I like to make myself a warm drink before I go to bed. If any of you are reporting to my bishop (oh, yeah, I know you're out there), this would be the non-alcoholic warm drink before bed. Sometimes I'll warm up milk, sometimes it's Perot (tried it?). I turn on the tea kettle and go wash my face. I love my tea kettle. It was a gift last year for Christmas - thank you, Mom! It reminds me of Eli, actually. If you don't jump as soon as it speaks to you, it gets louder in a hurry. It's pretty amusing. The kettle starts to whisper-whistle and everyone, including Eli races for the stove to turn off the heat. This is not a sound I remember growing up, but I find it immensely reassuring to me now.
It's been so long since my last post, I think an update is in order. Caleb is in kindergarten. He announced to me, with great pride, this afternoon that he is the tallest person in his class. (Surprise!) He is already reading, thanks to some pre-kindergarten coaching. And his teacher is filling out everything else he needs to know to succeed in life... like cutting with scissors and sorting blocks by size, and color. He seems to be thriving.
Isaac is in second grade. And if that surprises you, believe me it surprises me as well. When did I grow up enough to have such a grown up young man for a son? He is continuing in the Chinese immersion program at school. Homework involving indecipherable characters has become commonplace. Actually, I'm working on deciphering some of those. I'm studying Chinese, too. I love it. Chinese is a tonal language, meaning the same word may be pronounced five different ways depending on the tone. It's a very musical language.
On that note, both boys are studying piano and doing very well. Tom is teaching them, and I have to say, he's a great teacher.
I'm also taking some classes at BYU. This semester I'm taking early American history and self-defense. The pace in my history class feels achingly slow. But I have plenty of other things to keep me busy. About three weeks ago I was called to be the Primary Presidency Secretary in my ward. Just four weeks ago, I thought to myself how much I would not like to serve in Primary. Life is full of ironies, isn't it, dear reader? But to my surprise, I find myself more and more excited about the work we are doing. I feel more and more that whatever talents I can offer the children will be needed. And, probably more importantly, I feel what can only be described as a softening of my grumpy old heart towards these noisy, squirmy kids. More on that tomorrow...
3 comments:
Self defense class sounds fun. Isaac also amazes me with his flexibility and flip-flop athleticism--i.e.-doing a back flip on the trampoline, and climbing up door frames. I've not seen Tom teach piano to kids, but now that you say it, I realize that he would be extremely good at that, and probably enjoy it a lot more than I ever did/do--simply because he knows how to have fun with and enjoy kids, and truly enjoys entertaining them. Teakettle sounds great.
(Disclaimer: this is Shawn - not Mindy) Don't worry about not loving kids. I hate my own sometimes -er I mean- that I "I like you, that's why I don't want to be with you... it's a complicated emotion" (Nemo - on trying to explain why he was trying to evade responsibility of being a friend to Dori when she needed him most - always!!!! - darn it. (and no I don't hate kids, I just have to make them feel that way as a teacher and father some times in order to make sure they are truly happy! ;) (that was another shot at those who might try to turn me in to the school board of super-intendants! Perhaps I should be a little more concerned there, but I'm not. I do show the "increase in kindness therafter (and before and even when I shouldn't - really most of the time, that IS the problem for wishy washy old Shawn!
Did I say I was going to be a "Charlie Brown Ghost" for Halloween? Yep, I am. -(Shawn)
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