DJ William George

When people ask me how William George got his start as a DJ, I will be able to point to his mastery of our music collection at the age of three.

 
DJ William George from Cathi Lindsey on Vimeo.

Weekend Update

Happy Monday, friends. Are you as shocked as I am that the month of April is over? We are always excited to see May roll around, even if it tends to be exceptionally busy. This past weekend was the calm before the storm, and we spent it as low key as possible.

Lauren and Grace had a class field trip on Friday, and I tagged along as a chaperone. We left school at 8:45 and took the bus to the McWane Center. I had forgotten how loud 45 children on a bus can be... or how loud they can be once inside McWane. It sounded like children had taken over a busy Vegas casino! Our group consisted of five girls, and I have to admit they were incredibly sweet, well behaved and posed minimal flight risk. Well, one was a moderate flight risk, but that just kept us on our toes.  They were the most awesome group of girls ever.

Gracie enjoying the bubble zone

Lauren and friends catnapping during the ride back to school

The duo had a game Saturday that we were certain would be canceled due to rain, but it was not. Parents at the game wore the same expressions of children whose snow day dreams have been dashed when they awaken to clean streets and yards. Although it had rained all night, we were clear to play in the mud. Gracie got on base three times -- twice with doubles -- and ultimately scored twice, earning two of our team's four-point total. Unfortunately, the other team scored 8 points for the win. Although Lauren struggled with batting, she had some good offensive plays as pitcher and at second base, earning her team a couple of outs. William George is learning some good lessons about patience in the dug out. He enjoys a snack on the bench while the team is batting, and then he and I play while they are in the field. So far he has been a total champ.

Skip pitching to Lauren

After the game, we picked up lunch at Burger King (don't be envious of our extravagant tastes :), came home and crashed. Skip visited with his mom who has been sick and was not feeling well at all Saturday, and the trio had some quiet time while I attempted to restore order to our home.

Footage of one of the doubles:


Softball (Grace) 2015 from Cathi Lindsey on Vimeo.

Skip says Gracie can play this clip to a future therapist one day...  complaining about how he gruffly told her to advance to second complete with an aggressive hand gesture. She can also bemoan the fact that her mom missed the crucial first two seconds of the whole swing/contact part.

Later when Skip went out to pick up dinner, he ran a loooong-anticipated errand. By way of backstory, Skip has always been a Blackberry man. He loves the product and has mourned their decline over the last few years. His company has debated continuing to provide support for their use, and during one of those times when it seemed unlikely, he made the move to an iPhone. That was two years ago, and he has never really loved the device. He loves his iPad, and he appreciates my iMac. However, he says the phone is difficult to type on, and the screen is too small (whatever that means). He has a list of complaints that I don't particularly agree with, but I celebrate and embrace obtaining the device of his choice. He certainly tolerates my handbag obsession. However, he does ridicule it, and I tend to do the same with his Blackberry preference.

Anyrate, when he went out for dinner, he stopped by the store and picked up a Blackberry Passport. The store had stocked a total of three (HA!) in its inventory, and Skip nabbed their last one. I'm trying to talk him into writing a review for the blog.  Skip enjoyed exploring his new device while we had dinner and a movie night.

We also spent the weekend avoiding key areas of our small town. We had a festival in town this weekend, but the event was kind of a muddy, wet mess. We normally go, but decided between the rain and the McWane fatigue we would wait and catch it next year. We strategically avoided the carnival equipment and other telltale signs of the festival in order to preserve sanity. While writing about dodging a fun festival, I feel like a stick in the mud; however, we have three games this week, as well as two school activities, making my self-preservation seem like a smart move overall.

Globophobia

Pixie is working on conquering her globophobia:


 
Pixie and the Balloon from Cathi Lindsey on Vimeo.

Jesus loves William George

Grace and Lauren had some projects/presentations back in December. The theme was "Christmas Around the World," and they were each assigned a day to present their reports to their class. We always video a practice run of their presentation, and I am working on getting those loaded now. Not to be outdone, William George wanted to practice a presentation, too, so he presented one of the songs he sings each week during chapel time at preschool. We think he nailed it.


 
Wm George Sings Jesus Loves Me from Cathi Lindsey on Vimeo.

Christmas 2014

The trio spent December 23rd playing with Gran and Poppa, while Skip and I ran a few errands. Unbeknownst to us, Santa had arranged for the puppy Grace had requested to be delivered - with special assistance of our Elf, Zippy.  When we arrived home, we found a 12 week old Bichon Frise puppy in a basket underneath the tree, and that's where the trio found her later when Gran and Poppa brought them home.

A quick peak at their discovery:



Christmas 2014: Pixie Lindsey from Cathi Lindsey on Vimeo.



We covered the 24th here. The only thing I left off was my bemusement when reading everyone's middle-of-the-night escapades on social media. I didn't dare add my own (sleeping with a puppy in a car in the basement) because that type of thing only makes sense in the middle of the night...with newborn infants and homesick puppies. Knowing that other friends were up all night helped me feel better.

Anyrate... After an eventful Christmas Eve, Skip and I got up early Christmas morning and waited patiently to wake the trio at 7:30am. Grammie joined them in coming downstairs to see if Santa had visited. When they realized he had, chaos and pandemonium ensued.

Poppa and Gran joined us later for breakfast and a second wave of chaos.

In the days since Christmas, we have been having pajama days, movie nights and have had lots of fun going through the toy store that has become out home. (Everyone was really much too generous. Again. :) As for the puppy, who has been named Pixie Lindsey, she has gotten better, increasing her comfort level and sleep each night. She finally slept last night from 11:30pm until 6:45am, and that feels like a total WIN.  We had a wonderful Christmas and are enjoying getting to know the newest member of our family.

