Crocs

I've had a beloved pair of crocs for about 4 years. Yesterday, Rudy joined the Splendiferous Croc Club. Mom bought him a pair for a steal of a deal at a Crocs Outlet store. (I think Mom could find an outlet store for just about anything-Outlet shopping is one of her hobbies, and she's darn good at it.) :) I decided to take some pictures to celebrate to occassion.

The Quest of the Three Snail Brothers

(This is Jason posting)
So, over the last week or two Rudy had become increasingly interested in the snails that inhabit the shrubbery around out Condo. This is a story that grew out of many of our early morning constitutionals (walks) around the complex we live in. We began seeing a large number of snails, slugs, pill bugs, and other insects. And I, just on an impulse, began giving them silly names and we started creating a silly little narrative to go along with the characters we had created. Maria was so impressed that she insisted that I add it to the blog.

So here is the story of "The Quest of the Three Snail Brothers"

Once upon a time there was a magical snail kingdom deep in the shrub forest, called Sneeb. It was a peaceful land where all slugs, snails, and other Gastropods lived in harmony and joy. This land was ruled by a wise king, named King Snorkle IV. All who lived in Sneeb were happy and content.

But there was one who fought against happiness and wanted to destroy King Snorkle and enslave all in his lands. This was the evil wizard Archimertyl; the dark necromancing pill bug. Archimertyl despised peace. Archimertyl hated the smell of happiness. To Archimertyl happiness smelled just like old stinky socks, or fish that lay in the sun for too long. Archimertyl couldn't come near Sneeb because it reeked of so much happiness. So Archimertyl devised a plot to end all happiness and joy in Sneeb. A plan to make King Snorkle so sad he would frown forever.

One of the things which made the citizens of Sneeb, and especially King Snorkle, the happiest was the beautiful slug princess Wobble-di-gong. She was fairest, kindest, and slimiest of all the citizens of Sneeb. Archimertyl sent his two henchmen, the snail cousins Dinkus and Dorkus, to kidnap the princess; and bring her to his lair far from the shrub forest.

When the king learned his fair daughter had been taken, he searched the land of Sneeb for champions to rescue princess Wobble-di-gong. From branch to bramble and from root to leaf word spread of the call for brave slugs and a rescue quest. However, though all who lived in Sneeb loved Princess Wobble-di-gong, few had enough courage to step forward and set forth; for the journey was long and perilous.

Then, from a small moss and mushroom farm on the far edge of the shrub forest came three snail brothers; their names were Artimus, Sasifras, and Fliber-di-jibit.

Artimus, the oldest brother, was the wisest and cleverest, perhaps of all snails in Sneeb.

Sasifras, also called Sasifras the fast, had never been out skooched in any race.

Fliber-di-jibit was the youngest, and strongest, of the three. Tales told that Fliber-di-jibit had once lifted a twig that an entire ant colony had failed to move.

The three bothers left Sneeb early in the morning and their first stop was to visit the blind earthworm oracle Larpni. The three brothers crouched waiting in Larpni's small tunnel for his prophesy. After a moment of squirming the oracle told them of the path they would have to travel. The three snail brothers would first have to cross the great green jungle of Nwal, then they have to cross the desert of Cong Krete in order to reach Archimertyl's lair deep in the valley of Breezey Waye.

Valiantly Artimus, Sasifras, and Fliber-di-gibit continued on their quest. The jungle of Nwal was filled with thick towering green stalks of vegetation; and it was home to The Forlax. The Forlax was a large growling monster covered with a hard shell on top and an insatiable mouth underneath. The Forlax's stubby round legs couldn't bend, so it ate by sucking in and chopping up its food using the two huge sharp teeth that spun at the center of its gaping mouth. The Forlax dined primarily on plants; but it wasn't picky, it would eat anything that was foolish enough to wander into the powerful vortex created by its spinning teeth.

The three brothers, however, were not scared. Artimus, being wise, knew the monster only came out to feed when the plants in Nwal grew long and tall enough for its mouth to reach. And Sasifras, being quick, darted ahead and behind listening for the monstrous thunder that the beast made when it fed. And Fliber-di-jibit carried with him a rock, which he held ever ready to throw at the monster's teeth if necessary. In this way, the three snail brothers traveled safely through the jungle of Nwal.

