Cookin' Up Some Fun

Yesterday, in an effort to get ten minutes so I could wash the dishes, I gave Benjamin this little pot to play with.

Honestly, I chose this one because it has a heavy bottom and I didn't think he would be able to carry it off anywhere far….

Should've known better than that.  For if my son is anything, he is a toter … a carrier … a transporter of all things transportable (and he's not above trying things that aren't transportable either).  He has a great future as the UPS man or maybe a FedEx pilot.

Anyway, he toted the pot around for the better part of the day, but in true Benjamin fashion, he had particular things that he kept in his pot … a selection of puzzle pieces, a set of links, and a block … nothing more, nothing less.  He would dump the things out in the midst of his other toys, take the pot somewhere else, then make trips back and forth refilling the pot with those exact same things over again. It really became quite comical…

and totally lovable!  and then I thought, "Hey!  I better document this for his therapist someday!"

"Playing" in the Snow

So after all the snow, the pictures, the mittens, and the hats, Benjamin has still never played in - or, come to think of it, intentionally touched - the snow.  Last weekend, we decided to change all that.

First, we took "suiting up" to a whole new level with a bunch of winter gear borrowed from friends … boots, ski/snow pants, and a big puffy coat.  It closely resembled that scene from A Christmas Story where the mom is dressing the little brother up to go to school and he can't move at the end … closely, closely resembled.

Then we walked down to our friends house to let Benjamin play in their front yard and take advantage of the photo opp as well.  Because of course, just about any activity at this age is really just about the photo opp.

The problem was that Benjamin was not a very happy camper … he was starting to get sick and was none too happy that he couldn't really move his arms and legs.  But hey, we got some pictures of his first real experience in the snow.  And without further ado, here are a selection of shots from the snow photoshoot (as you'll see, there really wasn't that much playing)…

Daddy showing Benjamin that you can play with all that white stuff

I'm not sure why you think is fun

Really, Mom, I'm not getting it

I can't believe they're doing this to me!

I'm serious, people!  I need help!

Disclaimer: No toddlers were harmed during the making of these photos.  We were only out for like 5 minutes before we went in for some apple juice, the todder's comfort drink.  And see in that last picture? There was hardly any snow at all!

Confession is Good for the Soul

So, yesterday was an auspicious beginning to Snow Week here at the Trautman Adventures.  I managed to pull together a positive, yea, even meditative post about the snow, its beauty, and its ability to make one pause to contemplate the greater realities of life and eternity.

And now for the real story.  (not that yesterday's post wasn't real … it's just there are always two sides to the coin, yes?)

Winter here can be tough.  And its not just the snow.  Its the cold - the bitter, bone-chilling cold for seemingly months on end.  And the dry air - with the accompanying dry skin and static cling.  And you know what else it is?  It's the DARK!  It doesn't get light till at least 7:30 in the morning and is totally dark by 5:00, easy.  On top of that, most days are so cloudy, there's no sunlight to speak of at all.

Which brings me to why I had a good day yesterday.

(Thanks for tracking with me through random stream-of-consciousness associations.)

Yesterday, Benjamin was still sick.  So I kinda felt guilty for having such a good day.  But here's what was going on…

1. He slept till 6 in the morning … which means I got a full nights sleep, and really, what more can the mother of a sick toddler ask for?
2. It was laundry day … this is Benjamin's favorite household chore, hands down, and he was able to take part and enjoy for most of the day.
3. He took a good long nap in the afternoon … and, truth be told, so did I!

But the primary reason I so enjoyed the day?

THE SUN WAS SHINING ALL DAY LONG!

(Aren't his little eyes just pitiful … poor wittle man doesn't feel good!)

Anyway, another thing that's hard about winter?  It takes twenty minutes to get everyone suited up to go out the door … coats, hats, mittens, boots, scarves …

My general guidelines for Benjamin's winter weather gear are:

50's - light jacket with hood
40's - warm coat with hood
30's - warm coat with warm hat
20's - warm coat, warm hat, plus mittens
Teen's - do we really have to go?  If so, long johns for everbody!
Single-digits - are you kidding me?  You can't make me leave this house!

And may I just say that the idea of the temps in the 50's and going outside with only a light jacket? Gloryland itself, people, Gloryland itself!

But anyway, back to the topic at hand … getting everybody's stuff on can be a chore, especially since Benjamin now knows what it means when I say, "Come on, Buddy!  It's time to get suited up!"  He normally runs in the opposite direction … and kid can play a mean game of catch-me-if-you-can.

However, he has recently begun to grow attached to his hat.  If he can somehow reach it off the table or chair where we've left it (don't even get me started about coming back in from the cold, all snowy and damp, having to undress everyone out of the layers and find somewhere to put all the damp stuff), he'll tote it around the house with him, taking it on and off with glee…

If you're gonna have to wear a hat for six months out of the year, it might as well be super-cool and you might as well enjoy it, amen?

Announcing Snow Week!

I've had several requests lately for pictures and info about snow, how we handle it, what we do in it, etc.  So, I've decided to initiate our first ever "Snow Week" here on Trautman Adventures … a week's worth of posts, pictures, and yes, perchance even a little video or two, all about the snow!

