Courage: the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty without fear

It has taken me 3 days to pen my thoughts about Thursday night without tearing up.  I have been trying to blog about how proud I am of Kate but my words have not provided my feelings justice.  I am confident this post will not provide the deserved justice either, but if I withhold the video one more day, I might start getting nasty-grams from the family.

Here is the story about Norton's 2012 Talent Show.  Several months ago we received a flyer about the show.  The theme was movie related, anyone could submit the form, and all talents were considered for the show.  Kate immediately said she wanted to do it, which prompted a several week discussion between Ryan, Kate and myself of what constitutes a "talent".  It is very hard to reason with a 5 year old that at 5, you don't really have a talent yet.  We are only 3 weeks into guitar and even though we love her rendention of "twinkle, twinkle", did that really count?  She dances non-stop but dancing like she dances at home in her p.j's would probably not go over well on stage.  She sings but can she sing well enough to get on stage and sing?

You can see the turmoil.  From the day she and Jake were each born, we vowed to encourage them to do anything they want.  We watch movies like "Soul Surfer" and talk about how achievement is determined by you, no matter the circumstance.  We talk about diversity, achievement, pride, bravery, etc.  Yet as a parent you don't want to set your kid up for failure.  You don't want them to embarass themselves while they are in the process of achieving something new.  Ryan and I figured that despite not having a true talent, we would be written up in parenting books as "what not to do" if we discouraged her from participating.

So, we set out to do the show.  We didn't tell anyone about it as we were afraid to put too much pressure on our little girl who thrives on pleasing people.  We told her we would support her being in the show but she had to decide all the details - the talent, the song, the outfit, etc.  She had to put the work in because once you decide to do something, you have to go through with it.  She decided to sing "Tomorrow" from Annie.  We practiced every night, 1st with the words and then without.  She quickly memorized the words and actually sounded better without the words as her voice is at a much lower octave than Annie's.

All of her hard work came to fruition this past Wednesday and Thursday.  We had rehearsal on Wednesday night where we learned she would be act #17 out of 30.  She, Jake, Ryan and myself patiently waited 2 hours before it was her turn.  She walked out from the right side of the stage, they adjusted the microphone to her level (which was too cute), and she sang her heart out.  No one would have ever known it was her 1st time ever on stage.  We had planned to do the version without the words since she sounded so much better but the original CD we had submitted was the version with the words.  We went with it.  Immediately after singing, she walked off the stage, saw me, and started bawling.  This was a combination of nerves and tiredness.  For one who goes to bed at 8, singing at 8:15 was a little much.  We left, got a good nights sleep, and she woke up ready to roll.  Her confidence, strength, and courage made us proud beyond words.

Thursday was the big show.  She had a full run through on Wednesday so she was ready.  Several of her friends from her class stayed to enjoy the show and our neighbors came just to watch her.  This made for one happy little girl.  My dad came up and again, we patiently waited until act #17.  This time it was the real deal.  There were only the stage lights and there was an audience full of people.  She walked right up and sang her little heart out.  Her courage caught me mid song as tears started rolling down my cheeks.  I am pretty sure she hit every word but in the moment I could have cared less.  The fact that she got up and did something that neither Ryan nor I would have ever done at that age is more than enough for a parent to handle.  All the little stresses went away at that moment in time.  She didn't care that her costume and wig didn't arrive in time, hence the make-shift outfit, or that we had to use the version with the words.  She overcame and again, being proud is an understatement.

What have I learned from this experience and from my 5 year old: you truly can accomplish anything you put your mind to.  She wanted nothing more than for her friends to see her on stage.  No matter the motivation, it shows that if you want something badly enough, you have to have the courage to go out and do it.  "Just Do It" as Nike would say.  And in the process, who cares what everyone else thinks.  That is something everyone could learn from a 5 year old. 

I still cry every time I think of her taking the stage and singing her heart out.  I also cry looking at the picture of her afterwards (below with the Subway cup) as I am not sure if I have every captured such joy on camera.  She was one proud little girl Thursday night and we were one proud set of parents.  If you ever need a little push to do something new, I hope this video can provide you that extra motivation.  It will be one I will reflect upon for the next several years.

In the Green Room before the show.  The guitar was just a prop.  That is for next year.

On stage

After the show.  This may go down as one of my most favorite pictures ever.

