Piano Recital

When I moved to Huntsville our new ward wanted some information on us. As part of the things I said I was interested in I included playing the piano. This information was published in the weekly church newsletter and shortly thereafter I got the call to be the organist at the church. Never mind that I had never played the organ before in my life. They said, "Well, you can play the piano, right? You won't have any problem learning how to play the organ!" I thought, "Umm, sure... these instruments are similar, but still, VERY different!" Nevertheless, I did learn to get by on the organ. I am not great, but I think I do OK.

Also as a result of that newsletter I started getting asked if I teach piano. I said yes, and before I knew it, I had a full schedule and 8 students!

This weekend we put on the 2011 Spring Piano Recital.

I must say, it was a THRILL to listen to all my students play so well. Each was required to perform two pieces from memory. The whole performance lasted 45 minutes and then we had a reception afterwards. Strawberry shortcake, cupcakes, petit fours, lemon meringue, cookies, and hello dolly bars - it was a sugary treat invasion!

To my students - Well played! You all worked so hard preparing for this recital. Thank you for your hours of practice. You all gave a performance you can be proud of. Thank you for letting me be your teacher!

Mom and Dad, thank you for the years of piano lessons and for encouraging me to stick with it. Thank you for seeking out the best instructors and giving me a real quality music education. I LOVE that I know how to play and it is so fun to now be teaching a few students what I know.

Kirsten, thank you for your Master piano teaching tips. :) I know you have a much greater depth of knowledge than I do on the subject, but thank you for encouraging me! I know you are a fabulous teacher, I wish we lived closer so I could sit in and see how you run your lessons. I am sure I would learn a lot from you!

Alison and Phil, thank you so much for letting us hold on to your piano until Garrett is ready for it. I cannot tell you how nice it is to have a piano in our home to practice on, teach from, and to play songs for Charlotte. It has been a HUGE gift. Thank you also for watching Charlotte at least once a week so I can teach lessons. It is really nice for me to know that during that time she is having fun with her Lola and Papa. I wouldn't be teaching if it were any different. Thank you for really making this arrangement possible.

Sarah and Andy and Baby "Nana", thank you for making it to the recital. It was such a nice surprise - I cannot tell you how much it meant to me to have you there to support me. Thank you! PS - Baby Anna gets the best baby of the year award - she was so GOOD during the recital. Not a peep!

Last, but certainly not least, Daniel. Thank you for supporting me in this effort. Especially for watching Charlotte so much the day of as I ran around crazy finishing the details and preparing for the recital. Thank you for being ok with grab-n-growl dinners on the nights I teach. Thank you for listening to my teaching stories and for encouraging me to find ways to get involved in our new home. It has been such a great first year here in Huntsville!

Charlotte - 22 months

Charlotte has been getting into pretending these days. The other day, after I read her the story of Corduroy she turned to me and said, "I Corduroy!" She then proceeded to recite parts of the story from memory, such as, "I looking my button! My on da mountain! Da ground is moving! It's de escalator! CRASH!" Then she decided she wanted ME to be Corduroy and that she was now going to be Lisa, the little girl in the story. "I Lisa now."

The following story may be TMI for a blog... oh well. It has to do with NURSING, so if that bothers you, don't read it!

Well, a few weeks ago I officially weaned Charlotte. It was a beautiful relationship and I feel so blessed that I could nurse her for so long. I remember being so worried that I might not be able to breastfeed after I ended up having an emergency c-section. Those first few days were tense as I waited for my milk to come in. All my life I had dreamed of being able to provide that for my child and I was worried that it may not work for us.

I remember feeling confused about knowing what to believe because I was discovering contradictions in things I had read and the advice I was being given. I remember feeling exhausted and sore from surgery and lack of sleep. I remember feeling especially sensitive and weepy with all the hormones post delivery. I felt like the smooth labor and delivery I had imagined had been taken away from me and that now the hopes of being able to successfully breastfeed my baby might also be taken from us as well.

