With the weather getting nicer, we finally got to use our new bike rack tonight. We went to the Norfolk Botanical Gardens and enjoyed their bike night, where they allow biker riders to ride around the gardens in the evening. We even packed a picnic for us all to enjoy.
Upon seeing my recent purchase AJ joked ‘Who gets their 15 month old a recorder? Laura does.’ He was not privy to my master plan of having Brooke play her recorder so Mom can play her clarinet. Brooke loves when I practice but only if she gets to push the keys to make different sounds. This is a lot of fun but as your can imagine does not allow for purposeful practicing. So I bought her a little version of the clarinet for herself to be just like Mom. It was $5 on Amazon and I was impressed when I got it because it is actually a real and nice instrument (not a toy- though I am going to let her use it as one).
I played it for her then handed it to her and she is so smart she started playing all on her own. I didn’t need to put it in her mouth or show her which way to hold it. I quickly stopped practicing and grabbed some quick shots. She enjoyed making sounds on the recorder and it was easy for her to play. While it did not keep her away from my keys as long as I would have hoped, I am hopeful that she will play with it in the future to allow me to practice a bit more with her around. I could easily practice when she is away from home with AJ on a walk (which would certainly allow me to get more work done) but I also want this to be an exposure for her to music in her own home.
The day after labor day we were rained out at Virginia Symphony Orchestra concert in the park. Brooke loved listening to the orchestra play before we had to leave. She was a ‘music baby’ from the start so now she has her own instrument.
We made the most out of Labor Day this year. We started off the day with a family run to a nearby park, where Brooke and I stayed and played while Laura ran a few more miles as she continues to train for the Marine Corps Marathon for this coming October in Washington DC. Then after Brooke’s nap we all went to the beach to enjoy one of the most beautiful days we’ve had there in a while, splashing in the waves, relaxing on the sand and enjoying each others company. Afterwards, we went to Dairy Queen and had ice cream, even Brooke got her own cone. For dinner we grilled burgers and had some tasty sides. Then to finish out the day we took a family bike ride around our neighborhood. It was quite the fun-filled day.
