The Great Mistersippi

BigM has been taking piano lessons. Yes, she's only 2 1/2 (almost 3!) but one of DM's classmates majored in piano in college and has offered to give us free lessons. BigM has been doing really well with it, considering her attention span is (on average) 30 seconds. So far, she's learned a few rhythms, the difference between black keys and white keys, how to correctly touch the piano ("do a cat back, take a leap and land upon your fingertips") and how to sit up straight on the bench with a stuffed animal perched on her head so it won't fall off.

She's also learned the correct procedure for thanking her audience after she preforms her wonderful piece of music (which so far has been banging on a few keys loudly or softly.) She wriggles herself off the bench and stands still like a soldier. Mrs. Katie has told her to "look down at your feet and say to yourself, 'Mississippi' and look back up." So BigM puts one hand on her tummy and one on her back, leans over completely at the waist, yells at the top of her lungs, "MISTERSIPPI" and stands back up grinning from ear to ear while I clap enthusiastically from the couch.

Maybe she'll be a concert pianist someday. (But I'm guessing it probably won't be tomorrow.)