The nurses at the hospital were freaking me out by saying my (9lb 6 oz) baby was loosing weight - I learned from my lactation consultant and pediatrician that this is totally NORMAL and not a reason to give up breastfeeding and go to formula. Besides, before the milk comes your body produced colostrum which is packed with nutrients and is exactly what the baby needs first.

They say it can take 3-5 days for your colostrum to change into milk. Charlotte was born on a Tuesday night. I was released from the hospital on Saturday. Once I got home, Charlotte and I both were able to take a good rest without any interruptions. When I woke up and it was time to feed Charlotte again, my milk had come in. Happy day. I remember feeling so relieved that I started to cry.

I know that breastfeeding may not be for everyone and there are some real reasons why it may not work. That is fine, and I respect all women for whatever they decide is right for them.

That being said, I LOVE that I was able to breastfeed my baby Charlotte. It was a commitment, true, but one that I would never trade for anything. I loved knowing that my milk was sustaining life. That it was the best possible nutrition specially made for my baby. She was always super healthy because of it and it also helped me loose the baby weight quickly. Nursing was our special time. It would comfort her if she was scared or hurt or sad. Often it would help her fall asleep. It was our time to snuggle in bed in the morning. It was convenient in that I didn't need to remember to pack a bottle or formula whenever we went out and it was always the right temperature. I love that I was able to provide that for her and that we were able to do it for so long. It was a natural weaning process. There wasn't a deadline or artificial stopping point. It was gradual and slowly the feedings decreased in frequency and eventually we were down to one time a day. Then every other day. Then as needed. And then a few more days went by and it was over. She was ready and I was ready. I will always have fond memories of her snuggled in looking up at me (my favorite was the sly grin she would give me while still latched on).

One of the things I did to wean was distract her and offer a glass of milk instead. Other times I would say, "That's for babies... are you a baby?" To which she would usually reply, "No, I a big girl now."

Charlotte has a new baby cousin in town, Baby Anna (A.K.A. Baby "Nana" to Charlotte). Recently, when Charlotte came up to me and asked for "Nigh-nigh?" I said my usual, "That's for babies... are you a baby?" This time, however, she replied, "I Baby Nana." Nice try! I thought it was a clever usage of make-believe, but, it didn't work and we got the glass of milk instead.

Outdoor Living Space

I LOVE before and after photos and I have always wanted to remember to take a picture BEFORE a project so I could do my own AFTER.

Well, this time, I did!

We got the coffee table a few years ago from someone at church and the wicker love seat once belonged to my Grams and Granddad (thank you!).

BEFORE...

A couple of cans of spray paint later, and some new cushions...

AFTER...

Happy Mother's Day!

Again, this is a few weeks late - oh well. :)

The night before we went to Longhorn's Steak House for dinner - soooo yummy!

Daniel got me a beautiful orchid, made me breakfast in bed and cooked dinner. And the best part was not having to change a diaper all day!

From the time I was little, I always loved babies and wanted to be a mom. I would tote around my dolls, push them around in their stroller, and even pretend to nurse them.

This is me with Baby Sarah (my favorite doll).

This is me, Kirsten, Baby Erik (and above Erik, you can see another one of my dolls).

Again with Baby Sarah (my favorite doll).

I remember when this one was taken -

my Mom was watching a friend's baby and I sat with the baby on the back deck and tried to sketch him sleeping.

This is me and Kirsten holding Baby Jonathan.

Here I am holding Baby Jacob.

I am blessed to have an amazing mom who showed me what a joy motherhood can be.

I have wonderful grandma's who were also an example to me of motherhood and womanhood. I feel so blessed to have these outstanding women in my life.

This is my Grandma Bodil bathing my mother when she was a baby.

This is MY mother bathing me when I was a baby!

Grandma Darlene holding me as a baby.

Grandma Bodil holding me.

Grandma Bodil holding Charlotte, my Mom, and Kirsten.

I LOVE being a mom. No other job or responsibility that I have had comes close to the meaningful work of motherhood. I LOVE this job! I LOVE my dear little Charlotte who made me a mother. She brings such joy and entertainment into my life, it is hard to imagine what life was like before she came into this world.

Historic Week

On Wednesday, April 27th TORNADOES swept across Alabama and Georgia and 5 other southern states killing at least 337.

