Obnoxious self-promotion.

Upcoming performances of my handbell arrangements and compositions of which I have been made aware:

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Chicago Bronze performing "Cumulonimbus":

April 26th, 7:00p at Mt. Mercy College's Chapel of Mercy in Cedar Rapids, Iowa
April 27th, 4:00p at Federated Church of Sandwich in Sandwich, Iowa
May 17th, TBA in Illinois
May 18th, 7:00p at Cutting Hall in Palatine, Illinois

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Embellishments performing "Good Vibrations":

April 19th, 2:00p at Birmingham Museum of Art in Birmingham, Alabama
June 20th, 7:30p at Canterbury United Methodist Church in Mountain Brook, Alabama

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Denver Bronze performing "Korobeiniki":

May 11th, 4:00p at Hampden Hall at Englewood Civic Center in Englewood, Colorado
May 17th, 7:00p at Parker Hall at Mainstreet Center in Parker, Colorado

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Enchantment Handbell Ensemble performing "Korobeiniki" and "Good Vibrations"

June 13th, TBA at Embassy Suites in Albuquerque, New Mexico (Area XI Festival)

Feelings, nothing more than feelings

Benji has been really good with academic concepts like letters, numbers, colors, shapes for quite some time now. So recently I've been trying to work with him on more abstract ideas like feelings and emotions. One of his books, "Baby Faces", shows babies with different feelings like happy, sad, sleepy, shy, etc., and we've been reading that lately. I've also been asking Benji how he thinks the characters in his books feel when different things happen to them. For example, when Rainbow Fish loses his piece of sea glass how does he feel? Sad.

Benji seems to be picking up on these ideas and using them elsewhere. A particular favorite of his is to tell you "Benji's crying" as if you your ignoring the loud screaming was because you didn't notice it. He will also offer to kiss you where it hurts if he accidentally bonks you in the head or steps on your toe. But last night was my favorite. We were on the changing table getting ready for bed and he wanted his hippo (a little rubber purple hippo bath toy). I gave it to him and he told me that "hippo is scared" and that Benji would "take care of hippo." The expression on this toy's face is sort of surprised or scared, depending on how you look at it, so this was a great observation of Benji's. But what I was most impressed by was his desire to take care of the hippo. He held the tiny hippo in his hand and clutched it to his chest, as if to protect it. We then talked about how we could take care of hippo and decided that hippo could sleep on the changing table because he would be safe there (safe from being stepped on on the floor).

Coupled with this greater understanding of feelings is a strong improvement in the ability to communicate clearly. I don't think last month we could have had a full conversation about what to do with the hippo. And I know in the last month Benji has gotten better at recalling what happened during the day and telling you. Most evenings I now get a report about what Benji played with and what he ate, provided by Benji with a little prodding from Daddy. And tonight he had one of the most complete sentences I've heard from him: "Uncle Dave's favorite number is nine." Subject, verb, object, adjectives — oh my!

Libellés : Benji

Vroom Vroom!

When I was growing up one of our annual traditions was to go to the Auto Show. This was well before I could drive, but it's still something I looked forward to. I loved the giveaways, the prize drawings, and just how big it was. Several years ago Matthew and I went to the Richmond Auto Show and it was so tiny! I had begun to wonder if my memories had completely blown the Auto Show out of proportion. This year my memories were confirmed. We met my parents down there and everyone had a great time. Matthew checked out the concept and exotic cars, Grandpa eyed the Corvettes, and Benji practiced his driving skills. Grandma and I collected freebies, fed Benji car-shaped cookies, and enjoyed watching our boys with their cars.


Benji gets a taste of Grandpa's favorite car — the Corvette.


I guess those steering wheel toys have given Benji enough practice to feel right at home behind the wheel.


Grandpa shows Benji all about the knobs and dials.





One of the cars we let Benji "drive" was the Hummer. That thing is so big! It apparently also made a big impression on Benji because after we went on to the next exhibit he specifically asked to go back to the Hummer and could not be fooled or distracted by another car. We had to take him back to the Hummer. (This also goes to show how quickly he picks up on words from single mentions of them.)


Don't you read the gearshift carefully every time you get in the car?


Matthew really enjoyed checking out cars he couldn't possibly afford and wouldn't really want in the garage. But he sure looks good in them, doesn't he?


If Daddy gets to play with an exhibit, Benji has to, too.


Quick quiz: How much does this car cost?


One of the exhibits had Jeeps driving over all kinds of tough terrain, including steep inclines and big rocks. Benji needed a better view on Daddy's shoulders.


Another one of those photos where Benji looks "older than his years" in my opinion.

Libellés : Benji

More snow

It's been such a cold and snowy winter this year that Benji's zest for the snow really helped to make it more bearable. Sometimes it was just a snowball or two on the way in from the car or in a parking lot. But sometimes it was full-fledged snowsuit snow playing. It was particularly fun when Grandma and Grandpa would come over for some fun in the snow. Grandpa really gets into the snow playing, while Grandma is ready for indoor games when it's time to warm up.


Grandma and Grandpa brought over the plastic saucer toboggans that Uncle Dave and Mommy used when they were kids so that Grandpa could take Benji on his first sled ride.


Grandpa is so much better at making snowballs than Mommy.


Or maybe Mommy and Benji can throw snowballs at Grandpa.


This seems like such a stereotypical "toddler in snowsuit" picture, with his hat falling over his eyes and tons of layers of gear.


Thankfully Benji is happy with being pulled around on the sled and isn't begging to go on large sledding hills — not until next year, that is.


Got to pose for an inter-generational family picture.


We tried to build Benji's first snowman, but since the snow didn't pack very well it was a miniature snowman.


Although Benji loved "Frosty the Snowman" and all kinds of snowmen during Christmas, he didn't understand that this was a tiny snowman and instead he preferred to knock over the tower or to take the head off and throw it as a snowball.


We figured out that it was much more fun to sled down the ice on the driveway than on the snow on the lawn. So much faster!

Libellés : Benji

Sofa-buying update (much of one).

We bought a sofa today. (Well, actually we bought a sofa and a love seat today, but tomorrow, after we look at the size of our living room one more time, we have the option to turn the love seat into another sofa if we think it will fit appropriately.) (And by "turn the love seat into another sofa," I don't literally mean that we will try to tear apart the love seat ourselves and add on another 20 inches to make it sofa size.) (And by "we" in all instances above, I mean "Kim," since she was the one who signed the paperwork.)

Here is a sofa picture.



It is not a picture of our sofa.

However, our sofa looks mostly like that, except that our sofa is brown leather rather than black fabric, and our sofa doesn't have pillowbacks like the pictured sofa, and our sofa goes down to the floor rather than resting on exposed metal legs, and our sofa has two seats that recline while that one has zero, and the above sofa is very angular than our sofa is softer and rounder. But otherwise they're practically identical.