Deja the Band Geek living vicariously through her children...
There, I've said it, I'm a Band Geek.  I played the oboe from 5th grade straight through college.  I loved playing my oboe.  Practicing...not so much.  But in the early years, I had to practice to learn what I was doing.  (And often heard the following comment from my father, "Keep it up and you'll send the Canadian Geese the wrong way" LOL)

In our homeschool, 2 years of Band is a requirement for graduation.  I love making the rules!  I think reading music is a life skill and the ability to make music with an instrument is priceless.  I'm glad my non-musical husband supports and encourages music in our home.

We have a little homeschool band, taught by a homeschool mom, Miss Lois. This year, Miss Lois has THREE Armstrongs in her band and lessons started on Wednesday.  And Miss Lois, bless her heart, offered to come to my house to teach the kids.  What an incredible blessing!  I don't have to pack up my crew of 6 and find something to do with the little boys during lessons.  Well, I DO have to keep them occupied, but it's much easier at home, and so much easier with a newborn.  Thank you Lois!

Emma has been playing French Horn for 2 years and this week, took on Double Horn (I didn't know such an animal existed).  Essentially, Emma can still read her music, but with this new instrument - which to the untrained eye looks just like a regular old single horn - she has to learn all new fingerings.  So in some ways, she's a beginner again.  I think her brain hurt after her lesson ;-)

Erik seemed somewhat reluctant about the whole music thing.  He really wants to play guitar and is going along with this 2 years requirement so he can move on to guitar.  But I think he's going to like saxaphone.  We were able to borrow an alto sax from my boss and it's silver, so it's really cool!  Erik was surprised at how heavy the sax was.

Ellie is the sweetest flute player on the face of the planet!  A friend from church, who happens to also be one of the girls' ballet teachers, loaned Ellie her flute.  We're on a trial basis with Ellie to make sure her mouth muscles can play the flute...it could be just the thing to strengthen those loosey goosey muscles of hers!

Love this picture of Emma and Egan!  I don't know who took it!

(Emma just informed me that Doug took the photo)

 Ellie continues to grow into a beautiful young lady. 

She just turned 11 on Sunday! 

Where does the time go?!

Yesterday morning, I went outside to check on the boys.  Erik had been working on basketball drills for quite a while and I had no idea what the little boys were up to. 

Then I noticed how they were dressed...pure coincidence!  That's where the similarities end...in the picture, Everson is holding his 468th lizard, and Elisha is holding stick #5842. 

And Erik...he had just put down his basketball.

When you pray for rain for months and months...and God sends the rain by the bucketful...
over 5" at our house Saturday morning...
Two little boys enjoyed the rain and the mud...

 Elisha is standing in a hole that the boys dug last year sometime.  Often, they fill it with water and play in the mud.  This time, God provided the water.  They were told by Emma that it was cold rain, so they opted for winter coats over their shorts and bare feet.  All Ellie could say was, "Oh great, now I'm going to have to wash those coats!"

 Doug caught Everson army crawling in the mud....These two boys are SO DIFFERENT from their big brother, Erik!

3 Days Old
(Note that my talents lie in areas other than photography...)

Egan has finer features than most of the other kids...we're thinking he's going to be a bit more like Everson.  But ask me again in a week and I might pick a different sibling.  Maybe we'll have a poll on the blog and you can tell us who he looks like...

                                                              Egan Wilson Armstrong
                                                                         20 inches
                                                                         8lb 13oz

This is what happens when a 14 and 12 year old are tired and bored late at night...post-it flags and tissue hats procured during a kitchen drawer cleaning expedition...be afraid for me.  I will say this, I cherish the relationship these two have with eachother.  They are very close.  I pray it stays that way.

Showing signs that he will no longer be our baby...

 This past week, Emma was conducting a science experiment and wearing safety goggles.  Ever her shadow, Elisha decided he needed to do science experiments too.  He donned his "Doctor Neal" glasses and got right to work on the kitchen floor setting up his own experiments like Emma.  He even took a map and called it his instructions.  Don't ask where Doctor Neal comes from, none of us has the slightest clue.

Doug was cutting the boys hair last week before he went out of town for work.  As soon as Doug zipped up the center of Elisha's head, Elisha started screaming, "I want a mohawk!"  Playfully, Doug went along and left this off-center mohawk.  Elisha was very very proud of his new 'do and loves how it gets all 'fiky' in the pool when it's wet.  I think I surprised Doug by not completely flipping out...we talked about it and he said, "Elisha really wanted it."  We indulged our baby as he'll not be the baby much longer.  Doug works out of town several days at a time in a new oilfield job...I've left the mohawk until he comes home this week.  In addition to a loving on a new baby being born (we have a scheduled induction for Thursday), Doug will also be cutting some hair!