The one where I have to brag. . .just a little

A week and a half ago, I had piano student over who is learning "The Hokey Pokey."

After she left, Halle started figuring it out -which is typical after a day of teaching- for Halle to try to pick out what she's heard me teach that day.

Just for fun, I sat down with her and showed her how the chords worked, etc. I reeeeally wasn't expecting she'd get it - since it is a Level 4 song, with syncopation and a walking base line that jumps around, etc. Besides Halle is still in Level 1 - not to mention she's only in kindergarten.

Anyway, she floored me. I mean, these kind of rhythms usually take weeks for students to get their first time. . . and she just gobbled them up. You'd probably have to teach piano to fully comprehend what I'm talking about. . . and I swear I'm not just being prejudiced here. I seriously couldn't believe it. She flawlessly took the rhythms and jumps, without hesitation.

What?!?

"Holy cow, Hall," I said, "You are amazing. How about if/when you can play this whole song, I give you 5 bucks. You have to have it perfect though, k?"

1 1/2 weeks later- I had to pay up.

Check her out on this facebook video. . . she makes it look so easy. :)

http://www.facebook.com/p.php?i=567314198&k=5YB6XZVR4T2AXABBPDZVPVWTRPGE43&oid=330378242117

THANKS Tiffany for uploading it for me!! Love you!

Rock On, Halle Girl! You make me proud!

The one about taking it easy

Well, I am supposed to be "taking it easy."

Which I am. Though I think I've gotten more done (sewing projects, taxes, this blog entry. . .) since Dr. B told me that, than I have in months.

And speaking of months, it's been a couple of stormy ones.

For example, in January I was driving to my sister's house, when I hit ice and the car went sliding into oncoming traffic. I crashed head into a truck, and then a car behind them slammed into their back.

The blessings have to be mentioned first here: FIRST OF ALL: Halle, Bailee (my niece), Baby and me are all fine. SECOND: Though it should have, the air bag didn't go off- which normally would be a bad thing- but with my baby belly inches away from the steering wheel, I'm sure I would have been in bad shape if it had. THIRD: Our insurance has been amazing to work with (Bear River Mutual. . if you don't have it, I'm telling you- you are missing out!), and FOURTH: my SWEET SISTER is letting me borrow her car until we can find a new one. I LOVE YOU AUTUMN! I don't know what we'd do without you guys.

NEGATIVES INCLUDE: Though our car was the least damaged, it was totaled. Which is really bad timing, just weeks away from having a baby. Kev's really not around to help me find a new one, and I really did NEED that darn car. ALSO: I got a ticket! How lame is that? The cop said, "I know it's like pouring salt in the wound, but it's just standard to get a ticket when you're in an accident." WHAT!?! For sliding on ice? Silly stuff. I'm going to court on March 5th to appeal it. I'll let you know how that goes. AND FINALLY: just the overall anxiety of driving now. Sheesh- I didn't expect it but suddenly I hate driving anywhere. Realizing how easily something could hurt one of my kids or someone I love. . . I'm hoping those nerves calm down soon.
Here's a pic of the kids from when we went to clean out the car. I guess they were kinda emotionally attached to it, because they kept hugging it and they're still saying they "miss" the car. Lol. Funny kids.

Another stormy patch hit us last week when half of the dental work that was done in Drew's mouth abscessed. He had three molars with boils underneath them, oozing disgusting infection, and putting the poor kid in totally-unfair-for-a-4-year-old agony. I called several dentists to see what we could do. . .but it was unanimous. ALL THREE teeth had to be pulled on Wednesday. He now only has ONE molar on the bottom of his mouth. Again I will start with the blessings:

FIRST- he is not in pain anymore. SECOND: They are not permanent.

NEGATIVES (I get to be a little negative right?!?): I will NEVER forgot how Drew on the way home from the dentist realized they'd pulled out his teeth and cried, "Mom! They took my teeth! They are out! Why did they do that?!" and then put his head in his hands and sobbed- and I sobbed with him. I feel like such a bad mom. First of all, like I should have been able to prevent it in the first place. . and also that my kid is running around toothless. Ugh. Ugh. Ugh. But the hardest part for me now is that there is some unfinished fillings he needs to have done. . . and I AM SCARED TO DEATH. Why did the other fillings go bad in the first place? Will it happen again? Will he lose more teeth? HOW COULD HE POSSIBLY loose more teeth???!?!

Of course, everything I'm blabbing on about wouldn't have been as hard if A) I wasn't sooo pregnant and B) Kev was able to come home more. This has been the hardest semester so far, Kev mostly getting home between 3AM-11AM in the morning. (Yes, I am serious. 11AM from the day before.) Weekends have been way to short, and filled with everything that keeps us away from home or being together. . . there has been no break and I can feel it all the way down. He's exhausted, I'm exhausted. . .all the prego symptoms just keep getting worse and worse and now my blood pressure has been climbing (thanks, Toxemia) and I'm supposed to be going to the dr's every few days to take tests etc and somehow "take it easy" at the same time. Not so easy to do it all by yourself with two other kids and the emotional stability of a . . .hormonal pregnant insomniac.

But it's all good. Really. Because, today I read NieNie's blog and there it was - the will to get through it all and see through to the blessings in the mean time.

(Thanks Nie, as usual)

So I am going to count my blessings and enjoy having a reason to let the clutter in my life go for now, and maybe one of these "easy days" I will be able to catch up on this blog. Let's just not count on anything, k?