Kate with a few of her kindergarten friends (McKenna and Jackson)

Sping keeps coming and going

The crazy spring like weather has provided us several afternoons of outside activity after school/before dinner.  The kids got a new bucket of bubbles and some sidewalk chalk for Valentines Day, which they put to good use one afternoon last week.  It was cute watching Kate teach Jake how to blow bubbles and draw on the driveway.  At one point he was even multitasking and doing both at the same time.  That is my kind of kid!  The intermittent days of Spring have me craving more!!!  It makes days like yesterday (40 degrees) seem sooo cold.  Spoiled, I know! 

"Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star"

After two 30-minute guitar lessons with Mr. Kevin at the Guitar Center, Kate's homework was to teach herself "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star".  That next day we sat on the floor of her bedroom and sounded out each and every note.  We challenged her to practice it 3 times through each night and by Thursday night, this is how it sounded.  She has since fixed that 1st note, thanks to Dad's coaching but regarless, we are pretty proud of her working to accomplish something totally new.  Mr. Kevin was happy and assigned her "Happy Birthday" by next Friday.  Hopefully she will have that mastered by Jake's party next month.

Have a great week!

Little snow but big joy

Old man winter has maintained a low profile this year but we did get to enjoy just a little bit of snow this past week.  Jake got his hands wet (and his bottom from what I hear) one morning while waiting for Kate's bus.  I only got to hear about it via Skype and see it through the lens of Ryan's phone.  Here are a few pictures.

Last Saturday was one of our few bitterly cold mornings.  In place of joining my Saturday morning running group, we headed to the Children's Science Center with the April, Jon, Jones, and their friend Casey.  Kate showed off her basketball skills.  Can't believe how much she has learned in 5 short weeks :)

Finally, the bathroom is complete

Here are a few pictures of Kate and Jake's new bathroom...finally complete! I will still add some knick-nacks as I find them but until then, it is done. They both seem to like it, especially the nightly routine of brushing teeth. Jake stands proudly on his new stool and laughs at himself in the mirror.

Big Birds Nest

Kate started the YMCA in the 3 year old program so she did not get to experience the 1st 3 classrooms: newborn to walking = The Small World, walkers and talkers = Big Birds Nest, and 2-3 year olds = Pooh's Corner.  Last summer Jake transitioned to Big Birds Nest and has really started to develop.  In addition to the daily challenge he receives from his wonderful teachers (Ms Debbie on the left and Ms Jennifer on the right), his speech therapist through First Steps visits him each week for an hour.  His walking has turned into running and jumping and his mumbled words are getting more and more clear.  So far we are very pleased with the school and look forward to the advanced activity (swimming, kids fitness, soccer, etc) that comes with the next 3 stages.

Here is a copy of his class picture.  What a big boy.

Somehow we always seem to make it work

Basketball has been a success!  We are over 1/2 way through the season and Kate seems to love it.  It melted Ryan's heart the other day when she said, "Daddy, do you remember when I didn't even want to play basketball and now I love it".  Ahh...music to our ears!

We challenged ourselves at the start of the new year that Kate must be active in 2 additional activities besides school.  We had to 1st adjust to Kindergarten, which was a little harder than expected on us, not her.  She has flourished in both activities, enjoying basketball and quickly learning "Twinkle, Twinkle" on the guitar.  And somehow we have managed the additions to our schedule.

Here is a picture of The Mavericks.  We wrap up basketball in early March and will be on to swimming.  She is planning to take some swim lessons to learn the right strokes so she can swim for the Y this summer.  Since she loves guitar, we are continuing with that every Friday night.  I have a video I will try and post of her mastering "Twinkle, Twinkle".  We promised her that if she practiced it 3 times every night we would video her to post on the blog!  We had back to back lessons this weekend due to a cancellation last week and her teacher seems impressed with her skills.  I am sure he says that to every parent but she makes us proud.

