Fabulous!

Peter is allergic to eggs and peanuts, which makes eating out kind of scary. But, since we couldn't be home yesterday, we took a chance and went to a restaurant that Bryan and I used to really enjoy, hoping that they would be able to accommodate Peter's needs. When I asked if they had any allergy information the manager actually went to the back and printed out a detailed list of everything they serve and what allergens each thing contains. We were so impressed! To quote Bryan, "Wow, 10 points for Mimi's."

Creepy Crawlies

I have a really clean kitchen. I'm not bragging about my mad cleaning skills, I'm sharing my shock for how clean it has to be, after what happened this weekend.

On Sunday I walked over to our pantry looking for a snack and noticed something odd on it's ceiling. I couldn't tell if it was food or a tiny bug so I asked Bryan to come take a look. I thought about posting a picture of what it turned out to be, but they were all too gross. It was a dog tick. I shudder just thinking about it. We had already talked about spraying our house for bugs and that discovery solidified our decision. Later that night Bryan was looking underneath the kitchen sink for the poison and found another tick next to some signs that there is a rodent in my house. I am not okay with that.

Monday morning we got up and moved all of the furniture away from the walls and the boys and I ran errands while Bryan sprayed the perimeter of every room with fancy, high-powered bug spray. We went back and picked Bryan up when he was done and found ways to stay occupied away from home while the poison dried. Bryan and I were up until after midnight deep cleaning the kitchen to make sure it was safe for us to eat in there. I even washed all of the appliances that were out on the counter.

I really hate bugs. And uninvited rodents.

Brothers

It's comforting to know that Peter loves his baby brother, even though he may not always be as kind and gentle to him as I'd like. This picture shows one of the sweet moments. Peter decided he wanted to give Cooper some of his stuffed animals, so he kept bringing them in and putting them on Cooper in the rocking chair. I finally had to limit the number because I was losing sight of poor Cooper underneath Peter's generosity.

And did you know that footsie pajamas can be worn backward? It's an excellent fashion choice for those that want to say, I don't know, remove their diaper and throw it out of their room. In case you were curious.

All Over the Place

Here are some thoughts that floated through my brain tonight, none of them particularly clever, I just can't seem to organize myself well enough to stay on one topic tonight.

• I really love green beans. I really hate peas. I sometimes think that I should like both of them since they share multiple characteristics like both being green and vegetables and good for me. But no, peas make my skin crawl. And even though I think they are awful, I still serve them to Peter, who loves them. I think I deserve an award for this.
• I'm trying to think of what I want for my birthday next month. Bryan has been asking for ideas and the only thing I can think of is not only quite expensive (for our budget), it's also sold out everywhere. But it looks so fun...
• I am a much better mom when I have had enough sleep. I am an even better mom when Peter has had enough sleep too.
• Peter and I made cookies that have so many nutritious things in them, they might even be considered healthy. And the biggest surprise, Bryan has actually been eating them. Peter will eat almost anything, and I like weird healthy stuff, but Bryan generally is not a fan. Could this be the beginning of a new trend?
• I have spent time trying to make my blog more aesthetically pleasing, time that could have been used for writing or sleeping. I have yet to figure out how to make this thing look nice, which really annoys me. I've been married to Bryan long enough that I've become fairly computer savvy, so I'm somewhat miffed that I haven't been able to make anything work yet. Argh...
• I like using ellipses...

That might feel random, but it's nice to clear out those floating thoughts every once in a while

Crooked

Peter got a crick in his neck this morning. The poor kid walked around all day with his head to one side. At church I told his nursery leader about it and she looked at him and said, "Yeah, he does look kind of lopsided." I'm really hoping that's it's gone in the morning.

The sore neck didn't interfere with his storytelling however. Bryan went into Peter's room before I did this morning because I was feeding Cooper. I listened from our room as Peter launched into a lengthy and detailed soliloquy about everything he was doing. It was a solid stream of words for 30 minutes. When Cooper and I finally joined them he was talking about the slide that he had made for his friends (the euphemism we use for his large collection of stuffed animals) out of his blanket and was sliding them down from his rarely used toddler bed onto the floor.

The insatiable need to explain everything is genetic. Bryan loves to explain, so does my Dad. In fact, Peter is usually so busy explaining whatever pops into his head to us that he doesn't ask why questions. He asks lots of who, what, and where questions, and even a few hows, but no whys. When does that usually kick in? Maybe he doesn't feel the need because we offer so many unsolicited explanations.

Now, how to teach him when he's explained too much and has lost his audience?

I Love Technology

Bryan loves computers, and has a lot of them. This picture should give you an idea. And it doesn't even include the laptop that I'm using right now. He's good at fixing things that other people are getting rid of and good at getting extended warranties to pay off.



So I was really proud of Bryan when he went through his large stash of electronics and pulled out those items that he could live without. This is what we took to DI yesterday.



Well done Bryan!

The Linguist

Peter is creating his own language.

He started by using one word that I couldn't understand whenever he was really frustrated with me. Here is a typical exchange:

Me: Peter, it's time to take a nap.
P: No, it is not time for a nap.
Me: Yup, you're a tired boy. It's time for a nap.
P: No, it is not. It is time for puhmuhnana.
Me: What?
P: It is time for puhmuhnana.

