Aug 21 & 22

Sunday, August 21st-

Tonight Silas and I went to the Stake Seminary Devotional where they talk to the kids about how important seminary is and introduce the reading schedule for the school year. I read with the youth 2 years ago when they were reading the D&C. Last year was Old Testament and I only made it about half way. This year is New Testament and I am committing to read along.

The fireside really made me desire that Cleod was in seminary already. Middle school seems like such a crucial transition point and I wish he had some extra goodness. I will just have to do better at home.

One of the things we need to work on is our Sundays. We don't wake up Grandma in the mornings on Sundays now and today was the first time we've been home since doing that, so it was a weird morning and I let them watch Veggietales for a while. We need to watch less on Sundays, even if it is considered “Sunday movies.”

Monday, August 22nd-

We love music at our house!!! It's in our blood!

This year Cleod was going to be playing percussion, but as summer band went on he seemed uninterested. So when school started and he came home telling me about how the band teacher taught them about the balance of a band I was ready to be OK with him switching to a different instrument. He chose the bass clarinet! He is super excited about it and I am too. Luckily, the school rents out instruments at reasonable prices! The only bad thing is that it is HEAVY and he has to haul it back and forth every day.

Cleod is still doing piano lessons and we will need to look for another teacher soon because he is more advanced than Peggy usually teaches.

Ryan is taking guitar lessons and doing awesome. We need to get him a new guitar badly! He is also waiting patiently to start piano lessons. ALSO, he will be doing violin in orchestra at the elementary school as well as choir there. Singing is his favorite.

Grant is going to join choir again, which he loved last year, and he REALLY wants to learn the violin. I am going to try to show him some things on the weekends and see if that satisfies him.

Cora thinks she is awesome on the piano because she plucks out melodies. Molly tries to play too, although she is more of a singer. She sings as she plays all the time.

Silas wishes he had a good set of bagpipes so that he could play them. Someday! And sometimes he sits at the piano and plays a tune that just came to him one day when he was sick. It is beautiful!