Family Force 5!

A little bit of background before I get into details.  :)

Our WHOLE family absolutely loves Family Force 5.  Even Ian (2) gets into their music.  For weeks, all he would want to do is watch their Wobble video on youtube.  After Wobble, it was Cray Button.  After Cray Button, it was the MAKING of Cray Button.  Ian will STILL walk around, grunt, and say "doo doo" just like Crouton. 

Who is Crouton, you might ask and what kind of NAME *is* that?  Well, they explained it like this;  in Atlanta, you have a ton of rappers with their 'gangsta' names.  So they decided to come up with their own. 

Solomon Olds - Soul Glow Activatur - Lead Singer/Guitar
Jacob Olds - Crouton - Drummer/Vocals
Joshua Olds - Fatty - Bass Guitar/Vocals
Derek Mount - Chapstique - Lead Guitar
Nathan Currin - Nadaddy - Keytar/Rhythm

Okay, now that you have the background, lets move on.

When we heard they were coming to St Cloud, we bought tickets the same day.  VIP tickets at that which included a meet and greet with the band!  We purchased Austin (11) a ticket as his birthday present.  He's been thinking about this day for quite some time.  He's talked about playing drums for Crouton ever since.

The concert was last night.  We left the four other kidlets with trusted sitters, grabbed the tickets and headed out.

Yep, VIP baby.  We were able to meet the band and have them sign a few things.  It was kinda rushed, but hey, it was still cool. 

From left to right, the band members are Fatty, Nadaddy, Soul Glow Activator, Chapstique and Crouton.  See the HUGE grin on Austin's face?

From there we headed to the merch table.  Yes, had to get some goodies!  Three t-shirts and two ZOMBIE bracelets.  We had to get a little something for Nate. 

Austin was bummed that he didn't ask Crouton if he could play drums for him.  I said we could certainly get in line again and ask.  So we did.  He was rather nervous, but I told him the worst that could happen was he would say no.  But you know what, he was cool with it!!

On Crouton's custom kit. See the III on the snare and the FF5 symbol on the kick?  Pretty sweet!

 

 For the record, I asked before I took the video.  ;)

Crouton was VERY supportive and said Austin did a great job.  I know Austin was nervous and holding back a little, but he still did awesome.  Crouton also gave him a few suggestions.  He said Austin could use anything around him to make beats, since he doesn't have his own set yet, like pillows and boxes.  We really appreciate the time he took to talk to him and us.  What a nice guy!  (do you see that my son got to play drums for a rock star?!)

From there it was time for the general admission to come on in.  We stood around and talked with some friends from church that were there.  Then, our good friends Kyle and Holly came in with their kids and nephews.  We also ran into a few lovely young ladies from our church.  Their dad was running video for the concert.  Super cool gig!

The awesome group of kids that went to the concert.  Love these guys!

Silverline was up first.  They're a group from MN.  I was incredibly impressed with their sound and stage performance.  That's saying something, as I've never really been impressed with an opening act.  Their drummer caught our attention with his cool tricks and rock star hair (I told Austin he needs to grow his hair out).  If you have time, check out their website and listen to their music. 

We were able to chat with Ryan, the lead singer for Silverline.  He had his youngest daughter with him (almost two?) after their performance.  He was very easy to talk to.  He told us a bit about their band, his family (expecting blessing #4!) and road life.  God is doing great things in their lives.  I'm excited to see where these guys go. 

Next up was Rapture Ruckus, a group from New Zealand.  They told the crowd they were excited to be in the states, the place where all their favorite TV shows originated (Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Full house).  I got a HUGE kick out of that .

They're a bit of rock and electronic combined.  They're on fire for God and excited to spread the gospel.   Just three guys in the band and they fill out the sound well.  I was glad I checked them out on spotify beforehand.  I was able to sing along a little bit.  ;)

When FF5 hit the stage, there was SO MUCH excitement in the crowd.  I REALLY wish I had a better camera with me, but alas, most of my pics were from my phone. 

Chapstique

Okay, so we know that FF5 is great on CD.  They were AWESOME live!  I can't say that about every band I've seen live or on youtube.  In fact, I've been quite disappointed by quite a few groups, but NOT this time. 

Solomon's son, Cash, came on stage a few times.  He's an adorable little guy and LOVES the stage. 

Austin spent a good portion of their stage time watching Crouton play drums.  I think he's excited to keep drumming!

After the concert, we had the option of going to FF5's after party.   Well, see, Todd and I aren't quite the young spring chickens we once were and weren't sure if we wanted to stay.  But we did.  We figured we'd check it out.

