Writing and Violin

I have to be very careful these days what I leave laying around because Elijah will grab anything and start using it. Yesterday morning I had left my "to do" list laying on the table and started in on the dishes. Things were very quiet all of a sudden so I look back to the table and there is Elijah, drawing a picture on my "to do" list. Thank goodness he was only drawing on the paper. We've been working very hard to make sure he knows he can only write on paper and nothing else.

Looks like we have ourselves a right-handed boy!

Jerod also started violin lessons a week ago Friday and has really been enjoying it. He seems like a natural and doesn't even have very many squeaky notes. His mom gave him the lessons as a birthday gift (I have to admit, it was such a cool idea, I wish I had thought of it). That's the beauty of music; it's never too late to get started on something new.

Anniversary Celebration

On Saturday, January 9th, we celebrated our 11th anniversary. We started our weekend getaway on Friday and spent the night in a beautiful local hotel in Saratoga. It was our first time to be away from Elijah overnight.

Taking Time

I haven’t ridden the light rail in over a year and a half and today had to go pick up our car at the repair shop and found myself sitting amongst the rest of the population who use public transportation. It’s really not so bad. It afforded me the time to jot down some of my rambling thoughts which is something I’m not accustomed to now that a 9 month old son occupies most of my brain capacity. Public transport forces me to slow down, be patient, and allows me time to reflect. I’m amazed with how little I allow myself time to be introspective. It’s so easy to get busy with life and not really slow down to take a deeper look at things. Here’s a little something that ran through my mind while watching the changing landscape rush by me through the light rail window…

Celebrating Life
There are so many things I appreciate about my husband. One of them is his way of celebrating the everyday, ordinary things in life. I’ve always been big on celebrating special events like birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays. Jerod, however, has a unique talent for making the most of the little things in life. He has made fun little traditions like going out for a frosty after a Doctor’s appointment, or getting ice cream to celebrate getting a package in the mail when we lived in Zim, or making microwave chocolate cake to mark the end of summer school (that’s what we were celebrating today), or going to get a slurpee because today is Thursday (one never needs an actual reason to go get slurpee ;-) I’m starting to see a theme in the way Jerod celebrates…can you tell we both have a sweet tooth? But on a serious note, I have really enjoyed the fact that Jerod can make anything a special moment. I tend towards the serious side, so it’s very refreshing to step back from the mundane and realize the unique moments in life God has given us. Thanks my love for opening my eyes to the beauty of everyday life.

(In the above picture, Elijah is getting some use out of my slurpee by using it as a teething device...man, slurpees are good for everything.)