Today, we made a temporary schedule. I'm sure as things settle down, we'll tweak it, but here's our plan for the next little bit:
6am - anyone who wants to can go jogging with Dad. This is what you can do when you don't have Seminary!!
7am - breakfast, piano practice, clean room, etc. You know, all the stuff you're supposed to do before school
9am - some time to work on personal goals or do some service
10 - 3 - School work with lunch in the middle.
3pm - Exercise! This is literally the part of the day we're all most excited about. Go play tennis, basketball, or something active as a family.
4pm - down time
5pm - get ready for dinner, clean the house
Sam took about 30 minutes to finish all his school work for the day. He did about 10x more reading than he normally does, because that's what you do when you finish your school work early :) Bwahahah.... Everyone else kept pretty busy throughout the whole day. We'll see if that lasts all week long or not.
My favorite part of the new schedule is the way we are exercising. That's something that's been squeezed out of our lives, but now that you can't do anything else, you might as well be healthy! It's great!
Marriner's lab hasn't closed, they've just encouraged everyone to telework as much as possible. Marriner loves it - he can go in and do his experiments without seeing or being interrupted by anyone. He's trying to get as much experimentation done as he can before the lab may decide to actually close, then he can stay home and write papers.
Ok, back to normal life! See ya later!
Tuesday, March 17, 2020
Monday, March 16, 2020
COVID-19 day 2: Home church
We're not too bothered by the idea of having church at home. We do it every time we get sick. But this was a bit of a different situation. There are a lot of people in the branch whose family are far away, aren't members of the church, or don't even know ASL. So we had a virtual worship service (aka Sacrament meeting without the sacrament) and then a virtual Come Follow Me discussion (aka Sunday School without the teacher.) The worship service included our scheduled stake speaker, Sister Peterson from the stake Primary. She called from her home, and Marriner signed to the webcam on Youtube live. Then Brother Wardle talked about the sacrament, and why you should keep that as a focus of your sabbath, plus how to do it at home. Lige did a demonstration of what the sacrament would look like in our house - Ikea cups, bottle of water, and a slice of bread on an Ikea plate. Then Brother Scott reviewed council from our prophet and local leaders on the situation. It was a very nice meeting. Lige voiced the talks for the stake speaker to hear and did a FABULOUS job. This kid is getting really good!
Before church, while Marriner and his counselors were downstairs troubleshooting technology, I tried getting the kids ready to change gears from silly to reverent. So we all sat on a bench in our living room and pretended to drive to church. I thought the kids would think this was fabulous, but it turns out that the kids were really bothered by us driving to church without their shoes on. I didn't want them to put on shoes so they didn't put them all over our chairs downstairs. But it turns out that shoes are a really important part of Sunday for some of my kids. And of course, they couldn't find their Sunday shoes. SERIOUSLY GUYS. We had church at home, and we were still late (well, not late, but not early...) because we couldn't find our church shoes. Right as the service was starting, one of my kids was being a dork still, and I threatened, "If you want to go to church today, you'd better sit your bottom down RIGHT NOW." Marriner waved at me - the broadcast had already started, and everyone got to hear that part. Ha.
I taught a Primary class about being unshakeable in our faith. We went outside and tried shaking various items in our yard - big trees, little trees, cars, the shed, etc. The same person who was being a booger before sacrament meeting was still being a booger, so we didn't get as much of an explanation of HOW you make your faith unshakeable, but hey, the kids will remember the lesson, anyway.
After "church", we decided to enjoy the fabulous weather and went for a walk to see blooming trees in the neighborhood. Do you know how many years it's been since we've been able to do that? Marriner is ALWAYS busy on Sunday afternoons. He still had a busy evening, but the flexibility was lovely.
So far, enjoying the family time and the break from the hectic schedule.
