Why FOCA Should Scare the Crap out of Parents with Daughters

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Liesl's Recital Videos

These videos were shot with my little point-and-shoot camera, so the quality isn't great...but the performer still shines. :-)

Bowing on all 4 Strings

She still, at this point, needed a little help

Pizzicato (and taking a bow)

The quality of this video is not great, so you can't hear her plucking the D and G strings at the end...but she did indeed pluck them perfectly, and with good rhythm.
And she just dearly LOVES to take a bow at the end of a performance. :-)
(She takes a bow after performing every--and I mean EVERY--song during our practices. Makes for veeeeeery interesting practices!) :-)

Twinkle, Twinkle; My Little Star!

Liesl's 2nd violin recital was Sunday, January 18. This one was much less formal than December's masterclass recital weekend, but it was just as fun. For her first violin recital, Liesl went up on stage with Miss Sharon and myself and identified all of the parts of both the violin and bow. December's recital was also an experiment--it was her first true stage experience. How would she react when asked to walk on stage in front of one hundred people? She did so well, and projected her voice wonderfully for the entire crowd.

The Suzuki Method encourages monthly recital classes to give students regular opportunities to perform in a safe environment. The recital classes also provide opportunities to perform with other children in the teacher's studio, and to socialize with them afterwards. So this will be a monthly event for our family. For her second recital, Liesl actually got to play her violin. She performed quarter notes on all 4 strings, both with bowing and with pizzicato, or plucking the strings with her fingers. She did fairly well with this task, and once again was very confident walking on the stage and performing. "Stage fright" is not in our family's vocabulary!

Her pizzicato quarter notes were wonderful. With the bowing, she was still having a little trouble differentiating between the D string and the A string. So, in an email to me shortly after the recital, Miss Sharon gave me the idea to do the "Blast Off Game" in order to demonstrate the difference between the two middle strings. Liesl counts down alternately on the D and A strings, then when she completes the exercise she gets to thrust her bow up towards the ceiling (without throwing it) and exclaim, "BLAST OFF!" This game, invented on the spot by Miss Sharon, turned out to be incredibly effective. After a few days of practicing the "Blast Off Game," Liesl's bowing of her quarter notes improved significantly--she is more precise when playing the D and A strings.

Liesl had an incredibly good lesson this morning and was introduced to a new song, "The Flower Song," as well as two new techniques: Actually placing fingers on the strings to produce new notes, and playing sixteenth and eighth notes. I think she's getting awfully close to playing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" (which is the traditional beginning song of most violin students.)

We are very blessed to have found the right violin teacher on our first try. I have heard many stories of children (and parents) quitting an instrument because the chemistry between teacher, student and parent was off; it is truly a personal relationship. Miss Sharon is a very warm teacher with very high expectations (read: strict. That's the way we like 'em.) And Liesl adores her. It is really nice to see Liesl enjoying herself with her violin; it is also very rewarding to see our daily hard work paying off so well. We are sure there will be bumps in the road--or broken strings--in the future, but with such a strong, positive start, I am confident we will persevere.

(And, oh my...I am going to be starting this process all over again in a year and a half with Ava. Let us not think of that yet!!!!!)

Patiently waiting her turn at the rehearsal at Miss Sharon's house. The rehearsals are typically held the day before the recital, where they give the students a chance to practice their pieces with the pianist.

Liesl unpacking her violin before the recital.

She does most of the unpacking herself.

Playing quarter notes with her bow with Miss Sharon

Taking a bow

A Struggle with Faith

Releasing terrorists and using our tax dollars to murder innocent babies.

Change has come to America.

Pray Obama Fails

Booger-freezin' cold

I wish I could take credit for the title of this post, but I can't. My dear soon-to-be sister-in-law,* Karen, coined the term on Facebook the other day, and I have been laughing about it ever since. Which is good, because we need something to laugh at in our home. Ava and Mommy have just started to feel human again after a week of being sick with fever, chills, and tons of congestion. By the Grace of God, Liesl escaped the sickness and Tom seems to be ok as well.

Anyway, here are some pictures of an activity we did a few weeks ago at the wonderful Nature Center in Kensington Metropark. It was a cute, hands-on presentation on "Where Animals Go in the Winter." Fitting, huh? It's these kinds of activities that keep the kids and I (relatively) sane during these ridiculously cold and dry winter months.

* Hurry up and get married already, would you guys, so I don't have to type this phrase out all the time????

Mr. Andy showing the kids a felt board of a winter scene.

Discussing bird calls in the winter.

Don't look, Grammie and Papa....

Liesl was fearless when it came to touching the snake.