So, we'll start off with yesterday … Benjamin and I stayed home from church because he has come down with a nasty little cold.  poor thing :(

and all of sudden, I looked outside and holy cow!  There was a blizzard going on out there!  (not really a blizzard … a lake effect snow storm.  As an aside, whenever there's a big blizzard that's making headlines, we're probably not getting anything.  But we get massive amounts of lake effect snow that doesn't make the news at all.  At least, that's been our experience so far.)

Benjamin thought it was pretty crazy, too!

There is something about the snow that I've come to appreciate … gasp!  I know, I know, the southern girl is admitting there are some positive aspects about the snow.  It's true that there is beauty … especially after all the old snow has gotten plowed up and muddy and slushy, it can be really refreshing to have a few inches of fresh whiteness over everything.

But what I'm beginning to appreciate in addition to the beauty of the snow is the sense of stillness and quietness is brings.  It can snow three inches in an hour and you would never hear a thing (unless there are wind gusts, but that's a whole other story).  When there is freshly fallen snow on the ground and you walk outside, there is a sense of quiet, hushed stillness.  Like God has spread his blanket of purity and light over the world for a few brief moments … before we humans come along and plow, shovel, blow, throw, and scrape it away.

I hate really dislike humidity, that feeling of heaviness in the air, that you can feel the very air as you breathe, its so weighted with moisture.  But God uses it to remind me that He is close to me, close as my very breath.  Rainy days on end get hard to handle as well, but they remind me of the song …

         Send Your rain, Oh Lord, 
         Send Your rain, Oh Lord, 
         Send Your rain to Your people.
         Send Your rain, Oh Lord, 
         Send Your rain, Oh Lord, 
         Send Your rain. Bring Your Kingdom.
         Soften our hearts, Pour out Your Spirit
         Fill us anew, Let Your rain come.


And I often sing the lyrics as I (somewhat grudgingly) drag out the umbrella.

And now snow is coming to signify to me a deep breath of stillness and quiet in the middle of world that is all too often hurried, loud, and full of its own importance.  Snow, a collection of beautiful, delicate crystals, can bring us to a complete halt (though not as often in Syracuse as Memphis :) or surely slows us down, quiets us for just one moment, a moment to reflect on holiness, stillness and the beauty of the Lord.

And then you have to go shovel.

Christmas Recap

Today is January 13.  Christmas has come and gone, along with every last one of its twelve days.  Epiphany Sunday has passed, and New Years Eve a distant memory.  However, here at Casa de Trautman, our Christmas decorations were still glittering… as of yesterday.

Good thing there was nothing about procrastination in my New Year's Resolutions.

But, my friends, yesterday was the day.  We listened to Celine's Christmas album one last time, we packed up all the garland and lights and red and green, and at long last, we are going to post our Christmas recap!  (((gasp)))

(I'm not sure why Benjamin looks jaundiced in that picture … no matter how i try to edit it.  Oh well - if you were here for really quality photography, you would have moved on long before now)

The couple of weeks around Christmas were a mish-mash of busyness, parties, travel craziness, relaxation, toddler antics, and the like.  The weekend before Christmas, we celebrated Will's completion of the school semester by going to a party every night … no joking.  It was great fun, and a chance for Will to catch up with people and enjoy friendships again, since he'd been basically secluded from the rest of the human race till he finished his finals.

Then on the Tuesday before Christmas, we flew to Tennessee … and a little into Wednesday too.  You see, we missed our connection in Chicago, where, thanks to the pity taken by a ticketing agent on a poor crying mother of a toddler (who shall remain nameless…what?  why are you looking at me?), we did actually get on a flight scheduled to leave that evening … which didn't actually leave till 12:00 am, putting us in Memphis somewhere in the wee hours that I don't even care to remember.  But all in all, the experience was slightly less that torturous and i'm sure it'll be something we laugh at later …

Anyway, we spent the rest of the week in Memphis, laying low, eating fattening food (including Chick-fil-A!), and soaking up time with family.  The only downside was that Benjamin caught a cold and wasn't feeling all that well.  But he was a trooper anyway, enjoyed opening presents on Christmas morning, and generally shared his adorableness with anyone who was willing to watch … and of course, Grandma and Grandpa couldn't get enough!

We continued our family tradition of wearing Christmas pajamas on Christmas Eve, which brings a special sense of fun, anticipation of many more years of treasured pictures as Benjamin gets older and our family grows, while it also brings back a sense of nostalgia … remember last year's "My First Christmas" jammies?

Christmas 2009 … Two months old

Christmas 2010 … 14 months old

You can tell poor little man doesn't feel good in that picture :(

Anyway, my apologies for the delay in this Christmas post … we had houseguests, sleep disruptions, and the whole bit.  Plus, Benjamin's naps are getting shorter, while the list of things I can only do while he's sleeping is getting longer.  Ah well, a topic for another post I suppose. :)

Do-Re-Mi

One of Benjamin's favorite Christmas gifts … a xylophone!

His nickname from before birth … and more true every day!