COVID-19 Day 1: Pi Day
Thursday, everything in our normal life was canceled. School was shut down for at least 2 weeks. Church was canceled until further notice. We spent the day watching one thing after another announce cancellation or closure. It caused a little disappointment, as the things you've been working and preparing for (county science fair, interfaith concert, trip to Paris...) are all shut down, but of course, we know that it's what needs to be done. And, I went to the library on Wednesday and stocked up, so we're ready to batten down. :)
When all church and scout meetings were cancelled, I'd already bought the things for Lige's Eagle Court of Honor that was scheduled for Friday. So instead of making pie on Friday, I went to the school and helped with the book fair. Saturday, we needed to use up all those pie crusts I'd bought :)
Since we couldn't get together with our friends and eat pie, we decided to take the pie to them. All 5 of the older kids made a pie themselves. Lige made walnut, Ellis made strawberry rhubarb, Lillian tried a pina colada pie that turned out quite nicely despite some scramble for ingredients. (You all know what the grocery stores look like right now...) Sam made banana cream, and Martha made a chocolate cream pie. I felt a little swelling of pride that 5 of my kids can cook enough to make a pie (as long as we have pre-made pie crusts...) Good thing I taught the little kids to make pudding! :)
After we made and chilled the pies, we set out to bring pie to the downtrodden people of the world (everyone qualified.) After making a long list of who we wanted to take pie to, and realizing that we couldn't do that, we let each kid pick a person to bring pie. Lige picked a house of single people on his ministering list. Ellis picked a widow on her ministering list. Lillian picked a friend from school, who unfortunately wasn't home. Martha picked a friend from church. Marriner snuck in someone he ministers to. And Sam picked a friend from school. We drove around, carried 5 pies up to the door and let them choose which one they wanted a slice of. Then we donned gloves, served the pie, chatted a few minutes, and took off. It was very fun, but alas, at dinner time we were somewhere in the middle of Northern Virginia, and so we had to buy pizza (pie) for dinner. Alas. The first pie to disappear was....what do you guess?...Martha's chocolate cream pie! That one was popular with the little kids and picky eaters :) But as for which pie was the best....well, that's a 5-way tie. So pie day was a fabulously fun time around here, and we're glad that even though we can't get together in groups, we can still visit people and have fun.
Sunday we extended the festivities with leftover pie. After we finished home church, Sam declared, "And now it's time for PIE-mary!" I mean, who can argue with that?? And we ate the quiche that we planned to have for dinner Saturday, but ran out of time for :)
When all church and scout meetings were cancelled, I'd already bought the things for Lige's Eagle Court of Honor that was scheduled for Friday. So instead of making pie on Friday, I went to the school and helped with the book fair. Saturday, we needed to use up all those pie crusts I'd bought :)
Since we couldn't get together with our friends and eat pie, we decided to take the pie to them. All 5 of the older kids made a pie themselves. Lige made walnut, Ellis made strawberry rhubarb, Lillian tried a pina colada pie that turned out quite nicely despite some scramble for ingredients. (You all know what the grocery stores look like right now...) Sam made banana cream, and Martha made a chocolate cream pie. I felt a little swelling of pride that 5 of my kids can cook enough to make a pie (as long as we have pre-made pie crusts...) Good thing I taught the little kids to make pudding! :)
After we made and chilled the pies, we set out to bring pie to the downtrodden people of the world (everyone qualified.) After making a long list of who we wanted to take pie to, and realizing that we couldn't do that, we let each kid pick a person to bring pie. Lige picked a house of single people on his ministering list. Ellis picked a widow on her ministering list. Lillian picked a friend from school, who unfortunately wasn't home. Martha picked a friend from church. Marriner snuck in someone he ministers to. And Sam picked a friend from school. We drove around, carried 5 pies up to the door and let them choose which one they wanted a slice of. Then we donned gloves, served the pie, chatted a few minutes, and took off. It was very fun, but alas, at dinner time we were somewhere in the middle of Northern Virginia, and so we had to buy pizza (pie) for dinner. Alas. The first pie to disappear was....what do you guess?...Martha's chocolate cream pie! That one was popular with the little kids and picky eaters :) But as for which pie was the best....well, that's a 5-way tie. So pie day was a fabulously fun time around here, and we're glad that even though we can't get together in groups, we can still visit people and have fun.
