Dawg Dancin'

[J. Mark Lane]

My 27 month old daughter Clare loves music, especially mandolin (which she can pick out of a cd she never heard and pronounce "that's manlin daddy?").

So I just got "Dawgnation" and popped it in. The barking dogs of track one got her attention, and the minute "Slade" started she started dancing. She invented a new dance for this.

Sorry, just had to share... she's kinda cute, dontcha think? <g>

[psann]

She is indeed kinda cute. And who is her buddy behind her? Is that a golden retriever?

[phynie]

Slade is my fav! i dance like that all the time. I have no excuse because I'm 27 years old not months. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

[J. Mark Lane]

Yeah, I had to dance with her. And yes, that's a Golden. His name is Max. The most amazing dog on earth. Clare pulls his tale, sits on him, drags him around, puts stickers in his ears, teases him with food he can't have, and on and on and on... and he just takes it all with a smile. He's the best.

Mark

[mandoryan]

What a doll she is! Sounds like a pretty cool dog too. My lab is like that too. He takes all the horsing around in the world with joy.

[joshro78]

My 2 month old daughter is named Clare also. I only hope she catches the mandolin bug like your Clare!

[johnwalser]

My wife and I are available for baby sitting. Clare is certainly a doll!
John

[J. Mark Lane]

My 2 month old daughter is named Clare also. I only hope she catches the mandolin bug like your Clare!
Hey, that's a copyright violation...or something <g>.

Clare's a nice name, I think. I do prefer the "Irish" spelling. I think my Clare was about 2 months when I took up the mandolin. She just didn't react to the sound of an acoustic guitar (even a $10,000.00 one <g>). So I picked up a cheap old mandolin I had laying around...and it perked her right up. We did "Mandolin Hour" together for a long time every day. She loves music now, this child. We've started doing duets: she sings, I play. We can do "ABCB etc", "Tinkle Tinkle Leetuhw Stawah," "Mawy Had a Weedah Wamb" and a few others. She sings quite well. And she doesn't even know how badly her Daddy plays <g>.

Thanks for the kind words, guys.

Mark

[Flowerpot]

Nice pic, J Mark. I'll see your 27 month old and raise you another... my twins are 28 months old now, Zeke and Tali. They love to dance, and like anything really fast; Bluegrass '98 is their favorite to dance to. Of course, I play the mandolin for them, and alternate with guitar, and they have fun playing "name that tune" (except they come up with their own titles; "Oh Suzannah" is called "Banjo Knee"). Our girl Tali is really good at picking out instruments, and can name anything from a Dobro to a trombone when it's taking a lead. But they like the mando best!

[chirorehab]

Ok, stop! Your kids are cute.. But 27 months old? How about saying 2 years old. When does the month thing stop?

Hehe,

Eric

P.S. I am sure I will be doing the same thing in a few months after my daughter is born!

[neal]

My 279 month old just got married on the 7th. # I guess nows the time to start saying she's 23. #(and a quarter) #http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

[J. Mark Lane]

Hey, Flowerpot, those kids are great! I have tremendous respect for parents of twins (knowing how much work one can be). They really are adorable.

Eric, congrats on your expected arrival. You will find that there is really a substantial difference between children of, say, 24 months, and, say 29 or 31 months. They grow and change so fast. So in that period you get used to referring to them by the number of months -- for example so other parents can see whether they would make good play mates, so people "in the know" will better understand what stage you are at in potty training, etc. There's a practical reason for it <g>.

And Neal, did it hurt when she got married? (Mine will not be allowed out of her room until she's 30... er, 360 months.)

Mark

[J. Mark Lane]

Well, while Big Sister Clare dances to the Dawg, little brother Miles (b. 8/7/04) lounges in Daddy's gigbag.

[chirorehab]

Mark,

A newborn too! What is that 3 weeks and five hours?

Eric

P.S. I agree with you on the 360 month rule!

[mandolinbill]

That really is cute! All of them. But I think I've got ya all "one uped". I bought a harmonica in the key of G. My 2 years old grabed it and is always playing it. If you play a G, C and a D chord, just about any note on the harmonica will fit . So I jam with my two year old! Cool huh?

[J. Mark Lane]

That really is cute! All of them. But I think I've got ya all "one uped". I bought a harmonica in the key of G. My 2 years old grabed it and is always playing it. If you play a G, C and a D chord, just about any note on the harmonica will fit . So I jam with my two year old! Cool huh?
On the Jeep Forum (yes, I have other hobbies, as well <g>), there is a saying: TPIUWAP -- this post is useless without a PICTURE! <g>

We gotta have a pic of that kid playing the harmonica!

Mark

[Flowerpot]

We have a speech therapist who comes in every week to work with our boy, who is a little behind the curve (as opposed to our girl, who is ahead, so at least they average out). Part of the therapy has been whistles, flutes, pipes, and harmonicas to encourage oral coordination. The therapist gave them both a little junky looking plastic harmonica, one green and one orange (you can't leave one of them out) to play with, and boy was I surprised when they started blowing on them, cause they sound fantastic! Perfectly in tune to A440. In the key of C, one octave, but just the right size for a 2 year old. I've never tried accompanying them, but maybe it's time to try a jam session. I like to play the little things too, if I can get one away from them.

Yea, we need pics of a harmonica jam. Hurry before I get out the camera again -- it's not like I like to show off my kids or anything.

[mandofiddle]

Kids are awesome, no doubt about it. We just played a bluegrass festival in Nebraska this past weekend, and my wife and 27 month old came along. It's his 3rd festival this summer, and the kid loves them. He was even singing along to one of my tunes while we were playing it onstage. I'll have to put up a photo when I get them transferred.

[pickles]

We were at the park, me on my mando while my kids played. A tiny toddler came up and gazed, awestruck, at my mando like she'd just discovered magic. I let her hold my pick, she tried to strum it across the strings but she went to light and it just skimmed across, no noise. Big disappointment showed in her face. So I held her hand and we strummed together and she was so thrilled! Then I had to try to get my favorite pick back from her.