- The middle school choir I direct had their spring concert on Sunday. I was proud of those kids. I gave them the toughest piece I’ve ever assigned (“Hallelujah, Amen” from Handel’sĀ Judas Maccabeus). That is a difficult piece, and they rose to the challenge. I was nervous for them going into the performance, because the church we were in has a dead sanctuary (sound-wise), and if they lost the beat of that piece it could have fallen apart completely and been a horror to trudge through to the end. I needn’t have worried. They were wonderful. It was a lot to ask of 11-to-14-year-olds.
- Aria has started using “thank you”, particularly when she is saying “no”. Today we were having a frustrating exchange, in which she kept telling me no, and I said, “Aria, you do not tell me ‘no’. When I tell you to do something, you say ‘Okay, Mommy’.” Without turning to me, she said, “Umm…no. Thanks.” So it doesn’t always work out. š We’re still working on saying “please” whenever she asks for something, and to do it in a friendly fashion, rather than a whiny one. She’s becoming a good comforter, as well. Yesterday, when my toe was bothering me and I was on edge, she noticed and told me “S’okay, Mommy! Give me a hug!”.
- Noah is doing a lot of talking. He is strongly opinionated, and vocal about it. I do not know where he gets it. (Shut up.) He’s making big progress toward walking, as well. He’s well-practiced at getting up and down on his own, and he likes to put his palms on the floor and push onto his feet. Essentially, he does a killer downward dog position.
- We got a zoo membership this year (thank you to Andy’s parents, who gave it to the kids for Christmas!). Wednesday we went for the first time and spent a couple hours there with Cassie and her kids. Our girls are old enough now to have fun together running around and talking. As soon as we got there, Claire said “Come on, Ayia!” and the girls toddled off together. Appropriately, Claire is a much better runner than Aria. She can really take off, and Aria’s run is still quite halting. That part was a bit amusing. Like mothers, like daughters, apparently. So, who else wants to meet us at the zoo this year?
I mean, are they adorable or what?
- Y’all, I reinjured my toe. It may have been all the walking at the zoo weakened things, or may have just been one of those dumb things. I straightened my leg Wednesday night and my toe made a sickening pop and started hurting terribly. I’ve heard about “sickening” pops in the past, but this was the first time I experienced it for myself. It’s an apt description. The sound combined with the sensation literally made me queasy. 36 hours later, I’m doing okay. The pain is subsiding just like it did the first time. I’m just going to have to baby this sucker longer than I thought. I am frustrated by it, because the good weather is coming. All fall I felt trapped by Noah’s clinginess and sleep patterns, all winter I felt trapped by the weather, and now I feel trapped by my foot. I’m making some spiritual strides in my frustration, though. When we come to the end of ourselves, right?
Sorry your toe is bothering you, and it really does stink after the longest winter on record (which is still going on here. For the record.). We get a lot of ‘no, thanks’ from our third guy. At least he’s polite about it? š