Sunday we extended the festivities with leftover pie. After we finished home church, Sam declared, "And now it's time for PIE-mary!" I mean, who can argue with that?? And we ate the quiche that we planned to have for dinner Saturday, but ran out of time for :)
While all the kids and moms were making pie, Marriner was busy trying to put together plans for a virtual church service. He got to grapple with all sorts of technology he'd never worked with before, but finally decided they would have all the speakers come to our house and broadcast YouTube live. It's amazing how figuring out stuff like that can take the whole day.
Friday, February 28, 2020
One of my kids is a little contrary.
Just came home from a fabulous weekend in Utah with Sam. My grandpa, Norman Turner, finally passed away after several years being stuck in a not-so-useful body. He was ready to go, and we all consider it a blessing from a merciful God that his final struggle wasn't drawn out over the course of weeks or months. And it was another wonderful tender mercy that all of Grandpa's descendants were able to come to the funeral, including my parents who are missionaries in France!
I took Sam with me. His middle name is Norman, and we really want him to understand who his grandpa is, and why he's named after him. It would have been nice if Sam had been able to know him while he was healthy. I hope that Sam remembers some of the stories he heard this weekend.
Speaking of Sam...there is something about sign language and music - and this is not just Sam. While we're at church, Sam is never inclined to sign the songs. He turns on his ears and looks all over the room, but usually isn't signing. This is difficult for his mom in Primary, who spends a lot of time tapping Sam and telling him to pay attention :) But whatever, he's 7. But somehow everything changes when we fly to Utah and nobody is signing. Somehow, you just have an urge that you NEED to express yourself with your hands. You can't handle just using your voice. So, during the funeral and at church the next day, Sam sang every single song in sign language. He did a pretty good job translating for himself. A lot of fingerspelling - it was clear which words he didn't know the meaning of - but he's a better signer than I gave him credit for! I think this sudden desire to sign music in a hearing crowd is a little bit of a desire to say, "Hey, I have this whole part of my life that I want you to know about me!" and partly just a natural expression when you're feeling a little emotional. And we were definitely feeling a little emotional. I didn't sign during the funeral, though, because I was on the stand waving my arm in the traditional manner. And you know what - it makes your arm tired. I like signing better :) But I definitely feel more competent beating the music instead of signing it. Anyway, it still made me laugh at how my son stubbornly avoids signing while we're in a signing environment, but as soon as nobody who cares is around, he's suddenly Mr. ASL :) I think he might be a little contrary :) In the nicest way :)
While we were in Utah, the song "I want it that way" by the Backstreet Boys came on the radio. This is significant because a week ago, the song came on the radio while I was driving alone, and for some reason, I was taken by one of these moods to sign. And since practicing interpretation is on my to-do list right now, I let myself go. Ok, so guess what - that song makes NO sense at all. As far as I can tell, the only point of the lyrics was rhyme and meter. But the song came on again a few days later, and after thinking, "What is this a 90's revival week or something?" found myself trying to sign it AGAIN. Then I remembered that it was lame and stopped myself. So when it came on again in Utah, I was starting to feel the conspiracy theories. But at least my sisters were there to confirm that the lyrics were totally lame. And, it came on again on the way to the grocery store the day after I got back. I changed the station. :)
Ok, one more music story. I went to the ASL ward in Provo while I was there. It was fun to catch up with a few people who had moved from DC. The music leader was really fabulous, he's interpreted for church broadcasts before, and I admit, he's one of my faves :) One thing he did that I really liked was changing the way he signed repeated phrases. In "I believe in Christ", for example, he first signed, "I trust Christ", which changed to "I have faith in Christ", "I actually believe in Christ", "I definitely believe in Christ" and maybe a few more that I can't remember. I've seen this done before, but I never really "got it." But this time, I really enjoyed it! In English, we use the changes in the music to give emphasis and meaning to the repeated words. I was impressed by how powerful it was to add emphasis this way in ASL. Makes me want to try it in Primary. Except I think that would probably be a little complex for some of the kids. Anyway, we'll have to find some ways to incorporate this new realization of mine...