As they reached the edge of the forest their eyes first beheld the barren wasteland of Cong Krete. Their mouths gaped open as the featureless desert seemed to extend forever. They paused only for a moment, however, and soon the three snail brothers slimed their way forward bravely but cautiously. For all three of the brothers had heard of the danger that lurked in the Cong Krete wasteland; it was the traveling route of the Hyumeans.

Hyumeans were gigantic, much bigger than the Forlax. They were so tall that you couldn't even see their heads. Some snails even doubted if they had heads, because they didn't appear to be able to see where they were going. A hyumean could squish a whole family of snails, and not even seem to notice what had happened.

There were three kinds of Hyumeans: the Means were the tallest, and had feet so large that they could crush an entire snail village in one step. The Wo-means were slightly smaller, but they often had tall claws on their heels that would stab deep into the ground. And the most dangerous of all were the Chilled-reans. These Hyumeans were considerably smaller than the Means and Wo-means; but they were often the most dangerous. Chilled-reans often sought out and squished poor little snails on purpose, or they would place a snail in a great clear prison and watch as it wasted away without food, water, or even air.

It seemed like forever, even for Sasifras the fast, before the three reached the valley of Breezey Waye, domain of Archimertyl. But it wasn't long before they were face to face with Archimertyl himself. Before any words could be said Archimertyl unleashed his two henchmen Dinkus and Dorkus who attacked the brothers. With lightning slug speed Sasifras slimed swiftly past Dinkus and gripped in his mouth a piece of spider webbing that hung nearby. He quickly circled around Dinkus until the slug cousin was all wrapped up and immobilized.

Dorkus Slimed up to Artimus with a mean look on his face. Artimus just smiled at him and pointed behind Dorkus. The snail cousin turned just in time to see a dandelion fall pinning him beneath it. Fliber-di-jibid stepped out from around the toppled weed and joined his brothers standing before the evil wizard. Archimertyl began chanting an incantation in some long forgotten tongue. But clever Artimus crept slowly up to the pill bug and loudly said 'BOO!'. The startled pill bug rolled up into a ball and was too frightened to do anything.

Laughing the three brothers freed princess Wobble-di-gong, each received a kiss on the cheek (yes, snails have cheeks) as payment for their bravery, and escorted her home to her father.

And they all lived happily ever after.

Rudy's growing up!

Last night, Jason and I fell prey to the stomach flu that has been menacing our little man this week. We woke up miserable and entirely unprepared to take care of ourselves, let alone a rambunctious one year old. We were desperate, so we called Jason's sweet Mom at 5:45 am on a Saturday and begged her to come get Rudy. She came right away, and kept Rudy all day long. (Hooray for weaning! And Hooray for Mom!!) By the middle of the afternoon, my fever had broken, my stomach had quieted, and I began to miss our little man. It was so quiet in the house. So empty. When Mom brought Rudy back, I couldn't get enough of him. I gave him an extra long hug, and let him stay in the tub 'till his fingers, toes, and soles of his feet were wrinkly, just so I could spend more time with him. Both Jason and I felt like he'd grown an inch since we'd given him to Mom this morning. I know he doesn't really grow that fast, but sometimes it sure feels like it. Rudy's made a bunch of growing up progress lately. Here's a quick recap:


Rudy gave me his very first spontaneous thank you yesterday. It was even after changing his diaper of all things- something that is often a bit of a battle for us. Here are some more of the words he's saying these days:
Home, bubbles, please, no, yes, momo (for lawn mower), grandma (sorta...it was a two syllable word he said after I asked him if he could say grandma. He seemed pretty pleased with the pronunciation, so we decided to count it.), turtle, noodle, basket ball, DVD (DD, to him), ta da, more, peaches, and Daddy (he's been saying Dada about as long as Mama, but just this morning has put the two different vowels together to say Daddy).
Last week Rudy started climbing up on things-chairs particularly. He gets to the top of whatever it is he's scaled and chirps, "Ta da!"

With his increased mobility comes increased opportunity for mischief. Just putting things up on the table doesn't mean they are safe anymore.

