Mother's Day Violin Recital...Scarlett's 1st Debut

My Scarlett girl had an exciting first this past May.  She played in her very first violin recital.  While I am not sure if she will have a life time love for the violin, I am certain this girl has fallen in love with being in front of an audience!

I honestly had no idea what Scarlett would do when her turn finally came.  She has watched her brothers do this her entire life, and I knew she had practiced her piece countless times (bows and all).  But she is three...and she is Scarlett.  Those two factors equal a perfect storm of unpredictability.  She is confident, but she needs to feel in control.  She is adventurous and is usually willing to try new things, but it has to be on her terms.  I knew her performance of The Ant Song would be perfect or it would be a complete disaster.  That is my girl, there is never an in-between.  Luckily, the stars were aligned in our favor that afternoon and Scarlett was heartbreakly adorable!  I was told, more than once, that she stole the show.  I can't say I disagree.

Scarlett playing The Ant Song

Jake also did an awesome job!  Our week had been a little crazy with my dad in town, but mostly due to Jamie's fall from a tree and breaking both of his arms.  As a result, Jake didn't get very much practice in during the days leading up to to the recital.  But he has become such a pro at this.  I don't know if he even gets nervous anymore.  He has been working on Suzuki Book 2 this year and it is so fun to have our home filled with real classical pieces when he practices.  His progress has been slow and steady these last 5 years, and I am grateful for the lessons in hard work and perserverence violin has been for him (or should I say us).  I am grateful we didn't give up when the months and months of Twinkle seemed like they would never end.  He now does all his practices on his own.  He has taken complete ownership over this piece of his education and I it makes me so proud, but more importantly, I can tell it makes him proud.

Jake playing Bourree by Handel

I would love to rave about Jamie's performance because I know he would have been great!  But something about double arm casts makes holding a violin a little tricky (aka impossible).  He had worked so hard and he was so ready!  He picks up new songs quickly (it helps that he knew them all long before he ever had to play them), but the public performance part of the puzzle took him a couple of years to warm up to.  However, over this last year, I have seen James's confidence grow.  He has found is own voice and now speaks up for himself in public/social situations.  I know it isn't always comfortable for him, but I see him push himself and I think it gets a little easier each time.  It is amazing to see your children master something that you know has been a challenge for them.  So while I didn't get to see Jamie play at the Mother's Day recital, I am so grateful for the role violin has had in helping him do hard things, and I am so proud of him!

And thanks to Tio Lui we even got a family picture out of it!  Unfortuently, I didn't get a picture of Granpda Dave, Aunt Robyn, and Tio Lui.  We always appreciate the family love and support our kids get from our family at events like these

Happy Birthday to YOU, Jonah Bear!

We celebrated our Jonah Bear's first birthday at the beginning of this month.  His birthday was on a Thursday, but we waited until Sunday to have our little family party.  It is hard to believe that it has been over a year since he was first placed in my arms.  It is hard to not to get emotional that the tiny baby chapter is already over, even though I know how much fun we are going to have with him as he grows.

I will never forget how content and calm Jonah was to begin his journey here on earth.  I actually tried to hand him back to the nurse 3 times because he just wouldn't cry.  I remember telling him, "You've got to cry!"  With him being 2 weeks early, I was terrified that we were going to repeat the scary start we had with James.  But the nurse would just reach down, give him a little rub, and Jonah would give one little cry and then fall back asleep in the crook of my arm.  This happened 3 times.  All the while I just held my breath, praying he would keep crying, and waiting for the nurse to get tense and scoop him up.  Time seemed to stand still.  I knew I just had a few more seconds with him before everyone else realized that something was wrong.  Then, just before full blown panic set in, I heard the nurse tell the respiratory techs, who were standing the door way, that everything was great and they could go.  It was then that I let myself relax and finally take in the perfection of our new (and apparently very mellow) little addition.

We spent the rest of that day and night (and pretty much the next 3 month), just snuggling.  There is nothing more magical that the feel, the smell, the innocence of a brand new baby.  How do you describe meeting someone you already knew.  It is like, "Oh yeah, it is you!  We've been waiting for you!"  And a year later, those original thoughts haven't changed, this boy is a gift from heaven and he was always meant to be a part of our family.

Arthur and I were not the only ones who couldn't wait to snuggle our new baby boy.  Jacob, James, and Scarlett couldn't wait either.  Finally, after months and months of watching my belly grow, it was time to meet Jonah.  They had all fallen in love with him before he was even born, and they were so eager to welcome him into their ranks.  I was worried that Scarlett would be jealous, but she never was.  While she would get frustrated with me at times, she never once took it out on her new little brother.  She has always been an awesome big sister.  And the big boys...well, no one could ask for better big brothers.  They even make me a little jealous that I didn't have one or two.

Jonah has brought so much joy into our family.  While he is our most mellow baby, he definitely doesn't lack in personality!

His favorite things include Daddy, soccer balls, climbing to the top of the stairs, dropping things on the floor (usually proceeded with an Oo Oh), and playing with his siblings.  He just learned to color on paper, and the boys were thrilled when he started pushing the cars around on the floor the other day.  He loves to sing, and he can't help but dance when music starts playing.  Jonah understands pretty much everything we say, and he loves to talk (even if we can't understand 95% of it).  His English vocabulary includes works like "tat tu" (he is very polite when he gets what he wants), chic-in, Jac-up, lots of "yay"s.

I don't know if Jonah will be our last baby, but even if there is one more, I do know that I am on the tail end of the baby phase of my life.  And anyone who knows me, knows that breaks my heart a little to admit, but Jonah really has been a baby that makes my mommy dreams come true.  So I am just trying to soak it all in.  

Jonah Michael, you are a sweet boy!  Like your big brother James, you have a warmth and light about you.  You have been blessed with a smart mind and a strong, healthy, coordinated body.  We anticipate that you will tower over all of us before we know it.  I know you are here to do great things.  It is an honor to be your Mommy.  I love being the person who can calm your cries, nurse you to sleep, and make you belly laugh just by kissing your neck.  While, I know it will not always be so easy to make your world right, I promise my love for you will be a constant in your life.  My love for you is unconditional and "as long as I am living my baby you'll be!"  

Happy 1st Birthday Jonah Bear!!