What is Gesu Bambino you ask? It is the name of Joshua's Christmas piano recital piece. I love listening to him play. It really does make me smile when I hear him. I'm just letting you see him play it at home so you can actually see him play. He did a fabulous job at his recital.
When we were heading to the recital he mentioned how he is always the last to perform and he really hates it. Jason commented that chances were good that he wouldn't be last. BUT, he was last.
As we were leaving the recital his teacher told him what a fabulous job he did. She said something like this (I can't remember it word for word, but it is close), "I always put Josh last because well... (pause) I can't say he is the best (wink, wink) because that wouldn't be nice, but he is extremely good, if you know what I mean. I can always count on him to perform his best and end the recital with a great performance".
Enjoy:
Oh, my favorite part is at the very end when he does a tricky trill (or whatever it is called) up the piano. Watch for it, I think you'll agree it is cool.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
The EVIL red bird
What do the Detroit Tigers and the Texas Rangers have in common? No, it's not that they can't win a world series (OK the Tigers have won before, but not lately), and it isn't that Jason loves both teams (though this is true).
The thing that they have in common is that the St. Louis Cardinals have beat them both in the World Series in the past few years.
The year the Tiger's lost (2006) Josh in his innocence, bought a cardinal for his Christmas ornament. Jason hated that ornament then and has hated it every year since.
This year when the Cardinals beat the Rangers, Jason threatened to string Josh's ornament by a noose to hang it on the tree. Josh wouldn't let him though.
BUT, as if she was rubbing salt into his wounds, Jason's grandma sent this Christmas card to us this year. I was in the other room when Jason opened the card. All I heard was, "OH GRANDMA!" in a rather gruff voice.
Funny huh!
The thing that they have in common is that the St. Louis Cardinals have beat them both in the World Series in the past few years.
The year the Tiger's lost (2006) Josh in his innocence, bought a cardinal for his Christmas ornament. Jason hated that ornament then and has hated it every year since.
This year when the Cardinals beat the Rangers, Jason threatened to string Josh's ornament by a noose to hang it on the tree. Josh wouldn't let him though.
BUT, as if she was rubbing salt into his wounds, Jason's grandma sent this Christmas card to us this year. I was in the other room when Jason opened the card. All I heard was, "OH GRANDMA!" in a rather gruff voice.
Funny huh!
Birthday bash
This year my birthday was on a Friday, so I decided to make the day extra fun. Since the kids and Jason (and myself) didn't have to wake up early the next morning, I decided that after we went to eat we could watch "Elf" on our makeshift outdoor movie theater. It was a rather crisp evening, so we had to bundle up really well not to freeze. Josh and I sat in chairs but Bree and Jason watched from the trampoline. Those on the trampoline froze, but Josh and I were nice and toasty with our triple layer clothes, coats and big blankets.
( Bree has been begging for a Santa hat for years and she finally got one. She wears it everywhere. Funny girl).
( Bree has been begging for a Santa hat for years and she finally got one. She wears it everywhere. Funny girl).
I made this advent calendar a few years back and the kids love it. I made a couple of modifications from the pattern. Notice anything off?
This is my favorite change I made from the pattern. I had to add a birthday ornament for myself.
This is what I look like at 38 years. The red nose from the cold is my best feature.
This is what I look like at 38 years. The red nose from the cold is my best feature.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Christmas activities
We like to make a Christmas to-do list every year. WE have one activity planned each night that is Christmasy. Most years unfortunately we have been too busy to do many things on the list. But this year the kids aren't in basketball (Bree is starting after the new year), Jason is home now that he isn't in the tithing settlement (yippy), Josh isn't doing tennis now that it is too cold, and I haven't had to plan a ward party.
So, this year we have been able to have plenty of time to have some fun. Here are a few pictures of our fun.
Our annual gingerbread house decorating:
Josh always makes a stink bug (I have never known why) and this year it is especially cool.
Jason's one addition was the Grinch. It is my favorite part. Notice the miniature Max, oh so cute.