Sigh. At least he hasn't figured out how to drag chairs and things over to places he wants wants to reach.
Having some time away from Rudy (conceivably the very longest amount of time I've ever had away from him) as been refreshing and given me more than just time to get over the stomach flu. It's given me a reminder of just how precious a part of my life Rudy is. I love that little guy!

The Perils of House Hunting

So. Jason and I have been on the hunt for about 2 weeks now. Walked through a bunch of houses. Driven by more. Practically drowned in the information we've been gathering through library books, community classes, and talking with friends and family. Our eyes are almost permanently glazed over with all the roofs, foundations, paint jobs, floor layouts, etc. we've been analyzing. Last week, however, a little surge of adrenaline was added to the mix.

We pulled up to a potential home sweet home and were greeted by our realtor. She said, "Listen, you're gonna have to brace yourselves. There is a really strong dog odor in the house. It's just a lady and her giant dog living here now, but I think the place has some good potential, after replacing all the carpeting." In we went, and did our usual checking around of the place. Just as we were wrapping things up, the owner came home. So did her dog. The back door (by the garage) was open, and as we heard the snarls and barking coming closer, we all scrambled for the front door. Our realtor was last, and couldn't get the front door shut before the dog was through. She leaped up onto the front porch railing and screamed in pure terror. I swear, I think she thought she was moments away from being eaten alive. The dog moved on from her and went after Jason, who was bookin' it outta the yard. He started jumping at him, and snapping. At about that moment, I came to my senses and stood my ground. I began yelling in my most intimidating voice possible, waving my arms and sorta charging at the dog, telling him get down and get outta here. All this took place in about 60 seconds. Finally, the owner caught up with her dog and dragged him into the house, apologizing all the way.

We all began laughing that nervous laugh you do after you've been super freaked out, only to discover that you have, in fact, survived unharmed. Our realtor came down off the porch railing and attempted to regain her dignity. Just then, the dog came barreling out of the back yard. (Apparently the back door was still open.) Back up on the railing went the realtor, back I went into intimidation mode, with Jason at my side this time, doing a much better job of being scary. When the owner had retrieved her dog a second time, the realtor still clutched onto the railing.
"Is he gone? Is he gone?" "Yes, Lynda, he's gone." We replied, bursting with laughter this time. Off the railing she jumped, crossing the yard and the street in one fluid movement. She didn't rest easy until she had gotten into her car and locked the door. She cracked the window and called, in an attempt at a calm voice, "Ok, I'll meet you at the next house!" And off she went. We had a hard time focusing on that next house because all three of us were still cracking up about the dog at the last place. (Lynda had gotten some time to calm down and see the absolute humor in her actions.) Anyway, it was a great laugh. And no, that home in not on our Top 3 List.

Hiking with Rudy

On Memorial Day, I found myself with the car to myself as Jason worked the day shift (instead of the split shift he works on non-holidays). I wanted to go on an adventure, but hesitated to go without a friend. Usually, Mutti or Heidi accompany me on hikes/nature walks, but neither were available to help me satisfy my spontaneous wanderlust. What to do? I finally decided to go with just Rudy and me. As a result, I made several discoveries:

1. Rudy is a great hiking companion.

All the other times I've hiked with him, he's been more like an extension of me instead of a partner. I mostly talked about grown up things with the grown ups I was around, and threw a comment or two in Rudy's direction when it seemed he needed some attention. (Totally callous, I know, but true) This time, my entire attention and conversation was absorbed with Rudy, and for a toddler with a vocabulary under 100 words, he had a lot to say.

2. It's OK to spend 45 minutes in 2 square feet of trail. In fact, it's really enlightening.

This isn't quite the 2 square foot part, but it still holds the same meaning. Here we are just barely past the parking lot of Rock Canyon, and still on the paved path that leads to the actual trail head. Instead of forging straight ahead, Rudy delighted in running up the inclined path, turning on his heals, and barreling down again, yawping with the exhilaration he felt as his speed increased. This repeated over and over until I took it upon myself to explain a key hiking strategy to him. "Rudy," I said, "You're supposed to go up, Up, UP, then DOWN, Down, down, not up, down, up, down, up, down." Then I got to thinking...maybe the up down strategy wasn't so bad, so long as joy is being achieved. Many times life is as series of up downs...seemingly unsuccessful attempts achieve something 'big'. If we get too hung up on the fact that we haven't reached the destination, we'll never be able to enjoy the part of our journey we're in at the moment. Rudy's up down exercise helped me to take a moment and realize that even though we were not yet swallowed up in nature as I wanted to be, the view was still amazing.

