Recital Pictures & a Round-Up of Our Week

I think it was Thoreau who said “beware of all enterprises that requires new clothes.” Monday was the day of the kids’ music recital, and James found his “good” pants had become too short. After all he only dresses up once a year — a kid is bound to do some growing in that much time. So we headed to my favorite place to buy “new” garments, the Goodwill thrift store, and got clothes for everybody. Trishy really enjoyed picking out her recital dress.

Patricia sang a song titled “Think On These Things” and James played “Enchanted Castle” on the piano. This wrapped up their lessons with their wonderful teacher at Music is a Gift Studio for the year. Here are a few photos. Notice James’s trademark smirk as he’s taking his bow.

The rest of the week was typically busy. It included a trip to the Harrisonburg Farmer’s Market and a “school” field trip to Fastrax Go-Karts. James assured me, as he maintained his position in first place, that he didn’t mean to crash into anyone. It was suggested to me that, when he eventually gets his driver’s license, I put a full-page notice in the newspaper to warn the community. Sound advice. Sarah had a Spanish lesson and movie time with several friends. Trishy spent time with her friends at Raw Learning, where I was teaching a class. There was a lot of dress-up and dancing involved. We all had a multi-family game night with some good friends, and one of James’s best buds slept over.

Lately, Trishy’s main interest has been video games, especially Plants vs. Zombies. For the first time, we had to set a specific time limit on her video game time. She’d reached a point where, left to her own devices, she’d play all day, which is way too stimulating for her young brain. She’s had a meltdown or two this week. However, gaming (in moderation) does create a great opportunity for becoming computer-savvy and developing problem solving skills.

She’s also been spending time with me out in the garden, playing with caterpillars and asking questions about what’s around her. We talked a bit about how living things are divided into the Kingdoms of Life, how plants nourish themselves, and how and why seeds are dispersed in nature. We discussed caterpillars and other little critters we find in the dirt. She also told me about an idea for a story, which she’ll dictate to me, which seemed to involve something like parallel universes.

James has been spending a lot of time on G-Mod, a “sandbox physics” program, on the computer, which basically enables him to create video game scenarios. Sometimes he plays alone, and sometimes he collaborates with his friends Tori and Aengus. He also spends a lot of time organizing his Yu-Gi-Oh trading cards and listening to audiobooks. He recently finished re-reading the first five books in the Harry Potter series and The Lightning Thief  by Rick Riordan.

Sarah has been intensely focused on the book  she’s writing, a historical novel set in post-World War II England. So far, this has involved a lot of intensive character development and narrative writing. She’s done a bit of historical research and learned more about schizophrenia, which affects one of her characters. She’s also writing a second novel, based on some of her dreams. Her interest in movies has waned a bit for the moment, and she never goes anywhere without the notebooks containing her novels.