Active Autumn

Autumn is my favorite time of year and it always tends to be a busy time of year for us as a family.  We've got school and our weekly extracurricular activities like soccer, ice skating, nature class & karate (photos to come).  But the weather is so gorgeous that we tend to do a lot on the weekends as well.  Just this past weekend Kurt and I were patting ourselves on the back for all of the interesting experiences we provide for the kids (and ourselves really). 


There was a half day the other week, which meant no school at all for PM Kindergarten.  Kurt took the day off and we finally took that train ride we've been promising the kids.  We even threw in a subway ride to make it really exciting (slight sarcasm from a jaded former MBTA regular).  It all culminated in an enjoyable trip to the New England Aquarium and a lovely, though pricey, outdoor lunch at Faneuil Hall.

M&A were THRILLED to find out we were going to the very same Aquarium and very same Sea Lions showcased on Fetch with Ruff Ruffman!

The touch tank was definitely a highlight.

Climbing all over the statue at Back Bay Station while we waited for our train.

The Aquarium has added a shark and ray touch tank since the last time I was there and Aidan was so into it (pun intended), he ended up soaked from shoulder to fingertips.  Maddie was a little less inclined to stick her arm into a tank full of sharks (and I don't entirely blame her).  Fun was had by all! 


No Autumn is complete without some pumpkin picking.  Maddie (with help from Coach Daddy) has drawn a very scary face on hers with marker.  Luckily we used washable markers because Aidan was not pleased with his and decided he'd like a "redo".  They plan to put them out as super scary decorations for the neighborhood Halloween party. 

Grandma & Grandpa joined us for this adventure!

Of course there is no better time of year to enjoy nature than the fall and we've been taking advantage of that at some local nature preserve sites.  All four of us attended a "Geology Rocks" class last weekend and the kids can't wait to go back for more.  We learned about the types of rocks, took a nature walk and even made our own treasure stones to take home and crack open. 

Apparently the classification of this "puddingstone rock" is hotly debated in the Geology community. 

Kinda cool tree we found.

The nature center coordinator was kind enough to tell us about the Free Star Parties they have once a month.  Local astronomers bring their telescopes to Moose Hill to share with local families.  It'll require us to be up past bedtime, but the kids cannot wait.  Aidan keeps looking at the calendar to make sure we don't miss October 11th.  Cross your fingers for clear skies because they cancel if it is too cloudy and we'll have two VERY sad Jr. naturalists on our hands...

Not necessarily Autumn related, but our cutie pie lost another tooth!

We've been blessed this year with a very warm and sunny Autumn.  I can say I wouldn't mind if we had another winter the like one a couple of years ago where it was very mild and not a lot of snow.  From what I hear, the predictions are just the opposite though. Until then we'll enjoy our apples, pumpkins, rocks, stars and everything else that make the kids so happy :-)