Lyle Hotel Gig

Last night, Anthony and Molly got to perform a few songs with their music teacher, James Andrews, at his gig at the Lyle Hotel Restaurant! This is the second time we've gone to watch James perform there; and Anthony got to accompany him on one of his songs last time. This time, Molly got to join in as well!

Friday night dinner and jam session? Ummmm, yes please!! 

Before getting under way, Molly got a lesson from James on how to plug in her uke. It's awesome she has one that can be hooked up to an amp! She was excited to play that way.

The first song Molly performed was "Cupid." That girl....even with a mic it's hard to hear her! So turn the volume up! I'm looking forward to the day she belts out her songs on stage the same way she does at home. She is very reserved on stage; she just needs a little bit more confidence. That'll eventually come. Still, her quiet, sweet voice was lovely to listen to and the crowd loved her. We are so proud of her! 

The second song she performed was "Have You Ever Seen the Rain." Anthony played a bit of sax back up for her (very quietly, so you can't really hear him, lol). This time Molly just sang, she didn't play her uke. 

Next it was time for Anthony to do some jammin' with James! He played back up on "Crossroads" and did so well! James has been teaching Anthony how to tell what key a song is in, and then use the different scales he's learned (and still learning) to improvise on a song. This is an incredible skill for Anthony to learn. We are very proud of his work and ability to do this! He was very proud of himself too! He was smiles from ear to ear and beaming for the rest of the night. 

After the kids performed, a guy came up and put money in the tip jar. He said, "I'll make a deal with you! $5 goes to her, $5 goes to him! And James, you can have the rest!" They were over the moon excited to get paid! hahaha! 

We are very thankful for opportunities like this for the kids. James proves time and again his dedication to helping Anthony and Molly grow with, and through, their music. It means the world to us that he gives them these opportunities. Watching them be nervous, but work through that and do their best, is amazing. We are so very proud of them!  

After the kids performed, we stayed until 9 for the reminder of James's gig.  It's late to be out after a full day of school, but the fun and experience is worth it. We really enjoy listening to James, and I even convinced Anthony to dance with me! He felt totally awkward, but it made this Mama's heart so very happy! He puts up with so many of my sappy antics, lol. And then we look over at Molly...hahahaha! She was so pooped out by the end, she passed out in a chair! That totally cracked us up. 

We had such a wonderful evening, I hope there are many more opportunities like that for them in the future!

With love,
Mama Hauck

Timothy Lake Camping September 13th-15th

Sammy and I were able to go camping just the two of us this past weekend. It's the first time we have camped alone in about 11 years! 

We packed light, and slept in the van. This was such a great decision as it made set up and take down of camp super quick and easy. And the view from laying in the van was a great one to wake up to. 

We did a whole lot of nothing, which was exactly what I wanted to do. Lots of sitting around the camp fire. Sitting down at the water. Reading. Relaxing. Eating (lots of eating, lol). It was perfect! 

We did go on one hike, which totaled between 4-5 miles. We hiked to the Meditation Point camping area so we could check out all the dispersed campsites out that way. We are hoping to do a hike-in camping trip with the kids next year, so we wanted to scope things out. We found a spot we think would be perfect! It would totally blow the kids' minds to hike in, carrying all our food and gear, and camp in a dispersed camp spot. We will see what the future holds and if we can get our act together enough to purchase the right gear for that type of trip. 

In any case, we really enjoyed our time on our hike and all the relaxing we did for two days. The weather was gorgeous for September. Mostly sunny, about 65* at it's warmest. The rain was also ever so kind to hold off until we loaded up and pulled out of camp! 

Thanks for a great weekend get-away, Sammy. 

With love,
Mama Hauck