Weekend Success!

What a weekend! For a girl that has gotten used to the lull of a 3 mph life, it was a whirlwind of fun and energy.

Thursday was spent getting ready for Book club, where I lead the discussion about Po Bronson's "Nurture Shock".

If you haven't read this book, I can't stress how much I recommend it. I love that it gets you thinking about some of those instincts that we have as parents, and helps guide growing opinions about whether those instincts are actually helping our child . . . or if they're derived just from our own experience being parented . . . or maybe they're just more convenient but actually not beneficial to our kids, while others are very helpful and great to have. The book offers multiple scientific studies that tend to shatter what we think is best for our children . . . or in some cases support what we already knew. Whatever opinion you end up with, I love that by the end of the book it's virtually impossible not to have one.

Friday was a huge day at our house - something Brooklynn and I have worked towards for 16 months.

Looking back, one of the most amazing elements for me was recognizing how much B and I have gone through during that time. Of coarse in a somewhat sentimental way, for me this wasn't just a celebration of completing our Twinkle Variations. On a growing up level, it was diapers to potty training to big girl pants, crib to toddler bed, pacifier to sippee cup to blankie's, learning to talk, learning to listen, learning to follow directions. On a violin level, it was 16 months of building hinges, body parts, muscles, emotional stamina, focus, and our teacher/student relationship. On a mother level it was preparing a house to sell, showing it 100 times, packing all the boxes, saying goodbye, going through a miscarriage, teaching 6 hour days, often combined with several hours of gigging, but still giving "my best self" to my little girl for her own lesson. It was leaving everything that made me feel me and starting a new life in a new place, but this time as a whole family. The last 16 months have been huge, and the ONE consistent thing throughout the whole process has been Brooklynn and my time together every single day practicing violin. What a journey. I made a video dedicated to the process and am now in the middle of editing it to include the actual Twinkle Graduation concert, where Brooklynn earned her twinkle trophy. Look for it in an upcoming post.

Friday evening welcomed a baby shower for our "Baby Bean" as Brooklynn has dubbed him. It was a highlight that made this baby seem real for the first time. Very fun to see all those little clothes and feel the soft baby blankets. Brooklynn just about died with happiness, she has been mothering her dolls non stop with all the fun clothing and toy additions since.

Saturday brought with it our first ever Little Buckaroo Event.

Brooklynn, Brent and myself headed over to the famous Ingalls Equestrian Center in Norco where we registered her for the "Goat Tail Untying". Don't worry, it's actually a ribbon on the goats tail that you untie. It's a timed event where they ride into the arena (for us at a slow walk), dismount, chase the goat (that is tied to a long rope) until you can untie that pink ribbon and ride out again. Brooklynn had a blast, and her mile wide proud grin she wore on the way out of the arena proved it. My whole life I've kind of struggled with this conflict of "classical violinist / Rodeo Gal" personality clash. But years ago I just embraced the fact that I love both, and that knowing my environment would change the clothes I wore and sometimes the way I talk . . . but that they're both "me". Looks like B is headed down a similar path (much to my fancy). Rodeo: definitely something we'll do again next year.

It was a fun filled jam packed weekend. And definitely left this 8-month pregnant mamma a bit exhausted.