Future Pianist

When I was younger I took piano lessons from second grade until about my junior year of high school. I had an incredible teacher named Mary Ellen. I haven't seen her in years, but she is still so dear to my heart. She instilled in me such a love for playing. But my mother deserves a good portion of the credit too, as she was the one who required that we practice for 30 minutes every morning before school. She even made us set a timer. Usually we would practice around 6am, before everyone else in the house was even up. And you know how it is with mothers. If we skimped and only did 25 minutes of practice instead of 30, she was right there at breakfast asking why our practice session was shortened that morning. Not only do mothers have eyes in the back of their heads, and a sixth sense (aka mother's intuition), but they can apparently keep track of time in their sleep. Who knew!?

Some day soon I hope to have my own piano. I still have most of my music stashed away, just waiting for the day it can accompany me plunk out a tune or two. I say "plunk" because that is probably what it will sound like at first, as I am a bit rusty, but I have no doubt my fingers will remember the tunes eventually.

Just before Thanksgiving, Justin's Nana dug out this little toy for Kendry. He just loved that he could make so many sounds with it. Could he be my future pianist? Or will those incredibly long fingers prefer palming a basketball instead?

Ten on Friday (where did Tuesday go?)

1. We had a wonderful time with my brother Justin, his wife Kathy and their kiddos this week. I will try to post some photos from their visit this weekend. They arrived late Tuesday afternoon and we already had to say goodbye this morning. It was too short of a visit, but we are so thankful they were able to stop and see us. And its so much easier to say goodbye to family when you know when you will see them again. The Binder Family 2010 Reunion is scheduled for late June in Fairbanks.

2. I think my child can see in the dark. Kendry has slept in our bedroom the last three nights while Dominic and Trevor have stayed in his room. He keeps waking up right before my alarm goes off, so I try to sneak out of bed in our pretty dark room (without being seen) and to the bathroom to shower before getting him up. But as soon as I pass by his pack and play he starts laughing because he can see me and thinks I am getting him up. My kid is quite talented, I tell ya.

3. I LOVE that Kendry wakes up happy in the morning. How can you not have a great day when your child starts you off with laughs, smiles and hugs just for you? I only hope he is always such a morning person.

4. My snow is gone. Its 40+ degrees here, and there is blue sky popping out. I'm not sure I'll be getting my White Christmas, but the optimist in me says there is still another week for it to happen.

5. I still haven't visited the gym/aquatic center near my house to start working out again. I figured it was pointless to spend the money for December when we are so busy and won't make it down there anyway. Only now I will look like one of those New Year Workout Resolution people when I get the membership in January.

6. We have Justin's work Christmas party tonight. They are a fun group of people and its always a good time catching up on everyone's lives.

7. Is it seriously possible that I am already planning and looking at decorations for Kendry's first birthday party? I know its not a birthday party he will remember, but it is still a monumental occasion. And they have so many fun ideas for kids' parties these days. I figure if I start brainstorming now I'll just be that much more prepared because, let's face it, May will be here before we know it.

8. I get to do my Christmas baking with my friend Michelle tomorrow. I'm still trying to decide which goodies to make this year.

9. We still have a little Christmas shopping to get done this weekend. How fun that we get to do it with all the other crazy, procrastinating shoppers, right?

10. Yikes! I still have to get Kendry's stocking made!

Winter Wear

Although I admitted a few posts ago that I was homesick for Alaska, there are many reasons why I love living in a less extreme climate. One being that I don't have to keep my family outfitted with the mass of basic cold weather gear that every Alaskan must own and wear for several months out of the year. Given how fast Kendry is growing, I have trouble fathoming the cost of his regular clothes and shoes for the next 17.5 years, let alone any winter gear he will need (and only wear twice before he promptly grows out of them before the following winter rolls around). That being said, however, there is nothing cuter than excited little kids all dressed up in their winter clothes and headed out to make a snowman or go sledding. Who hasn't laughed hysterically at the little brother in A Christmas Story when the mom dresses him in his huge, puffy snowsuit? "I can't put my arms down!!"

