Times they are a-changin’

I know that the writing on my last few posts has been a bit spartan, and I apologize! I miss writing soooo much – I will get back to it! Yes, I will! Life is grand, it’s just really really busy right now. Big changes are underway (hint at the end) and I want to share with you how they began.

But for now, and for the sake of my beloved distant family, a few humble photos. :)

We haven’t been visiting the cemetery nearly as much as we used to, but I always love to be there, especially with the family. (Rosebud is wearing her cousin Brooklyn’s dress from Aunt Joy’s wedding 6 years ago.)

Life is busy but good.

Exacto’s favorite parts of the day are seminary and band. He’s playing the mellophone for marching band (the marching edition of a French horn).

 

. . . .And here’s the fam at the high school’s recent open house. . . .

(I love DC’s fancy ‘hat’, don’t you? :)

 

Rosebud is our potty-training rockstar. It only took her a couple of days! I can hardly believe that we’re done with diapers. Those I will not miss. (The crib, on the other hand, is still set up in her room. . . .)

 

 

And he wonders why it takes so long to do the dishes? :)

 

We bought a jogging stroller. I have big plans to run a 5K in under 30 minutes. (I am a slow runner – this is a tough goal for me!) Any favorite running/workout songs? Do please share! The Mozart violin sonata this morning was not cutting it!

 

Fluffy had a campout this weekend with the 11-year-old Scouts at Lake DeGray. DC went with him for part of the time. It rained 2 inches that night. Yep. Fluffy’s Scout leader is in the National Guard reserves, and brought some MREs for them.

Hummer is doing great; there just aren’t any great photos of him recently. He is reading like there is no tomorrow, having missed the walker group three times now after school due to distraction. Also has left his homework home, but NEVER his Harry Potter book. :)

 

And this, my friends, is an Anatomy & Physiology textbook.

It had a hideous photo on the cover that had been bugging us, so for part of a datenight DC and I made a beautiful new cover for it, courtesy of Leonardo da Vinci. :)

Why would a professional musician be toting around an A&P textbook? Good question, good question. . . .

First week of school

first day was 8.20.12

Exacto is in 9th grade.

 

Fluffy at the middle school, in 6th grade.

 

and Hummer’s back to public school, this year in 3rd grade.

 

. . . .so do you think Rosebud is moping and sad because it’s just her and Mommy?

That first day with just the two of us again, we made a “meditation jar.” If you start to get upset, just shake the jar and pretend like your thoughts are the glitter, and just watch them all settle. It’s magic.

And we had some fun mornings with friends, including one of my favorite people in this world, Vicki. She’s from Bolivia and is cheerful, generous, and humble. She calls me “Sister” because we are both members of the Church of Jesus Christ. I love her.

Rosebud is honing her mothering skills. She takes her dolls, or “Dadas” (a name derived from one doll’s seemingly metaphysical ability to say that word when compressed at the abdomen), literally everywhere with her. And they are subject to the same treatment she herself receives, being buckled into carseats (we have had to evict Blue Dada a couple of times in order to get Rosebud in!), feeding, going for walks, etc.

Here she is doing Purple Dada’s hair:

spraying. . .

combing. . . (note Purple Dada’s excellent conditioning – no tangles!)

and applying a “french braid” (her word for rubber bands). . . .

 

On Saturday we had a family excursion to Toltec Mounds, which were not built by the Toltec people, but rather the Plum Bayou, apparently in about 2nd century AD.

Verrry interesting place!

I had thought they were used for burial, but I learned that most were not. These two big ones were probably platforms for temples or residences of cultural leaders.

The sun came out! :)

We enjoyed our self-guided walking tour, stopping and reading out loud from the guidebook every few hundred yards.

(Rosebud insisted on carrying the guidebook).

 

And what would be a trip to the Mounds without a little appropriate chocolate refreshment? :)

 

The End.

P.S. It is hurting my perfectionism not to tinker with these photos and their lighting, but today is bill-paying day and I have delayed it long enough!

A week in the life of the Fiddler’s family, in pictures

Notes: this is far from complete as far as describing our week – just the pix I wanted to share with my family to go along with my weekly letter. hope you enjoy. cruise pictures to follow soon, if the planets remain aligned.

April 22, 2012

   

Here’s Rosebud’s Easter dress. I finished it on April 22. It’s sort of a tradition for me to finish her Easter dress a couple weeks late. (ahem)  

          

 

April 23, 2012

For part of Family Home Evening, we went to the deserted elementary school nearby and Exacto launched the rocket he had build for his engineering/technology class.

(i love Hummer’s face in this one :)

 

Afterward, it smelled like fireworks.

April 25, 2012

Embarkation of the Cranky Toilet

Behold the implement of destruction that caused us to file a homeowners claim for damaged flooring the day before leaving on our anniversary cruise.

. . . . . . .

.later that day.

an excursion to a nearly forgotten cemetery, for Exacto to locate the subject of several months’ research for a world history project

We had some firsthand experience with ticks and poison ivy that day. . . .still finding ticks in the car. {shudder!}

April 27, 2012

Arkansas is absolutely gorgeous this time of year. If I could just convince my family to move here (and the Church to build a temple here), I would want to stay pretty much forever, I think.

