Locks of Love...

Our Lauren has been growing her hair out for some time now just so she can donate it to a wonderful charity. We knew we were going to try and see if her hair was now long enough over the holiday break so the morning of 

Christmas Eve, 

I said, "How about today? How about we call the hair salon and see if they can fit you in today to get your hair cut?" Her eyes opened wide and she said, "Yeah!  I can give my hair to someone who has lost their hair and we can both feel good!"  So, I did call and they were able to just fit us in before they closed at 3pm. I was so proud of our girl. She had a grin on her face the entire time. When we left, I took down the name of the organization to send the locks of hair to, Locks of Love, and then I gave her a big hug and said, "You know, that is quite a special gift you have given some child out there who has lost all their hair to cancer.  I am very proud of your giving heart."  She jumped a little jump of joy and said, "It feels so good, mommy.  I was really nervous in my stomach right before she cut the first section, but I was really happy also." I try to teach both my kids, it is not about what you RECEIVE but what you GIVE that matters. There is nothing better than watching your child give of herself in such a loving way. They cut off 9 INCHES of her beautiful, brown, long, curly hair, and although she has a head with less hair, she now has a heart filled with more love!  Here she is, before, during, and after...

Water, Water, Everywhere...

Well, we did it.  We made it through that last two weeks of school.

Niko said yesterday, "Can you hear that mom?" What? He answered with a big

sigh of relief, "Nothing!  No homework, no mission to build,

no report to finish, no tests to study for.  Ahhhhhh....".  He asked me 

Friday night and again last night, "Do we have anything we HAVE to

do tmrw?"  He knew we didn't but I think he just wanted to hear me

say it out loud.  I grabbed him and wrapped my arms around him and

said, "Nope!  Nothin!  Oh, wait a minute--I forgot!  We have to make

time for....FUN!  We have to have lots and lots of FUN!" I'm glad he asked. It felt good to say it.    

I heard a new word recently and I like it, STAY-CATION.  It means (if you haven't heard) we are STAYing home for our vaCATION.  I love it!  Our family has traveled a lot this year and we are looking forward to just hanging out together in our home.  What a blessing.  PJ's till noon,

or maybe we'll stay in them all day!  That will be my gift to my family (since it's usually me dragging them here and there).  

See, we've also, had a bit of a "Comedy of Errors" in our lives lately.   One morning recently,

Ricardo called from the office at 7am to tell us the water pipe in the bathroom had burst and there was water everywhere.  No equipment was damaged but there was a solid week of squish, squish and cleanup.  At home, Niko's History book disappeared from class.  This is a child who is so orderly and responsible that something like this was devastating for him.  We looked everywhere, and then we looked everywhere again.  He was sure he put it on his teacher's

desk.  Three days later they found it in the classroom afterall.  :>  She sent me a very sweet email and I could feel Niko's relief as I read it.  Then, the piece de resistance happened late one night last week. Lauren had finished her math homework and brought it down for me to check. It was another late night in a long line of late nights, so I said, "I'll look it over and put it in your backpack for you when I'm done.  Go on to bed."  I did look it over.  But, her backpack was upstairs in her room so I just set it on the floor next to Niko's backpack here in the hall for the night.  I finished up some work and I was walking through the kitchen turning off lights, when suddenly I felt something cold and wet under my feet.  I looked down and found myself standing in a puddle of water. The washing machine had run over!  Water was everywhere, and right in the middle of it all, was Lauren mathbook--SUBMERGED.  So there I was, at midnight, ringing out the soaked pages.  I spent the next two hours blow drying the soggyness out of 200 pages, one page at a time.  Her book is now twice as thick as it was, but at least it's dry!  Last, but not least I assure you, was the day it rained cats and dogs.  Both my kids worked for hours building their California missions, and I was very impressed with their efforts.  Then, wednesday, the day they were due, we woke up to rain storming down.  I had to think of something quick --hefty bags!  We slid them in, and very carefully speed walked them into class.  Can you imagine how hard it is to balance an umbrella and a large mission with the wind blowing and the rain making the ground slippery? Well, in spite of being pummeled by heavy rain, then arriving to an empty(!) locked classroom, they both made it to class in one piece.  I love the rain but I must say, I've had enough of water everywhere to last a lifetime!

My Gift To You...

