An Amazing Cellist... and Yo-Yo Ma

For some time now, I've been in awe of my daughter's musical ability (perhaps fueled by my musical disability). She started playing recorder when she was in 2nd grade and quickly mastered three different sizes, blew through recitals, plays and even a wedding with ease. She played piano for a few years and it was quite an ordeal to get her to practice just one day a week. It didn't help that at some point during her weekly lesson, the instructor would inevitably say "I can tell you have really practiced this piece" when Marky hadn't lifted the dusty cover off the keys since her last lesson.

She is now on her third year of playing cello in the school orchestra. She has a habit of conveniently leaving her cello at school so she can't practice. Even when she brings it home, she puts off practicing, hoping I will forget or by the time I remember it will be too late and time for bed. So, when we heard Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble would be at the Providence Performing Arts Center for just one show and Marky BEGGED me to get tickets, I saw is as bargaining tool and struck a deal. Marky pinkie promised that she would practice every day after school if I would get tickets. As luck would have it, I was able to get one of the last remaining pairs of tickets. We had a wonderful time and so far, Marky has kept up her end of the deal (although she has convinced me that once she leaves school on Friday, it is actually the weekend and I had told her she could take weekends off). As an added bonus, I gained something else from the deal...a lovely evening with my sweet daughter (fortunately, she had left all the pre-teen angst, sassiness and moodiness at home that evening.... I often wonder if we will both survive these middle school years).

Markyisms vs. Hunterisms

Since I don't have any recent photos loaded on the computer, but I know the month is ticking away and I haven't posted.... How 'bout something not so recent...

Markyisms...

When Marky was a toddler, still getting the grasp of the English language, she would create her own wonderful words... I loved how she put her own adorable twist on an ordinary word. 'Rubberband' became 'bumbleband'... 'Animal' bacame 'aminal'... Her Radioflyer was her 'Red, red ragon'... To go along with 'nobody', 'anybody', and 'somebody', Marky created the word 'whobody', as in "Momma, whobody gave me that toy?" or if I was on the phone, "Momma, whobody are you talking to?" (I'll have to admit, to this day I keep hoping she will slip and say 'whobody' again... Why did she ever have to drop the 'body' and start saying 'who' like the rest of us?... I'm sure her peers would eventually stop giggling when she asked "Whobody's taking you to prom?").

Hunterisms...

When Hunter started to speak, he enunciated nearly every word with perfection. I can still remember when he woke from a nap at the ripe old age of 21 months and commanded, in a very loud, deep, caveman like voice, "Hunter go see cheetah and messy elephant at zoo again!" Sure, there were grammatical errors, but hey, a 10 word sentance, flawless pronounciation, months before his 2nd birthday. I was impressed. He didn't even falter with larger, polysylabic words like 'cinnamon', 'aluminum', and 'guacamole'... but now and then, he has used a perfectly pronounced word, in a not so perfect way...

First grade.... Finally in school full-day, Hunter was so excited to be eating lunch in the cafeteria. He had been asking to try the school lunch, but I insisted on packing his Spiderman lunch box everyday. One day, he decided to tell the secretary that I had forgotten to pack his lunch and asked her if he could borrow money to buy a school lunch. When he came home from school I removed his untouched lunchbox from his backpack and worried that he had gone all day without eating. He said, "Don't worry Momma. I told Mrs. Bridges you didn't send a lunch so she gave me the money to order hot lunch". I was mortified that someone in the office would think I would send my son to school without lunch, so went to the office the next morning to repay Mrs. Bridges. She said, laughing between sentences, "Keep the two dollars, it was worth every penny. Hunter bought the chicken patty, and after two bites, returned the tray to me and said 'I just can't eat this. It's making me obnoxious' ". Of course, he meant nauseous... but Hunter, class clown, had been racking up frequent flier miles to the Principal's office, so his mistake was both funny and fitting.

More recently, Hunter was telling a tall-tale, going into elaborate, but totally unbelievable, detail. Marky, who was growing weary of his fabrication, cuts him off and says "Hunter, there's no way that happened. You're lying!". Hunter defends himself, "Marky, I'm not lying, I was just exasperating". Marky rolls her eyes and sighs "You've got that right".

A Visit from Steph and Tate...