Well, that's my report from our trip to Utah. It's always funny to me how I still have things to write about when I'm not at home :)
I took Sam with me. His middle name is Norman, and we really want him to understand who his grandpa is, and why he's named after him. It would have been nice if Sam had been able to know him while he was healthy. I hope that Sam remembers some of the stories he heard this weekend.
Speaking of Sam...there is something about sign language and music - and this is not just Sam. While we're at church, Sam is never inclined to sign the songs. He turns on his ears and looks all over the room, but usually isn't signing. This is difficult for his mom in Primary, who spends a lot of time tapping Sam and telling him to pay attention :) But whatever, he's 7. But somehow everything changes when we fly to Utah and nobody is signing. Somehow, you just have an urge that you NEED to express yourself with your hands. You can't handle just using your voice. So, during the funeral and at church the next day, Sam sang every single song in sign language. He did a pretty good job translating for himself. A lot of fingerspelling - it was clear which words he didn't know the meaning of - but he's a better signer than I gave him credit for! I think this sudden desire to sign music in a hearing crowd is a little bit of a desire to say, "Hey, I have this whole part of my life that I want you to know about me!" and partly just a natural expression when you're feeling a little emotional. And we were definitely feeling a little emotional. I didn't sign during the funeral, though, because I was on the stand waving my arm in the traditional manner. And you know what - it makes your arm tired. I like signing better :) But I definitely feel more competent beating the music instead of signing it. Anyway, it still made me laugh at how my son stubbornly avoids signing while we're in a signing environment, but as soon as nobody who cares is around, he's suddenly Mr. ASL :) I think he might be a little contrary :) In the nicest way :)
While we were in Utah, the song "I want it that way" by the Backstreet Boys came on the radio. This is significant because a week ago, the song came on the radio while I was driving alone, and for some reason, I was taken by one of these moods to sign. And since practicing interpretation is on my to-do list right now, I let myself go. Ok, so guess what - that song makes NO sense at all. As far as I can tell, the only point of the lyrics was rhyme and meter. But the song came on again a few days later, and after thinking, "What is this a 90's revival week or something?" found myself trying to sign it AGAIN. Then I remembered that it was lame and stopped myself. So when it came on again in Utah, I was starting to feel the conspiracy theories. But at least my sisters were there to confirm that the lyrics were totally lame. And, it came on again on the way to the grocery store the day after I got back. I changed the station. :)
Ok, one more music story. I went to the ASL ward in Provo while I was there. It was fun to catch up with a few people who had moved from DC. The music leader was really fabulous, he's interpreted for church broadcasts before, and I admit, he's one of my faves :) One thing he did that I really liked was changing the way he signed repeated phrases. In "I believe in Christ", for example, he first signed, "I trust Christ", which changed to "I have faith in Christ", "I actually believe in Christ", "I definitely believe in Christ" and maybe a few more that I can't remember. I've seen this done before, but I never really "got it." But this time, I really enjoyed it! In English, we use the changes in the music to give emphasis and meaning to the repeated words. I was impressed by how powerful it was to add emphasis this way in ASL. Makes me want to try it in Primary. Except I think that would probably be a little complex for some of the kids. Anyway, we'll have to find some ways to incorporate this new realization of mine...
Well, that's my report from our trip to Utah. It's always funny to me how I still have things to write about when I'm not at home :)
Tuesday, February 4, 2020
The Super Bowl
I remember reading an essay years ago by Steve, the star of the children's TV show "Blues Clues". He talked about the funny things related to being "fame-ish" - that is, famous with a small subset of people. In his case, toddlers and their mothers. He would walk around New York City like a normal person, nobody recognizing him, until some kid and his mother were seen staring awkwardly, not sure if that really was Steve. He claimed it was an interesting life.
This weekend, one of our friends became fame-ish! She was the interpreter for the Super Bowl halftime show. It was a big break for her career, and we were so excited for her, but honestly, weren't sure we wanted to watch the show because of the other performers - Jennifer Lopez and Shakira. They don't always...wear enough clothing... But, Sunday night came around and Marriner was out helping people with Lige. So Ellis and I decided to watch our friend. She was GREAT! It was so fun to watch her! I wish I could have said the same for the rest of the show - it was horrible. So much sex. So little clothing. I felt really ashamed for them.
