Sunday Morning Rituals

Monito always wakes up early; I come downstairs with the loud boy and change his diaper. He has started asking for nay-nay time, which means he wants to feel the cool autumn air against his naked butt. Since it is now cold, I dress him in a hat, a warm shirt and slippers and leave the rest to the breeze. I have bitten the bullet and let the kids start playing with water IN THE HOUSE. No nice water table outside in the yard, no tidy hose to spray on the grass. It is in the house where tides of water splashing on the floor and cabinets have equated mess in the past; now, Mommy sucks it up and lets the kids experiment and figure out about gravity and bubbles.

I put on the coffee; he helps me measure out the grounds and fill the reservoir and push the ON button. Monito then sidles his cute, long-limbed half-naked self up to the extra-deep farm house kitchen sink, which I bought with baby baths and water play in mind. I push his tower up to the counter and he climbs up. I fill two pans with hot water and offer him many kitchen implements to play with. There is much squealing and splashing while I sit and sip coffee brewed with nutmeg and he plays. Once Pequita starts chirping upstairs - that girl wakes up happy! - I fetch her and she joins her brother at the sink. His favorite activity at this point is filling the cut up pieces of sponge with water and then squeazing them dry onto the floor while I recite my mantra - it is just water it is just water it is just water. Pequita prefers a more methodical approach, and uses the mesh ladle to scoop sponges out of one pan and transfer them to the other bowl. After everyone is thoroughly soaked and done playing, we have a hot shower and get dressed.

Today promises to be a gorgeous sunny and cool day, and we are going back to the orchard to pick apples to make into more applesauce. The end of the season means it is only ten dollars per bushel, and with the depression coming I feel like really filling the pantry now.