Thanksgiving Part II

Maia told me several times on Thursday that Thanksgiving was for "friends and family."

She got very emotional when we told her that none of our family would be there for dinner.

However, we did have the "friends" side of things covered.

Our sweet friends and colleagues invited us over for Thanksgiving dinner on Friday with their adult kids.

This man is a master gravy maker.

The littles got a bit restless, so I took them outside for a bit.

The light was amazing. I couldn't figure out if the sun reflecting off the cars was adding the extra pizzazz.

Several games of red light green light got the ants out of their pants.

Dinner was so delicious.

And the company was wonderful.

Don't let my lack of pictures fool you.

The brussel sprouts were to die for.

Ruby liked them too!

My good eater.

No pancakes were available, so Maia made do with a roll.

Dessert for me was cinnamon ice cream and pecan pie. 

Can you believe that this was the first pecan pie I've ever tasted?

I know, I can't believe I've missed out on such buttery, caramel goodness all these years.

We left around 5:30 just as it was getting dark.

As I mentioned yesterday, our kids go to bed early. 

So early that they are rarely out of the house when it is dark.

Maia and Ruby were beside themselves on the drive home with the dark sky and all the street lights and Christmas lights that had been hung on houses.

Maia said "can I see if our house is shining when we get there?"

I feel so grateful to have friends after just a year in Wichita that are gracious enough to invite us to their family Thanksgiving.

I'm grateful too that they were willing to put up with multiple episodes of water spilling a few minor meltdowns.

And I'm grateful for early bedtimes.

Thanksgiving Part I

The holiday season is full of traditions and last year we started a new one by participating in the Say Grace 5k.

Due to several factors (hacking up a lung for the past 5 days + Aleks traveling last weekend), I hadn't been able to run in over a week.

   

About 80% of the run was grueling and painful.

But, I had some wonderful cheerleaders and finished without walking.

On the drive home, Maia told me that a girl next to them "was spitting yellow stuff." 

So, yeah, at least I wasn't that girl.

Our day was pretty low key.

Aleks spent Wednesday making mole and I bought a pie, so turkey day was relatively easy.

Because our girls go to bed so early we hardly ever eat dinner together.

(Go ahead, judge away)

It always feels special to sit down together for a meal;

with proper place settings and everything!

We ended up cooking just a turkey breast, which Aleks did on the BBQ.

I'd just like to point out that we have parented both girls in the exact same way, with regards to food.

And Maia will eat about 3 different things, while Ruby eats everything.

Our menu:

turkey breast with mole

mexican style stuffing with sausage and poblano peppers

roasted brussel sprouts

Maia loved her pancake with peanut butter.

And Ruby loved everything, except the brussel sprouts.

The were "too yucky."

To her credit, they were a little undercooked.

After the dishes were done we decided to take a walk and feed the ducks.

It was a gorgeous, warm afternoon.

A bit strange, but beautiful.

Walking with the girls is about the journey, not the destination.

There weren't many ducks and the ones present weren't too interested in eating.

So Maia ate the bread.

Ruby and I held hands,

and said "cheese!"

On the way home Maia's collection (specifically her flower) blew out of the bucket and got lost.

Being three is hard.

Especially when you've been sick and not taking naps.

It was a delightfully, low pressure, hugs and kisses-filled Thanksgiving this year.

We hope your day was filled with lots of love too.

This and That

October flew by so quickly and now, Thanksgiving is NEXT WEEK!

I can hardly handle it.

(and PS, you know you're a musician when "handle" looks like it's spelled wrong)

Also, I just found out that my grandpa is going to AZ to see my family for Thanksgiving and I'm so jealous.

Aleks and I flirted with the idea of driving there.

Until map quest showed an 18 hour drive.

And we only get W-F off.

We're just going to have to make do with a Skype date.

Here are some updates:

Ruby continues to be feisty and sweet and adorable. When she turned 2 we took away her pacifiers. Well, actually, the week after her birthday she chewed through both her pacifiers and we just didn't replace them. Ever since that event, Ruby screams before falling asleep. Sometimes she cries for 10 sec., sometimes it lasts longer and turns into somersaults in her bed and no nap. Aleks and I aren't quite sure what to do about it.
Ruby is talking up a storm and has a pretty good vocabulary at her disposal. She's really good at playing by herself and will often be quietly occupied with coloring, puzzles, or a doll house while Maia is at school.

Speaking of Maia, she still loves school. It's so fun to see her develop friendships and experience new things. She adores her girlfriends. The boys; not so much. When we ask her why she doesn't like the boys, she just keeps saying, "they're not girls!" Maia's really been into coloring recently and I think she's starting to show a dominance in her right hand. Looks like us left handed parents are going to have two righties.
Yesterday Maia found our travel edition Blokus game. She spent hours arranging the tiles, trying to get them to cover all the squares. At one point she told me she was making wishes come true. I can't even imagine what's going on in her brain.