My parents were surprised--and horrified--to learn that Liesl didn't have the slightest hesitation about touching the snake. But honestly...aren't some of these "fears" and phobias learned? Tom and I actually like snakes (though I admit I like to know when I'm going to encounter one--I would prefer that they not surprise me.) We hope that our girls will respect and love nature as much as we do.

Ava decided to check out Mr. Andy's turtle puppet up-close.

Discussing winter habitats of native woodland creatures

"What, Mom? Can't you see I'm trying to learn here?"

The kids also got to meet and touch a box turtle. The turtle was "wearing" an impromptu diaper (a paper towel held in place by Mr. Andy) and all of the kids thought this was hilarious. Liesl really dug the turtle. I guess it's genetic--I had 15 pet turtles when I was a child.
(Yes, 15 turtles--all at the same time. No joke!)

Moms and kids enjoying lunch and companionship after the presentation. I just love the Farmington Area Mom's Club...I have made so many neat friends through their many activities and fundraisers. (Oh, yeah...and it's good for the kids, too.)

A Slow Monday

I am sick, and Moms don't get sick days. So we have been having an easy day--very little work, a lot of playing, a lot of Mommy lying on the floor while the kids use her as a prop/climbing structure/fence. I thought I would post a few pics of the last week or so, while my 1 year-old runs circles around me and plays with my can of Caffeine-Free Diet Coke (which, fortunately, she hasn't figured out how to open. Yet.)

1-5-09

It was very cold that day, but since there was very little snow on the ground, no wind, and the ground was frozen, we could play outside without getting wet. I've learned that the kids can stay outside longer in very cold weather, rather than when the temp is in the low 30's. There's no mess and mushy snow, so they don't get wet and stay warmer, longer.

"Mommy...where did our corn go?"

Free at last, free at last...Thank God in heaven, they're free at last....

Some of our gardens, frozen and dormant. How I miss them....

Yogurt. Preschoolers find comedic value in everything.

She has to copy everything Sissy does, so she now refuses to be spoon-fed.

So cute. So innocent.

(Who does she think she's kidding?)

Nursing Dolly.

Nursing on the go...she's seen that done quite a few times.

If only I'd had the camera set to "video" when she as burping Dolly. Since Dolly can't burp on her own, Liesl adds her own sound effects. Sugar 'n spice an' everything nice....

Oh yes...it WILL affect YOU

GM slashes support of the arts

This is only the beginning. Soon, they're going to cut pledges and donations to other things that affect everyone, like universities, hospitals, museums.

If I hear anyone who drives a Toyota, Honda, or Nissan complain about the rising costs of things like medical care and college tuition, I'm going to scream.

I can't imagine why, in this day and age, anyone would even consider buying a foreign vehicle. The money you invest in a car is also invested in the country where it was developed, engineered, and manufactured. Think about it: Which country do you really want to invest in?

I want...

...to stay in my jammies and curl up in bed all day with a good book. However, these pesky children of ours will require ridiculous things like clean clothes, dinner, and intellectual stimulation. Honestly--they are so needy.

Happy Friday everyone. Hope my fellow Michigan friends stay warm.

Snow Day Pictures

Snow Day, December 19

Daddy had to stay home from work that day. It was a neat way to start our winter break.

Man, those were some big piles of snow that Daddy had to shovel.
Do you like Ava's "boots?" We put two pairs of Daddy's old socks on over her warmest shoes. Worked great.

Watching little kids in the snow reminds me of how much fun it is

After 10 minutes, Ava was not so amused anymore.
It was too cold and windy for her to stay out long, so Mommy and Ava went inside soon after.

Daddy and Liesl hung out for about an hour. There was actually TOO MUCH snow to enjoy sledding that day--the old sled we have wouldn't break through the huge drifts. What a bummer!

A special treat--Liesl's first hot cocoa. Well, more like tepid cocoa.

Happy New Year!

Best wishes to all of our friends and family for a prosperous 2009!

We will probably celebrate today by being thankful that our power is (finally!) back on; for our generator that can handle our two sump pumps and dry our basement out when it floods; and for my wonderful husband, who was smart enough to make sure the basement was ready to handle a flood this weekend. Not one of our belongings was ruined in the flood, even though we had about 3 inches of water in the basement. I LOVE my husband, he does have his difficult moments, but he is so smart and resourceful!

It's the last of the holidays for a while...thank goodness! We are about celebrated out right now, with all of the birthdays, holidays, traveling, decorations, gifts, etc. that needed to be attended to. I worked so hard to scale everything way, way back this holiday season, and even though I did manage to do so, we still had quite a lot of hustle and bustle. Holidays are tough when you travel with two tiny children, even without a major power outage and flood.

