Thoughts of a Thursday

Sorry for missing my usual Monday-blogging appointment. I know you've all been waiting with bated breath for what I would come up with this week. I actually did write a post earlier, which was conceived of as a witty account of our trip last weekend disguised as an open letter to Rain. But by the time I finished it, it seemed contrived and not at all funny. Maybe if you all beg I will post it sometime.

Have you ever watered your garden at night? Well. I will tell you all about it. As you press your thumb over the outlet to get a nice wide spray, move it around a bit until the droplets catch just right in the floodlights of your backyard. It looks like silver sparklers shooting and dancing in the darkness. I stared and stared and watered more than was strictly necessary. It was mesmerizing. That or it's just been a long day.

In other news, if you happen to let Nathan help wash dishes, and if you happen to let him get hold of the dish brush, Caution: He Will Look Like This.
If you click on the picture and make it big, you will notice that his chin is covered in bubbles. I noticed him contentedly munch on the sudsy brush, remove the brush, pause, then reinsert soapy brush back into his mouth. I just hope he never takes up profanity, because he is already developing quite a taste for soap.

As for the mess on his upper lip, that is just snot. He's teething again. So give the kid a break. Or at least his mom. I don't have enough Kleenex or patience to wipe that thing Every Two Minutes.

Danger Baby

We have a danger baby.

He loves:

• Trying to crawl into the road
• Eating mud
• Drinking secondary water out of the hose
• Playing with toilet water, or failing that, at least the toilet brush or plunger
  
• Eating food off the floor
• Everything that, as a mother, I feel he ought not to love

But this tops all. Yesterday during Sunday school, he was super ornery so I gave him my keys to play with. He loves keys. He played with them on my lap for a while and then got down to explore. He stood up at the piano bench (we were sitting right by it) and looked around, still playing with the keys. Then, concentrating, tentative, and determined, he took his first steps--to the electrical outlet in the wall. Luckily I had my eyes open during the prayer so a) I got to witness his first steps and b) he didn't electrocute himself.

I have since heard from my engineer brother and contractor father that he would not have been able to hurt himself by sticking keys into an outlet. He would need to get two keys into both prongholes first. And even then it wouldn't be enough of a shock to kill him.

Well. If this is the case, why do I worry? I will get out all the scissors, put the chemicals back under the kitchen sink, take out all the outlet protectors, let him play with the blind cords, and anything else I can think of. Because if electricity won't harm my baby, what will? All those baby-safety professionals will soon be out of a job, because the human baby is invincible.

But first steps! This is a good milestone. I'm glad it happened at a time when both of us got to see it. Maybe when he's walking he won't get quite so dirty whenever he goes outside. Fat chance.

Water Boy

I should not think these are funny. But I do. At first he just watched the water, and laughed when a bit of spray got on his face. Then he had to touch it. Then crawl through it. Then cavort in the mud (he may be part pig). The muddiness is why he is naked for the second video.

He loves water. Bathtime is very fun. Sometimes he'll lean over and slurp up a mouthful. So I should have known better than to let him have the hose. You can see his thoughts: "Water comes out of this? Awesome. I actually am really really thirsty."

Enjoy:


Now to undo the damage I created by letting Nathan think it was okay to crawl in the flower bed. And let's hope his immune system is able to withstand secondary water (fingers crossed).

A neighbor girl, overheard

"Ladybug? Come back!"

"Please?"

Ladybug, I'm really sorry. Please come back!"

...

"Ladybug, give me one more chance. Please?"

"Ladybug!"

The girl pleaded and cajoled the best she knew how, for the better part of ten minutes, until she was summoned inside.

Hardhearted ladybug.

Blisters, Pomp and Circumstance

Last Friday we made the trek to our beloved Logan. Now that I go back I realize that Logan is kind of a dumpy little town,but I still love it. I especially love the temple, so we had to go visit.
I also just love the campus. USU really is beautiful, and we had good times there. But now, for better or worse, our times there are over. Officially.
Levi running the hooding gauntlet. We stressed over how to make sure we put this stupid collar-hood thing on, not realizing that we were supposed to do nothing but carry it. Why, if you're not allowed to put it on yourself, do they send it with instructions on how to wear it? They had an assembly line of five pairs of professors, and as the graduates lined up to walk the stage, they'd systematically be stopped and hooded. It made us both think of Hugh Nibley, who Levi paraphrased when he said, "Here I am, clothed in the robes of a false priesthood."
College can only teach you so much. I need to remember that, because I ridiculously love school. I didn't love the stress, but I loved learning new things, hearing others' ideas, and learning about a wider world than my own small experience. If I were not home having babies, I'd probably be at school earning degrees. As they played Pomp and Circumstance as the graduates filed into the Spectrum, the song filled me with nostalgia of my own graduation (three years already!), excitement of what Levi has accomplished, and anticipation of someday going back to continue my own education.
The only drawback to the day was the blisters. By the end of the day, walking the temple grounds and all over campus in heels had taken its toll on my feet. Levi tried to console me by saying that I had gotten my blisters supporting him, but it wasn't so. I know it was all in the service of my own vanity. And that is a false priesthood, indeed.