February 23, 2008

drums for real

If I said that the grand debut of the drum set has been easy, I'd be lying. It has been a huge adjustment. It started off as exciting as I'd hoped--Finn jumping for joy, wild with glee, in 7th heaven. As we opened each box, the chaos grew and things took a turn for the worse. Basically, Finn and Calvin were running completely amuck, causing John great difficulty in setting the drums up. To make things worse, John discovered we were missing some MAJOR pieces: a drumhead for the floor tom, both drumheads for the bass drum and the pedal for the bass drum. We called the company and they will be sending us those missing pieces. In the meanwhile, John pieced together the drum set as best as he could while we wait for the brown truck yet again. The drums are enormous, and totally not to scale with my wee little Finn boy. On the plus side, they are quite beautiful and we were able to temporarily squeeze them into a corner of the family room. I eventually want to sell the pool table and use the space for a funky music area.

The night before, we gave Calvin the electric guitar he had been saving for. Calvin loves it, and so do I, partly because the size is so to scale with him.

this corner can't be used for time-out anymore!

As Finn started drumming away, I started to panic that the neighbors were gonna call the cops on us...or that we would all go deaf, the pounding was SO LOUD. I sent John to Guitar Center for a "drum mute set", something I should have purchased beforehand. Instead, he came back with light drum sticks called roots, that were supposed to muffle the sound. NOT SO! So I'm cooking dinner and the noise is so loud, I can't even talk to John without using sign lanuage. I ended up hiding in my room, leaving behind a half-cooked dinner. When I emerged, John was taking the drums apart, threatening to put them in the attic, with Finn sobbing on the floor. That was the low point. We all calmed down and decided to give this drum thing another chance, with lots of rules...and we needed the mute set ASAP. John went back and got them, and I've been smiling ever since.

These things make me so happy. I think I said that a dozen times that night. Oh those poor mothers who must have suffered cruelly before this handy invention. They make all the difference in the world and are able to reduce ear-splitting pounding into mere pleasant thumping. As happy as I am, we still have some issues to deal with. Mainly, the boys are fighting over the drums constantly. Calvin hops onto Finn's throne every chance he gets. They just get so bent out of shape.
We are working on sharing better.

fighting for the throne with their drum-sabers.

But Calvin has been so funny, trying to put all their old drum stuff(cardboard cymbals, spatulas) onto the new set. I guess you can take the boy out of the ghetto, but you can't take the ghetto out of the boy:)

Finn wanted to watch the Tommy DVD, but the remote was set to mute and so no sound came out of our TV. Finn accused the "drum mutes" of making Tommy mute too.
So, this is my new life.


All in a days work!

13 comments:

  1. oh my goodness, they are so cute! What great pictures! I feel your pain. I married a musician...no really, it will get better and you'll get used to it...that or you'll get a sound proof room added on. Hee hee. =0) I listened this afternoon to my hubby on his box drum...thankfully that thing isn't as loud. I actually like to here him play it.

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  2. i have only been on the other end of the drums but i could imagine it being somewhat...nerve racking to be on the receiving end, especially with a 4 year old. youre amazing parents for even letting him get this set. and when your boys are older and they see these pictures they will be so impressed and proud of how cool you guys let them be. what cool parents you are- good job!
    i found a remnant of my old set- a little splash symbol, would it be of use to your boys? if so, its theirs.

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  3. Oooh, the long awaited post! I am so excited for the boys, and even more excited for your mute set.

    They are so cute, and I'm lol about Calvin trying to mix the old set in with the new one. I love the drama pic of him, wearing the arm band.

    Finny is amazing, I can't believe he persevered to the end! That is quite a set!

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  4. Your so brave. The boys look like they're in heaven. Thank goodness for the mute set. Who knew that they made such a thing?

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  5. Oh, they're so cute! I hope you guys figure out your system soon, so Mama doesn't go crazy. =)

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  6. New things and toys are wonderful, but they always create new challenges for us mommies, it seems. That's why I always dread birthdays just a teensy bit. :) Oh well, I guess it is a great lesson for our children-- they need to learn the sharing thing, tough as it may be. It sounds like you are handling it great.
    Yes, drum mutes are the BEST. When my hubby had his drums set up in our last apartment, those saved my life. I'm glad you discovered them and got your sanity back. :)
    I love the pictures of your boys rockin' out with their instruments! They look so cool.

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  7. I can't wait to come see them!
    I missed you this weekend.

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  8. Hilarious! Hopefully you will put up some video soon.

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  9. Calvin looks like such a rocker with his bracelet (do guys call it a bracelet or should it have a much cooler name?). You are an inspiration!

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  10. oh and where the heck did you get those vintage star wars t's???

    i'm on quite the star wars kick right now....hmmm...i wonder why=)

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  11. That is so great!!! Gabe especially was a bit envious, he would like to have a drum set again someday. Your boys play the part of rockers so perfectly. From their hair, clothes (by the was LOVE the shirts, where did you find those at?), to their wrist bands. Very Cool!!!!

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