The next day was full of discussion on the internet. Turns out I wasn't the only prude in the crowd. I was surprised at the defenses of the show. "What did you expect? If you didn't want to watch the sort of show they put on, you should have changed the channel." The thing is, we used to have standards for shows that were during times when families were watching.
Anyway, I won't write my imagined Washington Post opinion article about why trashy halftime shows are wrong here. Anyone who reads this blog agrees with me, anyway. But all that is to say I'm sorry I can't share the video of my talented friend. It's ridiculous to me that part of the Super Bowl was THAT offensive, but it really was just awful.
Oh yeah, and then there was that OTHER awful part of the Super Bowl...for some reason that I can not understand, the Super Bowl has an ASL interpreter during the national anthem, but they can't seem to figure out that if you don't show the ASL on camera, it doesn't do anyone any good. For the second year in a row, the interpreter has performed all by themselves with no audience except for a little 20 second spot. This year, Fox Sports said they would have a committed camera for the ASL interpreter. But I guess they forgot to tell the cameraman? Because halfway through the song, they moved away and showed us pictures of huge guys with their game faces on. Ugh, hardly what I wanted to see right then! :)
It's one thing to not have interpreters. It's another thing to claim to be deaf friendly, but then drop it mid-stream.
Anyway, I'm so over the NFL.
This weekend, one of our friends became fame-ish! She was the interpreter for the Super Bowl halftime show. It was a big break for her career, and we were so excited for her, but honestly, weren't sure we wanted to watch the show because of the other performers - Jennifer Lopez and Shakira. They don't always...wear enough clothing... But, Sunday night came around and Marriner was out helping people with Lige. So Ellis and I decided to watch our friend. She was GREAT! It was so fun to watch her! I wish I could have said the same for the rest of the show - it was horrible. So much sex. So little clothing. I felt really ashamed for them.
The next day was full of discussion on the internet. Turns out I wasn't the only prude in the crowd. I was surprised at the defenses of the show. "What did you expect? If you didn't want to watch the sort of show they put on, you should have changed the channel." The thing is, we used to have standards for shows that were during times when families were watching.
Anyway, I won't write my imagined Washington Post opinion article about why trashy halftime shows are wrong here. Anyone who reads this blog agrees with me, anyway. But all that is to say I'm sorry I can't share the video of my talented friend. It's ridiculous to me that part of the Super Bowl was THAT offensive, but it really was just awful.
Oh yeah, and then there was that OTHER awful part of the Super Bowl...for some reason that I can not understand, the Super Bowl has an ASL interpreter during the national anthem, but they can't seem to figure out that if you don't show the ASL on camera, it doesn't do anyone any good. For the second year in a row, the interpreter has performed all by themselves with no audience except for a little 20 second spot. This year, Fox Sports said they would have a committed camera for the ASL interpreter. But I guess they forgot to tell the cameraman? Because halfway through the song, they moved away and showed us pictures of huge guys with their game faces on. Ugh, hardly what I wanted to see right then! :)
It's one thing to not have interpreters. It's another thing to claim to be deaf friendly, but then drop it mid-stream.
Anyway, I'm so over the NFL.
Monday, January 13, 2020
New year, new calling!
Well, friends, we've been in the branch just over two years, which means it's probably about time for me to get a new calling. (There's no rule on how long a calling should last. But mine usually are in the 2-3 year range, it seems.) And guess what - I DID get a new calling!
Sorta.
I got...the SAME calling again! Before, I was the 1st counselor in the Primary presidency. The president I was serving under was released, but the new president asked for me to be her 1st counselor, too. So I'm doing the same thing, but with new people.
Due to some circumstances, I had a guess that a new calling was coming a few weeks before it actually did, and it was a really interesting experience. Right now, I go to Sacrament meeting, then I go hang out with the kids. I teach them songs with simple signs and a big smile. They are really easy to understand - they always talk, then I tell them they have to sign, then they sign it. Not too hard to figure out what they're signing! Ha! Anyway, my life is pretty comfortable, and I don't have to worry too much about being mediocre at ASL. (Though I'm much better than I used to be!)
