hoedown filled up

we went to our first hoedown last night here in kentucky. complete with cowboy hats and a blue grass band all taking place in a barn. and yes, i forgot every camera i own.

it was an event for the school matt teaches at. the families and teachers of the school were all invited. we drove outside of the city for quite sometime to a large family farm with a huge barn. i'm always shocked at how rural kentucky is, as i don't get out of the city much. in the city i feel at home, but i'm shocked the minute i leave it.

it was a good night, some of the highlights:

-isaiah and alaythia were the first to start the dancing with the blue grass band. as soon as the music started they both stood up and started dancing. i don't know if i've been more proud of them. different reasons.
1-the love for dance is in them, that is something i wanted to pass down, and it looks like it has.
2-they are uninhibited. they don't know to care what other people might think, it's what we do in our family culture and so that's what they do when they are in public. i hope there are MANY things that transfer that way.
3-they were together. they danced together ALL NIGHT. they love each other. as the crowd swelled and they joined hands with other kids to circle and spin, at times alaythia got overwhelmed. but with the big brother she has, who can coach her along and watch out for her, she did just fine.
4-they felt so big getting to make decisions for themselves all night. we basically let them do whatever they wanted. we would watch from a distance and every so often they would run back and make up some important fact to tell us. or ask permission for something they were already doing, just to draw attention to what big kids they were.

-sophia slept the whole time in the baby bjorn.

-isaiah has a confidence that i hope never leaves him. toward the end of the night, we were getting ready to head home and isaiah begged to go outside. there was a group of 5th and 6th graders playing....well, it was that girl and guy flirting thing. a lot of running and screaming. isaiah jumped right in. he didn't know what they were playing, and even though they all were older than him, he joined. there are kids playing, he wanted to play, so he did. he ran and laughed as they changed directions, even though he didn't know what was going on. when they were done and the groups started to walk away he threw his hands up and said, 'hey guys, what's up?' yeah, he's 4. they were gracious, but didn't invite him to go with them. he seemed unfazed. i hope he retains that confidence.

-i love being the teacher's wife. after years of always being the student, last night, for the first time the tables were turned. and i'll admit, i was proud of my husband. he was gracious to the parents that came up and made comments about his work load. he complimented children to their parents and i saw the difference in made in their eyes. i heard him articulate the vision he has for the students learning latin, and his hope for them. and i was thankful for the encouragement he got from others about the discussions he's prompted in homes with the homework he's assigned for his logic classes.

yes, it was a good night. i was filled up.

p.s. on the sophia note: i have changed my diet, taking out fat and diary. the reflux seems to be less intense, not gone, but seems to bother her less. and per sophia's great grandmother we are trying chamomile tea. i drink it and so does she. the crying is less, not gone, but less. she's decided she wants her bed time to be 3am. yeah, that's not going to work much longer.