We recorded piano pieces back in May and today I want to begin sharing them. This is Paige playing Reverie by George Peter Tingley. It’s restful, reflective, and deeply moving. I’m grateful that I get to hear beautiful music from my children each day.
I hope you’re having a restful Sunday. I’m grateful for a sabbath day and God’s commandment to rest and keep a holy day each week.
Did you read that article about playgrounds being so safe that they are boring? The see-saws are gone, as are most swings, merry-go-rounds, or anything with moving parts. When my boys play on the playground, I usually catch them climbing on the Outside of the tube slides because it’s more manly.
This summer we tried to be really deliberate in our choices for the kids. We chose our vacation and summer activities with the idea that we wanted to provide adventure and opportunities for them to grow. In other words, we didn’t want a homogenized curvy-edged playground summer; we wanted an old fashioned teeter-totter-jungle gym-monkey bridge summer.
For Paige, this meant some time with grandparents on her own and a two week ballet camp where she lived in the dorms.
For Daniel, adventure meant a tennis camp around the corner and then 9 days with my parents on his own. Daniel kept a journal of his trip which he read to me. Wow. What a good, busy time.
Most of Timothy’s adventures involved rocks, water, and cousins. This kid loved riding the tube behind the wave runner and really improved his swimming skills.
And now we come to Mark, who found adventures aplenty.
As the summer activities come to an end, I reflect on the value of getting out of the desert so we could spend time outdoors, build relationships with extended family, and experience adventure and even risk to help us grow and develop. It has been a good summer for the Ross family.
I think this picture is a whimsical treasure. Instructions here.
I feel a significant change in the dynamics of our life. We don’t read as many picture books and the house is no longer “baby-proof.” I’ve stopped stashing emergency diapers in the van; We don’t end up eating the snacks we take to church. Strollers are unused and no one rides a tricycle or uses training wheels. I threw out the sippy cups.
Sigh. In the place of all the baby gear, I find sports equipment, socks, big shoes, and Legos everywhere. Showers, not baths, independent reading over snuggling together with books, and more bike rides away from home without Mom watching anxiously are the norm now. I live in the van, reading books as I wait for activities to end. I read a lot of books.
It’s good. It’s different. It’s a little sad sometimes. It all happened without my noticing anything had changed. Now everything has changed, but it’s okay… most of the time!
Whenever Paige disappears for a while to her room I can expect her to emerge with a drawing or something creative (eventually). Lately, she’s been sewing for the tiny Blythe dolls, a pastime I highly recommend no matter how old you are. Thanks, Care, for the inspiration!
Last night Richard and the boys went to a minor league baseball game in town. Mark, Paige, and I stayed home. After watching PBS for a while, we pulled out the oil paints. We found these canvases and easels at Walmart. They are tiny, making a painting project less time consuming.
I taught Relief Society today. My topic was “We love life and learning.” All week I have been reflecting about things I have learned which have enriched my life. I will always consider myself a beginner, but painting is good for me because I can make a study of something for a while, savoring small details. Painting has opened my eyes to color, to nature, and to the people I decide to paint. I didn’t capture little Ruby in the painting, but that’s okay. I learned something, I had fun, and I grew to love her more as I tried to paint her.
Paige has been eying this flower for a long time. I’m glad she decided to do it. I think she did a great job.
Mark’s truck and sun make me happy. He worked very hard on this and mixed his own paints.
Paige’s dance recital had numbers from around the world. This is Paige in her African dance costume.
These are some of her hip hop moves.
She was lovely.
The miniature museum was an interesting cultural and historical field trip. The museum was full of houses from different eras and countries and one of our favorites was this eighteenth century French mansion.
These paintings are very small replicas, hand painted by the artist.
It made me wish I had a doll house again.
The displays and the tour were interesting. Here is a below-the-floor display with fifties era miniatures.
Here we are celebrating a friend’s birthday at McDonalds. It was a good time with friends.
I have offered to teach the Young Women at our church for years. I have offered to teach them basically anything, but I have never been called. Finally in January when the sign-up sheet went around church, I listed every fantabulous thing that I can do and then added a few things I don’t do well. I gave each option a fancy name. I am that desperate to be with the youth.
They asked me to teach something I am not so good at. But it was still very fun.
It’s our springtime tradition: a new suit or dress and the big ensemble concert at Centennial Hall. This was Paige and Daniel’s 4th year to participate in this concert.
We invited some friends to join us. Daniel didn’t hang out with us in line because he was with his piano duet partner. Yes, Paige is taller than I am in this picture. We’re both wearing heels. I’m posting this even though I look old.
We saw some Family at the concert! Bryan’s sister was in the concert, too.
Paige and her piano partner played one of the big Steinway concert grand pianos in the front. They played the Liebeslieder Waltz by Johannes Brahms.
Paige is wearing my formal concert skirt with a shimmery silver top from her own closet.
Daniel, always the brave and independent one, went up to the conductor to thank him when it was over. He played the Russian Sailors’ Dance which was just incredible.
Our house is full of unused coloring books. If I ask one of my sons to color something, I can count on him turning to stone before my eyes, immobile but for the menacing glare directed at me or the offending uncolored paper.
The unused coloring books are a treasure for the friends who come to play. Sometimes I find a stray friend who has made her way into the schoolroom and has surrounded herself with all of the coloring books she intends to use. To the little girl, it’s almost unbelievable that our boys haven’t used them.
My boys are more into using things such as scissors and glue. The picture above is by Daniel.