So as I thought about a new calling, I realized that every calling other than the one I had meant I would need to be better at ASL. That was pretty intimidating. But also exciting. It's like every time a new door opens in your life - it scares you and excites you. Add in that I have issues with feeling like I've abandoned people when I move on to something new...I was nervous.
I did start being more diligent about studying ASL. I have a New Year's resolution to watch 10 minutes of ASL every day. I can really tell the difference in my comprehension when I do that vs. when I slack off.
But in the end, my life didn't actually change much! (But I'm still keeping my resolution.)
I did do something pretty radical this year, though. Every year, I get all the songs we are going to learn for the year, gloss the signs (which means to write notes for yourself of which signs go in which order, so you can "read" the signs instead of watching them) from a video done by a "professional" and put them in my binder for singing time use. Well, this year, some of the really simple songs, I translated myself. I wouldn't do that for a big, important song - that should be done by a Deaf person just out of respect for their native speaking ability (you know, the same way companies in China should hire a stinkin' native English speaker to write their instruction manuals!!) But you know, if the song is, "When we're helping, we're happy and we sing as we go, for we love to help mother for we all love her so." I think I can come up with something decent for singing with kids. But in truth, here's how I translated them:
"Hey Lige, tell me how you would sign this song!"
Because he's got a talent. :)
Let's see...what else is going on in my ASL world? Oh, cute kids saying the prayer in Primary! Martha prayed last week, and the leaders were struggling to keep our laughs inside. If Martha prayed in English the way she prays in ASL right now, she would sound like a drill sergeant. It's like praying in karate chops. And then she couldn't think of anything to say in the middle. So she just stood there, with her eyes closed for a looonnnggg time. Finally, she peeked one eye open and looked around for help. BWAHAHA!!! It was so stinkin' adorable. This week, another kid her age prayed. He has a deaf dad, so his sign language is more mature, but I noticed that he can't sign Jesus Christ right, either. I tell ya, that's the hardest sign for kids to get. Especially the Christ part. Somehow, they just can't copy that motion! Despite working with Jane on getting it right for a year, she still starts her "C" on any of the corners of her torso square *except* the right one. Sometimes she'll cross her lap like a seatbelt. Sometimes she'll go straight down one side or the other. Sometimes she'll cross like a sash, but the opposite side. So it made me feel better to see a 4-yr old with a deaf parent still struggling with that one. Now I know it's legit hard :)
Sorta.
I got...the SAME calling again! Before, I was the 1st counselor in the Primary presidency. The president I was serving under was released, but the new president asked for me to be her 1st counselor, too. So I'm doing the same thing, but with new people.
Due to some circumstances, I had a guess that a new calling was coming a few weeks before it actually did, and it was a really interesting experience. Right now, I go to Sacrament meeting, then I go hang out with the kids. I teach them songs with simple signs and a big smile. They are really easy to understand - they always talk, then I tell them they have to sign, then they sign it. Not too hard to figure out what they're signing! Ha! Anyway, my life is pretty comfortable, and I don't have to worry too much about being mediocre at ASL. (Though I'm much better than I used to be!)
So as I thought about a new calling, I realized that every calling other than the one I had meant I would need to be better at ASL. That was pretty intimidating. But also exciting. It's like every time a new door opens in your life - it scares you and excites you. Add in that I have issues with feeling like I've abandoned people when I move on to something new...I was nervous.
I did start being more diligent about studying ASL. I have a New Year's resolution to watch 10 minutes of ASL every day. I can really tell the difference in my comprehension when I do that vs. when I slack off.
But in the end, my life didn't actually change much! (But I'm still keeping my resolution.)
