Not Pictured

It has been a whirlwind of concerts and confirmation and tests and projects for the school goers. Grandmas have been visiting, YaYa spent a week here, and now the Devious Snail has moved back into my office for the summer. In all the commotion I somehow have neglected using my camera! Drat! Here are some “pictures” that I didn’t manage to actually capture in an image:

• The Devious Snail arrived back from college and college rowing, and on a lovely sunny morning he moved the Erg outside to row. Peanut Maximus wanted to know all about it in every form, of course, so I moved a little red chair out onto the driveway a safe distance from all the moving parts of the erg, and told him he could watch if he stayed in the chair. He diligently sat there for ten minutes watching the Devious Snail erg. We had lunch. He watched the erg while eating. As soon as he was done with his lunch, he was back in that little red chair, as still as can be watching with all eyes, except for just a moment when he picked up a stick next to the chair and then sat back down again. Side note: for some reason it just cracks me up that this two year old calls the erg an erg. What a weird word for a two year old to know!
• The Banana played a harp concerto and a violin concerto at the orchestra concert this week, and I was so entranced by the music that I forgot to take a picture, but even if I had remembered to have my camera at the ready, I don’t think I could have captured the elegance of her harp playing (even though she was nervous) or the dramatic scene of her in her fancy red dress playing an incredibly complex, intricate and emotional violin piece with focus and authority. I could barely breathe, actually, and it wasn’t like I haven’t heard her practicing those pieces for months.
• The night after the orchestra concert The Banana had a choir concert, and in the middle of all sorts of fancy choral works, the choir sang “Take Me out to the Ballgame,” which they had performed at a Minnesota Twins game on tour a few weeks ago. Something about being on stage dressed in full robes in the university auditorium singing that particular number cracked The Banana up inside, and although she tried very, very hard to keep a straight face, and no one else probably noticed, I knew she was just giggling away inside and struggling to not burst out in laughter.
• Last night The Banana, the Devious Snail and Mr. TOF were running around the yard blasting each other with nerf water bead guns, and it was a crazy, wild commotion. They had such a fun time. I”m sure the whole neighborhood did not know what to think, but at least they are generally used to a commotion from our corner.