Some Stuff From This Year Part IV - Christian Edition

Christian is a builder.  He loves to create things.  Give him Legos, give him K'Nex, give him Lincoln Logs, or Tinker Toys, or bread...he's going to make something out of it.

After we arrived home from Florida, he was able to get into some of his Christmas presents that we asked him to wait on until we had them at our house.  One of those gifts was this creature made from K'Nex, his pet, he called it.

While my photography skills are indeed lacking, the blur in the photo is not because of me (entirely)...this funny little guy actually moves.  And he wobbledy clacked over to me and tried to go right up my leg.

I'll say this much:  that's the closest any pet of my kids will get to my leg.  Once, a real live dog did something similar and peed on my toes.  I had on open-toed shoes.  You can imagine how glad I was that happened.  Ha.

Christian also likes to dig.  That is what he does while Michaela has soccer practice, and he is very good and patient about teaching his sister this important skill.  (Aren't you impressed that I let my children dig in the dirt?  Right next to a tree at the park?  Where at least one dog is sure to have whizzed?!)

And don't forget the balls.  He throws, kicks, dribbles, and bounces.  Even two at a time! 

 

Last but not least, this year Christian has been working on growing his two front teeth.  He wanted them for Christmas, but it took a wee bit longer than that for his pearly whites to show up. 

I wrote about his birthday the other day...did I mention that he turned eight?  That sounds so crazy to me.  When we moved to Dallas he was just about to turn four!  That's like a baby!  When I think of him when we came here, I remember someone soooo small.  And now he's not too far from being in the double digits.

Christian is one funny dude.  He has a great sense of humor, and his laugh is one of the most contagious laughs I have ever heard.  He is sensitive, and extremely passionate.  His intensity can be...challenging.  But there is a deep well of emotion in this boy, and we have a very important job to help him learn to navigate the rough waters of life that he will face in relationships and circumstances.

(Sorry for mixing metaphors.)

His place is a tricky one.  He is the brother of two sisters, one older and one younger.  He has lamented the fact that he is often surrounded by girls, and has pleaded for a brother.  (Never mind that even if we did have another, we can't guarantee that his new sibling would be loaded with testosterone.)  I hope we can cultivate in him the instinct he has to watch over and protect Eliana (and one day, Michaela, when she doesn't seem like she's so much bigger than he is, to him) and to help her and teach her.  It's so wonderful to see those things when they do happen.  His name means "follower of Christ" and from the time we chose that name for him until now I have prayed that he will live into it.  May it be so.  There is no one else worth following.

That Face

It's about 50/50 whether or not I get a picture of Christian smiling.  Or even looking at the camera.  He doesn't always appreciate my desire to capture a given moment.  Then there are times when I take his picture and he's not looking or expecting it.  I love those candid photos because they are genuine.

This week at I Heart Faces they are asking for smirks.  They define a smirk as "a smile evoking insolence, scorn, or offensive smugness".  This can be tricky...it's hard to get a picture of.  If someone is smirking, then he probably doesn't want his picture taken.  But sometimes you can catch a look, accidentally, that spotlights an area of someone's personality that doesn't often get highlighted in a picture.

Christian is a tenderhearted and sensitive guy...but he's also tough.  And just a wee bit intense.  And it shows.

I like his face when he's smiling, and when he's serious.  I can see him, the grown-up him, here.  Would you believe we were at a playground?  He was actually in the middle of having a lot of fun.

There are some great takes on the smirk over at I Heart Faces.  Check some of them out!

Lighten Up

One of my favorite things about this summer was Christian's hair.  That may sound strange, but I really loved it.  We didn't cut it all summer, and it got crazy long.

Even at the beginning of June it was in need of a trim, and while we were at my parents' house we talked about it several times...but just never went and had it done.

I love how it flipped out from beneath his hat. 

It didn't seem like a big deal that his hair was so long since we were headed to the beach anyway.  I thought he would look pretty good, with surfer hair.

Really, it didn't seem that long.  Just a little bit over his ears.

When he came up out of the water the first thing he would do is take his fingers and flip his hair up, so he could hear.  He had these funny wings over his ears most of the time.

The days passed and it got longer and longer...I loved it though.  I love the shaggy, beachy, wild look.  It seemed just right.

By the time we arrived home, it was longer than it has ever been.  I asked him if he was finally ready for a haircut, since we were home and we had to get ready for school anyway.  He said yes and then said,"I want a buzz cut."

This wasn't the first time he had said it, actually, but I didn't think he was serious.  I got on the computer and showed him some examples of buzz cuts.  He pointed to David Beckham and said,"I like that!" 

Well, who wouldn't? 

I said,"You like his hair?"  He assured me that he did, and that he wanted to do that to his own hair.  Cut it that short.  All off.

So...we went to the SuperCuts. 