Now for a quiet (sort of) day at home. I have milled some rye berries to make a light rye bread. We will be making Reuben sandwiches for dinner because Tom, of course, will require some sauerkraut for the traditional German New Year's feast. (It is said that Germans eat carrots and cabbage on New Year's to bring in financial stability. In that case, I should be making Reubens for every single person who works for the Big Three today. Better get to work, huh?) I would love to get the kids out of the house today without freezing our buns off, but the library is closed, the museums are closed, everywhere worth visiting (read: everything that is free) is closed. I can't wait for the world--and our lives--to get back to what we laughingly call "normal."

I hope everyone has an enjoyable New Year's Day!

Merry Christmas

"Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.

Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord."

Luke 2:10-11

Happy 3rd Birthday, Liesl!

Liesl, just 7 days old

THE BIRTHDAY CHILD
Everything's been different
All the day long
Lovely things have happened
Nothing has gone wrong.

Nobody has scolded me
Everyone has smiled
Isn't it delicious
To be a birthday child?

- Rose Fyleman










And now she's 3! My big girl.

Julie and Tyler were the only non-family "guests" at the party

Cousin Zach reading to Liesl, Tyler, and Papa Culver

Ava checking out Sissy's loot!

The cake I made and decorated

Watching the ever-important gift opening

Sharing cake with Aunt Tammy

Cousin Zach liked the cake too!

Playing rough-and-tumble with her cousins

(Cousin Alex, 11, is the owner of the hand coming out of the blanket....)

Liesl's 1st Violin Recital

Liesl's first recital was Sunday, December 14th. Oh, my. It was an event to remember. Everything was fun, exciting, encouraging, uplifting.

Liesl went up to the stage and, for her performance, gave the audience a tutorial on the parts of the violin and bow. She did splendidly. For two weeks, we have been practicing the process of doing a performance: Carrying her violin safely in rest position, walking onto the stage, projecting her voice so that the entire audience would hear her, taking a bow, walk off. Oh boy, did all that practice pay off! At first she was too quiet ("quiet" is something that Liesl is not generally known for), but after a gentle reminder to speak loud enough for the audience to hear her, Liesl belted out the names of the violin parts with such vim and vigor that the audience could not help but laugh along with her. Her teacher said she is a natural performer. (I wonder if I can take a little credit for that. I was performing in at least 3 plays while I was pregnant with her, and in each of those plays, the musician was, surprise surprise, a violinist. She really had no choice!)

Liesl is, according to our teacher, her youngest student to have ever come up on stage, and, without hesitation, give a spirited and accurate rendition of the parts of the violin and bow. As a token of this milestone, she received her first violin pin, which, after her performance, she insisted that I pin on the lapel of her dress. She is as proud of that pin as anything, and Mommy couldn't be prouder of her if she had brought home the Olympic gold.

During the rest of the recital, she got to color and play in quietly while other students performed, though we did bring her back into the performance hall occasionally to see a few students that she knew--as well as her teacher--performing on stage. Afterwards, there was a wonderful, kid-friendly reception, in which we got to socialize with other students and their parents. Liesl enjoyed running around and playing with new friends, and since she was the littlest kid (with the littlest violin), she had a lot of Miss Sharon's more seasoned students coming up and talking to her.

What made this 1st recital even more special was that it happened during a master class. Our teacher's friend and musical colleague, John Haspel Gilbert, visited the studio and gave us a private performance of Bach's Partita #3 in E Major. (It was my first time seeing a violin soloist perform in person--it was amazing. I had tears in my eyes at the end of the 2nd movement.) Liesl was not old enough to participate in the master class rehearsal this year, but there are rumblings that he will be back next year. At that point, both Liesl and Mommy will be performing!

Tom took a video of Liesl performing, but since it was done with our video camera and not my point-and-shoot, it will take some time before I can figure out how to post it online. I will post it as soon as I have time to figure it out. (That could take years.) We have viewed it often. It is tremendously cute.

Liesl's next performance will be on January 18, where she will play pizzicato and quarter notes on all 4 strings. (As a new violin student myself, I can tell you: This is not as simple as it sounds! The violin is a tough instrument to learn, there's a huge amount of control involved.)

Soccer mom? Not me. I'm a violin mom!

Liesl with our teacher, Miss Sharon, and Maria, another student

Liesl with Mr. Gilbert. See how she's proudly displaying her violin pin?

Running off some energy before her performance...with her violin safely in rest position.

Some of Miss Sharon's other students performing with her and Mr. Gilbert. These young children amazed me with the things they can do with such sophisticated music, and at such young ages.