First Cello Recital

Brian and Timmy started taking cello lessons in the middle of September.  Their awesome teacher (my former teacher) was so great to start them both in the same half hour time slot.  So each week each boy gets about 15 minutes of instruction at their lesson.  It makes for some pretty rushed lessons, yet I am so grateful that they can both start for the price of one.

I noticed back in September on the calendar the teacher gave me that there was a recital scheduled for the beginning of November, but he never said anything about it to me, so I assumed since the boys could barely even squeak out one or two songs that they wouldn't be participating in that recital.  Well, two days before the recital at their lesson their teacher said, "Okay, so what are you playing for the recital?"  Then I said, "Wait, they are playing on the recital?"  With our super short lessons he had forgotten to tell me they would be playing on the recital.  Play on the recital they did whether they were super prepared or not.

They both did an amazing job for only taking the cello for about 7 or 8 weeks and for not knowing they would be performing until two days before.  Luckily they had done piano recitals before, which made for much calmer nerves.

Timmy played Twinkle and I can't get over his cute little smile in the middle of his song.  Their teacher accompanied them on the cello.

Brian played French Folk Song.  I am partial to this song because I have very clear memories of playing it as my first cello performance for all the second graders at my school. I started the cello at the same age Brian started.

In all the craziness of two beginning cellists and their cellos and stools and bows and such, I sadly did not get a cute closeup of the boys together.  They were dressed in matching outfits and after the recital we had so many people come up to us and tell us how cute they are with their little backpack cellos.  Brian and Timmy do make for some pretty cute little cellists!

October 2015

This October was glorious!  Well, it was glorious for me.  As I looked at the pictures from October, I realized that Mark did more work in and around the barn than I think has been done here in the last 30 years.  He did so much!  In between my birthday, Fall break, Halloween and the piano recital, the boys and I had a lot of fun and Mark got a lot done!

The first day in October the boys did not have school because of parent teacher conferences, so I took the them up to the Ranch to enjoy the Fall beauty.  The pictures say it all!

At home the barn went through a massive transformation!  All the barn doors either were non existent or not even functional.  The doors to the hay loft just fell right off in the wind.  We went full throttle on our preparations for my parents to put their horses here for the winter and getting the barn in functioning order was a top priority. All the wiring was also non existent or not functional and so Mark rewired the entire thing.  Now there is wonderful safe lighting in all sections.  It is amazing how important good lighting is!

Here the boys are helping Mark get lighting in the hay loft.

Mark worked hard on building and installing the hay loft doors.

He even made a little window in one of the doors so the kids can look out safely into the yard.  They love it!

Filling that hay loft with hay was another priority in October.  Mark brought home two loads like this from a rancher in Lehi.

Then he hucked those heavy bales  right from the trailer up onto the roof and then stacked them in the loft.  I tried to help, but quickly found out I'm not even close to farm strong. . . . yet.  Those bales are heavy and it took all I had to get them from the edge of the roof where Mark was, over to the door, and then up the stair into the loft.

The boys tried to to help too, but they mostly played.  The hay loft has become their fun little play house.

After the hay was put up in the barn and the doors built, it was time to prepare that old barn for painting.  Mark and I went to town power washing off all the flaking paint.

 Doesn't that look pretty?

Then it was time to prime it all.  Boy was I glad for a paint sprayer, and a husband willing to get up on that ladder and spray it for us!  The end result looks amazing, but final coat of paint didn't actually get done until November, so you'll have to wait for that post to see the final painted barn.

Another top priority for October was to get a water system for the horses that was easy, safe and would not freeze this winter.  We needed to dig about a 70 foot trench to get the water line out to the horse paddock.  My dad was so so nice to bring his backhoe all the way down from Oakley where he quickly showed Mark how to use it and then let Mark go to work digging that trench.

Of course Mark was a natural and did an awesome job.  My parents also brought us fence panels and posts and we got the fence to separate the goats and the horses installed during the same days of digging.

Mark installed all the pipes and worked late into the nights to get the waterer set up and done.

He got it all finished and his installation was perfect.  However, the darn float device in the waterer was missing a part so the company sent us a new waterer.  That one did not work either and Mark was not happy with it.  So he decided to send it back and go with a whole different waterer altogether.  All that work, for nothing. The installation of the new drinker happened in November.  This is the one that didn't work, but Mark's installation sure looked good.

We did watch General Conference in October and loved it.

The kids also did a lot of piano and cello practicing.  They prepared well for their recitals.

They used their skills to give a little concert for Grandma Joyce while visiting her one day.

This is just cute Timmy on a trip to Trader Joe's with me.

Our Relief Society did a service project collecting items to put together stockings for under privileged kids in Utah.  We took one Family Home Evening to go to the dollar store and buy items for those stockings.  Then later that week we went to the church to help stuff all the stockings.  All together we ended up with 162 very full stockings for kids around the state.  It was a great experience for us all!

One Saturday morning we had hot air balloon floating right above our house.  It was fun to run out and wave to the occupants.

Timmy decked himself out in all his BYU attire (even if it is pajamas) just for fun one day.

For some reason the kids got invited to many many birthday parties during October and there was face painting at two of those parties.

Both boys entered the Reflections Contest.  The theme this year is Let Your Imagination Fly.  Brian put together this great visual arts poster.

Timmy composed this piano song all by himself.  They both did a great job on their projects and showed a lot of creativity!

Halloween/Piano Recital

Halloween was a busy time for our family this year.  The festivities started a few days earlier at school where I helped with the Halloween parade, Timmy's party and Brian's party.  Both boys decided to be Darth Vader.

On Halloween day we started off with a piano recital!  The boys did awesome!  Timmy wanted to be a pirate for his recital.

Right after the recital, while Mark worked on getting water to the field, I took the boys to our ward's Trunk-or-Treat. 

After Trunk-or-Treat we went Trick-or-Treating along our street and then we were all partied out and tired from a long day of work and play and way too much candy.  The boys were happy to go to bed and get a good night's rest while the one pumpkin Timmy and I carved glowed out on the porch.  Overall Halloween was fun, but I was reminded that it's just not my favorite holiday.  I was quite relieved when it was all over and I can focus on being thankful through November while I listen to Christmas music.