  

C’mon, Mom and Dad, sibs! How can you resist? :)

Plus, there’s this. . . .

not to mention her awesome big brothers.

.the fiddler’s wife.

our first 15 years

Come, let's be a comfortable couple. . . .And if we should get deaf, or lame, or blind, or bed-ridden, how glad we shall be, that we have somebody we are fond of, always to talk to and sit with! 

~Dickens, Nicholas Nickleby

 

Us then:

 

Us now:

 

This feels like quite a milestone to me. I am surprised by how clearly I remember the Me that decided to marry him, and how well I remember the excitement and also the trepidation about what it would all be like—the childbearing, getting through school, would he ever be able to get a job as a musician, etc. It took a lot of faith to decide to marry at age 19, especially with the ambition that I had as a musician myself; and it took even more faith to be willing to start our family, but it didn’t take any faith at all to choose Chris for my husband.

Even with my youth and naivete, I could easily see that he was worth a commitment for eternity. I had never met anyone before with such talent combined with such real humility. He is not only brilliant, he is funny, and he has no ego. He would do anything to help anyone – he loves literally every person he meets. When I became the blessed recipient of the focus of his love, I couldn’t believe my good luck. I remember telling my roommate: “I just can’t believe no one’s snapped him up before this!”

Our life together these first 15 years has been such an incredible time. Lots of ups (five children, a salaried job for a musician, a first house), some major downs (depression, stillbirth, financial woes) but through all of it he has been so constant. I haven’t always been the easiest to be around, and there are so many stresses in this crazy world. Always the adversary is doing his best to make mountains out of molehills in a relationship, but DC has been unfailingly loving and kind to me. I can’t believe how blessed I am.

I wish I could tell that Me of 15 years ago, “Yes, there will be hard things. But truly you have no idea of the depth of the love you will feel or the incredible joys you will experience.” And actually, Someone did tell me that. But now I can see for myself that it was true.

 

 

P.S. To celebrate we went on a short cruise to Mexico a few weeks ago. I hope to post pictures and non-gloating details soon. :) Also tonight we will have a German feast!

Leap Day Fun

“For some ridiculous reason, to which, however, I’ve no desire to be disloyal. . . .”   ~ Pirates of Penzance

No profundities today, just a little light cultural frolic.

This Gilbert and Sullivan song has always given me sympathy for people who have today as their birthday. So, if that’s you, here’s a quadrupled wish of goodwill for your REAL birthday today! :)

Start at 2:18 and chuckle with sympathy at Frederic’s plight. . . .

(Pirates of Penzance–Paradox–video)

 

Hummer and I are enjoying a special celebration today for school in honor of Leap Day.

We’re playing leapfrog out in the gorgeous spring weather,

doing some math around the theme of 29 (make 29 cents with as many different coin combinations as you can, etc.),

using some of the “extra day” just to snuggle and read on the couch,

and leaping--er, jumping--on the trampoline.

 

I didn’t realize till I saw the “fancy Google” that today is also Gioachino Rossini’s birthday. Hummer immediately wanted to know exactly which birthday this was for him. . . .he was born on Leap Day 1792, so 220 years divided by 4 makes this Rossini’s 55th birthday. Hummer said that means he’s probably a grandpa. :)

Can’t resist posting the most famous performance of Rossini’s music of all time. . . .Hey, by now it’s a classic, right?

Rabbit of Seville video (with beginning cut)

(Rossini probably rolls over in his grave every time someone watches this. :)

Day 55 - { new bible videos }

I think continuing my 100 Days of Gratitude goes right along with my goaL for this year, don’t you? :)

And so, here’s something that’s been making me smile lately. . . .

I have been so excited about this latest film project from the Church, ever since the first excerpts were shown at the First Presidency Christmas Devotional.

video : A Gift to the World

 

I was blown away by the incredibly good acting and gorgeous cinematography, by the delicious British accents here and there that seem so appropriate for the King James version language, by the intimate, quiet feel that each scene has.

I came home and watched all of the available episodes again several times, and subscribed to the updates so I could know as soon as possible when they started added the others.

video : The Wise Men Seek Jesus

Quiet. All you hear is the grass swishing with the wind, and occasionally exhales from the camel. It really puts you there! I love what the actor said on this production video about the journey being like our journey – no matter how long or difficult, worth it, as we finally lay the gift of our life before the Lord.

 

The three that have been added since Christmas are SO GOOD, too!!! I absolutely love each one.

video : Jesus Teaches About the Widow’s Mites

 

The woman at the well episode is, as the others, directly quoted from the KJV, which I have read and heard hundreds of times, yet with watching this production of the story, I gained so many new insights and have been thinking about it off and on ever since.

video : Jesus Teaches a Samaritan Woman

From the main page you can also get the free mobile app, or subscribe to them as a podcast in iTunes, or all the other latest techie options you might want.

 

I hope all the rest are this amazing! And I hope you will take time to watch them for yourself. I will never think about those stories the same way again. 

 

And, as a fun bonus. . . .

 

My friend Real had the privilege of being an extra on the set, and shared in detail on her blog what that was like with these three posts:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

And here’s a behind-the-scenes article from the Church.

 

I love the Book of Mormon deeply and completely, but man, do I love the Bible, too! I am so grateful for the firsthand account it gives of the One I call Savior and Redeemer!