Gabe's first violin recital!

Gabriel's First Violin Recital

(photo:  practicing before the recital starts)

The recital was held at Capitol Lakes Retirment Home, downtown Madison.

The BIG MOMENT!

Gabe plays his solo:  Twinkles "A"

The Suzuki Violin class with their instructor, Miss Lindsay.  (Gabe is front left).  Are you wondering...what in the world, how young are these kids??  Great question!!  Well, Gabe is the youngest one in the group; he began lessons four months ago at the age of 4--which is a prime age for beginning violin using the Suzuki method.

What is Suzuki?  Suzuki method is an educational philosophy that uses a nurturing envioronment to develop children's character, along with their musical talent.  The movement was started in Japan by...you guessed it...Suzuki!  Suzuki believed that learning music went hand in hand with developing noble character, endurance, and discipline.  The "nurture" factor involves small steps, immersion into the language of music via repitition and imitation, and lots of encouragement along the way!  Suzuki saw music as a form of language, and believed that if youngsters can pick up the art of speaking in their native language long before they learn to read it--the same could be achieved with instruments.  Therefore students learn to play their violins before they are ever taught how to read sheet music.  Songs are memorized!  Performances are part of instruction, in order to make performing natural and enjoyable.  The method is not about raising musical prodigies; rather it is about character development.  Gabe has a weekly lesson, about 15 minutes long, and we practice at home daily for at least 5 minutes (at least....we try!)  There are many things for kids to be involved in today, and I believe strongly that the number one things kids need is:  uninterrupted space to be kids!  To play!!  So I love that this method accounts for Gabe being a 5 year old playful boy--he is allowed to be silly and tell jokes at lessons...to be himself....

And before you start thinking that we are some weird crazy people with ecletic taste and no feet in reality, I want to throw my hands up to heaven at this moment and tell you, truly, that this whole experience is a gift from my God.  I just want my sons to have opportunities to impact this world with good.

And God, You see the desires of our hearts and move mountains in ways that make me weep with joy!

Praise You, God, for the tiny violin in my kitchen.

Further proof of your magnificent goodness.

From the mom who pinches pennies!  Worshipping a God who moves mountains....

PG rated spelling practice

Today was such a FUN school day!  Gabe, Quinn and I were huddled up around the door of the fridge, where Gabe's new magnetic dry-erase board is located (gotta love the Target $1 hot spot!!).  This week we are learning the phonograms "ear, ur, and ir."  So we were huddled there doing some spelling practice, using words that contain our new phonogram friends...words like girl, earn, and squirt.  I would say a word, and then we would work together to decode it--with Gabe writing each word on his board.  Quinn was standing next to Gabe, and as Gabe was breaking down the word aloud, Quinn was shouting "A!"  "O!"  "E!" "DO!" (...do means 'two')  Little Quinn was desperate to start spelling too.  I smiled and tucked the moment into my heart.

Then we played a spelling game of hide-and-seek monkey.  It is very similar to normal hide and seek, only the hider is a plastic monkey....and he hides only near objects containing one of our new phonogram friends.  For example, in the first round I had Gabe close his eyes and count, and I hid the monkey near a "shirt."  Then I would give Gabe clues.....like "the monkey is hiding somewhere in the living room."  Or "the monkey is hiding up high, somewhere higher than your head." 

Eventually Gabe wanted to be the one to hide the monkey.  So I closed my eyes and counted.  When I began hunting for the monkey, Gabe was generous in giving me some hints.  "Mom!  It's.....in the room that I am in.....right NOW!"  And he hopped into the kitchen.  I looked everywhere.  No monkey.  I asked if it was inside something.  He thought long and hard...and said yes.  This will be funny later on in the story.  And then he bounced down the hallway.  I asked for more clues!  He said........"it's somwhere where I keep my body healthy." 

I asked him, "Is it in the kitchen?"  Gabe replied..."No."  I said, "But you told me that it was in the kitchen before!"  I'm thinking....."where does he keep his body healthy???"  I said, "Is it in the pantry?"  He said, "No!"  I asked, "The bathroom then??"  Gabe sheepishly replied, "where do I keep my body healthy?"  and a huge grin erupted on his face.  I know that grin anywhere.  That sly grin!  I put my hands on my hips and said, "Gabe.....I am CONFUSED!!"

Then my 4 year old innocently clued me in.  "Mom, it's by my peepee, where I keep my body healthy!"  And sure enough, he pulled down his trousers and there was this sad little yellow monkey hanging out of his underpants.  I burst into rolls of laughter, and said, "That poor monkey will NEVER be the same!" 

And Gabe--with a serious and very concerned face said:  "Why, mom?  Why will he never be the same??" 

a day in the life...

