Cello through the trimesters

This pregnancy has had its yucky moments, its productive moments, moments of sheer exhaustion and moments of quiet gratitude. I am so happy that through it all I have been able to hold on to my cello teaching and playing.

First Trimester:  I did have to drop out of orchestra rehearsals for a couple of months around this time, but somehow I was able to keep up with my cello students. Back in early November (in the midst of severe morning sickness), I miraculously had a vomit-free day to pull off a student recital for my studio. I definitely could not have done it without Forest's help setting up chairs and the refreshment table. Eight students participated, and everything went remarkably well.

Second Trimester: This past summer I was invited to join a string ensemble playing various music: a movement each from a Haydn quartet, a Mozart quintet, and a Mendelssohn quartet. We met once or twice a month to rehearse. In early February, we performed all of them at the Love Notes Gala: a fundraiser for the Loveland Orchestra. By this point, my pregnancy was a lot more manageable. I was eating normally and had a lot more energy, so I felt up to the challenge of playing chamber music. It was a difficult set and we had a lot of notes, but all of our practice paid off--we sounded pretty good! 

Third Trimester: So far, the last trimester of this pregnancy has not slowed me down much when it comes to cello. I have found myself teaching sixteen cello students, organizing a recital for nine of them, and just as busy as ever rehearsing and performing for orchestra.

With that said, it is probably about time to start slowing down and resting up so I can focus more on our family and upcoming new addition. Sorry, cello--you are going to get packed up and gather a layer of dust this summer, I'm sure!

Easter Sunday

On Easter Sunday I left the house early to rehearse a musical number with a group at church--we played a gorgeous arrangement of "Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing" for string quartet plus piano. Our string quartet was two violins, cello, and double bass (not the conventional two violins, viola, and cello) so the bass player played the cello part and I played the viola part, both of us just switching some octaves to adjust for our instrumentation. Three fifths of our little ensemble got up to perform with protruding baby bumps (myself included), all three of us having due dates within a few weeks of each other. I am guessing the imminent newborn stage is going to keep us rather busy for a while, but hopefully we can get together and play music like that again someday. 

After church our girls went down in the basement to find some Easter eggs. This year, they were filled with pennies.

During Paula's nap, Ramona and Mika each did a painting page from Grandma . . .

. . . and also dyed a few eggs.

By the time Paula was awake, the sun had come out and made the outdoors look considerably more pleasant. I hadn't planned to take any Easter photos earlier, but decided to bribe the girls with some candy to change their clothes and collect eggs in the yard so I could snap a few pictures. This time the eggs didn't have pennies inside, but I was surprised at my daughters' enthusiasm as they gathered them.

The grass was still a bit brown and the breeze a bit chilly, but seeing my girls enjoying the sunshine in their pastel dresses somehow made it feel a little more like Spring.

Disney Magic

A few weeks ago, I took Ramona and Mika on a Mommy-Daughter date to see a performance of "Disney on Ice." We have never seen anything like it before, and the girls were pretty excited.

There is definitely something magical about Disney, especially for children. The music, the characters that draw you in, the happily-ever-afters. Most of this stuff I am okay with.

Double-sided cards from "Alice in Wonderland"

Tinkerbell flying high

Prince Naveen, Tiana, and Minnie Mouse

Possibly every Disney Princess skating with her Prince during the finale

The type of "magic" that is less satisfying to me is the marketing magic that makes Disney so good at making money. I was hoping to leave the ice arena that evening simply feeling good about spending time with my daughters and enjoying an entertaining performance together. Unfortunately, I was completely unprepared to be bombarded by multiple colorful kiosks (there must have been at least 15) outside the arena selling their overpriced but strangely alluring Disney merchandise, as well as several insistent vendors holding out enticing "grab bags" as people headed toward the exits. "Last chance!" "Get them while you can!" 

The resulting effect for us was: two little girls filled with an overwhelming sense of consumer lust, plus one irritated mother who was determined to not give in to pressures to buy, spend, and get. My children know I don't open up my wallet for just anything--I try to be thoughtful about most purchases (some would term this "cheapskate"). They never ask for things at the store and only occasionally express that they wish they had something. Even for kids like this, the atmosphere of commercialization was just too intoxicating at the Budweiser Event Center that evening. There was whining all the way back to the car, and an overall feeling of disappointment as we drove home.

Thankfully, the "good" magic did manage to survive in some form. The next day, I heard Ramona singing some of the songs she had heard the night before, and from time to time the girls recounted memorable parts of the performance to their dad. So, maybe it was worth going, despite some sour moments at the end. I just don't know if our family would survive a trip to Disneyland or Disney World, as un-American as it seems to deny our children that experience. Don't worry, Disney, you'll still get our money, in one form or another. There is some good in you, after all!

Spring Break 2016

Paula in sheep's clothing, holding a homemade lightsaber

I hardly noticed Spring Break before, when Ramona and Mika were at school fewer hours each week, but this year I really felt the impact of having all three girls home with me for that many consecutive days (mostly in a good way). 

Also, I had a considerable amount of time freed up in my schedule this Spring Break due to lesson cancellations. Unlike my students, we didn't have any glamorous trips or excursions planned--I was feeling a pretty urgent need to stay home and get some projects and extra cleaning done before popping out another baby. So, my poor children were stuck at home with their slightly deranged nesting mother for a full week. But I think we made the best of it (and I got a lot of cleaning done, too!). Thank goodness for libraries, St. Patrick's Day, NCAA basketball brackets, fuse bead crafts, piano, and neighborhood egg hunts to help keep our girls busy!

1) Library.

We visited both of our local libraries that week. At the Windsor Library the girls played with prisms, made rainbow necklaces, and fashioned their own kaleidoscopes.

We also came home with big stacks of books to keep all three girls entertained. Ramona recently started reading chapter books, so a lot of the time she was happy to sit quietly on the couch with one of these. Reading is truly a life-changing skill--for both children and their parents!

2. St. Patrick's Day.

Poudre School District's Spring break almost always seems to fall on the week of St. Patrick's day. I am fairly certain we have minimal Irish ancestry, but somehow our family has still developed the traditions of eating green food and building a leprechaun house to celebrate this holiday. 

Pictures for the leprechaun

Green pancakes for the Leprechaun

A note from the Leprechaun

A bagel with green cream cheese

3. NCAA Basketball brackets.
Even though Illinois did not qualify for the NCAA tournament this year, the girls were still happy to fill out a bracket and choose their own champion.

Ramona helping Paula make some bracket picks

Ramona chose the University of Colorado Buffaloes,

Mika chose the Notre Dame Leprechauns,

And Paula chose Vanderbilt University (twinkle little star).

(none of their brackets did particularly well, but they didn't seem to mind)

4. Fuse bead crafts.
Ramona and Mika are getting pretty good at these things.

5. Piano.

It is probably not the girls' favorite activity, but both Ramona and Mika have made considerable progress on the instrument this year. Being home all week with a music teacher mom meant extra practice time for them.

6. Neighborhood Easter egg hunts.

A local church has started hosting an egg hunt at the neighborhood park each year around Easter. Unfortunately, a snow storm blew in the day before this year's hunt, but we bundled up the girls and went to find some eggs, anyway.

Even without all of these extra things to occupy the girls' time, for a good portion of the week they were happy to just play together. I am pretty sure they love being each other's sisters.