So, even though Kendry really doesn't need much in the way of winter gear, I couldn't help but find him a few cute items for his first winter, this hat being one of them:

In case you weren't already aware, our neck of the woods has awakened to single digit temperatures all week. Brrr! Fortunately, my mom (Kendry's Alaska Grandma) gave us a wonderful snowsuit for Kendry to wear this season, which we are currently keeping in the car in case of emergency. Of course, I will post photos of Kendry in his snowsuit once he experiences his first snow....whenever that will be...

Ten on Tuesday

1. Today I am being naughty and wearing a certain Christmas gift that I bought for someone. Can I help it if the gift wasn’t wrapped just yet and it totally matched my outfit today? I’m sure I’ll get it wrapped soon, unless it matches my outfit for my work holiday party this weekend…
***Let’s see how many of my friends and family actually read our blog and question if it is their gift I am wearing***

2. Last night Justin made me my very first Reuben sandwich. Dee-lish! Actually, since Justin read up on the history of this sandwich before making it he informed me that we were, in fact, eating Rachel sandwiches since ours had pastrami (or was it salami?) instead of corned beef (which is fine by me since corned beef has never sounded all that appetizing anyhow). But then I pointed out to Justin that his sandwich didn’t even have sauerkraut on it. What then should that sandwich be called? A virgin Rachel? Which brings me to #3…

3. I LOVE SAUERKRAUT! Seriously, its delicious and I never eat it. It even tasted good to me when I was in my first trimester with Kendry and could not find anything appetizing.

4. This morning it was only 5 degrees here - even colder than yesterday. Do I even need to say it? Where on earth is my snow to go with these freezing temperatures?!

5. Kendry is still a bit off from our late nights this last weekend in Quincy. He woke up around 4:30 on Monday morning, and last night he was up at 2:30 and then 5:30. I don’t dare say that I need a good night’s sleep tonight (even though I obviously do) because then he’ll be up at least three times tonight.

6. I’m meeting some girlfriends for dinner at Thai Taste after work tonight. I can already taste the pahd thai. Yummy!

7. I need to find a fun white elephant gift for Justin’s work Christmas party on the 18th. I think we are supposed to just contribute a gift as a couple, but Justin wants to bring a winning scratch ticket ($10) as his gift, and for some reason this year I want to contribute an item people fight to have. Could this stem from a desire to really be liked by Justin’s colleagues?

8. The UPS package tracker indicates that my Christmas cards were delivered to our house today, which means its time to start addressing, stamping and mailing.

9. Justin, Kathy and kiddos arrive in a week, and my friend Amanda will be in our neck of the woods around the same time. There is nothing like time with family and friends during the holidays.

10. My baby boy is 7 months old today!

New Rudolph Tradition

Most of you know just how much I LOVE the claymation Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer movie that plays on TV each December. In fact, I even own it on video, although it is much more fun to watch it live on TV. I'm not really sure why that is. Perhaps because if its on TV that must mean Christmas is coming, as opposed to watching it on video at any other time during the year, which, for the record, I do not do.


I figured it was only appropriate for me to get Kendry off on the right foot when it comes to this Christmas tradition of mine. The program aired on TV last night, but it didn't start until 8pm, and Kendry usually goes to bed between 7:30 and 8. Not to mention that WSU and Gonzaga were playing basketball against each other last night, so someone else in the house was playing couch commando. Even if I had wanted to stretch Kendry's bedtime out so he could watch the show, it wasn't going to happen. We're pretty sure he is now cutting teeth on top and he started getting pretty irritable around 6:30 last night. I had planned to put up and decorate our Christmas tree while Kendry bounced in his jumperoo (happily) nearby and could watch. But no dice on that plan. I finally gave Kendry a little baby tylenol and decided to give him some mommy time. Then I realized the perfect solution. I grabbed my Rudolph video, Kendry's pacifier and bear blankie, and our Christmas quilt, and together the two of us curled up to watch Rudolph on mommy and daddy's bed. For only being 7 months old Kendry actually seemed to enjoy the movie, not to mention the sound of me singing along with the songs. He happily played on my lap until he could no longer keep his eyes open.
Yes, this is going to be a magnificent Christmas tradition.