I did do something pretty radical this year, though. Every year, I get all the songs we are going to learn for the year, gloss the signs (which means to write notes for yourself of which signs go in which order, so you can "read" the signs instead of watching them) from a video done by a "professional" and put them in my binder for singing time use. Well, this year, some of the really simple songs, I translated myself. I wouldn't do that for a big, important song - that should be done by a Deaf person just out of respect for their native speaking ability (you know, the same way companies in China should hire a stinkin' native English speaker to write their instruction manuals!!) But you know, if the song is, "When we're helping, we're happy and we sing as we go, for we love to help mother for we all love her so." I think I can come up with something decent for singing with kids. But in truth, here's how I translated them:
"Hey Lige, tell me how you would sign this song!"
Because he's got a talent. :)
Let's see...what else is going on in my ASL world? Oh, cute kids saying the prayer in Primary! Martha prayed last week, and the leaders were struggling to keep our laughs inside. If Martha prayed in English the way she prays in ASL right now, she would sound like a drill sergeant. It's like praying in karate chops. And then she couldn't think of anything to say in the middle. So she just stood there, with her eyes closed for a looonnnggg time. Finally, she peeked one eye open and looked around for help. BWAHAHA!!! It was so stinkin' adorable. This week, another kid her age prayed. He has a deaf dad, so his sign language is more mature, but I noticed that he can't sign Jesus Christ right, either. I tell ya, that's the hardest sign for kids to get. Especially the Christ part. Somehow, they just can't copy that motion! Despite working with Jane on getting it right for a year, she still starts her "C" on any of the corners of her torso square *except* the right one. Sometimes she'll cross her lap like a seatbelt. Sometimes she'll go straight down one side or the other. Sometimes she'll cross like a sash, but the opposite side. So it made me feel better to see a 4-yr old with a deaf parent still struggling with that one. Now I know it's legit hard :)
Monday, December 16, 2019
Silent Night
We have a guess writer today! Marriner wrote about our amazing kids, and I want to share what he wrote:
Saturday night was one of those really special experiences as a parent. The branch youth's December activity was to interpret the big choir concert up at the Temple visitor center and invite all of the branch to come. So the songs were divided out among the youth, and then as a little bit of an afterthought, we added Lillian as well.
It was really, really awesome to watch the kids do the interpretations. I had not realized that there were not already existing interpretations on YouTube. So, the kids really had just done everything by themselves. They had come up with the interpretation, they wrote out a gloss [an unofficial written notation of the signs you'll use - ASL has no written language], and they signed the songs! It was really, truly impressive for me to see how good they are getting. You'll have to watch the videos, but a few points of note. Lige did a really good job sort of getting into the music. You can imagine how hard it is to sort of dance with the music to express it. Especially when you're the only one up there doing it. But, Lige managed to do that and have a very nice balance of emoting the song. Ellis did a really good job of signing some pretty advanced songs. I was very impressed by her interpretations and then also her ability to to to think on the fly. There was one point where she and Lige were working together, and someone missed their line, or the choir saying it a little bit differently than the recording, or something happened. And Lige sort of took the line and went ahead and signed that and Ellis just figured it right out and followed up and everything worked together very smoothly. If she had not told me later that that is what happened I never would have noticed anything. It was pretty cool. She will also have to tell you sometime her really truly hilarious idea for how they should have signed the Gloria song. That song is all in Latin anyway and it's mostly just repeating a couple of words. They say Gloria, Gloria, Gloria, over and over and over again. And then they switch, and they say amen, amen, amen, amen,... You get the point. [It wasn't actually quite that bad, but almost. It was John Rutter's Gloria.]
And speaking of languages, Lillian had a funny thing for one of her songs, too. She had learned the song in English. But then, when the choir started, they started in French! well, Lillian did not miss a beat. She just went ahead and signed what she knew went along with the tune at that point, and it turned out beautifully.
