Oh, you make me smile

Would you like to meet the folks who make me smile on a daily basis?  (And yes, they also make me sigh in exasperation daily).  We are a Catholic family of six working toward creating a domestic church while meandering our days through this crazy busy life.  We have been married for 18 years and we have two boys and two girls.  I am stealing an idea from a friend and giving our family members pseudonyms.  I enjoy music, in [most] all of its many forms, and have chosen to give our family members music genre nicknames.  Except for me.  Mine is WaterWorks and that's a whole story for another post.

May I introduce:

Mr. Neoclassic: My wonderfully hilarious husband.  He enjoys cooking and gardening (organically only, thanks!) and puts up with my constant need to reorganize the house.  He's a bit (ha!) type-A himself, so the organization's really okay with him. He's an electrical engineer by degree, an MBA holder and works as a people herder by day.  By evening, he whips up wonderful dinners and keeps our home from falling apart.  His moniker is Mr. Neoclassic because wiki defines the Neoclassical movement as "a twentieth-century trend, particularly current in the period between the two World Wars, in which composers sought to return to aesthetic precepts associated with the broadly defined concept of "classicism", namely order, balance, clarity, economy, and emotional restraint"  Order, balance, clarity and economy.  Oh, yeah, that's him! (And that's his coveted Leg Lamp ornament, a gift this past Christmas.)

Classic Rock: Our oldest, at 13, is witty, sarcastic, taller than me and gaining on his daddy, eminently patient with his two year old sister - but only mildly patient with his seven year old sister, fascinated/ obsessed with the NFL (Bless You Boys!), a great student, a piano player (he doesn't like the term pianist), and a composer.  He enjoys playing fast tempo music and is currently enjoying a revisit of all the 70's classic hits.  He's an eighth grader looking forward to more challenging high school courses and he's active in his Boy Scout troop.  He'll be finishing up his Eagle Scout this spring (hopefully).  He can build anything out of Legos, but tells us his fingers just don't get the knack of towel folding.  Huh?

Zydeco: This 10 year old young man is hilarious and can  diffuse any situation with a well-placed movie or song quote.  He is eager to carve his own path rather than follow in the older brother's footsteps (which is fine by all of us).  He's clever with words and an excellent writer, and his laugh is infectious.  At that cusp between little kid and tween, he is testing some limits (check the hair length) while still playing games of pretend with both sisters.  This one plays a mean game of chess and rocks his guitar with church hymns.  His listening music isn't always my choice, but his sense of right and wrong is on target.  He's also a Boy Scout, working toward Tenderfoot.  Since he's got a huge circle of friends, his moniker reflects that zydeco music was originally created at house dances, where families and friends gathered for socializing.  Party anyone?  Just call, he's there!

Jazz: This 7 year old requested her moniker because "it's music for dancing."  Okay.  It totally fits since Jazz is "a spontaneity and vitality of musical production in which improvisation plays a role" [wiki].   She's creative and artsy, a piano player, talkative (too much some days), overflowing with ideas, and friendly to all.  She's most likely to seek the company of Zydeco for some super sleuth work or back yard shenanigans, but will also play Little People (the original set) with her sister.  Jazz is a magnet for friends and can make anyone feel comfortable.  Questions about every topic flow from this brain, in random order, and her mind is a steel trap of facts.  There's a temper lurking in there, but it's quick to dissipate if something fun comes along.  She's a force to be reckoned with and is the spitting image of her mother as a child.  But I think she's cuter :)

Irish Jig: This burst of energy's name is a nod to my heritage.  She's two and a few months, in constant movement (even asleep), and talks non-stop.  So the Jig part fits.  She follows the bigger children around, trying to incorporate herself into their actions.  Books and chocolate are the lures used to coax her little hands away from their stuff.  She has successfully graduated from the pacifier and now carries a small backpack everywhere.  It's usually filled with treasures she pilfers from others' rooms.  Irish Jig dances up a storm with her older sister, rides the shoulders of her tallest brother, and reads cozily with her other brother.  Daddy's her favorite playmate for Potato Heads, but Mama's the one she wants for bath time and before-bed-rocking-and-singing.