Snowmen out of paper plates:
Josh made a snowman dragon, Bree made a Miami Dolphin fan snowman, my snowman is a mod podge weird one, and Jason's is a Hawaiian snowman, complete with surfboard.
Snowflakes:
We changed from the ordinary cut out ones to this one big one. We all added at least one piece of the snowflake. Kind of a cool change I think.
Well that is about it so far.
So, this year we have been able to have plenty of time to have some fun. Here are a few pictures of our fun.
Our annual gingerbread house decorating:
Josh always makes a stink bug (I have never known why) and this year it is especially cool.
Jason's one addition was the Grinch. It is my favorite part. Notice the miniature Max, oh so cute.
Snowmen out of paper plates:
Josh made a snowman dragon, Bree made a Miami Dolphin fan snowman, my snowman is a mod podge weird one, and Jason's is a Hawaiian snowman, complete with surfboard.
Snowflakes:
We changed from the ordinary cut out ones to this one big one. We all added at least one piece of the snowflake. Kind of a cool change I think.
Well that is about it so far.
Christmas concerts
Both Josh and Bree had their Christmas choir concerts at he beginning of December. They were fun to go to and listen to all the hard work they put into their singing.
Bree has enjoyed her choir, but I think she misses the show choir she did with our friends the last two years. They sounded really sweet.
Josh is in an all boys choir and it is really fun to hear the male voices sing in harmony.
For some weird reason the sound is really quiet on our camera, so hopefully you'll still get the idea.
Family portraits?
Every year we make paper antler hats (I don't know why, we just started it many years back and the kids insist on doing it every year now).
They are fun and we always enjoy laughing and goofing around while doing them.
This year while we were taking our group pictures we decided to let the dogs in the pictures with us. If you look closely at the picture below, Hugo decided at the last minute to give his mom a big, gross, wet, dog kiss. Dumb dog ruined the whole shot. If the camera would have taken the picture mere nano-seconds later it would have captured my disgusted, "you dumb dog" look.
Josh is Blitzen (you can't see the name)
I love the beautiful profile shot. My nose is awesome (as in cool, not large or grandiose of course).
Santa Claus the musical
The Saturday after Thanksgiving we had another outing as a family. We went to a musical called Santa Claus the musical at a theater in Fort Worth. I wish I could say it was fabulous, but really it was a bit bizarre and rather disappointing. I thought it would be fun and upbeat but it was odd and rather depressing. It wasn't a musical that makes you laugh at all. Oh well, you win some, you lose some.
The best part of the evening was while we were waiting for the doors to open to the theater, (we got there a bit early), we played a game to pass the time. We used each of our names and used each letter to think of an adjective to describe the huge blow-up Santa on top of the roof of the theater. For example, JOSH: J=jolly, O=obese, S=scary, H=humongous. It was rather entertaining.
Brahma's hockey
The day after Thanksgiving we took the kids to a hockey game. We have a small division hockey team in Fort Worth called the Brahmas.
We got really good seats and could see the action really well. We all really enjoyed it. Even Josh was intently watching the whole game. I've only been to one other hockey game (in Utah) but I'd forgotten how fun they are to watch. We'll definitely have to do it again.
There was some guy dressed all in purple and while we were waiting for the game to start he came and sat right behind Jason. Nobody noticed except me. I kind of got a funny look on my face and mouthed/whispered to Jason, "oh, you've got a purple dude behind you." Jason turned around and it took him off guard. It was really funny. I thought he was some crazy fan (there were quite of few of those), but apparently he is a mascot of some sort. 
thanksgiving day
This year we stayed home for Thanksgiving, which is probably good since both Jason and I were sick with colds (and low fevers). We decided not to let our colds slow us down and we took the kids on a short (1 3/4 mile) turkey trot in the morning.
What troopers!
I actually took my camera on the run because we have local wild turkeys that roam our neighborhood. I thought it would be a good picture, and also some fun to chase them (or them chase us), but unfortunately this was the only turkey I spotted.
Afterwards we had the normal Thanksgiving dinner which I'm sure was good (well maybe not, I cooked it), but I wasn't feeling too great and only ate a little bit.
