Janet's Cabin Hut Trip

Luka in the snow cave that he and Ada made at the hut.

On Christmas Eve morning we left to go to Janet's Hut -- a cabin in the 10th Mountain Division Hut System. It was 6 miles skiing in, pulling the kids in their special sled. It was quite the adventure! The trail starts at the boundary of Copper Mountain ski resort. We started there with our friends Ann and Michael and then met our friends Corinne, Dan and Ada at the hut. They ended up being right behind us. Going in, it was pretty cold and snowing. Coming out, the weather was more mild with a tiny bit of snow here and there, but some sun too and mostly clear. The kids slept most of the way back. Pulling the sled was hard work for Reynald and I was behind a lot of the time keeping it in line behind him.

Janet's cabin is a luxurious backcountry cabin with indoor composting toilets and a wonderful kitchen. Water is melted from snow on a huge container on the wood stove. Wood is provided as is propane for the burners. The beds were comfy with pillows and the rooms had 5 or 6 beds to them, with bunks included. Our room included Luka on a bed, Axel between Mommy and Daddy on a bottom double bunk bed, and Michael and Ann on the top bunks. One wall was a window with a great view. The hut also had a sauna that was relaxing.

Luka and Reynald on porch at hut.

Axel and Luka did well with the trip and with the high altitude. We had plenty of water and lots of good food and snacks to eat. I made a spaghetti dinner one evening from my dehyradated sauce that I had prepared, as well as dehyrated organic beef for those of us who are not vegeterian. I dehydrated that plus our lunches to save weight, as you have to pack everything in and out (including any uneaten food, garbage, diapers, etc.). Corinne made very tasty burritos the night before. And Ann had great snacks for all and diversions for the kids.

I skinned up and skied down for the first time in the area around the hut with Corinne. I used Reynald's skis and it worked well. We wear the same shoe size! For the trek into the hut, I used snow shoes. These worked well for the most part, but when the snow was really soft, I sunk often up to my waist. That was more a problem going in than coming out, and it was tricky at times.

Axel had a great time with the toy car Santa brought him on Christmas Eve at the hut and really loved the ball there for kids to play with. Ada and Luka had a great time playing in their rooms at "prarie dog," slap Jack (or Ace or Queen or King or Eight or Nine), Go Fish, Don't Eat Pete and other various kid fun. Reynald had a good time skiing too and also checking out the trails around the hut.

Quite a Christmas adventure!

Reynald going to the cabin, pulling the kids - notice the snow falling!
Our friend Michael behind.
At the juncture of the Colorado Trail and the trail to Janet's Cabin

Top picture is Eve on the way out, and bottom picture is Reynald on the way out, with what we had covered behind him.

For more great pictures of our hut trip and an interesting summary by our friend Corinne, go here: http://www.translatewrite.com/main/janetscabin.php

Christmas came early!

Fore more Christmas photos go here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bodeux/sets/

and click on Christmas 2006 and then Slide Show.

Santa came last night (two days early). Looks like he knew we'd be at the hut for Christmas morning so he brought the kids' presents early. He left a note saying he realized it would be hard to carry all the gifts back down the moutain, and he said we might see him yet again this year (!) - at the hut maybe?! We started opening gifts on Thursday so as not be overwhelmed, Friday and then finished with Santa's today. But, more are coming from Alaska, so it will go on next week...!

I remember finding years later a list that my dad had made of what we all asked for Christmas when one year when we were kids; his Santa list. I found it in a dresser and I think it was after he was gone. That was fun to see the notes. I recall that what I had wanted included paints. I also remember that we basically got whatever we wanted. Santa was a nice Santa. As I recall, we asked for reasonable stuff, but it was a big deal to get all those toys and gifts for 7 of us!

One time, I sent a letter to Santa. Usually, I gave them to Dad so he could "post" them. But, one year, I thought I'd save him some trouble and actually mailed it. I remember him saying, "Oh, darn, you should have given to me to mail from work" or whatever. Funny. I am sure he thought of some way to get out of me what I had asked for. I also remember one year accidentally (really!) going in the back room and seeing gifts (Laverne and Shirley game included).

