School instruments

I should start this by saying I love music.  I love the idea of kids learning music, practicing music, and understanding music.  Cade and Ella take piano lessons.  It can be loud, but a good loud.  They know how not to bang on the piano (I can't say the same for the other two yet…) and they can make some beautiful music.  Now…when they come home with recorders I want to run far away!  No matter how good you are, I don't think anyone can make a recorder sound good.  I'm so sorry kids, when you read this some day.  I love the fact that they will practice until they get the song right.  But even then I dread the random squeal that can come at any point in time from that piece of plastic!  The first day they played everywhere; the car, the kitchen, the bathroom, outside, garage, pretty much anywhere there was an audience to listen to them.  I was woken up at 6:00 am the next morning because that was apparently a very important time to practice.  Once they thought they would be funny and wake me up with it in MY bedroom!  They quickly learned that would not end well for them if it ever happened again.  

So when Cade brought this thing home ( I can't remember what it was called already, maybe the auto harp?), I was a little nervous to start with.  He only could borrow it for two days though, so I knew I could handle it.  I did not know that I would be serenaded everywhere.  Unlike the recorder, it was always in tune and did not squeal if touched wrong.  I thought he would stay in one place to practice because it was pretty big and a little awkward to carry, but I was wrong.  I was planting my petunias outside so first he opened the window so I could listen.  But that was not good enough so he joined me outside.  I was really looking forward to the quiet and the songs of the birds…I got Edelweiss instead.  He is a marvelous singer, so it was pretty sweet.  Even with the pauses to change chords.  I love this boy and his enjoyment of learning.  His growing brain is amazing and I will cherish all the serenading he decides to do…even if it is with a recorder!  I'm just praying one will learn the cello.

Burn piles....to love or fear?

The burn pile begins….

We all made it safely to the other side…it's a bit warmer over here!

We came back the next night to roast marshmallows!

Ella likes to burn hers.

We finally got around to burning all the branches that were left from clearing a few trees we feared may fall on our house.  I did not know how entertaining this would be.  Kurt started burning it on a Saturday morning.  It is now Thursday evening and is still going!  All day Saturday the kids were out watching and throwing more sticks on it.  Sunday after church, they went right back to it.  We had a birthday party for Ella Sunday night, it was so hard to pull them away from their new toy.  Yes, I'm a horrible mom and let them "play" with the fire.  We did go over all sorts of fire safety….they were "working"!  I was still so nervous, I don't know how many times I said things like, "Do not walk around with that torch!" Or, "Stop!  You are going to burn someone's hair!"  We made it through.  No burns, no trips to the ER.  I do had to add that they were never left unattended with the fire.  I think my husband enjoyed playing with it almost as much as the kids.  I think that Papa liked it maybe too much too…he was driving the tractor grabbing more and more things to put on it!  We all reeked of smoke for days, with baths and showers nonstop!  So many memories were made and so much time spent as a family.  I guess I may have lost a few years from the stress…but it was worth it!

So now we have more work, a shed will hopefully be going in it's place.  Maybe I will finally be able to get some chickens…and goats if I can dream of no poison oak around here!  I'm sure we will really have some good stories then!