Summer, winter, springtime and harvest. . . our Lord is faithful in every season. I have been looking at the beautiful leaves lately and just being in awe of how the beauty of nature can lift my spirits. And that is only a glimpse of the beauty of our great God - imagine how all of our cares will lift when we truly see Him in all of His glory! . . . Anyway, I haven't sent out an update in several months and I have wanted to for quite a while, so here goes!
My parents visited us a couple weeks ago from Northern Minnesota. It was so good to see them and spend some time. We did manage to hit the races at Keenland on a beautiful fall day - saw the Kentucky Derby winner, Calvin, racing and had a good time watching the horses up close. My dad and Tim took the girls to a Lexington Philharmonic concert and heard an awesome cellist. We went to a park and fed ducks one day, made pumpkin pies and ate a lot, and just got to hang out and enjoy games with my mom and see the kids buzz around with the excitement of this long-awaited visit.
Some exciting things have been going on in the lives of our young musicians. Rachel auditioned for the youth orchestra here in Lexington and made it into the Concert Orchestra. This was a big achievement, since she is only 10 and has only been playing violin for 2 years. There is a preparatory orchestra that she bypassed and now she is playing some pretty serious orchestral music! We are looking forward to her first concert in a couple of weeks. Rachel and Ruth are both playing in a chamber music ensemble each week. It has been delightful to listen to them progress from their first rehearsal to their first performance this past week. They have a coach but Rachel is the leader as the only violinist - she begins and ends pieces. Then there are two violists and two cellists, Ruth being on of those. Rachel also just performed a Bach double violin concerto with her teacher playing the other violin part and me accompanying. That was so much fun and I can't wait to do it again soon. Rachel is continuing to progress as a pianist, too. I look forward to hearing Beethoven or Mozart to start my days. I am so thankful for a musical family - what a blessing!
Ruth has so enjoyed her new school, SCAPA, where she is dabbling in all the fine arts each week but focusing on her major - strings. Not only is she excelling in her cello playing, she is learning to play the flute in band. SCAPA is doing the musical, Peter Pan, in a couple of weeks and all the fourth graders get to be lost boys, including Ruth. You feel the buzz of excitement when you walk into the school and see dancers and actors and singers and all the other little artists busily working toward this production. Ruth will be a lost boy for two performances and will play her cello in a pre-show ensemble in front of the curtain for the other two. Then in December, we'll get to hear her SCAPA strings ensemble and band in performance. We're also hoping for Rachel and Ruth to do a more complete recital in December on their instruments. And in church they are looking forward to beginning handbells, among other things!
Well, you must be thinking "music, music, music" after hearing that. But as I consider the life of our family, these things are measurable achievements I can write in a blog update like this. There is a lot more than musical growth and change going on that is just harder to report. So bear with me! Joseph and Rebekah don't have many musical achievements to blog about, though they are doing well. Joseph is enjoying Kindergarten half-days this year and doing very well. I was not at all surprised by the teacher's comments, "Joseph participates in all classroom discussions." What an understatement that must be. This kid does not know a stranger! He does not merely "participate" but initiates conversations with anyone and everyone, sometimes much to my amusement. He is such a joy to so many with his unabashed friendliness and enthusiasm. :)
Rebekah turned three in August and continues to be extremely tall for her age. She is interested in princessy things like most girls her age. She does seem to have an aptitude for drawing and coloring - it's what she has always loved to do for hours so we'll see where that goes. She is growing in her vocabulary and communicating new things to us each day. And as always, she lives up to her middle name, "Joy," with her cheerful, laid back disposition. She tries to remind me when I call her my baby that she isn't a baby anymore. That's kind of sad to have no more babies, but for those of you who know Tim . . . well, let's just say I had better not mention that to him. :)
We are very much looking forward to visiting Minnesota at Christmas time and for anyone who has not been in touch with us lately and wants to be, feel free to email us at dmgstokes@gmail.com or write to us at 3512 Mildara Ct. Lexington, KY 40515
Hope you enjoy a few of our recent pics. God bless!
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