And we told the lady,"Buzz cut, please."

And she took her buzzer and she revealed Christian's eyelashes

as well as his ears, and a smile.

Not that the smile wasn't there before, but I do think he likes the buzz.

And as much fun as I think his long summer hair was, I have to admit the buzz cut is pretty cute.

Keys to My Heart

It is time.

I now know how to add videos onto our blog.  You guys are in trouble.

Actually, today you are in for a treat, especially if you are a grandparent, and especially especially if you are a grandparent of Christian and Michaela.  Here is a video of the two of them playing the piano (separately) at their Spring Recital, which happened to be on Mother's Day this year.  What a delightful gift for me!  I hope you enjoy it, too.

Spring Piano Recital 2010 from Christina Walker on Vimeo.

I am so proud of Christian for playing his piece.  He chose not to participate in the winter recital; his nerves got the better of him.  It was a big deal for him to walk up there, sit on that bench, and play.  He did it without music in front of him, as well!

And Michaela.  I don't have words.  My heart feels so full when I listen to her on the piano.  She loves to play, and I love to hear her, so our arrangement works really well.  I think she did such a beautiful job.  When she plays Amazing Grace, I think,"It is, isn't it?"

I'm glad to share this moment with you all.  There will be more to come...like Eliana in her musical debut.  I know you can't wait!

A Tea Party

Christian was up at the crack of dawn this morning, which was a blessing in disguise.  Normally he is very hard to get up.  Since I had to be in his class with the stitching it really helped that he bounced out of bed bright and early...we had a lot of time to get ready and get out the door. 

He, of course, wore his nice clothes for the tea party.

I brought his tie over and he shouted,"Cool!  I get to wear a tie!"  It was very cute.  Then he said,"Do I look handsome?" 

Quite.  I think I am going to be in trouble one day.

I could write too much here about what a crazy morning it ended up being, but I think that I'm going to skip all that, at least for now.  The main thing is that in the end I had a plan for Eliana, got her set up, and went to the hostess' house to help prepare for the tea. 

They had already done so much!  This was her formal dining room, where several guests would take their tea, but it was also where the artwork was showcased.  It was amazing.  I was so impressed with what these children had created.  You can see some of their work in the picture above, and below is Christian's painting.

The title is A Flurry of Lines and Dots. 

Since we were there early, and there wasn't much left to do, I wandered and took pictures.

Our table

The silver is mine; I inherited it from a woman that my dad took care of for a long time.  It was very sweet of her to leave me her silver, as I didn't know her well.  But she loved my dad, and his family just as much.  This was the first time I had ever used it.

The china belongs to the grandmother of one of Christian's classmates.  China is so lovely, isn't it?

The dining room

The above tea set is an antique that belongs to one of the moms.  The china on the table was used for the first time today.  How fun!  Who would have thought - a first grade tea party for the inaugural use of one's wedding china.

The food

Strawberries and lovely little sandwiches...and scones.  You can't have tea without scones.

The children arrived in several cars and were announced at the door.  They carried with them the hats that they had made for the mothers and their special guests.

Once everyone had come in and all hats were given to the special ladies, we gave our attention to the artwork.  The school's art teacher was there, and had an award for each piece.  I wish I had a recording of the names of the awards!  She was so creative and each one was unique, paying attention to the style of art that each person used, as well as other things that were indicative of individual personalities.  Each child received a button for their work as well as a small framed picture of it.  One of the dads was present to speak about each artists' contribution and introduce the awards.  He did a great job.

Once the awards were done, we all sat down to tea!  Not before a picture, of course.

Christian wasn't sure what his tea was going to taste like...

But how can you go wrong with two lumps of sugar and milk in a two ounce cup of tea?

He liked it so much that he shouted across the table to his friend that it REALLY WAS GOOD!

This picture makes me laugh because he looks so unimpressed.  He liked the tea very much though.

Michaela, on the other hand, had a hard time getting hers right.  It was too sweet, and then too dark (her words).

She always takes these things in stride, though.  She is too sweet, and so very light!

What kind of mother would I be if I didn't get a picture of them together?

They are always so thrilled to get their picture taken with one another...

Indeed, what kind of tea party would it be without brotherly/sisterly love?

After everyone was done with their tea we all moved back into the living area for one final presentation.  We revisited the Sandcastle Competition as each team received a certificate for their sand creation.  Christian's team's castle was designated "The Most Mysterious". 

You can always tell when the end of the tea party is near by the untucked shirt. 

We said goodbye shortly after this.  The children in Christian's class are tight.  Toward the end of the tea party they were all piled on the sofa looking through the program which showcased each team's sandcastle.  I can't believe that this year is almost over, but what a year it has been.  They have learned so much, but even more than that, they have done so much.  He will remember this class and this year for a long time.