You can't see it in this picture, but Rudy is intently watching a snail.

He eventually picked it up and patiently (for an 18 month old) waited for the snail to get brave enough to come back out. It never did, but it was cute to see Rudy trying to coax it out with his little babblings of reassurance.

After giving up on the snail, he moved on to tracking the activity of a rollypolly (or pill bug, as they say here in Utah). He watched that little guy forever, it seemed, even after the insect decided he'd had enough of being observed. The rollypolly scooted under some rocks in the path, but Rudy diligently searched until he found it again. I was impressed at how intently he observed this little patch of the mountain. It made me remember to be in the moment more, instead of always focused on what comes next. (A valuable lesson when in the throws of trying to wean a little boy who is still very happily nursing.) :)

And finally, discovery number 3: Showing admiration is a good thing.

As we neared the end of our hike, we came upon a group of climbers. Rudy, of course, was enthralled-especially by the man who was bouldering (probably 'cause he was constantly jumping off the side of the mountain.) Anyway, there was a little crowd (it was Memorial Day, remember) gathered to watch the climbers. We all thought they were cool, I'm sure, but the only one who expressed it was my little Rudy. As the man would get higher up the rock, Rudy would watch with great anticipation for the ultimate jump off. (I think he believes the whole goal of bouldering is to get as high as you can, so the jump off will be cooler.) Anyway, when the man would jump off the rock, Rudy would shout a great big, drawn out, "Whoaaaaaaa!" Just like he'd been raised by beach bums off the California coast. It was hilarious, but you know what? I think the climber was really soaking up little Rudy's admiration.

Why do we guard ourselves from expressing our thoughts so often? Why not ogle when something cool is going on? Why not comment when you're impressed? I think it'd result in a whole lot more people standing just a bit taller, 'cause a complete stranger thinks they are cool.

So, there you have it. The moments of enlightenment that I am blessed with a the mother of a kid as cool as Rudy is. I think I'll be doing more 'Mama and Me' hikes in the future-and not as a last resort, either. :)

Guess How Much?

So, I'm feeling pretty proud of myself right now. Rudy and I went for an excursion to the local Albertsons today with a pocketful of coupons. This is what we came away with:

Guess how much we spent?

17 cents.

Yep.

We saved $17.39.

I think this is the beginning of a lifelong friendship with the Sunday coupons.

Dirty Dishes and Squeals of Laughter

Everyone and everything in my household (and probably my breezeway) is being affected by Rudy's and my struggle to establish real physical independance from eachother. Check out my poor kitchen:

And that's even after I stubbornly cleaned it yesterday while Rudy tantrumed like the world was ending. Sigh. Nothing worth having is easy to get, right? The irony in all this is that one of my key motivators for finally facing this struggle is that Jason and I have decided to start trying for a second child, and we want to increase our chances of getting me pregnant by having me stop nursing. I have to admit, there have been a few times in the last week that I have thought to myself, "And I want TWO of these?" Luckily, Rudy always pulls through with some adorable thing to remind me that being a mom (even a weaning mom) is great, and my excitement to meet our next child returns.
Today, he was so cute with Owen, our downstairs neighbor and friend. Owen came over to play for about an hour and the first thing Rudy did was bring him is most favorite book from the library (its all about trucks). When Owen wasn't interested in that Rudy tried all sorts of other things to get Owen excited about being at our house. It was like he was showing him how cool it is up here. Finally, he stumbled upon Owen's activity of choice: a tickle fest. Rudy was pointing out Owens buttons on his shirt when he accidentally tickled him. Owen gave a squeal of delight, and with that great response, Rudy went back for more. Soon the two of them were hooting and hollering with laughter. It's the first time I've seen Rudy tickle someone-so cute!