I was looking over my blog recently and had to smile;

I have had the lucky chance of seeing every one of my

favorite movies listed here over the past month.  Not

the entire 2 hours of each, but enough bits and pieces

that it FEELS like I saw the whole movie(s).  What is

remarkable is, with how busy we've been, and the fact

that we don't have the tv on during the school week,

how on earth did I find the time?  I thought about it

and I have to chalk it up to simply turning it on during

gift wrapping, late night laundry sessions, or just for

some noise while I am tidying up after a long busy day.

Either way, it made me realize, there are 1440 minutes

in a day, and if we really try to squeeze things in here 

and there, every day, it IS  possible to touch base with

things that bring you joy.  There are so many things

we have to do, but if we make an effort (it's not easy

multi-tasking I know) we can fill in the corners here

and there with movies, lunches with friends,

a chapter from a favorite book, or even a quick nap!

During this busy season, my gift to all of you is this-

remember to make time for the things that bring you joy!

If you feel happier, you'll make others feel happier --and 

what a wonderful domino effect that would be! 

14 Days of Christmas...

Can it really be the 14th of December?  Already?!  Yikes!

I had planned to touch base here every day this month with

the 25 days of our Christmas joy, sharing the new way each day

that we had found to rejoice in our blessings, celebrate the birth of baby Jesus, and make sure we remember to give back and serve others.  I think we got so into the serving and celebrating , we just ran out of time to do the sharing!  

So, here goes a list of the last two weeks, one day at a time...

Day 1  Share fun pics and hopefully induce spontaneous laughter from our Photo Booth pix!

Day 2 Daddy comes home from his long trip!  We stayed up till 1 am listening to his fun adventures in Germany and Spain!

Day 3  Drive through neighborhood and look at all the pretty

homes decorated with Christmas lights.

Day 4 Kids perform in Mayhem in Bethlehem.  It was the upper grades and they were great!  Lauren was a lovely singing and dancing angel, and Niko had a part as a lead, Billy Joe Debonair, who comes up with an amazing hair replacement formula.."It'll make your hair look like a Chiapet on steroids!"  He and Ryan (Bobby Joe Debonair) were so funny!

Day 5  Mom spent 2 hours adressing Christmas cards to share with friends and family (I love this tradition!)  The picture up top is from our card--I love this pix but every time I look at it I remember I was 5 minutes from vomiting when he shot this.  I had the flu so bad!

Day 6 Niko and his buddies, Brenden and Nate, do their part by shooting 1000 basketballs

hoops each (!) to raise money for an charity that will benefit those with Aids in Africa,  It is called,  "Hoops for Hope".  It took them six hours and a lot of energy but they never

complained once. They were doing a noble act and each were genuinely pleased to be there.  

Niko's hands were dirty and his shoulders ached but he wants to do it again next year!  I was so proud of our young men!  

Day 7 Put up the Christmas tree (usually this goes up on Thanksgiving weekend but, it is tradition to do this as a family so we waited until Daddy returned from his trip).  :>

Day 8 Lauren and I bake banana breads and brownies and deliver them to neighbors and friends.

Day 9  Hang the Wonderful Christmas cards we have received so far!

Day 10 Go Christmas shopping...

Day 11  Niko is awarded the Christian character trait of Ambition- for always striving to do his best for God's Glory.  Lauren is awarded Courtesy for always being polite and respectful to everyone at all times.  Daddy and I were beaming! 

Day 12 Take unwrapped gifts to Toys for Tots

Day 13 Serve others by joining our good friends, the Changs, and Lighthouse Ministries

in Santa Ana to help in the creating a joyous Christmas party for families in need.  What

a great feeling it was to pitch in and help make something like this possible!  Thank you Diana for inviting us to share in the giving. It was a blessing.  

Later that day, we caught the end of the live Nativity sponsored by our school and shared some hot cocoa with the Thompsons, Weirs, and Gibsons.  What a treat!  It was great seeing the junior highers performing this beautiful scene.  Also, it was chilly and it really felt like a festive thing to do!

Day 14 Mindy and I built 22 gingerbread cottages for the 4th grade Christmas party this week at school.  The smell of frosting and gingerbread is still in my kitchen-- I couldn't have done it without you Mindy.  Thank you!

