It has been bitter cold around here lately. Single digits for days. Given Peter's sensitivity to cold, his eczema and my lack of desire to spend 10 minutes bundling him up in his snowsuit, gloves, hat, and boots, we haven't gone out much or sledded at al this week. We walk Coco and we do our usual grocery shopping and giving people rides, but that's it. Yesterday, however, Christian would not get off the computer and I was seeing another Benjamin in my future, so I snatched the laptop and told him to go outside and play. He responded with, "Well, would you play with me?" It was already dusk and I really didn't want to, but I wanted him to go and figured going along would ensure he stayed out longer. I told him to go out without me and I'd join him in 10 minutes after I'd bundled up and gotten Peter ready. Peter did his usual crying the whole time I got him into his snow clothes, but once he saw we were headed for the trampoline and not the sledding hill, he perked up. We ended up playing for nearly an hour on the trampoline in the snow and have a marvelous time. We discovered that the whole thing was covered in a thick sheet of ice underneath the snow. We broke it into large, jagged pieces and had "sword" fights. When the pieces were too small to use as weapons, I buried Christian in what was left and he had a snack. .:) It was so funny how I hadn't wanted to go outside, but once we got playing, it was so sad to admit that I really needed to get in and start dinner. I love the fresh air and snow and even Peter seemed to really enjoy himself, although what you see in the picture is all he did the entire time. He can't move around well in his boots and suit and so he just sat and watched us, but seemed perfectly content doing it.
Today I was talking to Benjamin about making use of the little moments of time that we have in a day. The 5 minutes here and 10 minutes there that make up so much of our lives but can be so easily wasted with screens and procrastination. I said I have a to-do list that I reference every time I have a spare minute to see if there's something I can get done and check off. He responded incredulously with "What do you have to do?" I just laughed. I guess it's a success if he doesn't realize I do anything all day. Obviously I do it well. He'd notice real quick if I stopped doing all the things I do. He'd notice right away if his laundry were never done, his lunch never packed, his favorite foods never purchased, his dinners never made, his ortho/dentist/doctor appointments never scheduled, his piano lessons never paid, the dishes never washed, the floor never mopped, the bathroom never cleaned, the basement never vacuumed, the cat and fish never fed, the car never refueled, etc. etc. etc. I just said, "You know all those chores you hate and refuse to do, that's what I do. "Being a mom sucks," he responded. Guess it's good he'll never be one. Funny thing is, I find the role of mom to be pretty awesome. I get pleasure out of a neat, well organized, happy home. I love that I can manage all the appointments, cleaning, meals, kids needs, etc. It's satisfying. And getting to be with Peter all day is a true joy. He is getting to be more fun every day. Last week I grew tired of Peter crying every time he woke up from his nap. He'd cry and cry and didn't have any reason for it. So for a couple days I'd go in there to get him and say, "Peter, why are you crying? You don't have to cry. You can just say, "Mommy, I'm awake! Come get me!" and I will. I said this every time I went in for about 3-4 days, knowing that he couldn't speak and would never do this, but just to see what would happen. Today he woke up from his nap and I heard some babbling, but no crying. Then I heard louder babbling. It took on a tone of someone calling to another, just as I'd demonstrated. It didn't have any words or sounds I recognized, but the tone and volume were clearly, "Mommy, I'm awake,! Come get me!" When I walked into his room and said, "Hi Peter! Are you awake?" He bounced in place and grinned at me. It was adorable. He's learning so fast, it's incredible.
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