So, in case Luka and Axel have fun reading this years from now, here is a list of what they got this year (so far, that is):

From Santa:
big puzzle map of the world - Luka
"teddy" (Curious George stuffed animal) - Luka
Playmobil pane with little guy in it - Axel
110 Wooden blocks - Axel and Luka
Plastic fish container for snacks - Axel
socks for hut trip - Axel
high-tech mittens - Luka

From Mommy and Dada:
wooden articulating worm - Axel
additiona train tracks for his Thomas set - Luka
Playmobil astronaut (as in shuttle launch and astronaut class) - Luka
Bath toys - Axel

More gifts!
Wooden doll house with furniture and moving garage from Grandma for both of them
Bozo the clown punching bag - Luka from Uncle Charles and Aunt Mona
French letter, number, picture blocks - Axel from Uncle Charles and Aunt Mona
Gift card for Barnes and Noble - Luka from Uncle Steven and Aunt Angela
Stuffed Snowman that he hugs and kisses - Axel from Uncle Steven and Aunt Angela
Two fun books - both of them from Aunt Mary Healey
Matching Yellow Shirts from Gymboree - Jim, Di, Emma and Julia

Update on December 27

We are still opening gifts! When we arrived home from our hut trip, we received packages for Uncle Vernon & Aunt Tammy, Jean-Claude & Annick, and Uncle Paul and Aunt Jahna

Updated list

Monkey play house - Axel - Aunt Tammy & Uncle Vernon

Stuffed monkey Axel - Aunt Tammy & Uncle Vernon

Cooties game - Luka - Aunt Tammy & Uncle Vernon

2 sets of French DVD's and activity books Luka - JC and Annick

Book and talking book - Axel - JC and Annick

penguin wool slippers - Axel - Aunt Jahna and Uncle Paul

doggie wool slippers - Luka - Aunt Jahna and Uncle Paul

Big Snow Storm! Blizzard of 2006!?

For more pictures of the snow storm, go here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bodeux/sets/
click on Blizzard 2006 and then on Slide Show.

We had the big snow storm of the year (or maybe not?), starting on Wednesday, Dec 20. 2+ feet total? I was just complaining last weekend that we don't get much snow in town anymore, and then on Wednesday, we got a big blizzard. Pretty much everything was was closed down Wednesday and Thursday, and still some stuff on Friday (today). We could get out of our garage (as opposed to the big blizaard of March 2003, which we all think dumped even more snow than this one) because our neighbor helped snowblow everyone's driveway.

This morning, Luka's school was open again (but between PreK1 and 2 they only had 10 kids) and I took him and Axel to school in the red sled. That was funny! It was hard in the deep snow (they kept falling out), so I pushed it from behind while walking in the deep stuff. Then, we got to the main street and it worked perfectly. Axel laid on his brother, and on the way back, I laid him down in the sled and with the warm sun, he fell asleep. Here are some pictures of our latest snow adventure.

Update December 27

Maybe there will be two "Billzards of 2006"! They are predicting another storm for tomorrow, between 2 inches and 3 feet. Quite a wide spread - we will see what we end up getting!

Axel calls Luka...

Luka's name, according to Axel, is "da". He looks around and calls for him by saying "Da". Close enough, I'd say! Too cute!

Trip to Florida: Dec 3 - Dec 10

Great fun on our trip to Florida, including:

Shuttle Launch Highlights



For more pictures of the Discovery Space Shuttle Launch, go here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bodeux/sets/
and click on Discovery Shuttle Launch 2006 and then Slide Show.

For a home movie of the blast off, go here:
jumpcut.com/ebodeux

Or click the thumbnail below:



- Seeing old friends at pre-launch brunch for shuttle pilot, Bill Oefelein.
- Exploring Kennedy Space Center - and the kid play area.
- Getting Luka a cool bomber jacket. We coveted the kid astronaut suites - they were way cool - but we figured we'd get more use out of the jacket and it is awesome too.
- Access to VIP viewing area - three miles away (or close, that is) to launch pad.
- Unobstructed view of launch pad and night launch. - Trying to see the shuttle launch, but having it scratched on Thurs, Dec 7, was still exciting. Lots of people! Lots of excitement and seeing the launch pad all lit up was cool. - Seeing the actual launch on Sat, Dec 9 was specatcular. - Seeing it take blast off, doing a "real" countdown, seeing go up into the heavens and become like a star.
- Running back to the buses to avoid the by-product of a cloud of hyrdochloric acid falling on us!
- The kids being troopers and liking the launch too (Luka: That was fun!; Axel: "Rrrrrr!" and pointing to the sky).