Early reports estimate that "there were more tornadoes in a single day during the outbreak than ever recorded in history. Of the 312 twisters that were spawned, 226 occurred within a 24-hour period."

Here are some news articles on the storms:

• Washington Post
• Huffington Post

This is a video of the tornado that hit Tuscaloosa, AL. And here is another one.

In Huntsville, we were lucky to not receive these huge tornadoes, but there was still some wind damage and the surrounding towns in our county were hit pretty hard and included some fatalities. Huntsville (along with much of north eastern Alabama) remained without power from Wednesday until Monday. Some neighborhoods took even longer to restore power.

At the time of these storms, we were all in Atlanta so Daniel could do some business with the Ron Clark Academy. When we heard about the power outage we decided to extend our trip to Atlanta until power returned. Every day we would receive random updates from friends and family about long lines at the gas station, not enough food at the grocery store, having to throw away the contents of fridges and freezers, and cold showers. But those inconveniences paled in comparison to the devastation others in surrounding areas experienced.

One particularly devastating story came from a co-worker of Daniel's. Her childhood home is about an hour outside of Huntsville and that is where her Mom lived. It was a 2,000 sq/ft brick home that was completely leveled. Some of the surrounding homes were damaged by the tornado in the form of a wall collapsed here or a roof blown off over there; but there was not a brick in place that remains of what was once her home. In its place is a pile of rubble and the foundation.

This is where her childhood house once was.

This is her boat wrapped around the tree.

Miraculously her mother was not in the house at the time of the storm. If she had been, there would have been no way she could have possibly survived. Earlier that day, her brother, who lives about a 1/4 mile down the road, called and invited her to come to his house to ride out the storm together. She was reluctant, but eventually she went to his place. What are the chances, right? They could have just as easily decided to stay at her home, but for some reason they were in the right place at the right time.

When Daniel went to help her clean up the property he said that you could see the path of the tornado by the damage that was left behind. It first hit her mother's house and then it was heading straight for her brother's home when the tornado split and went to either side of his house sparing them the most devastating damage. Still, portions of the roof were destroyed, but they were fortunate to not have any loss of life.

A few days later, they began receiving in the mail things like bank statements and other documents sent from people 3 hours away in Tennessee who had discovered items of theirs that had blown in from the storms.

I cannot begin to imagine what they and others are going through right now. It is unbelievable to me how long it takes to first - build a house and then - what it takes to make that house into your HOME and then - just how QUICKLY it can all be destroyed.

May we all pull together to help those who have been affected by the storms in whatever way we can. Charitable donations of goods, clothing, and time are all needed. May God give strength and peace to those who have lost so much and let US be His helping hands.

***

Other historic events that same week:

Friday, April 29th - A Royal Wedding! For Prince William and Miss Catherine Middleton. A modern fairytale full of beauty, pomp and circumstance, and elegance.

Sunday, May 1st - Osama Bin Laden, the world terrorist is dead. Ten years after the 9/11 attacks, Osama Bin Laden is found and killed by U.S. CIA officers and Navy SEALs. People across the world rejoice.

***

Local historic event that same week:

Sunday, May 1st - Atlanta, Georgia temple is rededicated by President Monson. Daniel and I attended the 2nd dedication broadcast to the local stake center.

***

Big family news that same week:

Sunday, May 1st - Granddad falls and bumps his head while getting ready to go to the temple rededication. The result was 8 staples! Poor Granddad! :(

Monday, May 2nd - My nephew Charlie was born!

With all that is wrong and all that is right in the world, I feel blessed to have the perspective the gospel brings in my life.

Happy Easter!

So, this is a little late, but still.

Here are the pictures from our Easter Sunday.

As you can see from this next photo, we got off to an *early* start!

After church and a nap, we went to Lola and Papa's for dinner and a egg hunt.

This is from a few weeks ago when we went to an egg hunt at our friend's house:

(This next one reminds me of American Gothic.)

This is the same day, just back at our house.

And these are from the Friday before Easter at the Hampton Cove playgroup egg hunt: