Lucas In Translation

Here is a quick reference guide should you find yourself in conversation with Lucas any time in the near future:

Shoshi = Joshua
Da-o = Daniel
hy-eeee = hi
doh = door
uh-oh = uh-oh
da = dog
da = cat
nana = banana
cheechee = teacher (as in the teacher from Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? I'm pretty sure he has a crush on her)
DAH!!! = Roomba
Sissus = Jesus

When asking a question with a yes/no answer:
A vigorous shaking of the head, usually accompanied by some baby mumbling = no
A huge grin and clapping of the hands = yes

A clasping together of the hands, peeking to make sure you're looking, and a most charming smile upon visual confirmation that you are = it's time to say a prayer

First Violin Recital

Last week-end was Joshua's first violin recital. This was his first time playing a solo and he did great! When his teacher asked at his lesson on Wednesday if he had been nervous he shook his head and cheerfully replied, "No! I wasn't nervous at all!" Indeed, he really enjoyed performing and it was a great experience for him. He loved being involved in the group pieces as well. I love that his teacher has all the students, beginners through advanced, do a few pieces together to give everyone a chance to participate. Of course the advanced students did a few ensemble pieces of their own, including an impressive and fun tango which one of the parents put on YouTube and you can watch here.

Unfortunately I really did not think things through in my choice of recording equipment. I recently got an ipod nano and was pretty hot to trot to try out the video recording feature. For Joshua's solo piece it really did not come out very well. You can barely hear the accompaniment and there's no zoom or editing, so I'm not going to post it. Bad mom for experimenting at my kid's very first recital! Next time around I really just need to bring the camcorder and the camera -- duly noted!

But here is one of the group pieces Joshua was able to participate in, "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" with all the parts. Joshua is front and center, in a dark blue shirt and khaki pants (sorry again about the no zoom or editing) Enjoy!

Lesson learned:

Never initiate a game of peek-a-boo with 12-month-old while feeding him chocolate pudding; he may just decide to peek-a-boo back for the first time, resulting in something like this:


P.S. this picture does not even do it justice -- the mess was way worse in real life!

This picture makes me happy!

Just came across this picture on the camera that Jake must have taken the other day...LOVE their smiles and the fun they're having!