Last DC post

Look carefully or you might miss the helicopter Sean's flying. 

It's been so long I have no idea where Sean was going!

4th child syndrome...we've always tried to make our kids eat at the table in a chair. Finn gets to eat on the booster on the floor during move-out craziness!

Miss Pea

Our violin teacher's new baby. I loved holding him during the kids' last lesson with Mrs. Emily.

Sean was marveling at baby Evan's tiny feet! 

The kids were so lucky to have Mrs. Emily come

Can't remember if I posted this but this marks the last time we visited Purse State Park with our very dear friends. We have a nice collection of shark teeth now! 

At least he's cute.

Final time serving at St. Michael's in DC. Cathleen has decided she does not want to continue in Alabama which is fine since it was their decision to start. 

Expensive playtoy for Finn.

Our BFFs across the street went to trapeze school in DC knowing it was probably not an option in Alabama! Sean was a natural!

Once Cathleen got her legs up, she was hooting and hollering in excitement!

Cathleen recital

The beginning of Cathleen's performance of Musette!

Part of Sean's recital

Sean is playing Concerto in G minor, mvt 2, by Vivaldi. This is the last half. My phone (and kk's phone) died recording Cathleen's.

Happy 2016!

What a doll baby. At his well-baby appointment last year, I was shocked to find that he is average height and weight! 20 pounds still. I think he was 28" long. The immunization clinic lady on base is AWESOME. She's letting me give Finn one shot at a time, instead of the, say, 3 shots that inoculate for 13 diseases at once. That made me so happy. And Finn's doctor said his sister is like me (haha) so he's not judgy about my desires to keep Finn's medical appointments as noninvasive as possible. Happy momma dance.

No one in the family can get enough of this guy. His siblings fawn over him, especially first thing in the morning and when he wakes up from his naps.

I talked to the doc about Finn not eating solids. I suspect his sensitive gag reflex might have something to do with it. Even though I know "food before one is just for fun" (lol) I wanted to bring up the gagging/choking issue at his appointment. Finn chokes or gags on pretty much everything and refuses real food. However, we haven't tried pureed foods much. Both Pea and Kieran at table foods with us from the beginning so that's what I thought Finn would do. We bought some organic baby food from the commissary and he eats the tiniest bits of it. He's interested certainly but maybe more for squishing it around all over. :)

That's Mr. Sweet Tooth with Mr. M&M Man. 

Daddy and his little buddy.

Sean loves chess. Sean loves Daddy. Sean LOVES chess with Daddy. Late night battle last weekend.

The night we tried a pouch of baby food with Finn. Ended up realizing spoon fed was way better! duh! Broccoli pear everywhere!

Even though Sean's eyes are closed, this is a sweet picture.

Here, let me claw your face for you.

We had a homeschool music recital! It's a good thing for other homeschool students on base who don't otherwise have any performance opportunities. That's my friend, Charlotte, directing a small children's choir. You can see Sweet Pea with the red bow in her hair. They sang Hallelujah Chorus and a round. It was really nice!

Charlotte's husband accompanied everyone. You can see a bit of Sean, third person in.

There they both are!

Both Sean and Pea played a violin piece too. Adam was TDY so it was all I could do to record it on my phone with Finn strapped to me, nursing to sleep, and Kieran wandering about the room!

Pea and Finn

I'm happy to report that Cathleen willingly practices her violin now. Usually with a smile on her face like this. Two reasons for this, I think. One, Suzuki Institute in Hershey in July. She loved it and hasn't had a fit about playing since. Secondly, Mrs. Emily, the kids' new violin teacher, requires them to learn a "by ear" piece each week. Cathleen has chosen Irish tunes that she's heard Sean play for years and she's always playing them. First time, really, that she's played the violin for pleasure (and not practice) since she started, that I can recall. 

My sweet boy. He's so mobile now. Crawling in a unorganized manner but very successful. This toy (from Caryn?) has made the cut every time I purge toys. 

This morning, in bed before the sun was up, Finn crawled over to Daddy and slapped him in the face a couple times. Adam woke up, not surprisingly, and started doing the sign for Dada that he's been showing Finn since his first few weeks. Finn did the sign himself! Over and over! Not exactly as it should be but just the way his brothers and sister did when they were babies. Though they weren't this young.