Aleks is staying really busy this month. He had a new music festival last weekend, the Knob Festival, which kept him busy. This weekend he's flying to San Diego for a conference where one of his pieces is being performed. Aleks hasn't been able to ride his bike as much now that the weather has gotten colder. However, he's still swimming, running, and biking on regular rotation. I guess the biggest news concerning Aleks is that he's growing his hair out. It started off as not having time to get it cut, but it's looking pretty good.

After my recital and NATS, I've been pretty drained. However, I'm still regularly running. As you may remember, I was training for a half marathon, but never wrote a post about a race. Well, the half marathon I was training for was scheduled on the same weekend that Aleks and I went to Chicago. So, I decided that I would train for the distance, but not enter the actual race.
It's been just over a year since a ran my first 5k and a year and a half since I started running. I've lost about 15 pounds this year and am in the best cardiovascular shape of my life. I'm still slow, but I've stopped caring about speed. I just feel good about doing something good for myself. And that the girls see me doing it.

I asked Aleks the other day if he ever felt overwhelmed, and if so, how many days a week on average he felt that way. He said something like 2 days a month. This fall I probably feel overwhelmed 3-4 days a week. Sometimes it seems like I can barely keep my head above water.

I really just wish I could be fully present in each moment of my life. Instead I feel like I'm constantly being pulled in three or four directions and thinking about how to prepare for what's next.

So I'm learning to let go of some of the expectations I have for myself. My house is certainly not as clean as I would like. My blog posts have been a bit sparse this season. I haven't stayed in touch with friends who are out of state as much as I'd like. I've forgotten the diaper bag on occasion and last month I had to change a dirty diaper at the library using wet paper towels and buckled Ruby into her car seat without a diaper on.

I find that I savor the days we get to stay home. I think it is so important for my kids to play. I love watching them develop their imaginations and learn to play with one another and all the wonderful things that happen when they are left to their own devices.

(For instance, Maia just counted Ruby off, "a-1, a-2, a-123" and Ruby is now playing her toy piano while Maia sings Jingle Bells in her princess dress.)

And I'm learning to accept life when it's not simple and we're running from one thing to the next. I'm learning to find ways to connect with my kids as we're waiting for the doctor. Or how to be creative and play at the grocery store or in the car.

(Is the picture in my header blurry to you? It seems to be fine when it's in the program I use for editing, 

but now it looks fuzzy. Or maybe I need glasses?!)

Overall it's been a busy and full season. But it's been good. 

There are so many things to be thankful for.

A Halloween Recital and NATS

My recital this year was Halloween night.

I fully anticipated giving the recital in an exhausted state as a result of being a mom.

However, Aleks was able to come home early and took the kids out of the house so I could rest.

He's the best.

The rehearsal before my dress rehearsal was rough.

I hadn't had a lot of time to work and things weren't where I wanted them.

I sweated and stressed and practiced for the next 2 days.

The dress rehearsal went much better.

A colleague of mine was there to give some feedback, which proved invaluable.

As a student giving recitalist, you're rehearsing with your accompanist weekly for at least a semester (sometimes an entire year) to prepare.

As a result, you know your music really well and it feels like minimal effort goes into memorizing.

I'm finding that one of the difficulties of being a professional is that you don't get the luxury of learning a recital in a leisurely manner. 

And rehearsing with an accompanist costs money.

Not to mention the distractions and difficulty children introduce.

However, I really love giving recitals. 

I love the repertoire. 

I love the intimate feeling between myself and the audience.

I always feel incredulous that people actual want to hear me sing.

And so honored to share my music with them.

I opened with Britten's "On This Island" and then a set of 4 Wolf lied.

Both sets went really well.

(I don't think I was really this red, greenroom lighting isn't the best)

After intermission I did a Handel cantata "Lucrezia" and a set of 4 folksongs for soprano, piano, and viola set by Alan Smith.

The Handel was giving me the most problems. I had spent the majority of my time memorizing the Wolf set and regretfully neglected the melismas in the Handel.

Thankfully, it all went well and the staging of the cantata proved effective.

My collaborative partners:

The audience was small, but full of important people: my students, colleagues, husband, and a few members of the community were there.

The was my first recital since having been pregnant and/or nursing and I really feel like my voice has stabilized. It's been really fun to get back in shape (vocally) with this project.

The day after my recital, I headed to Lincoln, NE for our annual Midwest Region NATS student auditions.

Basically, it was 2 days of listening to college kids sing and write comments about the breath mechanism, larynx, diction, etc.

It's an exhausting 2 days, but strangely gratifying.

I took 2 students, both made the semi-finals and one placed third in his division.

There were over 400 kids competing.

I am extremely proud of my kiddos.

Aleks held down the fort while I was gone.

I so missed my girls, coming home today was the best.

On the agenda for this week: cleaning house and voting.

And I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the littles will get adjusted to the new time quickly.