We waited in line for a bit and we noticed that Austin was fading.  It was about 9:30.  He's certainly NOT a night owl.  Add to that, that the only thing we had eaten since lunch was a candy bar, and he was NOT ready to party. 

It was a room with a small stage set up.  Rather 'intimate' in size and close to the band members.  Soul Glow had a small DJ set up.  It was a dance party with the whole band.  Man, if I was just a few years younger, I could have rocked it.  Oh, and I was totally wearing the wrong shoes. Not any jumping up and down for this mama 

Todd went to the vending machine to get Austin something to eat.  However, he still wasn't feeling good afterwards, so we decided to head home.  Well, a quick stop to pick up some burgers and THEN we headed home. 

We had such an amazing night.  Certainly not one we'll forget any time soon.

Austin's signed drumsticks, signed pass, bracelets, and drumsticks that Crouton gave him.  They were 'gently' used.  LOL

 

My little drummer boy

Austin practices drums each week with our worship director at church and each week he asks me to take a video of him.  Here's the latest.  First he practices what the homeschool band director gives him, then he just goofs around and makes his own beats.  He REALLY enjoys himself and does a great job.  This video is on one of their electronic sets.

Not sure how to comfort a mom during her loss?

A reader shared a site with me that her friend had posted.  There is SO MUCH information that I'm just scratching the surface.

I have found that a LOT of my friends and family have no idea how to 'handle' me.  Many people haven't even said one word about our losses.  Not even saying "sorry for your losses".  It floors me. 

If you are unsure of what to say/do/not do, I encourage you to check out this link. It's a great start and will help you in supporting a mother and her family through a loss. 

http://www.stillbirthday.com/familyfriends/

Some days are just better than others

Today is just not one of those days.  My mind and my heart are all over the place.  We've got so much going on that I just can't think straight. 

First and foremost is that we're moving this summer.  We have yet to find a place to rent and it's making me sick.  I would REALLY just like to know where and how much so I can start planning and preparing.  It's just not happening. God is saying to WAIT.

Secondly, I'm watching all my friends have their babies.  While it's a blessing and wonderful time to rejoice, my heart is heavy thinking about what I won't have.  I would have been 32 weeks on Monday.  With twins. I would have been just 4-6 weeks away from meeting the two newest members of our family. 

I dreaded watching this time come and it's here.  I was hoping to be pregnant before March so I'd have a tiny bit of joy of my own.  I know becoming pregnant again won't take away my pain.  I've said it over and over......Its just that the emptiness is SO hard to take sometimes. 

I have friends who are dealing with or have dealt with infertility.  Advice that I've been given from these friends are to not let what I experienced make me bitter.  And I'm not.  However, I think it's hard for people to imagine what came out of me in the hospital.  The tiny, red, lifeless body I held in my hands.

It wrecked me. 

I fear that God will never bless us again in that same way.  I fear that I will never again feel life growing within my body. 

I have a select few friends who know how bad I'm struggling.  I don't want to be a burden, so I call no one.  I ask for nothing.  But people don't know how to 'handle' me.  They'd rather not see me cry, so they say nothing to me. 

In fact, good friends had suggested , instead of constantly talking to them about it, that I see a counselor.  I was floored.  I don't need to talk to someone I DON'T know about the most painful part of my life.  I need good friends to lend their ears.  I need people to love me and not judge me.  I need to talk it out. If I DON'T talk about my babies, I'm afraid I will forget them. 

I don't know when I'll be okay with what happened.  I don't know the timeline God has for my grief.  What I do know is that the wound is still raw. 

Someone else who 'get's it'

I stumbled across a blog from a friends' blog.  She lost twins just days shy of 20 weeks.  Her words ring with truth. Read it.

http://www.hormonal-imbalances.com/2012/05/is-anger-ok/

Lyrics

Killing Me Inside - Crossfade

There's a dream that comes to me
And it whispers all night long
Telling lies of things to be
And makes it all seem wrong
Even sleep is choking me
Am I feeling weak or strong
In the dreams I could not be
But it's killing me inside

It's killing me inside
Killing me inside

There's a dream I cannot see
And it laughs for all too long
Open eyes stare down at me
And it sings the same old song
Now its raining down on me
And I can't believe they're gone
All the dreams I used to see
Is now killing me inside

**yep.  It's been one of those days. This song just happened to be way to fitting.  Heard it for the first time today.

You HAVE to watch this!

Okay, yes, it's the sermon from this past Sunday.  Matthew Molesky, our pastor, has an AWESOME vision and is great with visual presentation.  The passage he used was Luke 6:27–6:36.  WATCH IT!!