Kolby the Musician

I was just thinking about how much Kolby has grown and matured over the years, and what a good young man he is. He’ll be graduating from middle school this week and ready for high school.  This will be a big transition for our family, not only for Kolby starting at a new school and seminary in the Fall, but also because our boys are all so close in age that once Kolby starts a new stage in life it begins a whirlwind of all of the other boys transitioning too over the next few years. I’m very proud of the good young man Kolby has turned out to be — he’s spiritually minded, is responsible and helpful when we need it the most, is calm and dependable in an emergency, has been the best babysitter for years (which was such a life changer for us a few years ago after every waking moment had been spent either caring for all our kids or paying a babysitter if we needed to go anywhere!), he’s creative - always making up new games, he’s so musically talented and doesn’t put up a fight about practicing the piano ever since he started lessons at age 5 — which has also been a great example for his younger brothers, and I’m always impressed by his ability to get up in front of anyone and share his music, he’s always up for an adventure and I love exploring the outdoors with him and his brothers, he’s an avid reader, and he’s just fun to be around.  I think that sometimes lately, especially as we are starting to navigate being parents of teenagers for our  first time, we may focus too much on the things he needs to improve on.  So I just wanted to take some time this week to focus on all the things we love about Kolby. 

For one thing, once in a while I love to pause whatever I’m doing & take a few minutes to sit on the stairs and just watch as Kolby learns & teaches himself a new song on the piano. Not being especially musical myself, I’m intrigued by his ability to not only sight read quite well, but also to take the time to slow down, repeat, and teach himself the sections of the song that don’t come as easily.  Even though I really enjoy listening to him play most anything, I especially like to watch him as he learns something brand new, challenges himself, and improves a little bit at a time.