"Hunra" Plays the Piano

A couple weeks ago I watched two adorable children for a few hours one morning. Henry or "Hunra", as Jacob says, favored us with a lovely tune. What a talented singer and pianist he is, taking after his mom and his "Uncle Pip", our home teacher!

Video from 2006

I was looking at some older files on the computer today and found this gem from when we took a trip to Palmyra with my sister and parents. If we'd had a blog then, I bet we would have posted it. I appreciate (slightly) that we are just about as silly now as we were before we had children.

Give Up the Ghost: Album Review

I recently received a digital download of a new album, Give Up the Ghost by Brandi Carlile thanks to the One2One Network. I had not ever heard of her before but was willing to give my thoughts on the album. She's kind of been labeled as a singer in several different genres, but there were a few songs on the album that made her sound a little folksy to me. She does a song called "Caroline" with Elton John on the piano that was pretty catchy - it had some of the same rhythms as "Leavin' On a Jet Plane" and I could hear her doing a nice cover of that song too.

Though this album was a #1 seller on iTunes shortly after it was released earlier in October, I had a hard time really getting into it. A couple of the songs are sung in softer tones, and others she is just belting it out and nearly screaming. While others might appreciate that she has many styles of singing and song-writing, I suppose I was hoping for a little more consistency. If I had a copy of the lyrics I might have been able to give a more thorough review but I had a hard time understanding her lyrics (or hearing them enough to understand them) on a few of the songs, but I did think that the music was generally pretty good.

I have a couple more albums I'll be reviewing in the next couple weeks...stay tuned.

7 months old...

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I present to you the incredible shrinking (and oh-so-fun-to-grab) sheep!

And a cute baby!

Wish you could hear her laugh along with these pictures...she and I had a great time with trying to get her to cooperate for the monthly pictures. I guess it is good to know that my kids think I'm hilarious! I'll remember that when they are teenagers.

Rebecca and her Socks

I'll let the pictures do the talking. She's just such a wonderful baby and we love her to pieces! Even down to her soggy socks. :)

Chat?

This is kind of cool. You can set this up so anyone can chat with you from the page where you put some html code. Slick.

Winners of Yoplait Giveaway!

Congrats to the two winners, chosen this morning with the help of random.org:

#10: Rachel Romans

#3: Michelle

I'll get in touch with both of you to get your addresses so the box can be shipped! Congratulations and I hope your kids enjoy the yogurt!

Rebecca's Big Day

Here she is, Rebecca. We took advantage of a pile of leaves in our front yard, and took some pictures.

So sad

This Story is so sad.

Yoplait Prize Pack Giveaway - 2 Winners

Several times a week Jacob requests "rotur" for breakfast or lunch or even dinner. I usually buy whatever is the cheapest brand of yogurt at the store, which is usually the store brand of yogurt. Jacob eats just about anything, but yogurt is something that is pretty good for him, so I'm glad he likes it. Just another way to get some calcium and Vitamin D into the diet!

Last week I received a box in the mail, courtesy of MyBlogSpark and Yoplait, that had in it a coupon for a free pack of Yoplait Kids yogurt, an insulated bag, a vinyl placemat, two color-changing spoons and a fuzzy tangle toy. I picked up the yogurt at the store on Saturday, and Jacob has enjoyed it thus far. Yoplait Kids yogurt has a little thicker and less runny texture than what we usually eat, so I've been impressed with how much less of a mess Jacob's been making. And with 25% less sugar than other yogurts, he's still getting the goodness of yogurt without unnecessary extras.

Two lucky readers can have the chance to win this same bag of goodies. Just leave a comment here before midnight on the night of October 19 and tell me a healthy snack you like to give your kids or yourself! Winners will be chosen a week from today on October 20th.

*This coupon offer for a free six pack of Yoplait Kids yogurt is not valid in some states, including Idaho, Louisiana, Nevada, New Jersey, North Dakota and Tennessee.

Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, or something like that

Here they are

Here is a recent picture taken of Jacob and Rebecca. They are quite content to sit by each other, and enjoy one another's company.

More of Jacob's birthday

I thought it would be fun to take pictures/video of Jacob opening his presents that came in the mail throughout the week last week. He was so excited every time. Enjoy!

Monday he received a box of books and puzzles from one set of grandparents. I didn't think to take a video this day. But you can see he is putting his new bike helmet to good use. Always good to be prepared in case grandma sent a snake-in-a-can or some other risky sort of present.

Here is Jacob loving his Tuesday present from Aunt Tess and Uncle Kevin. I tried to get him to say their names that afternoon: when I tried to get him to say "Aunt" he said it, quickly followed by "a dug!" (bug). I knew then we still had work to do, and luckily we have made improvements since then. He repeated "Kevin" and "Tess" Monday night, and very nicely at that.

And for the life of me I can't get the second video to load. I've tried for four days and might try again, but it is time to be done with this post. :)

Your Songs: Album Review

I recently received a copy of Harry Connick, Jr.'s new album Your Songs to review, thanks to One2One Network. I have enjoyed this album for a couple reasons: it features Harry Connick, Jr. singing in his typical style of vocal jazz and accompanying his band on the piano, and it is chock-full of songs that were originally done by other artists who were great in their own right.

Imagine the following songs done in a jazz style:

• "And I Love Her" (Beatles)
• "Just the Way You Are" (Billy Joel)
• "Your Song" (Elton John)

A little bit different, if you ask me, but after listening a few times, I kind of got into the groove of things and I like it a lot. If you like any of his usual tunes, you'll like the covers on Your Songs. I'm happy to recommend this - it was just released on September 22nd!

Here is the entire list of song tracks with original artists:

• All The Way (Frank Sinatra)
• Just The Way You Are (Billy Joel)
• Can’t Help Falling In Love With You (Elvis Presley)
• And I Love Her (The Beatles)
• (They Long To Be) Close To You (The Carpenters)
• Besame Mucho
• The Way You Look Tonight
• First Time Ever I Saw Your Face (Roberta Flack)
• Your Song (Elton John)
• Some Enchanted Evening
• And I Love You So (Don McLean)
• Who Can I Turn To? (Tony Bennett)
• Smile (Charlie Chaplin)
• Mona Lisa (Nat King Cole)

Interested in doing something similar? Join One2OneNetwork and sign up when they send you offers!