natural route.  I'd made the decision to let my body carry this process out on it's own since the "diagnosis."  However, I just knew that my levels should have returned to zero by now and that something was off.  I requested an ultrasound, which showed remaining, albeit minimal, "products of conception."  Coincidentally, the blood draw that I had performed on that same day showed increased levels of HCG in my system.

At that appointment, I made the decision to have a D&C scheduled and was able to have that surgery performed at the end of the week.  After over 3 months of a lingering miscarriage, it brought a welcome feeling of closure to know that my body could finally release the entire process.  And, I'm lucky to have not experienced any sort of infection as a result of the remaining tissue.

This is the picture I sent Bryon to let him know "all is well."

Week 2?  Follow up appointments, per usual.  Also, I was lucky enough to have a crown procedure performed at my dentist's office.  More anesthesia!  Equally as notable, Maksim requested to enroll in dance class.  My heart melted a bit....well, into a gigantic puddle.

Let's all take a minute and learn proper posture from a 4 year old:

He's absolutely LOVING each and every class.  We actually took trial classes at two different studios and let Maksim pick his favorite class.  Not surprisingly, he chose the studio with both tap & ballet!  Sadly (for me), parents are not allowed in the studio at the second dance company - we just watch on a television in the waiting room.  We can't wait until the recital next June!

Here's his very own dance class pep rally:

The 3rd week of the month was scheduled for surgery on my hip.  However, at 8pm on the evening before my 6:30am arrival for OR-prep, I received a call from the surgical staff letting me know that my insurance was holding things up and we were going to have to reschedule.  It may sound funny, but this nearly put me over the edge.  I've been waiting for a "fix" for this injury since it happened in 2009.  Luckily, I was able to reschedule for the following week - just before Thanksgiving.  We made sure to fill the remainder of this week with seasonal/house repairs - annual pellet stove cleaning, a visit from a plumber, painters, and a concrete crew.  Oh, and a car repair to boot!

4th week of November and my surgery went through without a hitch!  I had 1 rough day (the day immediately after surgery/immediately before Thanksgiving) when Bryon went back to work and I was nearly bedridden at home with both boys.  I even carried out a consult with a gentleman for a concrete work - used my crutches to hobble down to the basement and all.  With the help of A LOT of movies, anti-inflammatories & ice, we all survived.

Less than 24 hours post-op.  

Thankful to have FINALLY had this surgery.  Now, for the 12 month recovery process.

Thanksgiving was low-key.  Thank goodness.  We didn't go anywhere or have anybody over.  We actually drove to Whole Foods Market on Thanksgiving day and just picked up pre-made food to bring home and plate.  No prep and virtually no clean up either.  I couldn't have managed anything more anyway!  Oh, and now I have a 4 year old who thinks cornbread is AMAZING.  (Sidenote:  Bryon managed to walk out of the store with not 1 or 2...but 3 pies!  THREE!!!)

You'd think Thanksgiving would basically be the end of the month, right?  Think again.  Black Friday I actually had an MRI performed.  (No worries!)  It's just that after a handful of years of neglecting my own Dr. visits due to pregnancy, nursing, pregnancy, nursing, pregnancy (miscarriage), parenting, moving across the country x 4, and life-in-general...I'm way overdue and booked everything seemingly at once in an attempt to play catch-up!  Prior to the MRI, Bryon had some shopping he wanted to complete (he's the Black Friday shopper in our house).  Typically, he has a list of items he's actively watching for sales both online and in stores.  This year was an exception.  He just went to the Columbia & LL Bean Outlet stores down the road and stocked up on heavily discounted cold-weather gear.  We finished the afternoon by taking the kids to see Moana (ok, we really wanted to see it for ourselves, too).  IT'S SO GOOD!  Maks has already asked to get a full body tattoo.

I've never really shopped on Black Friday. (Maybe just online.)  Go be surrounded by people and buy things?  No thank you.  Then there's my husband.  And this year he's stoked about  his Black Friday snow bibs.

The weekend concluded with our very first date night since moving here in June.  Luckily, being on crutches didn't interfere with the tickets I'd purchased a few months prior to see the Trans Siberian Orchestra.  I've always wanted to see them perform and was pleasantly surprised to see that their tour was booked right where we live.  It was nice to get away from the kids for a few hours and gave us a nice push into the Holiday spirit!

Bryon's traveling to Virginia for work this week.  If you need me, I'll be here flying solo AGAIN (me and my crutches) with both boys and Kira.  But we aren't totally alone out here...

Photo credit is NOT mine, but belongs to a neighbor.
#Imightbetheperfectmidnightsnack #ormykids #ormydog #wewillbeindoors

I'm so torn between enjoying the mild start to this winter and anxiously awaiting snowfall & hibernation!

**Not to outshine the enormous Bobcat that was found on the trail cam a month earlier.  Seriously!  My preference is...NEITHER!**

Bring on December!

I ain't afraid of no ghost!

Maks had requested to be a skunk for Halloween this year.  He came up with the idea on his own (as we allow him to do each year) and was set on it for weeks on end.  I purchased him a skunk costume weeks ago, but when he tried it on he immediately complained that it was "too itchy."  I completely agreed with him; there's no way it could have been comfortable.  It was about 4 sizes too big, too.  I guess you never can know with Amazon.  Thankfully we were able to return the costume and brainstorm a new idea.  Second time around, Maksim & Deklan both requested the same costumes: Firefighters!