Addendum: Just when I think we have it all together, Kate and I arrive at her basketball game an hour early today.  We had it all planned out and everything.  As soon as Jake when down for his nap, she and I headed to the gym so I could get my 4 miles in (not motivated to run in the cold today) and we then headed straight to her practice/game, clocking in 5 minutes early.  As we sat in the bleachers surveying the floor for any navy blue shirts, I double checked my calendar and sure enough, the game was at 3:00, not 2:00.  I guess that is what happens when you blog about your confidence in "making it work".  It took us 6 months to adjust to Kindergarten and I guess we need a few more weeks to adjust to the extra-curricular activities. :)

A typical Saturday night

This weekend has been very laid back...just the way we like it around here! After a day full of errands, haircuts, and an extra guitar lesson, we wrapped up the evening with an extra long bath and lots of rough-housing thanks to dad. We have transitioned them to their new bathroom (more pics to follow) but decided a Saturday night bath is worthy of the big tub. Jake's new trick is to stand at one end of the tub and do a belly flop into the water, making as big of a splash as possible. He can't do this in his tub so needless to say, he was excited to see that he was taking a bath in our bathtub. He also loves to mimic anything his big sister does, including sticking his face right into the water. The bathroom floor got an extra mopping with all the water but it was worth it. I can only imagine what this summer will be like in the pool. I anticipate 100% of all pictures taken this summer will include a lifejacket on Jake.

After the bath, the kids got a little extra playtime riding horse for at least 30 minutes. Jake was little hesitant at 1st but loved it by the end. Enjoy the pictures. We (at least I do) feel relaxed after a low key weekend.

Happy Birthday My Love

"It is why he is so sweet".  This is my response everytime someone remarks that Ryan shares his birthday with Saint Valentine.  So on the day we all make a little extra effort to show our love, I want to wish my better half a very happy birthday!  Words cannot express how deep my love is for the partner I share in this thing called life.

Thank you babe for all that you do.  Happy Valentines and Happy 37th!  We all love you!

Worthy of a mid-week posting

We laugh A LOT at our house.  It is the cure to any illness.  How could we not with Ryan as our husband/father!  Not that this video needs any explaining but I thought I would provide a little back story.  Generally, Jake prefers Ryan over me for the bedtime routine.  This video may explain why.  Each night Jake will hug Kate and me and then the 2 boys walk hand in hand to his bedroom.  They read books and sing songs and then lights out.
Well, the other night Kate and I could hear the 2 of them laughing all the way out in our kitchen.  We snuck back to Jake's room only to find the 2 of them flapping their wings like a pinguin.  The difference between Ryan and me is that when I flap, I generally just flap my wings.  Ryan on the other hand, flaps his wings so hard that books go flying into the air and they do it over and over.  This is just 1 of the 1000+ ways he is the best dad, ever!

I hope this video brings a smile to your face!  I don't ever have time to post during the week but I thought this was worthy of a post for those of you that may check the blog during the week.  Enjoy :)

Brotherly Sisterly Love

The number one compliment that we get about Kate is that she is sweet! We may say what we want about the excess drama or the extremely low pain tolerance, but sweet she is and almost every person she interacts with on a routine basis will always leave us complimenting her sweetness.  Since the day Jake was born Kate has been overly accommodating and sweet to her little brother.  Even though we occasionally we get the "ugh, mom, can you get him out of my room"...more often than not we get the "I will help him, mom". Walking the dogs each afternoon often looks like the pictures below.  I don't know if there is anything more heartwarming than watching your children love each other.  As we were planning to have our 2nd child several years ago, these are the images that flashed through my head.  Our sweet little girl holding the hands of her sweet little brother.  I will use this post when they are 15 and 11 to remind them how much they once loved each other and how they couldn't get through a dog walk without holding hands.

Jake's new found love, 2nd only to walking Cooper, is jumping in puddles. All the rain has brought plenty of opportunity to get wet from the knee down these past few weeks. He is all boy!  As sweet as Kate is, Jake is funny.  His personality is shining through with bold colors and his smile will light a dark room.  We are blessed.

Ryan and Kate are off to her basketball game and I am off to the treadmill while Jake catches a few zzz's.  We are then home for the rest of the afternoon to watch the Super Bowl and all its festivities.  I was in Indy last week and you can feel the excitement in the air.  I am so happy for the city that the weather has been absolutely beautiful (minus the rain the past 24 hours)!  I am hoping by Super Bowl LV (I think that is 55) our kids will actually stay up past 7:00/8:00 and we can host a party. Until then, we will be here celebrating just the 4 of us with some chili and wings!  Our house is split in who we are rooting for (me - Giants, Ryan - Patriots).  We'll see who comes out the big winner :)

As for the bathroom, we hung several pictures and are waiting on the rugs and a few more accessories.  As soon as it is complete, I will post some more pictures.  Until then, here are some of our dog walk yesterday.