It was really, really awesome to watch the kids do the interpretations. I had not realized that there were not already existing interpretations on YouTube. So, the kids really had just done everything by themselves. They had come up with the interpretation, they wrote out a gloss [an unofficial written notation of the signs you'll use - ASL has no written language], and they signed the songs! It was really, truly impressive for me to see how good they are getting. You'll have to watch the videos, but a few points of note. Lige did a really good job sort of getting into the music. You can imagine how hard it is to sort of dance with the music to express it. Especially when you're the only one up there doing it. But, Lige managed to do that and have a very nice balance of emoting the song. Ellis did a really good job of signing some pretty advanced songs. I was very impressed by her interpretations and then also her ability to to to think on the fly. There was one point where she and Lige were working together, and someone missed their line, or the choir saying it a little bit differently than the recording, or something happened. And Lige sort of took the line and went ahead and signed that and Ellis just figured it right out and followed up and everything worked together very smoothly. If she had not told me later that that is what happened I never would have noticed anything. It was pretty cool. She will also have to tell you sometime her really truly hilarious idea for how they should have signed the Gloria song. That song is all in Latin anyway and it's mostly just repeating a couple of words. They say Gloria, Gloria, Gloria, over and over and over again. And then they switch, and they say amen, amen, amen, amen,... You get the point. [It wasn't actually quite that bad, but almost. It was John Rutter's Gloria.]
And speaking of languages, Lillian had a funny thing for one of her songs, too. She had learned the song in English. But then, when the choir started, they started in French! well, Lillian did not miss a beat. She just went ahead and signed what she knew went along with the tune at that point, and it turned out beautifully.
(Back to Christine) So, our kids are musical interpreters now. The thing that impresses me the most is how pretty their translations were. They all flowed so artistically and musically. It was better than I would have done myself. And they got up and performed them in front of several hundred people! With smiles!
Here's what I really loved about this activity: one thing we left behind when we joined the branch were some opportunities to develop performing talents. My kids don't really play the piano in church much any more.That was a big part of growing up for me, using the talents I'd developed for service, to help others feel the Holy Ghost in their lives. It's where I started to learn about service. Watching my kids practice and try their best to put their hearts into it, I saw them go through the same process of anxiety and frustration at parents who make you do your VERY BEST (not just "good enough"), then experience the great satisfaction of a job well done, knowing you helped someone else. It gives you so much confidence! It was so neat to see my kids go through that wonderful process!
Here's what I really loved about this activity: one thing we left behind when we joined the branch were some opportunities to develop performing talents. My kids don't really play the piano in church much any more.That was a big part of growing up for me, using the talents I'd developed for service, to help others feel the Holy Ghost in their lives. It's where I started to learn about service. Watching my kids practice and try their best to put their hearts into it, I saw them go through the same process of anxiety and frustration at parents who make you do your VERY BEST (not just "good enough"), then experience the great satisfaction of a job well done, knowing you helped someone else. It gives you so much confidence! It was so neat to see my kids go through that wonderful process!
Of course, what you really want is videos:
Rutter's Gloria (Lige and Ellis)
Winter Wonderland (Lige)
Pat-a-pan/He is born (Lillian - the one she took on at the last minute when someone was sick, and they busted out singing in French instead of English...She really rocked it!)
A song I don't know the name of (Ellis)
Angels we have heard on high (Lillian, who got great compliments on her beautiful "Gloria" - she thinks you'd enjoy seeing what came right before: don't curl your papers!)
| All the interpreters before the concert started |
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| Lige looking happy. Really :) |
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| Ellis signing "Excelsis" |
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| Lillian signing "Gloria" |
In further Christmas music joy, on Sunday, I was playing prelude and came to Silent Night. Jane sits next to me on the bench, and she started singing and signing along. I didn't know she'd been paying attention to the signs! I tried to find some way to discreetly poke Marriner, sitting just 5 feet away, without distracting Jane, but it didn't work, and nobody else got to see it. I even looked to see if by any chance she was on camera ;) But even if she was, she was behind me, so nobody would have seen her anyway. But it was adorable. Later at a baptism, we sang Silent Night again, and some of the other branch members got to see her sign along. But Marriner still missed it. She was sitting on his lap ;) Oh, and a funny story from the Nursery teacher (who is hearing). "[The other girl in Nursery} wanted to sing "Let it Go" in singing time today. And guess what - both she and Jane know ALL the words!" I don't think the Nursery teacher was expecting that song to last very long. Wrong! They really do know all. the. words.
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