Two weeks.  Two very busy weeks, all the while remembering to smile, love and give back.

I can't think of a better way to celebrate Jesus than to emulate all that He stands for, can you? 

Ten more lovely days ahead...

Paying it Forward...

It is December 1st, the start of the busiest month of the year.  I knew it was coming as I always do, but it wasn't until I received our first Christmas card, a few days ago, that I instantly felt the pressure come over me.   All last week I was feeling grumpy too and I didn't know why.  

There were even days when it rubbed off on the twins.    I sat down last night, after a very busy week getting ready for Christmas (decorating, ordering cards, buying gifts) and took a moment to read my email.  I found I had an invitation there to read my friend, Elizabeth's Facebook profile.  Until last week, Facebook was something every person seemed to know about, but me.  I signed up, clicked on some familiar faces to let them know I was there and I'm so glad I did!   (Thanks, Elizabeth!).

Then, my friend, Kim, posted a note on my "wall" and after I read her sweet words, I scrolled down and took a look at the funny pictures she posted from her Photo Booth.  I cracked up!  They were hilarious!  The kids came in to see what I was laughing at, and before I knew it, we were all laughing!  There were goofy, silly pictures of her family members--each having a grand time being carefree and fun.  What a gift!  Laughter!  For children, it is an every day occurrance. For us adults, not so much.  I realized then, we needed to stop and just laugh.  It felt so good! 

Funny thing about life, we all know the right way to go through our days, with peace, patience, kindness (all those wonderful fruit of the spirit helping hands!) but we get up (or I do anyway), with good intentions, and instead I end up letting the stress of the moment get the better of me. One thing leads to the next, and I find myself handling the day, not as I should, but instead again with lots of coulda-shoulda-woulda's.  Christmas is a time of Joy.  A time for Peace.  A time to Rejoice and Celebrate in all that comes our way during this blessed Season of Love.  I promised myself, I am going to take the next 25 days, and make a concerted effort to remember to fill each of those days with each of those pleasures.  Hopefully, it will become second nature again, and will flow right over to my days in 2009!  Today, day 1, my goofy kids and I would like to take our gift of laughter, and pay it forward.  We hope you enjoy our funny photo session as much we enjoyed our friend Kims!  Remember, Giggles, Merry Giggles everyone, and the truth of the holiday will shine through!

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Pictures:

Niko and Mommy. Lauren preparing her pudding. My kids and their tee-pees!

We heard from Daddy this morning. He wished us a Happy Thanksgiving and said he got stuck with McDonalds for his dinner (Yuck!). But otherwise he has a lot to be thankful for today. He has been having a grand time fitting in up to one city a day, seeing places and history he has been reading about for years. Says he will visit the town of Duenas next! That should be very cool to hear about. Forgot to ask if he is taking pictures--Juan, if you're reading this, TAKE PICTURES!

As for the three of us here at home, it is nearing 5pm , and it didn't go half bad. We took it easy and slept in until 10 am. Then, I made blueberry pancakes (actually, the kids ate the hotcakes. (I chose to eat 3 pieces of See's chocolates!). After dishes, Niko and I saw National Treasure 2 on tv and without really saying it out loud , agreed to snuggle next to the fire, and watch for the next two hours. Lauren came down and joined us about half way through, and then, it was time to start to prepare the turkey. To be completely honest, I don't enjoy cooking. Never have. My dad taught my brothers to cook because I had no interest even then. Fortunately, my daughter DOES enjoy the preparations and she jumped right in to help me. I got the turkey and sage stuffing going, while she got her banana pudding started --this is a tradition and always a hit! Then, for the next three hours we hung out and waited for our tiny turkey to turn a yummy golden brown. I enjoyed the sprinkling of rain outside while Club Penguin got the kids attention.

At 3:30pm , when the turkey thermometer reached 170 degrees and the timer dinged "done!", Niko volunteered to set the table with the placemats they each made in the first grade (another tradition) and then we all got dressed up and sat down to dinner. Our gratitude circle filled more of the dinner hour than I had anticipated, and I was thoroughly pleased. Niko was grateful for, "Jesus, who died for our sins, so we don't have to go down there." and also, "for my mommy who is funny, and takes care of me, and who is very pretty" and "for my daddy who is cuddly like a teddy bear and cares for me" and " for my sister who makes me laugh, and always comforts me when I am sad" and "for pretty girls---oh yeh!". Lauren laughed and said, "And I know which one!" Then she said, "I am grateful for my family who loves me and keeps me safe, and for my friends because they are always kind to me, and for Mrs. Lett, because she always watches over me on the playground at school. My teacher, for giving me an education, and for my principal. Oh, and for Chloe. I love Chloe."

