Music Man

Last week we had the privilege of attending a fabulous Jazz Concert at our local High School. Gideon plays trombone in the Middle School Jazz Ensemble and they were invited to play at this concert. They were in good company, as the line up included one other middle school Jazz Band, all three of the High School Jazz Bands (which are incredible!) and the Airmen of Note--the United States Air Force Jazz Band. It was a great night of awesome music. The Airmen played a little long, but overall it was a great night. I am not a musician myself by any stretch of the imagination, but I have a great appreciation for music and for musicians and I am thrilled that my older children are becoming such talented musicians. I am also so grateful that we live in a school district that places such a high value on music education. Speaking of which, if you are in the local area consider attending a great free concert this Saturday night at the Center for the Arts at George Mason University. Our local high school is playing at the Rose Bowl next year and this is their big Gala and official acceptance of that invitation. We're looking forward to it!!

Video below from last week's Jazz Concert.  One other interesting note, being that this was his first time playing on a big stage like this, Gideon was unused to being on the risers and just before their performance began (moments before the video starts rolling here) he scooted his chair back just a touch and fell off the riser.  He was unharmed, but his trombone was badly bent.  A musician from another band graciously let him use their instrument and Gideon admirably went "on with the show" playing fabulously despite trying to literally "break a leg" before the show began!

Preschool Graduation

Gavin graduated from Preschool today.  They had a lovely little ceremony and the kids sang several adorable songs and then wore little paper graduation hats and accepted their "diplomas."  We admired their drawings on the wall of "what I want to be when I grow up" (a scientist) and then enjoyed cake and lemonade in the Fellowship Hall.  I admit to getting a little sniffly.  Next year he'll be off to Kindergarten and starting "real school."  I have never, with my older children, been one of those moms who frets over milestones in a sad way, mourning the passing of their babyhood and wishing them to stay small.  I've been more the kind of mom who looks forward to the next phase and celebrates the transitions, greeting them happily as part of the forward progression of growing up, excited to see who they are becoming and where they will go in life.  It's the way I've approached most of my own life, in a headlong rush into the next phase and the one after, always craning for a glimpse around the corner.

With these younger boys, however, I find myself experiencing a lot more of that bittersweet, that panicky sand through my fingers feeling of time flying by and their babyness leaving me.  On the radio the other day I listened to an interview with a musician, I don't remember her name.  She was talking about a song she'd written; without hearing the interview I'd have assumed it was a typical "breakup/good-bye song," but she said she'd written it for her little boy.  That she was watching him grow and thought how much she was going to miss this little person he is right now.  That she hoped she'd have a close relationship with the man he would become, but that her little boy would someday be gone forever.  That these little children are so...ephemeral.  I cried in my car listening to her talk.

So today was the official end of his Preschool year.  It's been a great year of growth for him and a wonderfully positive experience.  Next year he will begin "Real School" and in just five more years (the infinitesimal amount of time that has passed since Gavin was born) I will be watching my oldest child accept a Real Diploma as he graduates from High School and suddenly I am seeing the sand of his childhood rushing through my fingers too.  A part of me wants to cry "stop!  stop!  Everything is just right right now.  Please can we slow down for this phase?"  Fortunately, I also still have that piece of me craning to see around the corner and dying to know the grown ups they are going to become.  Hopefully the two parts will work their way around to some kind of happy, accepting, living in the present kind of  middle ground.

PS (here is a video of parts of the Graduation program.  My favorite song, followed by his favorite song and then his "walk.")

Project: Backyard Reclamation

We moved into this house five years ago this coming Thanksgiving.  Despite the cold weather and everything being dormant, one of our favorite things about the house was the beautiful backyard.  Being silly first time home owners we appreciated the beauty without appreciating all the work that goes into maintaining it.  Gavin was a tiny baby at the time and before he was done being tiny, I was pregnant again and then had another tiny baby and throughout all those years we have found it challenging just to keep up with the very minimal work of mowing the lawn and raking the leaves.  Meanwhile Nature, as she will, has Taken Over.

This Spring/Summer we've dedicated ourselves to the goal of reclaiming our backyard.  The boys are big enough now to entertain themselves with minimal supervision and everyone is big enough to help in various ways.  We've already completed our tasks in the front yard (which were relatively simple.  It's more visible, which means we've kept up on it more, and the landscaping was simpler to begin with.)  Memorial Day weekend we began battle on the backyard.  Our first major project there is now complete:

(We've added a few more bags of rocks since that "after" shot was taken)

I am so proud of us!  And so excited to tackle the rest of our project!  

Catch Up

I haven't posted here for a month.  So I thought I'd catch up.  Here are the adventures we've had this past month:

• Gideon turned into a teenager  

• Serenity convinced us to let her buy a rat.  Her name is Zelda.

• We had our first ever Clam Bake.  This is what happens when you tell Gavin "you can choose whatever you want for dinner" at the grocery store.  The next week he asked if we could repeat that method of choosing dinner.  He was thinking this time we could try lobster.

• All three kids had Dental Check-ups.  This is only worth noting because the boys all chose mustaches as their prizes and they made for cute photographs.

• Gavin lost his first tooth.    
  

• I celebrated my best yet Mother's Day.  Not entirely sure what made it such a good one.  It was a pleasant, mellow day.  Nothing spectacular except, I guess, that I just feel like everyone is...good.  No Mom Guilt marring the day this year.  It was, rather, a day for reflecting on just how happy and blessed I feel right now.  This moment in time is just about perfect.

• The boys and I made jam.

• I was awarded a scholarship for next fall--an award given each year to one English student with an interest in Women's Studies.  Rob and the Big Kids joined me at the GMU English Department Honors Reception where I got a shiny certificate and everything.  Forgot the camera, but it was a lovely evening, worth noting even without photographic evidence.  
• I also finished my first semester of school and think it is safe to say I got an A, even though grades aren't out yet, because I got A's and A+'s on every single thing I turned in (including extra credit) so I would be awfully surprised by any other grade.  I am so happy to be back in school.
• The boys and I took a tour of the local fire station with some friends.
  
  And now you are all caught up on our adventures!