Toddler World

My son has entered the whine everything phase of life. As I understand it, this phase lasts until around 23, then it gets worse.

He is sitting at the table this morning with my wife and I, asking for sugar. I did not realize that the phrase, "Sugar please," could have such a whine to it when it comes from the lips of a two-year-old.

Daddy came to the rescue and did the "Magical Cool-down" of the "tea." I swirled the cup and blew on it and somehow, that process made the boy's drink cooler.

Immediately more palatable, the drink needed to be poured into a treat holder that he got out of the drawer.

"No," his mother says. Whining commences. Request to put dice in the treat cup? "Sure," mommy says. Crisis averted.

Pleasant beverage still sits on the table.

RE: It's time...

I'm home sick for the North. I have lived in a lot of places, but only a few have made me homesick for another one.

This is one of those places.

We've been here a year, are well integrated into our faith community, but have few friends. When we lived in Butler, we could not help but run into people we knew when we went for walks. We used to walk every week for many hours, just chatting about the community we saw and what was going on.

We don't walk much any more. When we DO walk, we are looking around corners and waiting for someone to overhear our conversation and take it the wrong way.

The leaves are still green. I want colors. I want a threat of snow in September and a thunderstorm because it's Friday. I want wind so violent and full of ice that school is delayed because of the cold.

I do not want a hurricane. Hurricanes are not like northern storms. Northern storms are predictable and odd. Hurricanes can soak you, then leave you standing only to knock you back down.

I want a thunder boomer that rattles the floor boards.

I want a basement.

I want home.