The Smith Family Adventures

It all started last summer when I got an email from a fellow mom at the boys’ elementary school. She knew I was newly in charge of the art literacy program at the school, and had an idea. She sent me this link to a blog post about a wing project that an art teacher did at another school. She asked me if we could incorporate it in any way to our art literacy program. I instantly fell in love with the project, but with my limited art skills I was hesitant to take on something so large.

As September rolled around and I needed to finalize plans for art literacy for the year, I met with the principal at the school to run ideas by her. She also loved the eagle wing mural idea. So I got going with research and experimentation. I decided our artist for the art lit lesson would be the original inspiration for the blog post project…Kelsey Montague. The more I learned about her the more inspired I became. I wrote the lesson materials for the classes to use and came up with a project. Each child in the school would create an eagle feather. Then those feathers would be assembled into an interactive eagle wing mural. We taught the kids about tinting, and they used paints to try it out on their feather. Then in a separate lesson, they filled their feather with drawings of things that inspire them or make them happy, which was based on Kelsey Montague’s #WhatLiftsYou campaign.

I’ve been super busy this spring with the project. First I had to experiment with a bunch of different papers, types of paint, colored pencils, and everything else that had to do with the project. Once I had chosen all of that I trained all of the wonderful art literacy volunteers, and the project was launched. I immediately received a lot of positive feedback, and I was fairly confident the project would turn out well. However, one can never be sure until it is totally finished.

After all the feathers were completed by students, I got to sit in the conference room at Imlay for a grand total of ten hours assembling the mural. I think I lost about half of my brain cells due to the strong scent of mod podge. I also felt old for the first time…as my legs and hips did not respond well to sitting on the floor for that long all at once.

However, the mural turned out fantastic if I do say so myself. I got my reward just moments after it was hung in the front entranceway as students were being dismissed and oohed and aaahed as they passed. Phones came out and people immediately started interacting (taking pictures) with the mural. The next day, it was our schools STEAM festival and I hear there was a line all night to take a picture in front of the mural. I feel very happy that this project is done and I so glad that I took on this project…but if you ever hear me talking about wanting to make a mural again, please tell me…No!

Here are Simon and Caleb in front of the mural:

And because the artwork on the feathers was so beautiful, I took some close ups. You can’t see it from far away…

I love how some kids say they are inspired by family. Some have music notes, animals, plant life, and other amazing designs. There were even a few that took my breath away, and I hated that they had to be partially covering eachother.

It was fun to see each kid finding their own feather in the mural and feeling proud. The project was very inspiring and unifying.

Elias began taking piano lessons about a month before he entered first grade. His interest in piano has waxed and waned throughout the year and half he’s been taking lessons. Some weeks it seems like I have to fight him for practice time. Other weeks he wants to play around and experiment with sounds and mini compositions, but doesn’t want to practice his lesson materials. Then there are some weeks when I have to force him to sit at the piano at all. I think that’s pretty normal.

The OMTA (Oregon Music Teachers Association) provides ten levels of syllabus for students who want an extra challenge. Elias’ teacher recommended he start at level 3 based on his skills, and he’s been working very hard for the past few months learning various music theory and two pieces to play.

Elias has never seemed nervous before the recital performances he’s done, and didn’t seem nervous about syllabus until about a week ago. This past week when a practice session didn’t go as well as it could have I’d see his iron will start to crack. I could tell the pressure may be getting to him for the first time. It was hard to watch, but I also think it’s good for him.

Today was the day for his syllabus demonstration! Elias began the day with a mild fever and actually took a nap in the middle of the afternoon. I was a bit nervous if we’d even be able to go, but after the nap he rallied and even jump roped outside in the sun for a bit before coming inside to change his clothes.

Elias demonstrated for an adjudicator his music theory skills in four keys (e and d minor, and F and G major), sight reading, rhythm reading, and played two pieces. The whole thing took about a half an hour. For me it was a completely different kind of nervousness than when I was completing syllabus myself as a child. I knew he could do it and had worked so hard, and I just wanted him to have a good experience and to have a chance to enjoy the fruits of his hard labor.

Everything went well for Elias, and he got a certificate saying he completed a successful demonstration for level 3! His teacher kept his certificate and the comments from the adjudicator so that they could go over them together at his next lesson. However, when he got home, I did snap a picture of him in front of the piano to mark the day.

And because I don’t remember any of the songs I played (with the exception of a few for levels 8, 9, and 10), I took some pictures of his music for his own records some day.

Elias really enjoyed the experience I think, and felt proud of himself. On the car ride home he said he was looking forward to some new songs! As a mom, I’m glad he had an experience where he struggled and worked hard. I’m proud of him too.

Two things have happened in the last few days that have really made me realize how much Simon is growing and changing. It’s hard for him being the middle child. It seems like a lot of things Elias does get celebration and attention because he is the oldest and always the first to do everything. Caleb is the youngest…my baby…and he’s always the last first…if you know what I mean. Simon’s stuck in the middle.

Now that Simon is in kindergarten I’ve been trying to have him play with friends outside of school because I have seen with Elias that it really helps friendships develop. Plus it’s just fun. Unfortunately because of our schedule and because it just takes a lot of effort to set them up, Simon hasn’t had many play dates. We’ve had a few great ones…but just a few. Meanwhile Elias has a standing play date every week and sometimes more. Poor Simon.

