Ear Training

One of our favorite things to listen to, as I have said, is Handel's Messiah. It is a work which both of the boys are quite familiar with, and can recognize, even when hearing just a small part of it. (No, I haven't been testing them, they just perk up when they hear it; Joel says, "is this the Messiah?" or, "what is this?") Well, the other night on "Adventures in Music" the theme was "Spring is Here" and the first piece of music featured was Vivaldi's "Primavera" or "Spring" from his very familiar "The Four Seasons". Now, I am not a fan of "Spring". It is just so very violiny and ... baroque. So I took a deep breath and braced myself as the music started. The boys did no such thing. They started swinging back and forth in their chairs (we were eating dinner), and waving their arms! "Well," I thought, "this makes it more enjoyable!" Just a few bars into the piece, Joel said to me, "Mama, is this the Messiah?" At first I was a little puzzled by his question. THIS the Messiah? Ugh. But then I realized the similarity, and I think it's what made him put the two works together. They are both so baroque; I don't know another word for it. The baroque patterns are so easy to recognize, and I think that Joel is recognizing those baroque patterns!

Caught with his pants down

On this, the day James turns 20 months old, I'll write a few things about him.

James has suddenly grown a fondness for pulling off his pajama pants after we put him to bed. He will do it over and over again. One night when I checked on him before I went to bed, I discovered him, asleep, with his pants off, inside out, and somewhat covering his head as if he fell asleep while attempting to put them on his head. I wish that I could've taken a picture. I laughed pretty hard at that one. But now he has taken off his pants during the daytime as well. It's just the latest thing, I guess. One time he pulled his shorts down to his ankles and went walking around with his shorts around his ankles. Then the other day at the table during supper, I turned to talk to Joel for a minute and when I turned back to James he had taken off his shirt and dropped it on the floor. We made the mistake of laughing at him, and I think that this all might be just a big joke to him as he loves to make people laugh, and he is a goofy boy anyway.

Here are some more words and phrases that James is saying:
baby
It's a baby
Jesus
plane
stink pot (my nickname for him)
bite
alright
Adam
Audra
Amy
amen
yes ma'am
yes sir
Grandmommy
Greg
Meme
PawPaw (he's said that for a long time)
love you
(I want) up
(I want) down
There he is!
apple
banana
beans
bread
meat
juice
eggs
cheese
salsa
I want that
can / can't
pen
sit
seat
phone
bath
book
teeth
shoes
all words associated with going potty

I think we'll be potty training soon.