For me, I was thankful the turkey didn't burn while I was upstairs and Niko, in a panic yelled,

"Mom, I think the turkey is burning!" Also, I must mention my turkey gravy. I dont' even own a gravy bowl because my boys don't like gravy, but this year, for my girl, I made the gravy.

Lauren loved it so much she put it on everything, and for a moment I thought she might take the bowl and eat it like soup! For me, being able to be in my home, filled with my hearts desires, making a meal, making memories, my kids will remember, well, that was the cat's meow. This isn't the first year Juan and I have spent the holiday in different places, but it is the first one, neither one of us has been with extended family. Our day was still filled with traditions, but one important one was missing--Daddy and our other loved ones. There is a reason folks gather together, to fill the hours of the day with cousins, grandparents, aunts and uncles. We do that because it is enjoyable and annually, it reminds us what is truly important. Next year, we will be sure to get back to that tradition as well!

Autumn...

It is cooler here today.  Big storm coming in.

Got word from Juan.  He is in Madrid now.  

Got a nice hotel right in the center of things

this time and can walk to any site he desires.

Not as cold there either.  His text messages were

funny but at the same time, I was truly concerned

for him.  Thankfully, in Spain, he can speak the 

language too!  

With the storm coming in, my kids asked me when 

winter is due to arrive? Too soon, I'm afraid.  

Autumn is my favorite season, and, this year,

 it feels like we never really had one.  Winter will

make it's debut in just a few shorts weeks.  This made me

think of something I wrote a few years back about my

love for the "turning of the leaves", and how I long 

for a real visit with my favorite time of year...

Autumn

It was a perfectly lovely autumn day over our way.

Got sunburned on my face because I kept looking up

to feel the sun on my face, and the cool breeze.  It is the

beginning of my favorite season, autumn.  Every year,

no matter what kind of craziness is going on

in my life, I am always brought to a much welcomed halt

by mother nature's prettiest guest of honor.  Still don't 

know if it is the warm colors that roll in as the turning of

the leaves take place, or maybe it's the evening sky; 

I'll walk at night and find myself lost, in awe, of my true

enjoyment as the crisp air whips around me, and I think,

maybe God took a paintbrush, dipped it in white

paint and flicked it up at the night sky, and we now call

those flecks stars.   Whatever the reasons, it puts me in

a wonderfully pleasant place.  Maybe I'll make a pumpkin pie!

From our home to yours, may your hearts be filled with the

warmth of Thanksgiving and your tummies filled with all the 

yummy goodies that come with it!    Happy Thanksgiving!

Brrrr....

I just got the funniest text from Juan.

He is staying in a little town outside of

Dusseldorf, Germany and commuting

an hour and a half into town each day 

for a business convention.  I encouraged

him to book a near-by hotel months ago

so he could walk to the convention center,

but, he checked them out and said they were 

too expensive.  "In the long run though,

you'll save time and money because you won't 

have to commute."  Did he heed my advice?  Once you read his text

messages from the last two days, you will see 

how it all turned out.  Hee hee...

Day 1

It's about 11am ur time about 8pm german time

I'm on a bus hoping to get to my hotel

I've taken a tram a train walked and now a bus

to get to my hotel

Hey but---saved a fortune

I don't know where i'm at

It's a bit crazy

I'm in the middle of nowhere

I'm an hour away from my hotel

I'll contact u if i survive

Love u

Juanderful

Second text

Hey i made it

It's around 1 am fell asleep for about 2 hours

Tell Lauren the coat was a blessing (she insisted

he take one) since it's really cold here

Actually it's not that cold here

The show was awesome going back later today

hope all is well with you guys

love u

juanderful

Day 2

Made it yesterday

Today diff story

Woke up an it's raining

Had to walk 3 km to bus stop

Got lost twice

Had to wait for later bus

Everyone around me is german.