P.S. - The hotel in Cocoa Beach was not a highlight. The pool area looked fun, but it was too windy. First room we got, the door would not shut, then the next one had mold all over the wall. Ewwww! But, we finally got one that was acceptable. The staff was nice though. Holiday Inn in Cocoa Beach.

Disneyworld Highlights

For more pictures of our Disneyworld experience, go here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bodeux/sets/
and click on Disney Dec 2006 and then Slide Show.

- Luka loving the hotel and asking if it was Disneyworld. It was great a hotel for families with kids with its kidsuites rooms - room within a room - we had the space themed room and the nice pool. Also, it being off-season, it was pretty empty (less noisy) and we were on the first floor just next to the pool (great for letting Axel nap). It was close to Disneyworld, had a fridge and microwave, was fairly roomy, and, it was a "steal" at a $100 a night. See http://kidsuites.com/index.html.

- Luka loving Downtown Disney - free to walk around with fun stuff to see and some inexpensive kiddie rides (train, carousel) that he thought were great. Also, statues of characters for great photo ops.
- Getting candy at Goofy's candy shop there that later served us well on "It's A Small World".
- Two days at Disneyworld. Expensive tickets (around $400 for the four of us and Axel was free!), and it was tiring for the kids, but we had fun. I was surprised and glad that we could take Axel on most rides -- just not the roller coasters, so we rarely had to split up.
- Low season crowds. Waits were usually 5 - 10 minutes or no waits. Only "long" wait was Thunder Mtn. Railroad and that was 40 minutes--not fun with the kids, so it was confirmed we'd never go here in high season.
- Reynald's favorite land was "Frontierland".
- We all loved the fireworks (every night!) and the parades: we saw three -- one in day time and two at night.
- Eating at Cinerella's castle and taking pictures with her before eating.
- Getting free "admission" to Mickey's Christmas Party by just leaving Cinderella's dinner after Mickey's party had already started! (Other day time guests had to leave and pay for admission again if they wanted to attend Mickey's Party - saved us about $45/each, though we would not have gone to it otherwhise).
- Seeing Santa in Mickey's Party parade and at Downtown Disney. Axel put up with Santa and didn't scream, and Luka was enchanted. However, Luka was disturbed because, even though he sat on Santa's lap twice, we forgot to ask him where his reindeer were! I would think that is a FAQ and hope he has a good answer!
- Seeing princes and princesses. Luka asked especially if we'd see princes, and we were so glad we did: Prince Charming in parades and shows, with their princesses. His favorite was Sleeping Beauty.
- Character sightings and photos: Tigger, Pooh, Mary Poppins (whose accent Mommy has to imitate (and badly) often now), Wendy, Chip and Dale, the Fox from Briar Rabbit (I think?), Buzz, Mickey...and others I may have forgotten.
- The Bear Jamboree and the 3-D Mickey movie with Donalad Duck and the talking animals on the wall.
- Some food is really bad there. Disney, are you listening? Just because we are captive doesn't mean we all want to eat greasy crap. Ever hear of cheese sticks or yogurt tubes? Some food was okay though - but you had to look for it. Our food at Cinderella's Royal Table dinner was verrrrry expensive, but it was quite good (the main dishes that is, my dessert was not up to par for the price - but no big surprise)
Mickey's Toontown Fair was great for little kids. We should have gone there sooner!
- We used the Unofficial Guide to Disney and it was a great resource.
- We pretty much rode all the rides we wanted, and some a couple of times. Including:
+ Swiss Family Treehouse
+ Jungle Cruise
+ Pirates of the Caribbean - welcome Johnny Depp/Jack Sparrow (Reynald, then Luka & Mommy)
+ Splash Mountain (Reynald)
+ Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (Eve and Reynald separately using parents switching out program)
+ Tom Sawyer Island - great for little kids
+ Country Bear Jamboree - a Luka favorite. Axel nursed through it.
+ The Haunted Mansion - Luka was a trooper. It was scarier for little kids than the guide book said.
+ It's A Small World - twice as it was a favorite of all involved
+ Peter Pan's Flight - kind of scary for Luka
+ Mickey's PhilharMagic - neat 3D show with Donald
+ Cinderella's Golden Carrousel - at least twice
+ Dumbo the Flying Elephant (twice, but it was low season, so it went sort of fast - see guide book on this one!)
+ Mickey and Minnie's Houses
+ Judge's Tent to see Mickey (Dada and Luka)
+ Kids Play ground in Toontown
+ Donald's Boat (Mommy and Luka - no water though, wrong season)
+ Barnstormer at Goofy's Wiseacre Farm (Luka and Dada - kid rollercoaster)
+ Indy Speedway (Mommy in one and then Luka, Dada, Axel in another - they also went twice)
+ Space Mountain (Eve and Reynald separately)
+ Tomorrowland Transit Authority
+ Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin - one of the favs - the kids and I did it three times. Luka was a little frustrated with the guns - hard for him to shoot - but we thought it was one of the best rides since it was interactive.
+ Stich's Great Escape - hmmm. Good to try something different but kind of weird one.