Fitness Center fun while Maks was at school.

On Sunday evening the boys each selected a face that they wanted to carve on their personal pumpkins.  Deklan opted for a scary face while Maksim decided he wanted a pumpkin that was sad. 

Deklan's spot-on description of his pumpkin kills me:

Leave it to me to have completely bypassed remembering to grab some candles for lighting the pumpkins when we were finished.  Bryon MacGyver'd the way with 2 ziploc bags, a headlamp and a small flashlight.  The red light setting on the headlamp was the boys' favorite!  And no worries about fire!  We might use this trick again in the future!

My pumpkins.  (And Bryon.  Ha!)

On Halloween, we were lucky to experience a day of sunshine sandwiched between rain storms.  Quite a temperature difference from last year when the boys were so hot that they couldn't stand to wear their headpieces!  This year I was thankful that the boys chose costumes that allowed me to layer clothes beneath and keep them toasty.

Ready and waiting for Daddy to get home!

With 2 firefighters-in-training in tow, we headed to our town "Village" as soon as Bryon returned home from work.  We live in a community with a lot of acreages and gravel roads/houses nestled in the woods, so door-to-door trick or treating isn't do-able (or safe).  However, come 6pm, the Village becomes the place to be!  There's a large central park (called "the green") where individuals, companies, etc. can set up doors and decorate an entire scene for Halloween.  My boys loved the Lego castle as well as the Mad Hatter and his tea party.  I'm glad we decided to visit the Village first though, because by 6:30pm it was way too congested for children as young as mine (and people with personal space and/or patience problems...like me).  It was like the MOA during the Holidays when you're a MSP local and know exactly where you need to go.  GET OUTTA MY WAY!

Fire truck on the Green?  The perfect costume accessory!

Since we don't live in a "neighborhood" of our own, I took the recommendations of some locals and we headed to a cluster of cul-de-sac neighborhoods on the other end of town.  Maksim and Deklan are young enough that 1 cul-de-sac of about 20 homes was plenty for their little legs.  An hour later, with nearly full pumpkin buckets (and bulging biceps), we headed home.

The first house of the night.

They were allowed to dump out their buckets and stare in amazement at their stashes before jumping into bed.  All this excitement and only 1 hour past their regular bedtimes!

Sweet tooth success!

Counting Every. Last. Piece.

Maksim has decided that next year he is going to be something "scary."  Because, "That's what Halloween is all about, Mom."

Regattas & Pumpkin Floats

Foggy morning corn maze on a no-school day!

Another week of separation down and we're now racing the clock against decent Fall weather before the real cold hits.  Bryon didn't get back from Louisiana until late on Saturday night but we still made a point to enjoy our entire Sunday as a family.  The destination?  Cambridge, MA.

It's the home of Harvard and MIT, and you can feel that the instant your feet hit the pavement.  One walk down a main drag and we were surrounded by students, bookshops, art, music and plenty of good food.  But the real reason we chose to see Cambridge on this particular Sunday was the 2016 Head Of The Charles River Regatta.  This regatta has been around since 1965 and draws hundreds of thousands of rowers.  We walked across a bridge and planted ourselves on the banks of the Charles River and soaked it in.  (Now, I'm not well versed in crew terminology, so forgive me if I use any of the following terms incorrectly.)  Bryon and I thoroughly enjoyed watching the racing shells speed by, especially listening to each cox (person responsible for pace-setting, steering, etc.) coordinate the power and rhythm of the team.  Most of the races we saw were coxed fours (4 people, each with 1 oar) with the 5th person (the "cox") in the nearly laying within the bow (as opposed to sitting upright at the stern).  It was funny for Bryon and me to imagine competing a race where you face backwards the entire time!

Although we were content to sit and watch for hours, we knew our time was up when Maksim and Deklan became more interested in trying to coax the nearby geese out of the water than viewing the actual races.  So, off to Boston Common we went.

I'd brought the boys' Halloween costumes (both firefighters) along because there was an annual "Pumpkin Float" held at the Boston Common Frog Pond that evening.  On our walk to the Frog Pond, we passed a fire station and the firefighters just loved seeing our 2 boys dressed up in full gear!  The funniest thing was that when we stopped at "Saus" - a restaurant I'd been set on scoping out - a few blocks down the way, the building had been evacuated and the fire alarm was echoing.  Although it was a false alarm, the SAME firefighters we'd just met got a good laugh when they showed up and our 2 little firefighters had beat them to the scene!

Ladder drills.

The Pumpkin Float had a great turnout!  Attendees were welcome to bring their own carved pumpkins to be placed on a foam board and set out to float on the pond.  Hundreds of pumpkins were delivered!  The boys had a blast playing at the playground, dancing to music and people/Halloween costume watching - which was awesome because we were able to relax on a blanket in the park overlooking the pond and avoid the crowded lines for vendor booths and candy giveaways.  Maks' favorite costumes included an adult sized Ninja Turtle and adult Werewolf.  We stayed just until the sun set so that we would see the pumpkins floating in the darkness on the water (it was too dark for decent photos!) and then called it a night!

Checking things out.

Never a dull moment. 

Yep.  He's definitely mine.

Next stop: Halloween!  (Deklan and I have been preparing accordingly!)

Halloween: when SCARY MOMMY is totally acceptable.