Am staying in small town 1:30 hours n of show

Take bus to train station

Raining and hurricane style winds

Figure out which train to take

Cross over to other side to go in correct direction

Wind is incredible

Freeze keester off and toes

Tree comes down right next to me

Big tree

Train is cancelled

Must climb through tree to exit

I'm in my suit

Climb through tree in mud

Get through

Starts to snow

Wind

Rain

Snow

Freezing

Call taxi

40 euros later get to show

Have fun at show

Went to old town after show

Took taxi back to hotel

Thankfully because lots of snow on ground

Leave for spain tomorrow

Stay tuned

Love u

Juanderful

Say, "Cheese!"

Lauren had her braces removed this week!  Now she has a toothpaste commercial smile! She got to ring the bell and they handed her an M & M covered carmel apple to eat!  Can't believe how quickly it went by too-she got them on in February, and off in November.  There was some pain in the beginning,  but overall, it was an easy stint and so worth it!  Smiles are good thing...Niko's come off next month!

4th Grade California Garden...

Today, the 22 children in Mrs. Diaz' 4th grade glass gathered

outside their classroom and created a botanical piece of art!

Fourth grade is all about California so they each were assigned a region and brought in a native plant and started digging! My kids brought cacti from Death Valley, and Lauren made a sign marking where our school is. I loved Brendan's rock pile for Mt. Whitney, and Bobbi's evergreen tree for the northern Rocky Mtns. Joshua brought in shiny blue pebbles and shells for the Pacific Ocean and Dylan brought in aquarium rocks for the Sacramento River.

Others brought in a wonderful variety of plants and even some seeds

to represent the other regions of this state of ours. It turned out very cool!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

I'm not big on this holiday but the kids enjoy dressing up, and the candy is always a very fun reward, so once again we got them dressed up and Daddy and Grandpa walked them around the neighborhood. I stayed home this year and handed out

a bucket of chocolates to some very adorable ghosts, princesses, and many star wars

characters. Niko was a very scary Joker this year (we didn't let him see the movie but he saw the costume and thought it was cool) and Lauren was a 1/2 Black-1/2 White very cute witch (chosen mostly because of the cute black/white leggings that came with it!). Quieter than most of the Halloweens in the past, but the kids had a grand time and that is good enough for us! Happy Halloween!

Q'ute Quote...

Lauren lost a tooth--again!  Truthfully, in one two-week

period over the summer, she lost three teeth!  This time

it was only one, but I just figured that was because she

didn't have any baby teeth left!

So, as tradition dictates , we got ready for bed, and I said, 

"Did you put your tooth under your pillow for the Tooth Fairy?"

"No, I put it in my sock and left it on my desk there."  "You put

it in your SOCK? Why?"  "Well, I was afraid it would get lost in

my bed and the tooth fairy wouldn't be able to find it."  I thought 

about this, and smiled and said, "Hmm...I'm not sure Aiden's uncle 

will think to look in your sock, and if he does, I doubt he will want

to stick his hand in a sock you've been wearing all day."  Then, very

confidantly she said, "Oh no, Mom, Aiden's uncle is the Easter Bunny,

not the tooth fairy."  Completely caught off guard, I looked up from 

taking the tooth out of her sock and laughed, "The Easter Bunny?"

Then I hear Niko chime in from his room, "It's true Mom!  Aiden saw 

him so he knows."  I smiled again, suddenly remembering this revelation

they had told me a few years back more clearly now.  I thought about it, 

then I very carefully pushed the tooth back in the sock.  "Well, in that case, 

we'll leave it right here, and I'm sure whoever the true tooth fairy really is 

will surely find it, and he will be very grateful that you took the time to 

leave it so easy for him to find!  Stinky sock or not, I'm sure he will leave 

you a reward".  Whether it was Aiden's uncle or someone else, I don't 

think it really mattered in the end.   The important thing was, the next 

morning Daddy and I were greeted by a this big, beautiful, satisfied 

toothless grin, and it made our day!  

My Red Room...

Today was one of those rare days where the house was

clean, homework and special projects are finished and

handed in, we left work at work, and we are all individually

doing the relaxing things we love.  Juan and Niko are filling 

their tummies with their favorite meal at their favorite restaurant,

Lauren is upstairs dancing to her new Jonas Bros CD (I had

gotten it months ago and forgot about it until today), and I

am in my favorite place in our home, my red room.  Four years ago,

when we moved in, I had it painted a deep burgundy, hung romantic 

french country curtains on all seven, bright and airy windows, and 

created a very girly, all me, haven.  

