Clinging to Consistency

The whirlwind of getting under contract, securing a loan, and preparing to move has affected all of our equilibriums, I think. We all have our different ways of dealing with the loss of our routine. Rudy's is pancakes.

He has insisted on having pancakes every morning for about 2 weeks now. He doesn't mind variations in the ingredients or toppings, so I've managed not to get sick of pancakes yet. Today we had my favorite kind of pancakes by far: whole wheat pancakes with pecans. We eat them with honey (Rudy's favorite condiment of all time) and blueberries. Yummy-and nutritious enough to make me feel good about feeding Rudy the same breakfast over and over.

So amid all the changes, there is one thing we can count on every day:

We will get out our 'pancake bowl'...

toss the ingredients in while the griddle is heating up, and watch as the pancakes bubble and brown...

before eating them in 'our' spots at the table and washing them down with milk.

I'm glad Rudy has the wisdom to demand a little consistency in this crazy time.

Brama's Ouse!

Rudy's had something on his mind lately: Grandma's house! We've spent the last couple Saturday afternoons at my in-laws' house watching the BYU football games, plus Rudy's been to visit once while I was doing my gardening at Jason's grandpa's house. That's 3 times in a week, which is enough to convince Rudy that he ought to visit daily.

For the last few days, multiple times a day, he asks to go to "Brama's ouse" out of the blue. I have to remind him that we have a cool house too. Though it's not quite so cool as Grandma's with a whole walk in closet full of toys and two adults who are ready to drop everything and just play. Oh, and tasty treats at your finger tips. I guess if I think of it that way, being at our house (where the toys are all old news, Mama's 'busy' regularly, and a request for a snack is met with a cut apple) is down right dull.

Tomatoes!

Our family canned tomatoes today. Whew. I'm so glad that's done. Canning is one of those things that I dread doing and feel totally overwhelmed with until I get going, and then it's never as bad as I thought it would be. Plus, it's so satisfying to look at the finished product. I raised these tomatoes myself in my grandpa's garden, harvested them on Monday, and bottled them today. My first garden to bottle experience- I hope they turn out well!

Jason and I hurried to core, peel, deseed, and dice the tomatoes while Rudy napped. Then Jason was off to work, and Rudy and I finished up. I didn't think to get the camera out until Jason was gone, so sadly, he's not a part of our photo record of the event. He was a great help, though. I've decided to never can anything alone. It's way more fun to can with someone, and more effective too, I think. Rudy helped to get the bubbles out of the jars before putting the lids on them. And he put a lid or two on. Otherwise, he mostly "backed up" from lots of hot things. Another thing I've decided: don't bottle things with a toddler around if you can help it. It's a bit unnerving with all the potential burn opportunities. This time we all came away happy and healthy, but I'd like to limit our risks in the future.

Hooray! We're done!

Two Poops

I have two poop stories. If you would rather not read about defecation, by all means, skip these. If however, you're as dulled to the grossness of bodily functions as I am, you may enjoy these windows into toddlerhood.

The First Poop:

Rudy and I lasted almost 2 years of regular bathing before having the inevitable bath poop. Even in my heightened gross tolerance state, it was a little stomach turning to see poop chunks rise through his bubble bath to greet me. Yuck. I'm so grateful that Jason was home that evening, and so willing to help out. I plucked Rudy from what had turned into a giant toilet bowl and cared for him while Jason took care of washing all the poo from the tub, washcloth, and bath toys. I'm sooo glad I didn't have to clean Rudy up and put him to bed and then come out to face the poopy water.

The Second Poop:
Unforunately for Jason, he wasn't around for the second poop story. Last night, Rudy finally put his "poo poo" in the "potty". Hooray! He didn't even put it in his toilet trainer-he actually went on the big, flushable toilet! Both he and I were delighted, and I'm sure Jason would have loved to join in on the high fiving around the toilet. I was especially glad because Rudy was on his way into the tub when he did his poo. Maybe I'll just always suggest he have a 'sit' on the toilet before entering his bath water.

