Taking a break

We have decided to let Adam take a break from piano lessons. It makes me sad but we fight everytime we try to get him to practice.  We want playing music to be fun and not a shouting match.  He seems to do well at the actual lesson but he has no interest in practicing at home.  He wants to get the stickers for practicing and go up on the "hall of fame" board but he doesn't actually want to practice.  
On the front of the little practice sheet where he puts his stickers it has 6 "rules":
5 days (minimum)
Fast feet (fast feet to the piano to practice - no complaining)
Happy Face
Count out Loud
All songs
No Help
Adam doesn't want to do any of those.  He says he wants to go back when he is older and learn how to play Weezer.  Part of me wonders if he is bored with the stuff he is playing. We'll ask him again in the Spring and Summer.  Maybe get a different teacher.

Merry Christmas!

Adam had thought that Friday night was Christmas Eve.  He couldn't fall asleep and then woke up at 7:30am afraid to go to the bathroom because he thought it was still nighttime and that Santa wouldn't see him awake.  On actual Christmas Eve, he fell asleep no problem.  Must have been all the running around he did at the Chinese restaurant.  He didn't get up until about 9:15am.  He had woken up 2 times during the night but not because he was excited about Santa but once because he couldn't reach his Kleenex box and the next because "there was wind in my room that wasn't the fan".  (Found out later that it was part of a weird dream).  He ended up sleeping in our bed and Dave slept in the guest room because Adam kept waking him up blowing his nose or snoring because he was so congested. 

As usual on any special day, Adam walked downstairs with his hands over his face.  I had to keep telling him he could wait until we were actually down the stairs but he survived.  I think it took him 45 minutes to open everything (he's a slow unwrapper).  Lots of Batman figures,  Imaginext castle and boat, some Lego and Trio bloks, markers, and coloring books.  We asked him if he got "everything" since that's what he wrote to Santa.  He said no.  We asked if it was good enough.  He said yes.  Whew!

Christmas "concert"

Adam had his last day of school before Christmas break yesterday.  We were told to come 15 minutes early for pick-up to hear the kids sing Christmas songs.  We had been hearing small bits of songs at home so we couldn't wait to see/hear them for real.  Plus, with Adam, you never know what he's gonna do (like the Thanksgiving concert where he had a breakdown when they didn't sing the song he wanted).  I tried to edit the video but Adam's expressions crack me up so I kept most of it. (I did cut the very beginning where the teachers were waiting to make sure most of the parents were there and Adam stood picking his nose - both fingers up there!)