Music Man

So yeah.  Marcus' obsession with music is NOT just a phase.  This passion of his is in his DNA, passed down from all 4 grandparents and his own mom & dad.  It occupies the majority of his day and he says he even dreams about it.  Ha!

As his parents, it thrills us to see him loving something this much, and being so good at it, too.  We have these lofty visions of him having a career in the music industry, participating in the worship team at church, or being a sound engineer.  Who knows how the Lord will use this in his life?  For now, it's a great therapy for him and gives him a sense of success that he doesn't readily find with other things.  I love hearing about other kids with JS love music too.  Watching a video of one friend play the trombone at his school recital and seeing another guy rock out on the electric guitar with his friends in their band, make me so excited for all the experiences Marcus will have in the future as well.

Typical boys his age may read books about Star Wars or their favorite action hero, but not our son.  He geeks out on books like these:





The nerdier the better.



He don't discriminate against the 80s photos either.



For some reason, he also likes to know how each instrument is spelled.  The boy is thorough, I tell you.  Next time you see him, ask him how to spell "music".  It's the equivalent of asking him what his name is.



He makes music everyday.  Sometimes just for fun.



Other times, it's serious practice.



After ordering us to play "Twinkle Twinkle" 1.5 million times, he's learned to finally play it himself.  Thank the Lord!  I'm so sick of playing that song!  Big props to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart for writing a tune that has occupied my son for countless hours.  Mastering this song has made him realize that he can play other ones too.  After showing him a few times, he's also added "Mary Had A Little Lamb" and Beethoven's "Joyful Joyful We Adore Thee" to his repertoire.  "Jingle Bells", however, he learned on his own...just started playing it one day.  He's a freak like that.

His newest favorite exercise is quizzing him on what musical family each instrument belongs to. We've got the woodwinds (and a side of snot).



The brass instruments



The percussion instruments



And the strings



Sometimes he puts them in single file.  Just to admire.



Group picture



When he's not playing them in real life, he's playing them virtually.



Or watching others play them.



We've already started training Little Brother to follow in his footsteps.



But we're not sure if he's serious about it.



Some of you already know, but Marcus and Derek came out with a single a few weeks ago.  Here is their debut video, produced by Lady AnteMiriam of Babysitting Records, recorded at Wet Diaper Studios.  Enjoy.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=U028jWonELU]

Remember This

On my wedding day, I kept telling myself, "Remember this."  I didn't want the day to pass without me being fully aware of the day Mike and I became husband and wife.  So now, I have the sweetest memories of that day that even the photographer couldn't capture on film.

Three kids later, my memory-making muscle is always being exercised.  Like every parent, I want to make memories for my children that they can keep for a lifetime.  But lately, I feel like I want these memories for myself as much as I want them for Audrey, Marcus, & Derek.  Time is flying so quickly and I don't want to forget that I was once a mom of 3 young children who were blissfully content and loved being a part of this family.

It's been a season of reprieve for our family, and whenever we get those windows of peace, I just want to soak them up and whole-heartedly thank God for them.  This past month, we had the chance to take a few outings.  I couldn't get the best angles with Big Poppa strapped onto my chest, but I did my best.



So...I want to remember...

How Audrey asked if she could wear this unique outfit on our outing to a nature trail at Newport Back Bay.  She's at a stage where she must wear a skirt at all times, Duggar style.  She also did some interesting layering with her tops.





and then added shades.



I want to remember how Marcus "Whoa-ed" while admiring the view



and did not want to stop hiking up and down, up and down, up and down the trail,



giving Daddy a workout, as usual.



I want to remember how many times Audrey said, "Look!  Look!" at the aquarium.



And that although he was battling a cold, Marcus enjoyed himself too



and still wanted to walk around and give Dad some more exercise.



I want to remember my model parenting:
Me:  Audrey, take a picture in the shark's mouth.
Auj:  I don't want to.  It's scary.
Me:  Audrey, put your face in the shark's mouth NOW.  Obey.



I want to remember how stoked the kids were for their first swim of the season.





And how Marcus was sporting his new shades, male model-style.





I want to remember how bad of  a swimmer Audrey still was, after flunking her swim lessons last year.  This girl thinks she is HOT STUFF when she puts her head in the water for a few seconds.  She says she doesn't need lessons because she already knows how to swim with a vest on.  (????)



I want to remember how Derek woke up from a nap one day and found himself at the beach for the first time.





And Big Brother thought Lil' Biggie looked pretty cute.



I want to remember how Audrey had a perpetual smile on her face the whole day.



And although he was only able to take catnaps, Derek was super happy to be in the sun too.



I want to remember how much the kids liked picnicking on the sand.





And how Audrey could have jumped waves for hours.









I want to remember that although Marcus was scared of the ocean,



he was King of the sand



and couldn't be happier.



He loved ordering his father to "Get more water....pleeeeaase."



And Mike fulfilled his wishes again and again and again.



I want to remember how stoked I was to still be married to this guy



And thankful to add more pages to my mental wedding album.