Simon has been begging me for weeks to try to set up a playdate with a little boy in his class. We’ll call him “M.” I was having trouble finding any contact information for “M” because I had never met his parents, and so Simon enjoyed a few other playmates in the mean time. I’ll admit I wasn’t really motivated.

Last Thursday, Simon came home from school and told me that he had written down my phone number and given it to his friend “M” at school. He just looked so excited and pleased with himself. I have to admit my first instinct was to react in anger. How dare he give out my phone number! Who knows where that piece of paper is going to end up. Kid’s backpacks are like black holes. And I don’t even know these people! But my anger quickly turned to amusement, and maybe even pride. I wasn’t setting up the playdate for him, and he took matters into his own hands. It was pretty cute. The next day there was a note from “M’s” mom in Simon’s backpack with her contact info. I contacted her and set up a time for the boys to play. So…Simon’s idea payed off. It worked! He’ll soon be experiencing the joys and delights of a playdate with “M.”

This whole thing has really made me think about Simon and how he is realizing he can sometimes take his fate into his own hands. He can be proactive and assertive and try to make things happen instead of letting things just happen to him. Way to go, buddy! (Now don’t go giving out my phone number any more!)

And the second thing that happened was that today, Simon lost his first tooth! I arrived in the pick up line, and he ran out proudly with that little plastic tooth necklace.

I was super excited and asking him all sorts of questions and took this picture. I guess I went on too long about it because he very politely told me that I was embarrassing him and could I please stop talking about it.

I just looked at his changed smile all afternoon, and while it’s exciting, I am again mourning the loss of something. He’ll never have that baby tooth smile again. Soon, a huge thing will grow in right in the front of his smile and he’ll be changed for good. Onward and upward I guess, but I’ll cherish this little hole in his smile while it lasts.

Caleb’s been dropping off his brothers at school almost since the day he was born. When he was an infant, Elias was in Pre-Kindergarten four days a week, and Caleb came along in the car seat every day. The next year Elias went to Kindergarten and Caleb came every day to drop off and pick up. He also came along to drop Simon off at preschool and as soon as he could walk, he would follow Simon right into the classroom and sit down at the table looking at Simon’s teacher with the “what about me?” look. Last year when we dropped of Simon at pre-K, Caleb would run into the classroom before I could stop him and play with the cars every day. This year when he knew his turn was coming soon, he would insist on wearing his backpack just like his big brothers when we all climbed into the car for drop off. This kid has been ready to go to school for a long time!

In the last few months, though, Caleb has really been going through a clingy phase. At church he’d rather go to the service or to Godly Play in my classroom than go play in the nursery. When friends come over to play he just sits on my lap. I know it’s just a phase and it will pass so it doesn’t worry me, but as the first day of school was approaching and he was still so nervous about being separated from me I have to admit I had some anxiety over the situation.

Today was Caleb’s first day of preschool. He is in a program called “pre-3’s”. It’s actually for three year olds who are the oldest of their year (born between Sept 1st and Dec 31st), and it’s just one day a week. It’s really just a “getting used to school” kind of thing. After months of looking forward to it, Caleb told me this morning that he’s not going to go to school, and asked over and over again if I was staying or not. He was pretty nervous.

However, when I told him it was time to take first day pictures in the backyard he hammed it up as usual.

We got in the car and drove to school and when we arrived in the parking lot he shouted, “My School!” He insisted on putting on his backpack himself even though he usually needs help, and he didn’t even ask me to carry him in…something he usually does. (Although he did consent to hold my hand). We arrived at his classroom and found his coat hook. Again he wanted to be independent and insisted on learning how to hang up his coat and backpack on his own.

When we arrived in the classroom he was pretty clingy, but the teachers had a water color page set out for them to work on first thing, and Caleb got right to it with his trademark one color artistry. His teacher, Mrs. G helped get him started.

After painting he got to have free time and choose whatever toy he wanted. He chose trains.

After about 30 minutes I decided it was time to go and let him be at school by himself. He must have heard me tell the teacher I was going to sneak out because he came running over and grabbed my leg. Luckily Mrs. Manning was there and she helped him get started with play-doh. Then, when I told him I was going to leave he barely blinked an eye!

When I returned for pick up at the end of school I peeked in their door window and saw him singing along happily during their circle time. When he came out the first thing he said was, “Mommy! I had so much fun at school with my new friends!”

So folks…I think it was a success!

It’s difficult as a mother to be constantly pulled in so many directions. I am so happy for him and excited that he is growing up and moving on. He’s got so many exciting things ahead, and the fact that he was able to have a successful first day of school at this age says a lot about him. However, it was also a sad day for me. My youngest is now attending school and I have no more babies. It’s a kind of loss for me as well as a joyous occasion. Nathan just scoffs when I get all sentimental, but I have to admit there is a little piece of my heart that would be happy to freeze him in this little phase forever.

I suppose that is why living in the present is so important. I can’t look back fretting about what is gone, and I shouldn’t look too far ahead to what is coming. I’ll try to live right here, right now so I don’t miss a second of it!