Whether this means toilet training is just around the corner or not is up in the air. I have a feeling we'll be more worried about getting into our new house and settling into the new rythm of life than we will be about potty training, but we're headed in that direction at least. Probably about half the time Rudy pees, he announces it just before or during the event. He still keeps his poos to himself, 'cause he knows that will interrupt his play. (He'll have to have his diaper changed immediately, whereas I don't hurry to change him so much when he's just wet...maybe I should, but I don't.) Anyway, Rudy just keeps growing up.

It's cool to watch him as he chooses the next delevopmental thing he's interested in, focusing all his energy on that thing. Sometimes I wish I could emmulate Rudy a little more. I wish I had the stillness of mind to be able to choose one thing to work on, and focus on that, instead of consistantly feeling like I'm drowning in things I need to work on and improve. I guess I've had that stillness before...just not now. Not while I'm trying to close on a house, choose window coverings, get a good deal on house insurance, say goodbyes to old friends, meet new ones, can tomatoes, tend my grandpa's yard, nurture my son and my relationship with my husband, keep my apartment somewhat clean, prepare lessons for Sunday school, keep my weight in check, fix nutritious meals...sigh. I need to do some yoga, I think. But when?

Bath Time

Remember when bath time could never last long enough and you wouldn't get out until the water was stone cold? Yep. That's the magical (and sometimes frustrating) stage Rudy is in right now. :)

Feeling Crafty

This week has been a stressful one. An emotional one. A busy one. A hair pullingly SLOW one while at the same time a neck breakingly fast one. Welcome to closing on a house, I guess.

With piles of paper work, heaps of emails and tons of telephone calls crowding my days, I needed something to help me remember to BREATHE. Something to restore some kind of a rhythm to my discombobulated soul.

So I pulled out the needle and thread. I spent some time focusing on that good feeling of working with fabric I love, and just pulling the needle in and out, in and out. (I also used the sewing machine, so that I could actually accomplish something with all those crafting vibes I was feeling, but the hand stitching was the more therapeutic of the two.)

At the end of my "therapy", I had created two bags. One Mama size bag for our trips to the library and wherever else a cavernous bag is helpful to have. (Which is pretty well everywhere, if you've got a toddler in tow.) :) The other one is toddler size. I made a little library bag for the daughter of one of my good friends, Bonnie, who just turned two last month. Bonnie's a huge reader, and she takes Amy to the library often (or at least she did before Noel was born...I don't know how often they make it there now, but somehow, I think Bonnie finds a way...I can't imagine she could stay away from the library for too long with out just shriveling up and dying.) :)

Anyway, they were fun to make, and I'm quite pleased with how they turned out. Being able to make them for absolutely free made it better yet.

Spiders!

Rudy's latest infatuation is with spiders. He loves them. He spots their webs where ever they are. He talks about them. He draws them (or at least proclaims that the scribbles he's made are "piders!") Our last library trip resulted in five different spider picture books, which he requests to read all the time. Luckily for me, I'm not super squeamish about spiders. Not like the librarian, at least- she couldn't even touch the books. :) I'm not freak out proof, though, as I discovered after reading Rudy several of his spider books before bed. That night I dreamt I was covered in disgusting creepy little parasites, and itched all night long. Eeew. I think I'm getting used to all this spider talk, though-no creepy dreams last night. Plus, it's fun learning new things. For example, most spiders bites (especially tarantulas) are hardly harmful at all to humans. Kinda like a bee sting. And spiders spin their webs (even really intricate ones) in less than an hour. Did you know that there is a water spider who collects air bubbles in a specially woven web allowing him/her to spend MONTHS underwater? They're really fascinating little creatures, and I have my fascinating little son to thank for my exposure to them. I'v even considered getting a pet tarantula, but seeing as they are like $30, I think I'll wait until Rudy's a bit (like years) older and can handle the little guy without risking harm to it. That is, if he's still interested in spiders by then. I'm definitely going to start work on a spider costume for Halloween, though. :) Maybe I could be Miss Muffet. And Jason could be...ummm... any ideas? Maybe just a web. Or a Daddy spider. Hopefully I'll come up with something better than that by October. :)