Seriously? He is such a pumpkin. So cute and so mild-mannered. He hasn't cut his first tooth yet but I can feel it under the gums.

Violin Recital

This week, we hosted a recital for Sean and Cathleen at our house. Normally, the violin teacher puts on a recital with all her students but our teacher doesn't have (and doesn't want!) any students besides our two sweet darlins. So she said we needed to have them perform publicly. After a couple hiccups, we had two recitals, one with a real audience where the live streaming on YouTube didn't work and one the next day (today) just for the live streaming. The pianist for the Airmen of Note, Steve Erickson, came by today and sightread all the music. I just can't understand how someone can do that with Sean's Vivaldi piece!

Anyway, it all went well. Pea played her first two pieces easy peasy. Steve started the third piece really fast and she struggled through that and a few parts of the fourth and final piece. But she played with a smile and seemed to enjoy it. Neither of them seemed nervous. Sean did great, especially considering just two days before he had a 103° fever. His piece is long but memorizing is so easy for Suzuki kids, they are used to it and it happens naturally. He always surprises me...seems like I'm forever thinking he's not really prepared but then he pulls it off. When that kid focuses, watch out! He played a quick version of Orange Blossom Special to end the recital.

Click on this link to YouTube to see the recital. It's less than 14 minutes long.

Things we're going to do better for next time: stream using a microphone. Both violins sounded really tinny and not like they do in real life.

Pictures from the first recital:

I played piano with Pea so I couldn't take a picture of her playing.

Suzuki Insitute 2015

This year, Adam took Sean and Pea to the Pennsylvania Suzuki Institute in Hershey. Since Finn vehemently hates riding in the car (apparently it's genetic) Adam took them on his leave from the AF. This is the trip where I come home utterly exhausted but the kids are so pumped about violin that it's worth it. They learn so much from all sorts of teachers and come back primed and ready to expand upon what they learn. That excitement wanes after a while but the skills they honed and songs they polished will stick with them.

Pea looking adorable rehearsing with her accompanist.

Pea and her fantastic teacher Mrs. Tricky. Sean had her for his teacher two  years ago and loved her. Apparently, Mrs. Tricky and Pea loved each other equally.

The line at the Ice Cream Barn. That was an almost daily treat.

Sean and his masterclass teacher. Adam was really impressed with her. Cate Edwards. Actually, Adam said he was impressed with all the teachers except one.

Cathleen didn't have Mrs. Cate but she attended Sean's class b/c she had an open period/break. But since they are both Cathleens with a capital C, a picture was required.

Sean at fiddling. He's pretty much smack in the middle.

Dinner out after her recital!

Bags for comments/ compliments written by the audience members about their recital performance.

The theme this year was the Sound of Music.

Mrs. Tricky also taught Cathleen's repertoire class. Parents had to play twinkle twinkle for 15 minutes! On a tiny violin! I bet Pea LOVED this part!

Sean playing second violin in orchestra.

Pool party at the Hershey school.

The recital program for Thursday. Pea played Minuet 1, not 2. After the recital, they had a big concert with the fiddilng class, orchestra, junkyard band, etc. Friday's grand finale concert was the performing groups. 

This looks like dinner in the hotel room, judging from Sean's bare chest and Pea in pajamas. :)

More pics of Pea and Mrs. Tricky (not her real name.)

Pea with her performing group teacher, Mrs. Lily

Group picture on the Milton Hershey school grounds.Adam made it through the week alive and I hope they are all better off for their time together.

The big concert hall.

Pea kept herself busy during her break/Sean's masterclass by doodling.

Pea in junkyard band. All the serious violin work is balanced with fun classes too!

Ice cream!

Sean at his masterclass lesson with Mrs. Cate. Is it just me or is he looking much more mature here?

Back on Sunday, right after registration, the kids participate in a Play-in. Starting with the hardest songs, you go up on stage in your street clothes when you know a song. All the way down to twinkle twinkle. Pea is here and Sean is cut off on the right.

Here's Sean at the very beginning of the play in. Three years ago, he was one of the last ones on stage. This year, he was one of the first!