He's Caught the Vision!

Our stake (collection of several wards [congregations]) is putting on Disney's "Beauty and the Beast". Brian, Lyssa, and I are on stage. Adam decided he wanted to be in the orchestra, playing the double bass. We have all been practicing a lot in preparation for our performances the last full week of April. The orchestra is just about ready to join the actors on stage. Adam has been making comments about how long the songs are. "Be Our Guest", for example, has over 400 measures. That is a long song, especially when you consider the stuff he's playing in school has around 100 measures. Also, Adam hasn't been enjoying "Be Our Guest" since he plays almost the entire song (remember, over 400 measures) pizzicato. (That means plucking the string instead of using the bow.) Pretty boring for him.

Last night, the leads went in to where the orchestra was rehearsing and sang "Be Our Guest" with them. Adam said it was so AWESOME! He says that playing while they were singing makes the song not be boring anymore! He was so excited! He has caught the vision of playing in a large orchestra (or band) while others are performing. He is now so psyched! The orchestra will be joining the full cast at our rehearsal tomorrow night. He can't wait.

I am so grateful that our family has this opportunity. We are each enjoying what we are doing and the parts that we are playing. I am especially glad that Adam is enjoying his experience in the orchestra so much. I am so glad that we are in a position to be able to be a part of something like this. It's been (A LOT OF) years since I have performed on stage, dancing and singing and just being a part of something that is larger than I am. I am loving the chance to be able to do it again. It's even better because my family gets to experience it with me. So much fun!

~Bobi

"Yes! I Can See!"

Yesterday, Lyssa got CONTACTS!!!!!!! After struggling for quite a while, she was able to put a contact in her right eye. She looked in the mirror, and with hands punched in the air, she exclaimed, "YES! I CAN SEE!" The technician and I laughed. She wasn't able to get the second contact in, so I helped out with that. She has fairly large astygmatisms in both eyes, so she gets to experience the joys of wearing her contacts for a few hours the first day and add on an hour or two each day after, due to the shape of the lens. She is loving having her contacts. She already came home from school today and begged me to be able to put them back in again. It's hard to be patient! I remember feeling the same way!

~Bobi

"I Like Myself"

The other evening, after Lyssa finished freshening up prior to that evening's activities, she came to me and said:

"Mom, I've decided that there is more to me than being pretty. I'm smart and funny. I LIKE myself. I mean, I'm pretty, too, but there really is more to me than just that."

I told her that I agreed with her and that I was really glad she likes herself. I encouraged her to take a few minutes and write down her thoughts and feelings so she could remember in the future. (She did.)

Later that night, she told me that at her last Up With Kids rehearsal, one of the directors had encouraged the students to go home and look themselves in the mirror each day and tell themselves "I like who you are and what I see". That was the impetus for the above.

I am very grateful for kind, thoughtful, caring people in my daughter's life who are helping her with her self-esteem. I'm grateful that she is open enough to listen and confident enough in herself to take it to heart and own it.

~Bobi