There is Something Immensely Satisfying About Having a Hibiscus Blooming in My Window When It Is Snowy Outside

And yes. We finally got some snow. It was 60 degrees on Christmas and when it started snowing last week, Nathan told me that it kind of made him want to do a Christmas do over. 😂

To Each Their Own

Today Nathan picked up the ceramics from the kids’ recent Color Me Mine trip. It is always fun to see the finished pieces the way the artist imagined them. And I’ve never had one come back and been disappointed. I don’t think my kids have either. There is just something about having the dull colors come out vivid and the matte turned to shine that leads to excitement about the result. Plus, the anticipation that comes with waiting for a week or two ramps up that pleasure when the finished results are finally seen.

I think the most interesting thing about this particular set of projects is that Daniel painted a stack of frogs, the same one that Malia selected on a trip a few years ago. Malia’s frogs are painted in a variety of greens. But Daniel went the poisonous tree frog route and made them a kaleidoscope of color. Each of them interpreted the art in their own way and both reflect their owners very well. Malia’s favorite color is green, and everything is better in green. She might do something more diverse now, but then again, maybe not. Because green. And Daniel is a hard-core painter of 3D printed fantasy miniatures and model airplanes in a variety of sizes and has a great eye for detail. He has spent years honing his painting skills. So ombre vs. multicolored. Both options are fun.

And as a random comment, the fancy speckled paints do in fact look super great!

Duck Update

Malia still has seven ducks that need finding. I found one this afternoon when I went downstairs to get a can of corn, so we sent her down after school to get a can of corn. But she missed the duck because she grabbed a can from the front of the case rather than the back, so we sent her down again. And then we sent her back again because we really didn’t need that extra can of corn. 😂

I suspect the remaining ducks will be found at other unexpected moments. And it might take a long time since Tawni doesn’t remember where she hid them all and we have only found one in the past week which means they are pretty well hidden. So, I guess this is one of those gifts that keeps on giving? 😜

I Still Love Frog and Toad

You may recall that over the past year, Nathan has had the opportunity to interpret for several stage productions. First, Elephant and Piggie, a children’s show based on a popular children’s book series. Then a high school level production of Les Miserable, also based on a book. Nathan has absolutely loved these opportunities as they are a blend of several things he loves-ASL and theater. Although we have seen videos and pictures of Nathan in this type of work, we had not seen him in action in person. So, when he told us that he would be interpreting for “A Year with Frog and Toad,” another children’s production based on another book series, we took the opportunity to drive up to Logan to see him. 

While the Elephant and Piggie books are fairly new in the sense that they were published when my kids were young, the Frog and Toad books were published when I was young. In fact, they are a book series that we owned, and I read them over and over. They were some of my childhood favorites. Some years ago, someone wrote a musical based on the characters from the Frog and Toad book series. The boys and I saw a production of the show many years back when my sister Patti was in a community theater production, and it was loads of fun. We bought the soundtrack and it is one they listened to a lot for a while and that I revisit from time to time. In fact, the “Cookies” song pops up in my head on a fairly regular basis. I mean, I do love cookies and it is a super catchy number. So, in addition to getting to see Nathan interpret, we had the chance to see a fun show!

Kevin, Malia and I drove up and picked up Nathan, and then Daniel and Tawni joined us for lunch and the show. There weren’t any Deaf youngsters at this performance, which is a shame, but Nathan worked and got paid regardless. And he is likely going to be interpreting for more shows over the coming months. The Utah Festival Opera is highly interested in continuing to provide opportunities to make theater accessible for the Deaf. And they have been so pleased with Nathan’s work. He is, of course, tickled pink that they want him to keep coming back.

Nathan was just full of enthusiasm and joy as he worked, and it was so fun to see that! He let his liaison at the theater know we were family, and they even gave us permission to take pictures of him, something that is generally a big no-no in the world of live theater. So, family time, theater time, ASL time…it was a great way to spend a day. Add to that revisiting a childhood favorite, and it’s a win all around. And now I’m not the only one who has the “Cookies” song stuck in my head. 😉

I’ll end with one funny anecdote from the show. At one point, one of the shrink-wrapped cookies they were using as props fell out of a pocket, rolled across the stage, and bopped Nathan right in the back of the head. The entire audience could see that cookie rolling, but Nathan had no idea why suddenly, all eyes were on him. Of course, it was only a matter of time before he felt that cookie tap his noggin, and even then, he didn’t know what it was until he had a chance to glance down at the floor and spotted the offending dessert. All the kids in the audience thought it was hilarious!