We had a great time in Florida, but it was tiring, so I think we all appreciated coming home too!

Axel's fav "words"

Axel's alltime favorite word, we'd have to say is:
"ooths" or "oos" or "oosth" or however you'd spell it.

He also likes "dat" and "na....na....na...." and shaking his head to say "no".

But, "oos" gets him giggling the most and he thinks it is really funny when we say it back to him (though none of us can get it exactly right--it is Axel language!)

Oos! Oos! Oos!

Recipe: Corn and Wild Rice Cakes with Hot Maple Syrup

Corn and Wild Rice Cakes with Hot Maple Syrup
(Dinner Pancakes)

I have been making this recipe for 12+ years, since I moved to Colorado. I saw it in the Anchorage paper right before moving here. The boys like them a lot too.

Hot Maple Sytrup (recipe follows) - optional (can use just regular syrup too)

1/2 cup wild rice, cooked
2 ears corn, cooked and kernels cut off - or - small can of corn
4 or 5 green onions, cut into 1/8-inch slices, white and green parts

2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp dried thyme, crushed (I just crush it between my fingers as I put it in the bowl)
1/2 tsp salt
fresh ground pepper to taste

1/2 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup milk or half-and-half
butter for the pan

- Prepare hot maple syrup and set aside, if using (see recipe below).
- Cook wild rice according to package instructions (1/2 rice to 1 cup water), but stop cooking rice while it is still chewy. Drain well.
- In medium bowl, combine corn, rice and green onion.
- Then, add in order given, the eggs, sugar, thyme 1/2 tsp salt and pepper. Stir together flour and baking powder and add to corn mixture. Stire in milk to form a batter.
- Heat butter in a large nonstick skillet. Drop in batter to make 6 medium cakes. Cook until firm on the underside, about 7 minutes. Turn over and brown second side, about 3 minutes.
- Serve immediately. Makes about 6 small to medium pancakes (enough for 2 - 3 people).

Hot Maple Syrup

6 TBS maple syrup
2 (1/4-inch thick) fresh ginger root slices
1 large jalapeno pepper, cored, seeded and minced (about 2 tablespoons)

Combine syrup, ginger and jalapeno pepper in small pan and simmer 10 minutes. Remove ginger slices. Serve syrup hot. Makes about 1/3 cup.

Luka's Teachers

Luka's teachers for PreK1, where he has been since August, are Miss Heather and Miss Erika, and Miss Sara (who is also the movement teacher). They rock! They really are attached to the kids and have really great lessons and activities. Their room is decorated really great too for each season. Luka learns a lot of fun songs from them too and he loves that. He adores going to school to be with them and his friends. We will miss them when we go to the French school.

