Books and Rainbow Shards

The kids and I paid a visit to the library this morning . . .

. . . then played a game of tag this afternoon.

Joy used her scooter to evade pursuers more easily, and kept a library book on hand in case she needed to fill some time while waiting for people to come chase her.

On a different note, we've noticed that when the summer sun shines in our front window, in hits our bicycle reflectors and scatters little shards of rainbow around our front room.  It's fun to spot them here and there, and they remind me of a little rainbow circle the morning sun would send through the peephole of the front door in my childhood home.

Folding the Flag and Climbing the Wall

Members of our congregation take turns cleaning the church building every Saturday morning, and our family was part of the group assigned to clean today.  We arrived a little late, and by the time we got there the other busy bees had nearly finished all of the work.  We did at least manage to do one important thing, though:

As we and the bishop were leaving, we noticed that the American flag was still flying outside, even though the forecast called for rain.  Daddy and the bishop carefully folded up the flag and put it away shortly before rain started falling.  It felt good to show respect for our flag and the freedom it represents.

This afternoon, I took the kids and Joy's friend Sarah to the YMCA for a wall-climbing play date.  Usually it's a bad thing if your kids are climbing the walls, but as long as hand-grips and belaying ropes are involved, it actually makes for a fun outing.

You may recall that little Anna barely made it four feet off the ground when we paid a family visit to the climbing wall last year.  This time . . .

. . . she made it all the way to the top!  Go Anna!

Livening Up Music Practice

You wouldn't think music practice would be very exciting, but my kids have found ways to liven things up a bit.

Daniel (seated on a couple couch cushions, 'cuz who has phone books these days?) got tired of plinking out "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star," and decided to teach himself a two-handed song called "Musette" from the end of the beginner book.  I'm actually amazed at how well he's playing it.

Joy wasn't content to do simple bow-holding exercises . . .

. . . so she added "Dragon Slash" bow exercises, which involve lunging across the room like a samurai in battle.  As long as she's flexing her pinkie, I'm sure a dozen Dragon Slashes are a perfectly acceptable way to work her viola-playing muscles.

Roses and Markers and Chips!

In case you're wondering (and maybe feeling a bit sorry for my kids), our summer vacation hasn't been all homework, lessons, and music practice.  Take today for example.

Anna started the day off with a healthy breakfast: a muffin with tons of whipped cream on it.

Then Todd got out the markers to draw "perfect letters" (which is Todd-speak for bubble letters) . . .

. . . while Anna read a book . . .

. . . and Joy drew a comic . . .

. . . which inspired Daniel to draw a comic.

After a while, I took the kids for a walk outside to smell the roses . . .

. . . then we went back in to eat an afternoon snack, which included some nuts that have been hanging around our kitchen since Christmas (I really want them to be gone before next Christmas rolls around--anyone want to come over and crack almonds with us?).

After that, I decided to be a really cool mom and take my kids on an outing to a children's museum in Baltimore.  Just one problem: I misread the museum's schedule, and we arrived five minutes before it closed.

As a consolation, I took my kids a few doors down to Subway and bought a few bags of chips for us to share.  Frankly, they probably thought that was cooler than visiting a museum.

Joy Meets Viola

A few days ago, we had a new addition to our household.

Joy and I went to a local music store and rented a viola.  Her siblings were intrigued by this mysterious and surprisingly light instrument.  Since we've had really good experiences with Suzuki piano lessons, I looked for a Suzuki violin/viola teacher (I didn't find any strictly viola teachers in our area, probably because there aren't enough viola students to pay the bills), and found one in a neighboring town who also plays the violin in a local orchestra.  We observed one of her lessons, and she seemed like a skillful and encouraging teacher, so decided to give her a try.

This afternoon we went to Joy's first lesson (and mine too--I'm learning with her partly out of curiosity, and partly so I can help her practice properly).  We expected to whip out our bow and play a few long, soulful (or scratchy) notes.  Instead, our first lesson consisted of memorizing the parts of the viola, plucking each of the strings while saying its name, and learning how to hold the bow.  While it seemed a little rudimentary and disappointing, we quickly discovered why that's all we got to do: holding that bow the right way is hard work, especially for your pinkie finger.  My hand gets tired very quickly, and I can see why it needs to exercise for a week before we try playing anything.

