The Creative Mind

Micah has always been extremely imaginative. He had mastered scissors and tape before he mastered toilet training. He can cut, build, mold, sculpt things to scale and proportion, without using any kind of calculation or measuring device.

There's something magical about watching him create things because the space around him looks like an absolute disaster! An explosion of scraps, glue sticks, markers, clay, and paint spewed around the room... and in the center of  it all, is Micah. What emerges out of the seeming chaos is always stunning, sure to inspire any audience, as they become struck with amazement, oohing and ahhing.  Micah just modestly shrugs his shoulders and smiles proudly.  It's just who he is, how he's always been. It's his gift.

The other day, he had been on the computer playing video games for over an hour. And I get antsy if my kids are in front of screens for an extended period of time. They can do so much more than veg their life away!
So, I called to him from the kitchen, "Micah, I haven't seen you create something in a while. I'd love to find out what your mind comes up with this time. Why don't you shut that off and take the cardboard scraps I have in the mudroom and make something from them."
One hour later... no joke... one hour... and this is what he made! A pose-able Star Wars battle droid with a power pack and a gun it can either hold or clip to its side.

No measuring. No template. No tracing. Nothing to aide him. It's amazing!!!

The Sound of Music

Eight months ago, all my kids started taking music lessons for the first time. I let them each choose which instrument they wanted to play most: Miriam and Micah chose violin, Kaylee chose piano, and Chandler chose EDM (electronic dance music). 

Dale is Miriam and Micah's violin teacher. He's such a happy guy and so comfortable for the kids to talk to, they really like him. He says that Miriam is a natural and learns faster than most of his students. Micah enjoys violin but a couple of weeks ago has started to learn to use it as a fiddle. Dale says that fiddling is harder but it really seems that this is where Micah has much more interest. 

Kaylee's piano teacher, Ann, is the sweetest lady, full of praise and encouragement- Kaylee loves her. I've been impressed with how quickly Kaylee is moving through her lessons these past eight months - she's already in her third piano book! She sounds so awesome!

Chandler has always loved music and with a wide variety of interest. His greatest passion is writing his own music though, especially EDM. His webpage is https://soundcloud.com/chandlerrawlins 

I'm pretty sure he's destined for stardom. 

Micah and that Magnificent Number

Micah turned twelve this last month. He wanted only one friend for his party to hang out with for the entire day. Micah has know Lex since he was three-years-old. They used to be only a few houses away from each other until they moved... and we moved. Now Lex lives several cities away but when these two get together, they act like they've never been apart.

We have a tradition that when our children turn twelve, Joseph and I are the first ones to take them to do baptisms at the Temple. Micah was so happy and so fun to watch.

The brethren at the recommend desk told Micah to hit the wheelchair buttons on both the entry doors. Then the men ducked behind the desk and told us to snap a picture with Micah and the stain glass behind him.  He thought that was so fun. The workers really love the youth here.

We have another tradition when our kids turn twelve, it's sort of a "coming-of-age tradition". We buy them a plaque with their full name engraved on it, along with a scripture that we feel will serve as a very personal guide through life, and the date of their 12th birthday.

The scripture we chose for Micah was Alma 38:12 "Use boldness, but not overbearance; and also see that ye bridle all your passions, that ye may be filled with love..." This one was perfect for him because Micah is such a deeply passionate boy.

Down to the River

Micah turned twelve over the weekend. I let him choose how he wanted to spend the afternoon together on his birthday.  He's incredibly easy to please.  All he wanted to do was eat Little Caesar's crazy bread and walk along the Provo River.

As we got out of the van and started heading toward the parkway that runs along the river, I had a weird sense of  déjà vu.
"It feels like we've done this exact same thing before," I said to him.
Micah replied, "That's because we have, mom. This is what we did together on my eighth birthday too."
I laughed as I recalled the four years previous, "Oh yeah, we did... didn't we?"

It was such a perfect afternoon. Micah found a log to rest on and enjoy the shade of the narrowleaf cottonwood trees. I smiled adoringly as I watched him soak up the sound of rushing water accompanied by the cheerful chirping of birds. He has always loved this kind of stuff, more than any of my other kids.

His dream is to have a little cottage someday tucked away in the solitude of the mountains, where he has a porch with a wooden rocking chair overlooking a freshwater stream. There, he'll close his eyes, breathe the fresh crisp air, and relax to the sounds of nature.

I like that dream.

-Alicia





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