Strings and Other Things

It's hard to believe that we're already eight days into February. This winter has been so mild with plenty of warm days sprinkled in between the really cold ones. I'm so grateful for that! But of course the kids are not. We haven't had a single snow day, and not even one chance to use Peter's snow ball maker he got from Nora for Christmas. I guess I wouldn't mind one good snow, but then I'm ready for Spring. I'm itching to get working in the yard. 

January was a flurry of activity for all of us. The boys used their New Years resolution lists to tell us that they were ready to start playing instruments- and NOW. So we set to work finding instruments and teachers. 

 Peter is taking lessons at a music center run by a community college. The building itself is very cool- very arts and craft. Benjamin is taking lessons from an old retired middle school music teacher out of her home.

 Ben's been learning violin at school with all the other third graders (school issued), and decided he wanted to get an early start learning the cello. Next year, he'll get to bring his cello to school. The music department is actually one aspect of their new school that I've been really impressed with. Benjamin has really taken off, and is a dedicated practicer.

 Peter started on the violin, and is doing really well. He's learning all of the basics, absorbing it all at his own pace.

Cub Scouts has been continuing. I am such a novice at the program, so it helps to have more seasoned women in there with me. We went to the City Museum to kick off the new year. Those boys have SO much energy, it's great! We've been busy planning out the next few months for that, with the Blue and Gold Banquet, the Pinewood Derby, and lots of catching boys up on their requirements in between. 

I was also released from my calling with the Young Women, which I'd been expecting for a while, but that didn't make it any easier! I miss those girls. Now I'm teaching the 7/8 year olds in class each week, which brings fresh challenges! They are a sweet bunch. This picture is of one of their drawings/testimonies of Joseph Smith's first vision.  

It's kind of fun being in the primary room with Peter and Nora now. Peter still talks about how he wishes I were HIS teacher (which I had the option to do, but chose not to). He is just his own man. Almost every day, he brings home a new project he made in kindergarten out of recycled objects and tape. He wanted to demonstrate this one right away for me. It's a helmet and breastplate. :)

 Nora and Lydia have lots of time together these days, which I'm really glad about. I registered Nora for kindergarten a few weeks ago (!?!?) so these days are fleeting! They've started coordinating outfits all on their own, which is completely adorable.

 Nora is sweet most of the time with her sister, but when she isn't, I can hardly blame her. Lydia is almost two now, and as delightful and adorable as she can be, she can also be pretty tempestuous and irrational. Like when she randomly threw herself out of her crib in a fit of rage because she didn't want a nap. Or when she threw herself down the stairs because she was mad about...something. Or when she screamed in the middle of the night until I came and got her, and refused to go back to bed because she wanted to sleep on the floor. And the half dozen other times she's tried taking a nap on her floor, first shutting her door. Her language is getting a lot better, and she does talk a lot. Unfortunately, half the time I have no idea what she's saying.

 Having said all that, she really is adorable, and melts my heart by the minute. Here she is, doing her own thing next to our Joy School set-up.

 Our house hasn't seen any changes recently except for the hole that was opened up in our downstairs bathroom...

 We discovered that the discoloration on the ceiling was actually coming from a leak in the pipes above it. And of course those pipes couldn't be accessed from below, so we had to start ripping out the wall in the upstairs bathroom.

Now lest you think we're just reliving past nightmares, I'm actually feeling pretty grateful right now. We knew that the pipes were older going in when we bought this house, and catching this during the first year was great- because it's all covered by our home owners insurance. And since this bathroom is such a mess already, we'll just go ahead and tile it. Part of me just wishes it was the other bathroom that needed immediate attention. All in good time....that's what I have to tell myself about the long list of projects I have constantly stewing in my head. All in good time.