For the younger kids, the novelty of the viola has already worn off, and they were content to play with the teacher's wooden train set.  I still think the viola is pretty cool though.  As for Joy, she wants to take both piano and viola lessons for the rest of the summer, and maybe beyond.  Her homework load was very light in fifth grade, and if it stays that way in way in sixth grade she might be able to handle both instruments.  I'm guessing that she'll eventually have to choose between them because she is too busy or tired of making time for double practice each day.  During summer vacation, though, she has plenty of time to explore both instruments and see which one she likes better.  I'm guessing the viola will win and she'll tinker with the piano on the side, but I've been wrong before.

Fireworks, Tag, and Turkey

Happy Independence Day!

Daddy and the kids celebrated their freedom from tyranny and oppression with a lively game of tag this afternoon.

Ever the strategic player, Daddy concluded that simply locking the gate would be a much simpler approach than constantly running away from his pursuers.

At least until one of them decides to climb the fence.

I made a turkey feast for dinner because I felt we have a lot to be thankful for, as a family and a nation, this July 4.  As usual, the sweet potato casserole was the most popular thing on the table.  Does anything with that much butter and sugar really qualify as a side dish?  I try not to think about that question too much.

After sundown, we lit off some fireworks the kids and I bought at a fireworks stand yesterday.  I have fond childhood memories of my dad and uncles lighting off fireworks in front of my grandma's house every Fourth of July, but my kids have never had that experience because fireworks are now prohibited in most parts of drought-ridden, wildfire-prone California.  No such laws exist in green, woodsy Maryland, though.  Tonight our kids were entranced by the site of little boxes shooting up colorful fountains of sparks, and by the fun of waving sparklers that look like magic wands.

After our last sparkler had burnt out, we headed home to eat the patriotic cake Joy baked this morning.  God bless America, land that I love.  She isn't perfect (nobody is), but she is still a land of so much opportunity where we can speak our minds and pursue our dreams, and for that I am very grateful.

Revisiting Music Lessons

Some families spend summer vacation going to parks or taking road trips.  For some reason, I decided this summer would be a great time for our kids to learn a variety of things.  In addition to giving them math and writing prompts each morning and enrolling them in swim lessons, today we began a new adventure that has been on my wish list for a long time: music lessons.

Joy took Suzuki piano lessons as a kindergartner and had a great experience (here she is at age six playing for her teacher and fellow students at a mini recital), but halfway through first grade we had to stop taking lessons for a variety of reasons.  I had always hoped we be able to start them again someday, and this summer I finally felt that we were in a position to start looking for another teacher.

After interviewing a few Suzuki piano teachers in our area, I found one in Catonsville who seems like a good match for our family.  She has high standards but also a warm personality, and she finishes her lessons with games that teach musical principles.  Daniel and Anna are excited to start piano lessons, but Joy is actually on the fence--not about whether she wants music lessons, but about which instrument she wants to study.  She enjoys playing the piano, but she also wants to try something different like the viola (a bigger version of the violin which plays lower notes).  She likes the challenge of trying something new, and the fact that the viola seems more unique than the violin or piano (fewer people have heard of it, and even fewer people choose to study it).  I'll keep you posted on what she decides. :)

Summer Swim Lessons

With day camp behind us, I signed Anna and Daniel up for swim lessons starting this week.

Joy is already a strong swimmer, and she spent lesson time swimming laps in the other pool.

In the warmer family pool, Daniel joined one of the intermediate classes.  He can stay afloat and swim to the side of a pool after jumping in, but he needs to work on his form a bit.  Not that he's trying to win the Olympics or anything; swimming inefficiently is just tiring and not as much fun.  At this point, swimming the length of the pool would take him twenty minutes and wear him out.

Anna is in the beginner class because she is still very nervous in the water and doesn't know how to float.  She has a very patient teacher . . .

. . . and a new friend in her class.  They like to bond over girly stuff and water anxiety.

And of course, dinosaur towels make any trip to the pool a lot more fun.