I hope your holidays are going well, and we wish the best of 2015.

William George's Choral Debut

Last Sunday at church, the preschool classes got to perform onstage during worship service. William George is on the front row, fourth from the right, in the green sweater, and he couldn't have been prouder to be on that stage.



Preschool Christmas Performance 2014 from Cathi Lindsey on Vimeo.

Her Characteristic Sense of Urgency

We had recently completed bedtime routines (x4) and were sitting on the front porch. When we went back inside, my phone displayed the above.

Normally the trio use their iPods for music and an alarm clock, but earlier that day I had plugged up a Hello Kitty digital clock that they wanted to use. Lauren had apparently messed with the buttons and had altered the time. Her panic-stricken video message best indicates the urgency she felt to correct the problem:



Missed Calls from Cathi Lindsey on Vimeo.

Day 18

A message from my sweet girls:



Greetings From Home from Cathi Lindsey on Vimeo.

Piano Recital 2014

Last weekend (weekend before last actually) the duo's last softball game was scheduled at noon, and their piano recital was scheduled at 2:00. Since rain had poured down for most of the morning, William George and I reluctantly missed the game. One of the prime activities for George is playing in the mulch, and there simply wasn't an option for playing in what would have then been mud and then heading to the church for the recital. Therefore, we divided and conquered. Skip took the duo to their last game, and William George and I packed their clothes, music, etc., in a bag. After a quick change in the restroom, the duo quickly transitioned from softball to piano. 

They pulled it off nicely.

Here are the long awaited performances:


Grace's Piano Recital, 2014 from Cathi Lindsey on Vimeo.




Lauren's Piano Recital, 2014 from Cathi Lindsey on Vimeo.

Enumerated Update

Our thoughts and prayers are with our Arkansas and Oklahoma neighbors after last night's storms. 

Hello, friends. Locally, we are expecting some of the apocalyptic weather we sometimes see in the spring. Please be careful and heed the usual precautions.

Otherwise, briefly, here's where we are:

1) Break: I took an unexpected break last week. Easter weekend occurred when I was already four weeks behind on photos so I tried to motivate myself to become current by insisting that the photos be edited in chronological order (four week backlog + Easter weekend). That process took about five days, but now I have about 40 drafts hanging out in Blogger. Also, I am prepared for the recitals and end-of-school activities that are right around the corner.

Of course, any time I mention being "behind" to Skip, he gives me a look that says, "You realize you are worried about productivity as it pertains to............... a hobby, right?"

Yes. Yes, I am.

Addendum: Skip has read this entry and would like for me to clarify that he is very supportive of all hobbies and activities.

2) Prayers: My mom recently came clean about a diagnosis she received back in December. It is serious, but reparable. If you would, please, remember her in prayer while she undergoes further diagnostic testing next month and evaluation with a specialist in June.

3) Snugglebug: Yesterday William George exhibited a lot of fear and anxiety during a thunderstorm. Since the storm occurred during his nap time, we took a nap together. We have a queen bed in his room (his room was previously a guest room, and we kept the bed when we made the room a nursery), and he knows that will be his "big boy bed" soon. The last time I slept in his room he was a little baby. He was the scoochiest yesterday during nap. Oh my word at the snuggles.

4) Kate Spade: I have adored Kate Spade's products since the company was founded in 1993. I remember finding one of her earliest handbags at a favorite consignment shop (as a new item, carefully placed on a special Kate Spade shelf). I carefully admired it but passed because the price ($85.00) was beyond my budget. For years I regretted not saving to nab that bag, and then her line took off, prices soared and the goods were gone.

This article about KS designer Dana Lucas is a nice (free!) peak into the world of Kate Spade.

(By way of disclaimer, Skip gifted a Kate Spade bag to me for my birthday this year after I discovered an affordable option on an eBay flash sale. Hooray for sales!)

(As I was opening the gift, my mom's eyebrows raised, and she said, "'Semi obsession?'" as she often does whenever the subject of bags comes up. She would like for me to update my profile to read: Handbag obsessive in desperate need of an intervention.)

5) Lauren's curiosity: A few weeks ago Lauren taught herself how to iMessage on her iTouch. Last week she recorded a video message that she then sent via text. The toothless smack at the end is what gets me.


Future Vlogger from Cathi Lindsey on Vimeo.


And that's it for us.

Remember, be safe and try to stay out of harm's way.

The Cold Never Bothered Her Anyway

Recital season is fast upon us, and the duo are busily preparing for ballet, tap and piano recitals.  The duo have been working hard all year, and we have the costumes in hand.  Over the next six weeks they will be finalizing routines and songs. Last week at ballet we were treated to a preview:



Ballet, Spring 2014 from Cathi Lindsey on Vimeo.

I also snuck a little video of Lauren practicing her recital piece, "Somewhere Over the Rainbow".


 
Recital Practice, 4-4-14 from Cathi Lindsey on Vimeo.


Gracie is also working on her song. She recently announced that she wants to sing "Let It Go" during the recital.




Like every little girl all the world over, ours have been bitten by the Frozen bug. Accordingly, Grace belts out the infectious single dozens of times each day. She does not shrink from the high notes, and she can project her voice impressively. So when she expressed an interest in performing the song during the recital, I had the unpopular task of explaining that usually vocal performances are limited to vocal students... that taking voice is a prerequisite for performing vocally during the recital.

 Needless to say, she was not amused.