We had tons of leftovers and I made a really yummy soup called Turkey dumpling soup (yes, I cooked this one too, amazingly). The best part was the dumplings were made with the leftover stuffing. YUMMY!! I liked this much better than the actual Thanksgiving meal.
It was a nice break having Jason home. We even braved the cold and did some black Friday shopping the next morning. It was Jason's first time. He said he was very disappointed and that is is way overrated. He might do it another year, but probably not. He would come if I asked nice though:)
What troopers!
I actually took my camera on the run because we have local wild turkeys that roam our neighborhood. I thought it would be a good picture, and also some fun to chase them (or them chase us), but unfortunately this was the only turkey I spotted.
Afterwards we had the normal Thanksgiving dinner which I'm sure was good (well maybe not, I cooked it), but I wasn't feeling too great and only ate a little bit.
We had tons of leftovers and I made a really yummy soup called Turkey dumpling soup (yes, I cooked this one too, amazingly). The best part was the dumplings were made with the leftover stuffing. YUMMY!! I liked this much better than the actual Thanksgiving meal.
It was a nice break having Jason home. We even braved the cold and did some black Friday shopping the next morning. It was Jason's first time. He said he was very disappointed and that is is way overrated. He might do it another year, but probably not. He would come if I asked nice though:)
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Practice and perseverance
Josh has been taking tennis drills for a couple of years now. He has come a long way in those two years.
Well a week ago he had tennis tryouts for his school team. He was pretty nervous, but all that practice has payed off. He not only made the regular team, but he made the traveling squad. He was one of only three seventh graders (something like that) who made the traveling squad.
Nice work Bud.
I love Humble Pie
I know I've posted about my tennis misadventures before but I just want to get my frustrations and feelings out once again.
Two months ago my good friend and tennis buddy Susan and i played in a big tennis tournament at the start of our fall season. We really felt good about our playing and we were on a roll. After a full day of games, we ended up winning second place (just one point behind the winners). We got our names published in the Tarrant county tennis newsletter, (we would have had our pictures in it too but I had to go pick up Bree from school so I took off early), and we go these cute tennis necklaces for a prize.
Well I'm not telling this story to brag, I'm telling it to give you a background to the real story.
This last Tuesday, Susan and I played in another tennis tournament to end our regular fall season. We were going in with a lot of confidence, but also a lot of pressure. The other teams were telling us how intimidating we were etc, and we had a lot to live up to.
To make a long story short (because it is too painful to give details), we didn't win. We didn't come in second or third. We came in LAST place!! Yes, it is painful and humbling.
I went home on Tuesday feeling pretty crummy about myself. I dreamt about tennis all night and was up at 3AM thinking about it.
Then, I remembered I had to give a lesson this Sunday to the Beehives about self worth. I found a great devotional talk by President Uchtdorf called "Reflections in the water". He starts with telling the story of the ugly duckling. His whole talk is about how we have infinite potential and we are more than what we can see on the outside. We are more than any of us realize because we are daughters (and sons) of God and he knows we have so much potential inside of us. We need to find that potential and go forth in our lives recognizing our worth.
I admit I felt a lot like the ugly duckling on Tuesday. I felt small and worthless. But as I prepared my lesson I realized that tennis does not define who I am. I am more than my tennis score. I do have a lot of potential (and that doesn't come from tennis:)
Here is a handout I am giving with my lesson.
Two months ago my good friend and tennis buddy Susan and i played in a big tennis tournament at the start of our fall season. We really felt good about our playing and we were on a roll. After a full day of games, we ended up winning second place (just one point behind the winners). We got our names published in the Tarrant county tennis newsletter, (we would have had our pictures in it too but I had to go pick up Bree from school so I took off early), and we go these cute tennis necklaces for a prize.
Well I'm not telling this story to brag, I'm telling it to give you a background to the real story.
This last Tuesday, Susan and I played in another tennis tournament to end our regular fall season. We were going in with a lot of confidence, but also a lot of pressure. The other teams were telling us how intimidating we were etc, and we had a lot to live up to.