As my kids prepared to leave for New Mexico with their dad, Stephanie arrived to see me over that hurdle, as she so often does, of saying good-bye to Marky and Hunter. They'll be away for a whole nine days and truthfully, I do enjoy a little 'me' time, but it's never easy to watch them pull out of the driveway.

This time, Steph was not alone. I finally met little Tate (until now, I've only watched him grow up via Steph's blog, and heard various squeals, growls, babbles, and famous late night 'warning shots' over the phone).

The theme of this visit was rather couch-potato-ish.... DVDs and ice cream... very relaxing. We did get out now and then for a little shopping, eating (Steph can't visit without at least a meal or two at Crazy Burger), and sight seeing... Here are just a few photos... since just a few is all I took...


Tate and Steph at Narragansett Town Beach (could this be his first trip to the Atlantic?)...






... and our trip to the Providence Childrens Museum...

Procrastinate

pro-cras-ti-nate: to put off intentionally and habitually~to put off intentionally the doing of something that should be done syn see DELAY

pro-cras-ti-na-tor: me

...and so, here it is, since the likelihood that I will ever get them (Christmas cards, turned New Years cards, turned strange Valentines Day cards adorned with snowflakes, snowmen, and Santa...not a heart to be seen) off my desk and in the mail. They sit, stuffed with the following photo... appropriate for a Christmas Card, but not so much for Happy 4th of July... which might very well be around the time I might just get them in the mail....

Double Lotus... Double What ?!?!

This afternoon, I opened my e-mail and read about a 7 year old boy, born in Thailand, now living in Austin, TX, who collects and hands out food to the homeless, raises money for orphans and impoverished schools, reads about the world's religions and listens to public radio. He believes life is good... we're all equal... we can help people... hate is a cause for love... people should not give up... love is everywhere... it is okay to die but not to kill... war should stop... we can make peace... And as I read this unbelievably, beautiful list written by a 7 year old little boy, my own son, now 8 years old, repeatedly taps me on the shoulder and tugs at my shirt, begging and pleading with me...

"Please momma, Please!!", he begs for me to come downstairs to the playroom, strap on a Velcro vest and don safety goggles so he can pummel me with Nerf darts! I try to suggest he hang the vest on the doorknob to practice his aim... but my suggestion falls on deaf ears. He continues to beg... he really wants a moving target. I shrug... try to make excuses, but he musters up the sweetest most innocent face and asks me one more time adding... "Please... I'll give you a hundred hugs and kisses".... I guess there is hope after all.

So, I steal one last glance at the photos of the sweet little boy on screen... he is meditating in a double lotus pose, gingerly holding a caterpillar in his hands.... Look back at my own sweet, albeit mischievous, little boy and head down to strap the bulls eye across my chest....



















Okay... so it's no double lotus, but here's MY boy... he calls this the double booger sucker... I am so proud.

Happy 2009! and New Year's Resolutions....

Rabbit, rabbit... and Happy 2009! I had a quiet night at home with the kids, happy to stay off the roads, given the fresh snowfall, heavy winds, plummeting temperatures and I'm sure many drivers out there who likely had bit too much of the bubbly.

Every year I make a few resolutions, but admittedly... never keep them for long. I have not completely given up hope, so here it goes... My 2009 Resolutions:

1. After a blogging hiatus (I haven't blogged since the summer!), I resolve to post regularly... and by that I'm striving for twice a month (I do have to keep these realistic, afterall. It was quite an ordeal just to get logged on to this account again. I had forgotten my gmail address and password, but with a little help from a friend, here I am again.... Thanks, Steph).

2. I resolve to walk a minimum of 2 miles a day at least 5 times a week (which, due to inclement weather, will have to be on a treadmill and I'm waiting for a few strong men to deliver one from my parents' basement to mine, so I am quickly in danger of breaking this one already).

3. I resolve to reconnect with two old friends (yet to be named), friends I have not seen or spoken to in at least 10 years. This one might be tricky... after losing touch with someone for over a decade, it might be hard to track someone down, but the internet should expedite my search.

...And I will leave it at those 3. Any more than that and I will set myself up for failure (unless, of course, I make them easy as pie...like 'Must consume chocolate daily).

Sparklers...

We went to a cookout this past weekend... good food, good conversation, and the kids had good fun running around with sparklers (Thanks for hosting the wonderful evening Carons!)...