The Power of the Olympics

Here's a post from 2008, that I thought was appropriate for today - thoughts on capturing the Olympic spirit...




The Olympics.

Such an opportunity for national healing. The perfect forum for civilized contest. A great medium for bringing differing nations together.

So I thought we might all join them in "Olympic Solidarity" by joining in song as we all sing the Olympic Song.

Sing to your hearts content...

Da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da (repeat)

Da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da

Da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da (repeat)

That was nice.

Peace,
Ross

Chocolate High

What can I say, other than I'm stoked that Cora is eager to learn and play the violin!  I love that she enjoys the arts as much (if not more) than I do.  I can't wait to see where she goes with it all...

Peace,
Ross

p.s. "Chocolate high" refers to properly holding the violin up...& now you know.

Questions.

I knew the questions would come.  But I didn't know they would come from Cora at 4 years old, on a drive to my favorite Mexican restaurant.  Here's how the conversation went down...

C - Dad, is Santa real?
R - Well...what do you think Cora?
C - Hmm, I don't think he is...
R - Why?
C - Well, because he wears a costume...
R - Hmm, well, I didn't think about that.

(at this point, I'm kinda sad I could be missing out on all of the Santa fun this next year.  I'm not going to lie to Cora to preserve this myth, so I figured I would just answer with questions)

...and now she makes the theological leap that I didn't expect from my 4 year old!

C - So is Jesus real?  
R - Yes he is...
C - But how did he die and come back to life?
R - Well, because he's part God and part man, and God is more powerful than death...
C - But doesn't God not want to hurt anyone?

...and depending on your theology, the answers here will vary.

R - God did this because He loved the world so much!
C - But why did God want to hurt Jesus?

...yes, God killed His son...heck, He killed Himself...how do I answer in truth for a 4 year old and not tame away the implications of the cross?

R - Well, God had to die for us.  But God knew that He couldn't stay dead, because he's more powerful than death...and in His life, He gave the whole world life.
C - Hmmm...So, is Santa real?

Cora was onto some crazy-awesome questions.  She's my kid for sure!

She proved my notion that the myth of Santa confuses kids with the truth of God and Jesus.
Which one is all seeing, knowing, etc?  And when the Santa myth disappears, does God also crumble?

I'm looking forward to lots of long, fun, interesting conversations with Cora and Olive.

Peace,
Ross

Some Recent Videos...

Earlier this week I recorded a very stripped-down version of 'How Deep The Father's Love.'  Enjoy!


Here's Cora rockin' some Civil Wars...


Here's Cora again, singing a little original piece of her own...


Peace,
Ross (& Cora)

Weekend in Photographs

This weekend was a quieter one...lots of quality family time with Kate and the kiddo's, meals outside on the deck, early morning cuddling, dress up, a trip to LeGrands, and lots of music.  I hope you had a great weekend!

Peace,
Ross

Cora's First Ballet Recital

Last Saturday Cora had her first ballet recital. Unfortunately the performance space was flooded, so we were moved to the gym. But alas, the cuteness is still vibrant!



Peace,
Ross

Cora Cries for Albert Pujols

Here's my awesome daughter upset about Albert Pujols' departure from the St. Louis Cardinals.



Peace,
Ross

Cora is 4!!!

Today is Cora's birthday. She's 4! It's unreal, really. She's gotten so mature, her character is forming as a true compassionate and empathetic individual, and she's got more creativity than I could ever hope for.



Happy birthday Cora!

Peace,
Ross

Santa'd.

The girls saw Santa today. Hopefully he'll deliver...



Peace,
Ross

The Weekend

I love living in St. Louis! We're close to so many cool things, and can walk to a ton of great places...not to mention, there's a lot of great places to snap pictures of the girls.


Over the weekend, we were also fortunate to see the Monet exhibit at the Art Museum.


And Olive decided to go in a gnome motif...

Peace,
Ross

Never Interrupt the Song.

Never interrupt the song...

The song is creativity.
It is the spark that hits you whenever it desires.
It's not a formula, and it's not reserved for the artistic elite.
It just is.

Listen for it.
Write it down.
Record it.
Don't lose it, whatever you do!

*here's a little example of what I'm talking about. I caught Cora "writing a song" last night before bed. I love it!



Peace,
Ross

week of firsts...

Peace,
Ross

First Day...

CRAZY...CRAZY...CRAZY!!!

Today was the 1st day of preschool for BOTH girlies!


That is all.
Except for this fun video from breakfast...

Peace,
Ross

Too Big, Too Fast...

Cora's growing up.
She's getting too big, too fast.

This week we enrolled her in several activities for the fall:
dance, soccer, & violin.

Today its these 3, tomorrow we'll be picking majors and filing out scholarship forms :-(

Peace,
Ross

"Come to Daddy's Concert"

I hope to see you there too!

Peace,
Ross

She Decided.

Last night Cora decided that next year she'll take showers.
That's all.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Peace,
Ross

Past.Present.Future

There's a tendency to always want things the way they were, "back in the good ole' days." Its the way we are with music, movies, decor/clothing styles, the way(s) we worship, the cars we drive, the politics of the day, etc.

Or maybe you want things preserved as they are right now in the present. My 2 little girls are healthy, innocent, and cute, but are growing up very fast right before my eyes.

Cora got a "big-girl" bike yesterday (w/ training wheels), and already is tooling around the neighborhood. I'm not ready for that! I'm not ready for kindergarten, crushes, college, and weddings. But that's quickly approaching...

Thus, my preservation ideals set in and I do everything in my power to keep things "as is." But alas, the future is inevitable. (and I'm just not that powerful)

The future is amazingly liberating, as well as scary. It is the unknown, the un-chartered, the paradoxical. There's hope in the future. Its a clean slate.

But the future lacks original 90's music, John Hughes comedies, the best SNL cast, my little girlies riding bikes and learning to talk.

So what do we do?

Soak up today.
Remember and give thanks for yesterday.
And be hopeful and legendary tomorrow!

The future is already here, so it might as well be embraced and dream(t)!

Peace,
Ross

our weekend in pics...

This weekend was another GREAT one! We celebrated mothers. And the rain finally let up enough to go out and enjoy some time outside. So here's what I have to show for it...






Peace,
Ross

Cora's Exchange...

Friday we worked on landscaping the yard ALL DAY. In doing that, the girls played hard outside and I think time slipped by Cora (& her bowels).

Here's the exchange:

CORA: oh, oh, oh....

ME: what?

CORA: oh no, there's a turd in my panties!

ME: (laughing)

CORA: (shaking her head) mommie is NOT gonna be proud...

That's that.
Hope you had a great Saturday!

Peace,
Ross

Weekend at the Lodge

The family spent the weekend at Trout Lodge. We had a great time paddle boating, fishing, and campfire-ing it up!
Hope you had a great one too...

Peace,
Ross