Supernora

Some time early in the summer, we mentioned the possibility of a "planetarium" birthday party to Nora, who immediately leaped at the idea.  We said, "great" and then headed off for various family trips, figuring that since I'd seen a blog post on kids' birthday parties in the DC area that mentioned such a party, I'd nail down the details closer to her actual birthday.

But once we got in the birthday window, I discovered that planetarium shows are only about 30 minutes (birthday parties are generally at least 2 hours) and the place referenced in the blog, doesn't allow you to to bring in food, had nothing convenient nearby to facilitate a party, and didn't respond to my inquiries either way. I had a little more success with the Air & Space Museum, who will give private tours to members (and an annual membership is a great present for a budding astronomer!), has a conveniently located snack shop just outside its doors, and whose 230 seat planetarium runs 14 shows a day.

A membership was purchased, the tour arranged, and invites sent out. All we had left to do was get 18 tickets to the planetarium show, Journey to the Stars. Only the Einstein's Planetarium's computer system had some sort of glitch which wouldn't schedule showings after August 31st.

Fortunately, on the eve of Nora's birthday, the computer gods shined on us and so the next day, 12 kids, and six adults joined our docent Vince on a 1.5 hour tour highlighting air and space, a pretty cool show on the lifespan of stars, and some kid friendly snacks and space ice cream sandwiches (followed by a three hour playdate with a few friends afterwards at our house).

After which, we pretty much collapsed, like so many red giants before us :-)

The Nines

At the end of third grade, Nora's teachers told us how amazed they were at Nora's maturity in the past year. Sure she still likes her "stuffies" and "huggies" and reverting to baby-talk when the mood suits her, but at eight, Nora became much more adept during times of conflict at articulating her views and frustrations, listening to others and resolving her issues without having to resort to hitting someone or running away and slamming a door. At least most of the time.

Having learned how to properly express herself, Nora proceeded to do so. A lot. On a wide variety of topics: politics, music, literature, the time-space continuum, video games, cinema, food, personal hygiene, etc. Sometimes in meter, sometimes in song, occasionally via mime or an array of giggles, but always clearly and with certainty.

But while being vocal in her feelings, Nora has also become more open to other world views. And so while constantly complaining about the conditions, she still finished two 5ks (and one 3k). Sure, Nora threatened to go back and live in a cave a quarter of a mile into a hike, but in the end she raced ahead of the pack and climbed to the top of the Grinnell Glacier Trail. She now eats brisket! And despite years of eschewing it, Nora finally started reading the Harry Potter series in earnest.

So as she starts her ninth year, we know that Nora will let us know exactly how she feels about everything she's about to do, but we also know that she's about to do a lot. Happy birthday, baby girl, we love you so much!

1. If you have to be stranded on an island, it's good to be stranded with friends.
2. "I'm awesome. Call the awesome police, I need to be arrested!"
3. When using fondant icing, cornstarch should be used to combat stickiness. Flour is for amateurs.
4. No one ever talks about the silent menace of bison at the Jackson Hole airport.
5. Flightless birds, they really are a bit of a paradox.
6. Less guns, more books.
7. Always tip your bartender.
8. Nature doesn't always smell so great.
9. "Oath to heart, Never lie, Keep this promise 'til I die."
10. And to paraphrase, Hamilton, "There's a million things you haven't done. Just you wait, just you wait."