Back on the Wagon

I feel like I'm slowly but surely climbing back on the wagon here in Tulsa. No, I didn't go through a period of villainy, larceny, skullduggery, and persnickety, only to find my way back to to the good road. But I am starting to feel like life is getting back to normal, at least a little bit, thanks to the fact that I finally have some regular, scheduled activities on the calendar. Geez, when we were in California, I feel like there were things going on all the time: park days, weekly Parent Ed, library storytime, music classes, museum free days, etc., not to mention the readily available Disneyland. That was really awesome. So, it's been an unwelcome adjustment to go from having lots of activities on the calendar to having NONE. But like I said, we're starting to climb back on the wagon. For instance:

*Church!* We went to our new church on Sunday (well, same church, new ward). As we expected, it is chock-full of really friendly, wonderful people, many of whom welcomed us and introduced themselves. However, I admit, we will miss the big, tall, bright windows that lined the chapel of our old building in CA, because this new building doesn't have any windows in there. On the other hand, the nursery here has a peephole, and I'm really loving being able to peek at Weston after Sunday School to see how he's doing (wandering around the room aimlessly, as it turns out). It seems like there's a good group of young couples with little kids here (I say "young", even though we're nearly 30, haha), and I know I'm going to enjoy getting to know them better. (That's a process that I go about very tentatively, because I get really shy sometimes, and inadventently become anti-social. I'm working on that.)

*Playgroup!* I heard tell of the weekly playgroup at the park, so of course Weston and I went, because even though everyone was obligated to be nice to us on our first Sunday at church, that second get-together is crucial because I needed to prove myself to the other moms as a worthy new friend. (Or is all that just in my head? Haha!) I got all cute-looking, and then nearly sweated myself to death because it was so hot outside. (It's hot here.) Even so, I was having a great time chatting with the other moms, and of course that was when Weston decided that he did NOT want me to be social and instead wanted me to follow him along poison-ivyed trails through the woods in my little black slides and with a massive diaper bag weighing down my shoulder. Yeah... note to self: wear sneakers and non-cute clothes at Hunter Park, and leave the bag in the car, because there are trails and Weston will want to get his wilderness on. And don't expect to get much social time. Even though my child is my ticket to new friendships, he is also ironically my greatest obstacle. Anyway, it all turned out fine, because I did get to visit and laugh with the other girls for a little while, and I also got to eat mulberries for the first time in my life, thanks to a friendly stranger who pointed them out to us during our impromptu hike.

*Storytime!* We hit a toddler storytime this week, and will continue to do so (I loooooove the library). Okay, there are pro's and con's. Pro: our new local library is FLIPPIN' AWESOME. It has a HUGE children's area with little chairs, puzzles, a wonky mirror, and a storytime room lined by massive artificial trees and with huge murals of animals (Weston kept pointing out all the animals... he was also very excited). Con: it's not within walking distance (but that's a rarity - it's kind of just a city thing); and con: it doesn't have Miss Tanya. The storytime itself was... well... mediocre, but that's because there was a substitute, so I can't really make an accurate judgment. But, I am REALLY excited about the physical space itself. AMAZING. And while I was there, I also signed up for Tulsa Library's Summer Reading Program, which had a "Storytime in the Park" event this morning. As it turns out, this park also had a big playground and water play area, and my favorite part was when Weston (fully clothed, because Jean did not pack a bathing suit, since Jean did not know that there was water play) squatted down on top of a water spout so that it could continually spray his bum. It brought him great joy. (The Tulsa Library should include THAT on their list of reasons to get involved with the library: water sprays to the bum for ALL!!)

So, hooray for getting back to scheduled activities! Next up: find a preschool program for Weston -- just one day per week for 2-3 hours. (Really, I just want something like regular weekly babysitting. I need some Jean time, and Tim said it's okay, so I'm being selfish and looking into it.) And after that: get Weston signed up for some sort of summer class. Swimming? Music? Twang for Tots? (so he can blend). I don't know. And after that: keep trying to make friends so that we can have some playdates!

Speaking of Twang for Tots, living in the South is funny. (Is Oklahoma the south, or the midwest? Or the south-midwest? Or the somidwestuth? Please confirm.) Here are three things that I never thought I'd see:

-Armadillo roadkill.
-Churches as big as community colleges.
-A sign on a local pizza place/fun center that says, "Trust in the Lord with all thy heart, Proverbs 3:5". (Not that there's anything wrong with that... it would just be very surprising to see something like that in LA! Hahaha!)

And before I sign off, I would just like to award HUGE bonus points to Lisa and Liz, who both pointed out (in their great motherly wisdom) the wondrous benefit of having a washer/dryer for those vomit-in-the-crib moments. Because, incidentally, we DID have a massive vomit-in-the-crib moment on Sunday, and we WERE able to just toss everything right into the washer and get him into the tub and then back down for a nap within about 7 minutes. Oh my joy. I was so happy about it that I bought roses for the washer/dryer the next day, and then baked a chocolate cake and put it in the washer and turned it on High. So, bring on the vomit, Weston. Bring it. And thank you again, Washer/Dryer. I love you. You're welcome for the cake. :-)