Someone asked me last week what Henry likes to play with... I couldn't come up with anything specific. Cars? Trains? Everything he isn't supposed to mess with? Then it hit me-- Sticks. This boy loves a stick. He swings it with all the energy of a Master Jedi. He is in charge. When he isn't, say, someone tries to take the remote control or hose away, he lets us know he is unhappy! He loves mud. The day I took this picture I opened the door and my girls literally pranced out of the house to the yard and danced around gathering flowers. He went straight to a mud puddle and plopped himself right down and started splashing!
Lily and Katey have been taking this dance class for the last few months. Yesterday was "recital" day, their "costumes" were swimsuits for the Under the Sea dance. Very fun! (I love Lily's knee knocking and Katey's head bobbing.)
I wonder how many jobs have the satisfaction of an Elementary band teacher? Teaching children to read is probably up there, but not many things to do you see (hear!) such huge growth and change, such an obvious improvement in such a short time. I find it amazing. No wonder I went into education. Learning is fascinating. In September, Michael could barely hold the trombone. I wish I had made video of that first night, but you can imagine, the sound of pathetic fog horn mixed with howls of laughter... and sobs from Henry. It took months before he got "unafraid" of that trombone! Now he loves it... Last night was the Band and Chorus concert at the school. Wow! It was so fun! My mind flooded with memories of "Monday Night Jazz" at Meridian High School and concerts at Lowell Scott.
My apologies to all the faces. I try for that whole anonymity thing, but it doesn't work so well in this setting! Two things of note, before I zoom in, check out the black legs just a swinging for all the world on the back row, trombone section! Cute! The other... the 12 year old boy inching in front of me. I kindly said, "Could you please sit down the people behind you can't see?" (We were all on the floor, he was standing in front of an elderly woman and others sitting on hard earned-early arriver chairs and the rest of us...) He said "No. I can't." I'm sure my look said it all. Befuddled, confused, amazed at his audacity, "You can't?" I sputtered, "as in your legs don't bend?" (I just thought that part, I was honestly wondering if "can't" was a physical impairment!). He plopped quickly down.
well, I'm not sure what to call her. Our parents were married for a while, so I can call her sister right?
Picture this, I'm sitting down reading Christmas cards and I open a darling letter from her family. I read all about the adventures of her 5 young children, her busy husband and then, I read that in addition to raising 5 kids (twins in there), owning a dance studio and teaching dozens of dancers each year, serving in her church and the daily tasks of house and home she has written a book!
An actual book. I can't even write my grocery list. I can't wait to have this in my hands. I am so proud of her! Not only does it take talent to write like this, but perseverance to get it out there! To become a published author. Wow!
You should read it too. I read the first chapter and cannot wait to get this in my hands. You can buy it on amazon.com or through her publisher here. I think my 10 year old will really be into it too, especially because Aunt Laura is an author!
At the grocery store today we saw license plates from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland. It isn't unusual to see Virginia and New York driving down the road... but whenever I see one of these:
This was a 2C'er. Maybe a friend from Caldwell?
I pause. I sigh. I get a twinge of longing in my heart. I tell my kids all about growing up in Idaho. I tell them how I can tell based on the 8B or the 1A that those people live in Bannock county, or from my very own Ada county. There is a house I pass on the way to the market, somebody from Ada county lives there! I have resisted the urge to knock on the door and introduce myself as a fellow Boisean. :) I imagine they would be friendly and say things like "You Bet!".
I moved to Utah for school in 1992(Choke choke, gasp.) I haven't lived in Idaho since, I never thought I was really moving away!
I wonder if 30 years from now my kids will see a Maryland plate and pause to reflect on growing up in Maryland....
* I recently connected with a high school friend who lives in Philly. She admitted to following Idaho plates for miles just to see if she knew them. She also spent months trying to figure out the county codes on Pennsylvania plates till someone informed her they didn't do that here. Idaho has such a good plan!
Bossy bossy bossy me. I'm as bossy as can be. Read my post and you will find I know how to speak my mind. www.thebossyblog.blogspot.com The sun is FINALLY Shining. We have about 2 feet of mud in the yard, but mud is better than rain, I'm off to enjoy it. (for a few hours till the next round of thunderstorms appear. I hope the weather man is wrong!)
I'm trying to adapt schedules... Lily's naps, Henry's naps, homeschool time, errand time.... Clearly though, it is unreasonable to try to keep Henry awake till 11:00. He was happily eating cheese one minute and when I turned around he was out.
Tell me, at about 1 minute 15 seconds, did you say "poor baby!" I do, everytime I watch it! I tucked him into bed as soon as I put the camera down!
Ask my brother or sisters. The phrase "one of those nights" has nothing to do with the phrase "one of those days". No negative connotation. Simply the feeling of security and togetherness, at the end of a busy day, and preparation for a Sunday.
When I was a little girl, Saturday nights found our family clean, bathed, pajama-ed, and waiting for our turn with pink sponge curlers. Usually we watched something like The Love Boat on tv. Nothing amazing, nothing special. But One of Those Nights... they were Good.
Tonight, after a busy Saturday I found myself in the middle of "one of those nights"--jammies, curlers, fingernail polish, yummy smelling snugly kids. It was good. We were watching The Sound of Music.
Man, I love this movie. I always have. It has been in my top 2 forever. My kids enjoy it too, I love to see them acting out the songs and pretending to be "________". Singing along with the songs...
But tonight, something else hit me. Last week I was posed the question, "What movie or show has the best romantic tension?" I couldn't' come up with one. Tonight though, I watched Maria and the Captain do the "Linder" and I think I found the winner. Sweet romance, no groping, no immodesty, just falling in love. I love that!
I attempted to find the clip on youtube but instead I found this one. You probably all saw it months ago, but it is terrific. I think, if I had been there I would have been laughing and maybe crying and trying really hard to join in.
I'm slow like Eve's turtle. For Earth Day last week she had to make a project for kindergarten... we used fabric remnants from that lovely craft box in the basement for cloth napkins, and a LOVELY turtle. She was proud.
My favorite part of this post is the glimpse of Lily you get. She has on overalls- no shirt, and striped long johns. Hands down her pants and a turtle expression. Nice. She had a cute Earth Day t-shirt (Thanks Walmart!), but she was into dressing herself all day, many times...
“The biggest mistake I made [as a parent] is the one that most of us make. . . . I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. There is one picture of [my three children] sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages six, four, and one. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less” Anna Quindlen
Someone asked me last week what Henry likes to play with... I couldn't come up with anything specific. Cars? Trains? Everything he isn't supposed to mess with? Then it hit me-- Sticks. This boy loves a stick. He swings it with all the energy of a Master Jedi.
He is in charge. When he isn't, say, someone tries to take the remote control or hose away, he lets us know he is unhappy!
He loves mud. The day I took this picture I opened the door and my girls literally pranced out of the house to the yard and danced around gathering flowers. He went straight to a mud puddle and plopped himself right down and started splashing!
