Bagpipes Done Right

Although this happened back in September, I wanted to post this video, taken on our flip camera, so it may be a little jumpy. While we were in our favorite town in Ireland, Kinsale, we happened upon a bagpipe band warming up for a birthday party. We followed them down the street (apparently traffic stops for bagpipes in Ireland) and along the pier. It was a gorgeous night and I'm embarrassed to admit it, but I always get choked up when I hear bagpipes live. I don't know why it happens, but it always does - at the St. Paddy's day parade in NYC, or right there in Ireland, it happens without fail. This was just about as authentic as you can get. I was in heaven.

Grandpa Jack Mitchell's Funeral

Two weeks ago Christian and I took Charles out to Utah for Christian's grandfather's funeral. It was a wonderful funeral with many loving and humorous memories of Grandpa and just a good spirit there. Christian gave a beautiful prayer, all of his uncles and father gave touching tributes, I played Danny Boy on the viola, and even my dad spoke. It was a very full day and I couldn't help think of him as a young man, happy, full of energy and youth. I'm just so grateful that we know about heaven and that he is in a wonderful place.

Mark held Charles during the dedication of the grave and then the two of them "said" goodbye to Grandpa. It was very sweet and made me all choked up.

Chapman leaving his boutonniere on the casket.

All of the grandsons as pallbearers. Grandpa was buried in the Lehi, UT cemetery.

Aunt Genevieve keeps Charles happy and sleeping.

All the Mitchell sons with Grandma. She looked amazing since losing a ton of weight after having both knees replaced. What a machine! That woman has some serious endurance. She and Grandpa raised four really great men who have some really quality children. I should know, I married one!

Clothes? Who needs 'em?

Winfield definitely wears fewer clothes in the winter than he does in the summer. I honestly can not keep clothes on him. He especially likes to hang light sabers on his underpants. What a crazy kid! Seriously. This one has ideas.

Our Five Year Old!

I know, this is the most pathetic cake ever made for a child's birthday. Ask Jack about it - if I'm lucky he won't remember at all. At least the kids liked putting the animals on it.

Jack had a kind of calm animal party, but the real theme of the party should have been Transformer party because that is what he got - from nearly every child! He was thrilled, of course, and seemed to just love being man of the day. So much for trying to hold off the superhero obsession. I can't believe how old he is getting. Everyone comments on how mature he's getting and how tall he is now and how old he seems. It's true.

Rub-a-dub-dub, three boys in a tub...

Jack thought something was hilarious - no clue what it was. He has been the one to transition Charles into the tub because he holds him while I scrub him. What a life saver to have a big brother around! Jack really does help me more than I realize.

Bath time has become quite wild since I added Charles to the tub. He loves to splash, much to his brothers' displeasure. At least he is unafraid of jumping in with two bigger boys. I think he'll do just fine being the third boy.

ADHD

The other day I was at Home Depot with all three boys - again - and the cashier saw Jack and Win running circles around the cart.  She said, "Wow,  your kids are really hyper."  I just said, "No, they just have a lot of energy," and I walked out of the store feeling very proud of myself for not getting annoyed.  I think boys get labeled "hyper" when really they just need to run.  I have done it myself, admittedly, but at that moment I had to see the situation as it really was: they needed a physical outlet in the freezing 1 degree weather we had had all week long.  Who can blame them?  You can only run so many times back and forth in our little basement playroom.  So, for one moment I felt in control as my boys got out a little pent-up energy (and probably bothered everyone else in the store).  

The next day, I took all three to the grocery store (we were having our main floor bathroom torn out and had to get out of the way for a week).  When I walked up to pay the cashier said, "we saw you coming and said to each other, 'Three boys!  I wonder what her day is like!'"  I laughed and just said, "pretty wild at times."  I couldn't lie, but all of you mothers with three girls must feel life is pretty wild too, right?  Well, I'm okay with wild boys that need to run, but I wouldn't mind a thoughtful, quiet girl someday, if the rumors are really true about girls...

Art Education

We thought this was so funny with the nudes in the background - little did he know.

Over Christmas we took the boys to the Art Institute of Chicago as much for our enjoyment as to introduce the boys to some of the most amazing and important pieces of art in the world.  I love this museum.  I have been there many times with different groups of people, but this is the first time with the kids.  I learned that the whole basement floor is geared towards children. You can try on armor, make crafts, re-create a piece of art with blocks, and sit in the reading room with all the picture books and little pint-sized nooks and crannies.  The best part, however, was the audio guide for kids.  I listened to a bit of it and it was fantastic.  Jack learned who Abraham Lincoln was from the guide, and of course from the pretty incredible sculpture of him.  

For those of you who have read Freakonomics you know the authors' opinions about the value of taking your kids to an art museum:  they aren't getting as "cultured" as you may have hoped - just stay home and read together.  I have to believe that showing the boys Seurat's gigantic "La Grande Jatte" up close will teach them about pointillism (in a very basic way), or coming eye-to-eye with the sculpture of an open-mouthed, roaring lion wrestling a Roman god will teach them about stone, movement, and emotion, all far better than looking at a book of art on our laps.  Can't I hope for maybe a love and respect of art?  Perhaps a burning desire to study art history?  I'm not really that idealistic, but maybe they will actually sense from Christian and me our love of the art we saw and remember that aspect of the trip.  But, who am I to go against pages of research?  Just a mom - and moms always know best!  So...who's up for round two?