This is my hugs and kisses room.  I have filled it with my son's 2 inch

Spider-man that he put up on the top shelf "to watch over and protect me", 

and the sweet note my daughter wrote me on exactly on 10-16-06, 

"I Love Love you mommy Love Lauren".  From Juan, is a Valentines Day

card that he gave me 25 years ago (!) and I still love. On my windowsill is a Christmas

ornament from my good friend, Laurie, that reminds me every single day, "The best things in your life are right in front of you", and next to my computer is a book of Poems about Calvary's love from another good friend of mine, Diana.   I have my Bible, my mother's Bible, my grandmother's Bible and now my children's Bible all in a row, generation after generation of love, as it should be.  Books from friends, thoughtful enough to pass along something they knew I would enjoy, along with cherished photos of loved ones both here and gone, fill the four walls of this 8 x 10 retreat of mine, and I wouldn't trade it for the world.  

My attachment to all things sentimental is starting to work against me though.  Along with all the above-mentioned treasures , "stuff" has been piling up in this room for months now.  I kept moving these bins of  things I just can't say goodbye to, from room to room, along with the promise to myself that one day I would go through them.  Then, finally today, I said,

"no more".

I found myself on the floor going through piles of paper that consisted of everything from last years' school work (what to keep, what to toss) to my scripts I kept from my days working in television on "Cheers".   I realized right then, in the future it is the creative endeavors my kids undertake that I will save and all the quizzes, spelling tests, etc will not be saved.  Oh, and in the scripts, right in the middle of the pile, I found my Cheers yearbook!  I picked it up and as I flipped through the pages, I was brought back to a time filled with great moments, from a time almost forgotten.  I was in my 20's, all things were possible, and I had a grand time living for the moment and following my dreams.  The friendships I made were likened to those many make in Fraternities--friendships for a lifetime.   What I do now with my days is just as vital to me, but this reminded me I was once just Renee, and that wasn't a bad thing.

After hours of sifting through things, I found letters from loved ones since passed on,  and another letter written by my brother, Sean, who wrote our grandparents when he was only 10 years old. We were living in foster homes at the time and I know he would want me to send this to him.   I found an envelope from my aunt addressed to, "Beloved Nee" and a letter my mom had written to all of us kids shortly before she died.  All deeply meaningful.  But I must say one thing I had not expected; as I was winding things down in this red room of mine, and piles were disappearing, I noticed a stack of cards to my left, and I began to go through them.  One by one, card after card, from friend after friend, I read words of love, support, and kindness.  Some were sent for a special occasion, some just because.  It may have been the song on the radio, or even the compilation of hours going down memory lane, but I found myself with tears in my eyes.   How did I get to be part of this wonderful circle of love?  How did I get so blessed to have each and every one of you in my life?  As I look around my now clean and orderly red room, I realize that this reality of mine has come true only by God's grace, and my wish tonight for each of you is, may you each  be blessed with a red room, a room filled with hugs and kisses, all of your own.       

MUSIC TO MY EARS...

I watched a great movie this weekend, "August Rush". If you haven't seen it, you should. Juan and I both really enjoyed it and someday my kids will too. It is about this boy who hears the music all around us, and how we are all connected through the thread of sounds. It was brilliantly scored, the way they entwined all the different kinds of music into one. I was completly taken in, and it led me to thinking....

Something has been off in our home for a few months now. I couldn't pin it down until recently,
and then, a few days ago, I knew. The kids were at the kitchen counter working on their homework
and I noticed how quiet it was. Quiet is good (especially during homework) but this was too quiet.
And then I knew. The music, it was missing. I walked over and pushed the power button to the stereo
and just loud enough to make it out, came the sounds of soft jazz. It was a song we all recognized instantly and Niko smiled and said, "Oh cool, soft jazz." (and then like a DJ) " 94.7!" " We haven't heard this since the 3rd grade, mom. I'm glad you turned it back on." I knew he meant it and he was right. Summer came, homework went, and so did the sounds of the saxophone and clarinet. We always listened to this station during homework. Why then, when 4th grade started did we not notice this part of the routine was missing? The absence of sound wasn't noticed until the silence was screaming at us.