It's the little moments, you know?  The moments that were not planned, that unexpectedly creep into your day for better or for worse.  Those are what life is made of.  I have an entire binder that outlines my day--hour by hour...listing my expectations for myself in an effort to effectively run an active household.  I think that God made me a type A personality for very specific plans...but I also wonder if sometimes He doesn't just put His finger in the smooth glass surface of my day to cause a few ripples.  Even waves.  To make me set aside my binder and wake up to REAL LIFE.

This morning Gabe would not listen.  At all.  We had to run to violin lessons, and despite being told more times than I have fingers to "put socks on..." I had to do it for him.  "Get your shoes and jacket on, Gabe."  It was as if he had lost his ears.  (Those silly ears are constantly getting lost...)  I had to do it for him.  This was the cycle of our morning.  He spent more time in the naughty corner than out of it!  (And he wouldn't go to the corner, I had to do that for him, too). 

At violin lessons he listened 80% of the time.  To a perfectionist parent, paying big bucks for these private lessons--that was unacceptable.  I felt the urge to let loose yelling this morning.  But even though that would have felt really, really good for at least 60 seconds...instead I offered up a quick desperate prayer for patience.  Am I totally failing as Gabe's mother, God?  He doesn't listen!  Show me how to speak his language!

Then I slowed down long enough to hold Gabe's hands and explain why he was on his LATEST time-out, a 15 minute whopper T.O. just before lunch.  I told him the ways in which I was proud of him today:  for learning how to balance his violin on his shoulder, for obeying right away when it was time to start quiet-time.  He beamed.  For the past few minutes he has been on a mission to impress me with his super-duper obedience.  In my business today, I had concentrated so much on what I needed to have happen that I had forgotten just to be Gabe's mom:  with neverending love, support, and patience.  I had forgotten the language of motherhood.

After lunch, in an effort to keep Quinn out of the dishwasher as I was loading it....I would roar at him and pretend to chase him.  He would run off giggling and screaming, and it would buy me at least 30 seconds of open-dishwasher loading time.  Then those little pudgy feet would come tromping back for more.  Gabe heard this, and he started in with, "Chase me, chase me!"  Before I knew it I was chasing both of my kids around the house pretending to be a silly mommy-monster!  We were all rolling with gut-wrenching laughter!  Zoe was attacking me, trying to save the children!  Another one of God's ripples.  And then a wave...as I see Gabe hunched over by the couch.

"Gabe, what's the matter??  I'm going to G-E-T- you---RAR!"  And Gabe says, "I think mommy monster made me poop in my pants!!"  And he was not kidding.  Off to the bathroom for a little afterparty cleanup.  A little lesson in how to wipe.  A lesson in hand-washing.  More reminders of "get your fresh undies on, Gabe.  Get your pants on buddy.  Please don't play choo-choo's without pants and undies on...."  And then:  (almost) instant obedience.  My kid came bouncing down the hall wearing fresh pants and undies, with a proud smile. 

I have to laugh at my binder.  My schedule.  Rarely do I have a day that goes according to binder.  Yet I long for that perfect, seamless day.  I attempt it with each new morning.  That's why the binder still exists and I haven't thrown it into the snow.  And at the same time I cherish and bathe myself in the joy that is motherhood--the complete chaotic, unscheduled ripples that God blesses me with...as He takes His mighty hand (probably His left) and invisibly crosses things off my silly list... and adds new things in bold. 



 

Tree Decorating: December 2009

This is the only photo that even remotely turned out!

And Quinn takes out Gabe with one final blow!

Dress Up!

Puppy dog Quinn. Photo taken Dec 1, 2009 (age 16 mos)

Who could this be?

It's a Super Mario Brother! It's Luigi!

Photo taken Nov 2009, age 4.

Preschool: Farm Unit coming to a close!

Monster Munchies!

He likes to eat a very specific diet. Only objects that begin with a certain letter! What will the letter be today?

Just in time for Thanksgiving! We made a turkey out of a paper plate. I was astonished when Gabe showed me his final project: an exact replica of the turkey in the project photo. A perfectionist in the making.....oh no!

Quinn says: "Gotcha camera!"

Family Harvest Party!

Family Harvest Party!

Today was so much fun! We raked leaves, jumped in the piles....took a bath! We carved pumpkins, and made caramel apples. Mommy and Quinn's is the maple leaf, Daddy and Gabe carved a Goofy pumpkin. Tomorrow we will probably roast our leftover pumpkin seeds!

Below: Lapacek's Orchard in Poynette, WI

Gabe quickly made friends with the animals. He especially liked "Martini," a little grey cat who followed him around.

Gabe daringly rides the big-wheel down the hill!

Quinn enjoys a chilly swing ride.

Pumpkin hunting!

Mommy and her boys!