From Our Kitchen Table

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Piano Recital/iphone Lament

I had an iphone once. It took great photos and videos. It just didn’t really have reliable service. Verizon didn’t seem to have any motivation to fix that problem, so after 6 weeks of dropping nearly all my calls, we went back to Sprint (and now I'm counting the minutes till they get an iphone). No iphone. Why, why, why am I telling you this? Because, I miss my beloved techno gadget. AND because if I had my iphone, I would have been the one videoing the recital and you wouldn’t have to turn sideways to watch it! Whatever format Chris’ new phone saves videos in is un-editable by all my standby softwares and I’m not smart enough to know if there’s some other way to rotate a video. So, without further ado, here is Hadden’s first ever piano recital, all video credits should be directed to his father!

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Remembering

10 years ago, we were not married. We were both still in college. Neither of these cute kids were born:

I had never even been to New York City! I was in my basement apartment getting ready for class when my now husband called to say, “I think you’d better come up here.” I didn’t have TV at the time, but his apartment did. We watched the second tower fall right there in his living room.

We talked a lot with our kids over the past two days about why there was a flag in our yard today, and what happened 10 years ago. They’ve heard about 9/11 before and we even had a book from the library once that talked about the twin towers. 10 years is a long time, though. There are plenty of kids around who weren’t born, or simply weren’t even old enough to understand what was going on. It seems weird to me that my kids won’t be able to remember 9/11, because it has changed so much more than just airport security measures. The way our country reverences the flag, our support of our military, our politics, our feelings of safety, security and national invincibility.

There’s nothing like a catastrophe to unite a nation and a generation and I think that’s what 9/11 did for my generation. It forced us to grow up and realize that the world can be a scary place. It made us think about hard things, and sometimes do even harder things. Young men and women willingly stood up to defend our country, some giving their lives so that, hopefully, none of us ever have to experience another attack like 9/11, especially not our children. It reminded us that freedom is not free.

I’ve heard a few people comment in person and on the news that they didn’t want to hear about the tragedy of 9/11 anymore. Some sought for closure, others said it was just too gruesome to dwell on it. Well, I’m here to say, I want to remember! I don’t ever want to forget that we live in a country that values freedom, a country that fights to keep us free. I want to remember that on that day, and in the following weeks there were men and women—normal, everyday people—who acted heroically without being asked. I want to remember that 3000 people died unnecessarily and that their families and friends still miss them. I want to remember that after the attacks, there were flags everywhere; that we were all Americans together. I want to remember so I can teach my children to love instead of hate and to be proud that they are American.

Today we watched this and listened to this (the last portion of the 2nd hour has an amazing Requiem commissioned by the Trinity Wall Street Church just diagonal from ground zero. Chris and I visited there in 2006 when we went to New York and were very touched by the memorials to the firefighters and public servants who used the church as a kindof headquarters). Our kids asked lost of questions and we answered them as honestly as we could. They will never be able to remember the feelings and events of that day, but I want them to know that I remember, and I reverence the sacrifice of those who gave their lives in service and those whose lives were taken in terrorism.

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Moab

We have been trying to get to Moab for a while this spring, but the wet, wet, wet, cold weather has been preventing us. So, we finally got there at the beginning of this week. Here are the few shots I manged to come away with. We also did some biking. Hadden did his first official single track mountain trail. He loved it and we (the parents) remembered how fun it is! Calla rode on one of those bikes that hooks to an adult seat post. She was a real trooper and didn’t fall off once, even in the rocky spots, which were very bumpy for her!

Off on a hike in Dead Horse Point.

It was quite a view!

Love it!

Windy is definitely an understatment! There were spots where the wind was actually moving Calla! Hadden, who doesn’t like sunglasses, had sand washed out of his eyes after this hike.

Bend in the Colorado River. Off to the left is the actual Point.

PEEK…

…A BOO!

At the Point.

We were literally being blown over at this point!

The next day we did some hiking in Arches. Here is The Organ. Hadden thought that was fun, since he loves the piano and wants to learn to play the organ some day.

Double O arch.

Under Double O.

Our only group shot. Ha!

Kindergarten Graduation

Some of you know and others will not be aware that we transferred Hadden to a new school at the end of January. He moved to the Thomas Edison Charter School, where he learned a great deal and was extremely happy! The school is very traditional and very academic. Hadden is a bright boy and needed different academic environment to succeed in. I cannot even begin to express how amazing the teachers, faculty and staff at this school are. We were SUPER worried about making this change for him, especially mid-year, but they welcomed him with open arms, caught him right up with his class, and challenged him to learn and apply himself in areas that were difficult for him. We are so proud of him!

Always serious about life, this kid is!

I pledge allegiance…

They learned a song entitled, I Am Ohana, from their recess monitor, Mrs. Meatonga. She is a cute, spunky 80-year-old, Hawaiian woman who is out on the playground with those kids every day. We are so thankful for her and the other dedicated staff at Thomas Edison! The song was all about how they are great kids, who can give kindness and love all around. It was beautiful! Here is Hadden poking his head up right before it starts.

Mrs. Larsen, his Teacher.

Mrs. Griffiths and Mrs. Peterson. They were both full-time “aides” in his class. They really were like 2 more teachers and were so great with the kids. They welcomed Hadden into their class and helped him to excel.

Each child got a personalized certificate for the year. Some were silly, some were funny, some were serious. Hadden got the Super Student award. They talked about how he came in the middle of the year and did his best and fit right in with his class and really applied himself to lean what they taught. His was the first certificate to be handed out because, it went along with…

The spelling bee champ award. We were stunned! Hadden is amazing at reading, great at math, super-inquisitive, and very intelligent. When he got to Thomas Edison, he really couldn’t spell. I’m not exaggerating. He hadn’t had any formal spelling at his other class and he didn’t know any rules of spelling. He obviously put in a lot of work to get to the point where he could win the spelling bee. We are so proud of his dedication and desire to learn!

Grandfather

My mother’s father, Clyde Harrison, passed away this May. We miss him already. He flew in WWII and was thus interred in a military cemetery in Ohio, about an hour from his home. The ceremony was very short and very respectful. They did a 21 gun salute and a flag folding and presentation, then a short private service. It really brought to my mind the sacrifices that our older generations have given for our country. My grandmother passed away 4 months after Calla was born, and I just know she was waiting for him. We love and miss you both!