We all love music in our family. For Juan, it is the sounds of the 80's. For me, it is the 70's, although
I love mostly all music and I wanted our kids to not necessarily love all of it, but at least recognize the differences and respect them. I started them off early by changing the CD's in the car out every so often for new ones with everything from Tony Bennett to Barney. By the time they were two we were knee deep in Barney's "I love you" songs, when I noticed one day as I strolled them through the mall, that Niko was rocking back and forth in his stroller. I looked around, saw nothing but then I heard it, there was a song playing on the overhead and Niko was rocking in perfect rhythm. He could HEAR the music before anyone eles. When he was three, he asked for a drum set he saw at Target. We are convinced this was God because nobody had even shown him what he could do with drums. By the age of six, he was playing like he was a rock star! He was developing his own taste as well. I had Garth Brooks on in the car and we were about the fourth song into the CD when Niko said out of the mouths of babes, "Mommy, um, I don't know why but, when we listen to this kind of music, it makes me feel stupid." I cracked up and said, "Well, that's okay. What you need to do is write your own songs and fill the radio with something that makes you and me, and everyone else, feel smart!" "I can do that?" "Yes! You CAN do that!" (and he does!)

Lauren's love for music is true but she doesn't like the discipline of it all. She blew her teacher away last year with an entire booklet of songs she had written herself for the piano. But ask her to sit down and nail a piece for a recital and she will resist like a cat to a bath. She CAN nail it, but only when she feels inspired to--which is crazy-making for her teacher (and her mother!). But, I must say, I love hearing her tinker around with her keyboard when she is truly lost in the moment. Her real love though is singing. She can hear any song once and know the lyrics forver after that. She sang with our cities children's choir and was filled with happiness. She sings while she's putting the dishes away, and then solos in the school musical while those around us are moved to tears--all with humble joy. Then yesterday, someone asked what she would like for her birthday. She smiled and said, "Music. Always music."

So where did all the sound go in our home over the past few months? Well, Niko's drum teacher went off to Japan on tour for the summer, and when he came back we kinda procrastinated this time on getting him a spot again on Freddie's roster--then realized we couldn't work out a time that worked for all of us. Lauren
dropped piano after a few years because she decided she wanted to study guitar this year. Then, the teacher we had planned on, in the end, couldn't take on any new students right now. So, no tickling of the ivorys
while I am making dinner, and no base drum and top hat sounds to listen to while I empty the
dryer, and I can FEEL the void, and that is not okay.

Being the problem solver I am, I must find this thread, this golden lyrical thread, that binds this family of mine and begin weaving us, once again, a song. The jazz will go on again during homework, we will find new music teachers for drums and guitar, I need to ask Daddy to share his Ipod downloads with us this weekend (he has some really cool songs on there), and I think I will put my Patsy Cline CD in the car and introduce the kids to an old country great (maybe Niko will come around after all!). Oh--and the tryouts list came home today for the new Christmas musical, and Lauren is already giddy about auditions! But most of all, I need to remember the words of August Rush, "The music is out there, EVERYWHERE. We just have to listen..."

INDIAN DAY!

Our 4th graders jumped right into learning all

about our state of California. They dressed up

like the native inhabitants of this area, the Indians,

and participated all day long in Indian culture!

First, they each got to think up Indian names for themselves. Niko chose, "Fierce Hawk", and Lauren chose, "Moonlight on Dancing Waters". Then, they made bead necklaces, tee-pees, indian

fried bread with cinnamon sugar, and cornbread!

Both kids said, "Those were some of the best things

I've ever tasted in my life!"

Our Webelo!

Niko became a 1st year Webelo this evening!

We made sure he had the official uniform for their first Pack Mtg

so he could participate this year in the flag salute-and then, he was chosen to hold the flag! Dad said it was very cool! Niko came home with a big smile and lots of plans to work on his achievements (which means we'll do half the book by Sunday!)

More Paris pix....

Even in Paris, Niko found a skateshop!  

That's our family name up there!

The twins, when they thought

nobody was looking, really enjoying their walk together!

My pretty French daughter, Lauren Renee and My oh so lovely niece, Amanda posing for the constantly clicking camera.  :>