To make a long story short (because it is too painful to give details), we didn't win. We didn't come in second or third. We came in LAST place!! Yes, it is painful and humbling.
I went home on Tuesday feeling pretty crummy about myself. I dreamt about tennis all night and was up at 3AM thinking about it.
Then, I remembered I had to give a lesson this Sunday to the Beehives about self worth. I found a great devotional talk by President Uchtdorf called "Reflections in the water". He starts with telling the story of the ugly duckling. His whole talk is about how we have infinite potential and we are more than what we can see on the outside. We are more than any of us realize because we are daughters (and sons) of God and he knows we have so much potential inside of us. We need to find that potential and go forth in our lives recognizing our worth.
I admit I felt a lot like the ugly duckling on Tuesday. I felt small and worthless. But as I prepared my lesson I realized that tennis does not define who I am. I am more than my tennis score. I do have a lot of potential (and that doesn't come from tennis:)
Here is a handout I am giving with my lesson.
Honors choir
I never mentioned (because I am so far behind on everything lately) that Bree made the honors choir at her school.
She was so excited for their opening concert but when she got there she started feeling sick so she didn't get to perform. She was very upset about us not getting so see her sing.
A week or so ago she sang a song at her school for Veterans day so I went over to hear her sing. She was excited I finally heard her perform. She will perform in a couple of weeks for a Christmas (oops, I mean Holiday) concert. I am looking forward to it.
"JUMP-IN" movies
Back in May we bought a projector to watch movies outside. We watched two movies and then it got too hot to watch any more in the summer. So we finally can watch movies on our own outdoor screen again while sitting on our trampoline. Quite fun if you ask me.
"Becky" Daisy
The daisy has always been my favorite flower. I'm not sure why, but I love the simple beauty of it. It isn't too loud and doesn't stand out among all the other brightly colored flowers, but I just love them.
About 1 1/2 years ago I was looking for some flowers for our front yard. I have had about 5% luck when it comes to growing flowers here in Texas. The only thing that I have been able to keep alive are some mums (which grow like weeds), salvia (which grows like weeds) and lantana (which grows like weeds). Apparently to grow anything down here, they have to be just like weeds and grow in any condition because there is terrible soil and no water and heat like an oven down here.
When I found a pot of daisies I wasn't sure whether I should get them, but when I looked at the tag, they were named "BECKY" daisies. I took it as an omen and bought the gallon container. For the last 1 1/2 years I have patiently waited for some of the flowers to grow. NOTHING! I thought they had died over the summer because honestly, not much survived this past summer. The leaves were completely brown and cripsy too. BUT, low and behold, as soon as the heat disappeared, look what appeared.
I was so excited that I sat for about 15 minutes taking pictures of my daisy. Bree kept rolling her eyes saying, "Are you still taking pictures of that ONE flower?"
Yes, Bree I was still taking pictures of my one daisy. And I love it!
You can see a bit of the purple salvia in the background that survived the summer heat too (but of course it can grow anywhere).
About 1 1/2 years ago I was looking for some flowers for our front yard. I have had about 5% luck when it comes to growing flowers here in Texas. The only thing that I have been able to keep alive are some mums (which grow like weeds), salvia (which grows like weeds) and lantana (which grows like weeds). Apparently to grow anything down here, they have to be just like weeds and grow in any condition because there is terrible soil and no water and heat like an oven down here.
When I found a pot of daisies I wasn't sure whether I should get them, but when I looked at the tag, they were named "BECKY" daisies. I took it as an omen and bought the gallon container. For the last 1 1/2 years I have patiently waited for some of the flowers to grow. NOTHING! I thought they had died over the summer because honestly, not much survived this past summer. The leaves were completely brown and cripsy too. BUT, low and behold, as soon as the heat disappeared, look what appeared.
I was so excited that I sat for about 15 minutes taking pictures of my daisy. Bree kept rolling her eyes saying, "Are you still taking pictures of that ONE flower?"
Yes, Bree I was still taking pictures of my one daisy. And I love it!
You can see a bit of the purple salvia in the background that survived the summer heat too (but of course it can grow anywhere).
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