Carl Perkins

I love the first picture!  So, #99 on the Rolling Stones Top 100 artists list is CARL PERKINS.  He is most famously known for writing "Blue Suede Shoes".  It's a shame Elvis got the credit for that song because Carl really does a better version of it!  His style is Rockabilly, and he does it very well.  I can't listen to Rockabilly all day long, but I do appreciate his talent as a singer and songwriter.  It would be fun dancing to him.  He is especially impressive as a guitarist.  What makes him more impressive is how he learned to play. (read about him here!)  I recognized 4 songs that the Beatles covered:  Honey Don't, Everybody's Trying to be My Baby, Roll Over Beethoven and Matchbox.  My favorite of his songs is Honky Tonk Gal.  

Carl also collaborated with Johnny Cash.  A great album he worked on with Johnny is Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison.  Carl was the guitarist for this show and helped write some songs.  It's a great, dark album.

You don't come across many musicians today who come from truly humble beginnings and have the ambition and discipline to live out their dream with dignity.  That's all I have to say about Carl.   

Talking Heads

I've recently decided to expand our musical exposure and turned to Rolling Stone's list of the
100 Greatest Artists.  I can't say I agree with all their choices or rankings, but I plan on following all 100 nonetheless.  We started off our countdown with #100...Talking Heads (1975-1991).

I love the Talking Heads!  They are probably most well known for Burning Down the House, and And She Was.  They have such an interesting and unpredictable instrumental quality and David Byrne is a brilliant singer storyteller.  I love theatrical singers, and Byrne nails the theatrical.  He doesn't just sing.  He is like that engaging person we love to listen to who's animation and exaggeration makes ordinary things sound extraordinary.  Granted, not all the songs make sense...I'm sure there was quite a bit of drug experimentation going on with the group...shocking, I know.  But Talking Heads craziness works well.  Love them!

The albums I was able to check out from our local library were:

Stop Making Sense:  1984 live album with a movie of the same name.  (will watch the movie when I can track it down)  Different versions of many of their popular songs

The Best of Talking Heads:  Title is self explanatory

Top 5 Favorite Songs:

Love - Building on Fire:  The lyrics are poetic and crazy & I love the tweeting birds and tweeting lyrics
Psycho Killer:  Insane and theatrical
Uh-Oh, Love Comes to Town:  Makes you want to dance and incorporates a carribean island beat that surprisingly works
Once in a Lifetime:  Theatrical depiction of life working for "the man"
Found a Job:  Can't stop dancing to the 70's funk beat

Would I recommend Talking Heads?  YES!

Spring Days

Felix sporting his 3rd pair of glasses in just his first year of wearing glasses...get a warranty on kid's frames!

Daphne and Max

6 months old

Daphne at our favorite walk destination

Sitting on the "raft", as Daphne calls it

Returning home from a row on our neighborhood lake

Rex in the tree after he and Felix built a contraption to aid their climb

Flower Girl

Now that it's spring, Daphne has discovered her love of flowers.  Our walks take twice as long as she discovers and picks new flowers.  She likes the little flowers and says they're "soooo cute."  One day she said to me, "I'm a girl named Daphne that picks flowers." She also says that the two of us are "Flower Girls".  You can see in the pictures below that she has quite the knack for flower arranging.

Raffi Rocks!

Daphne and I were so lucky to go see Raffi perform live!  I'm pretty sure I was more excited about it than Daphne.  1 - because I love Raffi and 2- because I don't think Daphne really understood where we were going.  She just wanted to hear her favorite song, Baby Beluga, which she did get to hear.    You'll notice she was dressed to the nine complete with a dress good for twirling, which she did a lot of during the concert.  I said it once and I'll say it again, I just love Raffi, and he put on a great show for a group of very enthusiastic toddler groupies.  We had so much fun!!  

Favorite songs of the night:

Baby Beluga

Bananaphone

Down by the Bay

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

Thanks A Lot

May There Always be Sunshine

Daphne Twirling

Brotherly Advice

Rex has recently taken up writing in a journal which he calls a diary because of the "Dude not a diary" starter journals I gave both to the boys; however, I'm trying to get him to call it a journal because that sounds more masculine, I guess?  Anyway, Scott and I heard the boys talking in their room when they should have been falling asleep.  We really started listening when we heard Rex get worked up and this is what followed:

Rex:  Joseph makes fun of kids who have diaries and if Joseph's not my friend anymore I'll only have one friend left!! 

Felix:  Listen, I'm going to give you some really good advice.  What you have to do is act really cool and then you'll have lots of friends.

Rex:  I already have a plan.  I'm just going to kick him in the butt at recess.  

Felix:  Actually, that's a really bad plan.

Rex:  I have a back up plan.

Felix:  What is it?  Shoot him all over with a dart gun?  

Rex:  No, just keep kicking him in the butt all of recess until he plays with me.

Miss Daphne

Daphne

lover of babies and princesses

little miss in your business and do it my way

outdoor adventurer and tea party hostess

caillou obsessor and sugar addict

healer of ouchies and broken hearts

dish washer and twirler

sweet and spunky 3 year old

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!



Felix James is 8

Felix is 8!  Seems like yesterday he was a cute baby with so much energy it came out his toes!  

Today he loves:

telling jokes, using big words, reading, playing the piano, baking, video games, Pokemon, riding bikes, training his gerbils, anything science, Cub Scouts, spending money, basketball, taking care of his baby brother, teasing his other siblings, being comfortable in his PJs, playing with friends and much more

Love you Felix!

Dinner and dessert at the Cheesecake Factory

Rex has a big grin because Felix had just hugged him after opening Rex's gift to him.
These hugs come very infrequently and Rex wants them so badly! 

Felix wanted time in the massage chair at the mall for his birthday

Trying to take a picture with the all the kids

The birthday boy still isn't too old to hug his mommy :)

Practicing piano in his undies

Christmas 2013

Christmas has come and gone.  Christmas with a newborn makes it so hard to be energized to create memories and do fun stuff, so I wouldn't say our holiday was super exciting, but we managed a few things:  gingerbread houses, playing in the snow, visiting a retirement home with the Cub Scouts, carrying on our knock and run secret Santa tradition and of course opening gifts.  

This was the year (*Santa Spoiler Alert*) where I broke the news to the kids that Santa is merely a fairy tale and Mom and Dad are the gift buyers.  Maybe I should have left the fantasy alone for now, but it was just SO exhausting keeping up the charade, and our kids were under the impression that Santa will give you ANYTHING you ask for and I was tired of the lies I had to spin to make them understand that, NO, he won't bring you ANYTHING.  The boys are now under the impression that Mom and Dad are rich in order to afford the gifts they've received...another fantasy that will be crushed soon enough.

All in all a good Christmas.  We're healthy, together, warm and trying to be better each day.  My New Year's Resolution?  Wipe my kids' faces clean.  What kind of mother am I?

The boys in Pokemon heaven

Give Daphne a baby doll and she's in heaven

Max is living my Christmas Day dream

Our Christmas Day Snowman Family