So Many Concerts

We had a very full weekend. It began with our second and final ukulele orchestra performance of the Christmas season. We played at a library Christmas singalong. Most of our audience members were elementary aged kids in their pajamas. Bryan brought our kids to support us.

Right after that Sophie and I rushed over to the intermediate school to cheer on a friend she's known since we moved to Pennsylvania. We failed to take a picture at our performance, so we took a seat selfie before her friend's concert started.

Christmas Cookies

This week Topher and Sophie attended a cookie decorating activity at the library. The next day Sophie decorated cookies for Activity Days. In other words, we have a lot of frosting covered sugar cookies at our house right now.

Sing We Now of Christmas

We've got our annual interfaith Christmas concert this Sunday evening. It's not our year to host, we're just participants this time. We're bringing our ward choir and our children's choir. Both groups have put in a lot of work in preparation. On Sunday we positioned everyone so they would know where to stand for the performance. I realized if I didn't take a picture none of us would remember.

You'll notice we have several small singers. They are very sweet and sometimes they sing.

Lovely Weather for a Sleigh Ride Together With You

Saturday was a full day and it ended with our annual tradition of going on a sleigh ride with some friends. We happened to pick one of the busiest nights of the season for this city. The traffic was kind of intense, but we made it and found a place to park. The best part was singing Christmas carols with friends while looking at all the Christmas lights downtown. The second best part was that it had been a warmish day (which means I was a comfortable temperature in my hat and scarf and coat and gloves rather than freezing in spite of them) and the impending rain held off until the next morning.

Strum Along

This year Sophie and I joined the ukulele orchestra at our local library. It's a very low stress group and lots of fun. We had our first public performance this past Saturday. Bryan brought the other kids to come watch us play and sing Christmas songs. We played for nearly an hour and, though my fingers were a little raw, we had a great time.

Reindeer or Viking?

Topher: Mom, will you take the thing off this bow? 

Me: Why?

Topher: So I can stick it to my nose.

Me: Why do you want to do that?

Topher: So I can be Rudolph the Red!

Grown Ups Are Boring

Bryan took a few days off of work this week. We spent today doing the things we normally can't when the kids are home. We:

• took a nap
• went out to lunch
• went shopping, just the two of us

And we counted all of it as a date. It may seem boring, but we thought it was swell.

On the Risers

Tonight it was Phoebe's turn to sing. She's part of the middle school chorus and has been singing with them a few mornings each week since school started. Tonight we sat in nearly the same seats we sat in last week for Sophie's concert and listened to the chorus, the orchestra, the chamber strings, and the band. They did a great job!

Aside from Phoebe's songs, my favorite was a piece from Vivaldi's Winter. Topher was getting antsy at that point and I told him what the song was called and asked if it sounded like winter. We agreed that we could hear the snow storm in the music.

First Snow of the Season

 

Dictation

I haven't talked too much on here about some of the health things that I deal with. I do my best to manage them and choose not to highlight them, at least in written form. But today I have been hit so hard with some of my symptoms that Bryan is kindly transcribing this post while I huddle under the covers. my arms too weak to type. He's even filling in the correct words when the brain fog is so thick that I say the wrong thing.

Tonight I'm really thankful for Bryan. and all of the stuff that he jumped in and did today without being asked. I know he doesn't like praise (and I'm sure it makes him very uncomfortable to type them while I say them) but I'm really thankful for him, and all that he does. I'm especially grateful that he doesn't feel put out when my energy fails me, even though I have a tendency to get angry at myself with these health challenges that I can't control. 

So thanks Bryan. I'll try to type my own post tomorrow.