We think this word derives from the word permanently, which is in one of the songs he regularly requests at bedtime. But we're not really sure. Lucky for us, he's started including translations. This is what he told us last night at dinner:

P: (After a string of his language) That means the missionaries will preach the gospel.

Wow. This is a profound language he's creating.

On a side note, this is the bedtime song he requests. He usually sings along. I loved this song as a kid and when I found it in board book form, I bought it. It has been well used.

Good Things Come to Those Who Wait

This is the flower that I got for Mother's Day at church on Sunday. The Young Men were standing guard at a table full of flowers in each foyer. As we walked out and saw them I asked Peter if he wanted to pick out a flower for me. We were closest to the red flowers, so I figured I'd be good as far as the color went. He reached up and picked the only flower that hadn't bloomed. When we met Bryan outside of nursery and he saw my flower he asked if all the others had been taken. I said no, this was the one that Peter chose for me.

I wonder, does this mean he can see beauty in things that others can't? Did he know that this flower was a step behind it's neighbors? What was it that made his 2-year-old brain say, "Yup, that's the one"? As you can see, it's blooming nicely now, while the other flowers might be starting to wilt. So I get to enjoy mine a little longer than I would have otherwise.

Thanks Peter.

Baby Talk

My brother Ian called today and I put him on speaker phone so he could talk to Peter. The last couple of times we've talked he's been disappointed that Peter was already asleep, so we took advantage of Peter being bright eyed to initiate some uncle/nephew bonding.

In my current state of exhaustion I don't remember the context of the exchange, but for some reason Ian asked Peter if he knew what a dwarf was. Peter's blank look said he didn't, so I quickly said that a dwarf was a person that did not grow to the same height as most adults because of something in their genetic makeup. I thought that was concise enough for a brief answer, but Ian started laughing. I asked what was so funny. Apparently most people don't use phrases like "genetic makeup" when explaining things to their 2-year-old.

Dude, why do you think he has such a ridiculously huge vocabulary? My whole family uses big words because my Dad is basically a walking thesaurus, which I think is awesome. We're just passing that on to the next generation.

Mom Rocks

I love being a mom. As an oldest child I always mothered my younger siblings and I babysat a lot as a teenager, so I had some good training. But nothing really prepares you for the exhaustion and joy that come from motherhood. There's an online test you can take to see if you're a slacker mom. Sometimes I think things might be easier if I were a slacker mom. But I'm not, and you know what, I'm glad. I'm what many would refer to as a "helicopter mom". I totally hover. I can't help it; I know how busy Peter is and I try my hardest to keep him safe. A few nights ago I was lying in bed wondering maybe if I was too strict or expected too much of him. I think those (rare) quiet moments of meditation are important because that's when inspiration can be heard. As I pondered my parenting style I had the thought come into my head, "These boys came to you for a reason. They need the kind of mom you are." I don't think I could be a good parent without those promptings.

On a lighter note, I had a good Mother's Day. Bryan and Peter have been making a picture frame for me. Apparently it's hard to do stuff at home without me knowing about it, probably because of the afore mentioned hovering. Anyway, it's not quite done, but I'll try to post a picture of it when it's complete. Also, Peter came out of nursery today holding a beautiful peach and red long stem rose. He held it up to me proudly and said, "Look Mommy, I got a flower in nursery." I don't think he had made the connection between the flower and Mother's Day and that it was probably for me. Oh well. I get to enjoy it too, as it currently resides in a vase on our TV cabinet. When we got home from church and Bryan and I were taking off our shoes Peter started quietly singing, "Mother I love you. Mother I do." I knelt down and gave him a big hug and told him that I loved him too and that his song made me really happy.

And finally, check out this commercial for Zales Diamonds. Now, I'm not trying to sell jewelry, I just think the commercial was sweet. Warning: it totally made me cry, so if you weep at the drop a hat like me, steel yourself emotionally or make sure you have tissue nearby. I wish you luck.

Following the Crowd

I avoid trends. If everyone is raving about something, I generally avoid it. Back when a certain movie about missionaries was released nationwide and everyone in the BYU Theatre and Media Arts Department was raving about how wonderful it was going to be, I decided to boycott it. My mom discovered the Harry Potter books early on and kept saying how they were great and I should read them. I put it off for four years, because they were suddenly so popular. I still haven't read the Twilight books because so many people seem to be addicted to them. And, following in that vein, I have been wary about starting a blog.

Over the past few months I've discovered more and more of my friends that have blogs, and I've really enjoyed reading about what they're all up to. I've actually been thinking in blog post for the last several months. Whenever Peter would do something funny my internal monologue would begin a rough draft of how I would report it. But then I would ask myself, "Do I really have time to do that? Peter, and now Cooper, take a great deal of time and energy. Should I really stretch myself even thinner for something that everybody seems to be doing? Doesn't that make it a little too trendy for me to be ok with?" Well, I continued to go back and forth on the issue until a few days ago. I was writing an email and kept misspelling words. My thoughts were all jumbled and I was having difficulty saying what I wanted to say. It was then that the following thought floated through my brain: If you were keeping a blog, you would have regular opportunities to sharpen your writing skills and keep yourself mentally acute. To which I responded, "Hmmm... that's true."

And so, I am jumping on the blogging bandwagon. I can't promise that I will always be witty or clever, but I do hang-out with a pretty witty and clever two-year-old on a daily basis, so I've got good material.