Recipe: Limoncello

Mona and Charlie had made some limoncello this past summer and it was inspiring. Angela and Steve made the recipe below and had some tasty orange, lemon and lime limoncellos to share at Thanksgiving. We are hoping to give it a try too.

LIMONCELLO
source: Easy Entertaining with Michael Chiarello

You can make this with any citrus. The key is using the best and freshest citrus possible. Fruit that has been in storage a long time gives a muddy taste to the drink.

12 Meyer lemons, or a mixture of lemons and limes, peel only, no pith
2 liters light rum or vodka
6 cups sugar
3 cups water

Put the lemon peels and rum or vodka in a container and let stand for 6 weeks.

Strain the mixture into a decanter.

Mix the sugar and water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the sugar has dissolved. Let cool before adding to the rum/vodka mixture.

Serve in small aperitif glasses.

Store in the freezer for up to 1 year.

Angela notes: we fermented the citrus rind in a couple of growlers that we got from various breweries. Once they were completely done (with simple syrup) we bought maple bottles to store them in.

Recipe: French Toast Casserole

French Toast Casserole

Angela made this for our Thanksgiving visit. Very tasty and no one has to stand over the hot stove top! She says: "Tastes good for breakfast, just like French toast. It's easy to make too! Serve warm with maple syrup on top. I usually double the recipe and make it in a 9x13."

Prep Time: approx. 30 Minutes.
Cook Time: approx. 50 Minutes.
Ready in: approx. 1 Hour 20 Minutes.
Makes 1 - 8x8 inch pan (6 servings).

Source: Allrecipes.com

5 cups bread cubes
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup white sugar, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon margarine, softened
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- Lightly butter an baking pan.
- Line bottom of pan with bread cubes. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, milk, 2 tablespoons sugar, salt and vanilla. Pour egg mixture over bread. Dot with margarine; let stand for 10 minutes.
- Combine remaining 2 tablespoons sugar with the cinnamon and sprinkle over the top.
- Bake in preheated oven about 45 to 50 minutes, until top is golden.

Recipe: Applesauce-Raspberry Salad

We made this for Thanksgiving after a salad Mom had tasted at the church Thanksgiving get-together and it was very yummy and tart, despite the Jello. :)

APPLESAUCE-RASPBERRY SALAD
source: COOKS.COM


1 (3 oz.) pkg. raspberry Jello
1 cup boiling water
1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen raspberries
1 cup applesauce

Dissolve Jello in 1 cup boiling water. Add frozen raspberries. Stir until thawed. Stir in applesauce. Chill until sauce.

Thanksgiving

We had a fun trip to see Steven and Angela in Omaha, and as an added bonus, Grandma/Mom was visiting them too! Steven took a picture of us all and made a funny mini movie of Luka. Click here to see the crazy Luka video! (you will need QuickTime).

First outing of the season

Axel and Luka at the first outing of the season - at Butler's Gulch on November 4th. It was snowing, but they were cozy in their little home.

Luka Wants a Hippopotamus for Christmas

For his Christmas program at school, Luka is very excited about learning Jingle Bell Rock and I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas, and the motions that go along with them. I dug out Jingle Bell Rock on one of our holiday CD's, but looked on the web for the hippo song. We played it about 20 times (no kidding) using the QuickTime player and the words found at this site.

http://www.minibite.com/christmas/hippo.htm

Cute song and cuter with Luka singing along with the motions they are learning in class.

Recipe: Axel's Loves this Tomato Soup

Axel opens his sweet little mouth wide and gets all excited to eat this soup! And it is quick (just cook the rice ahead of time).

oil for sautéing
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
2 TBS whole wheat flour
1-1/2 cups cooked (brown or white) rice
One 28-oz. can of crushed tomatoes
Salt to taste
freshly ground pepper
1 tsp each of oregano and basil
3 cups milk
1 TBS butter

Heat oil in a heavy pot and sauté garlic, onion, celery, and carrot until onion is translucent. Add flour, stirring until toasty. Then add tomatoes, salt, pepper, herbs and cooked rice and cook all together at least 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Add milk and butter and more salt and pepper if needed. Heat through but do not let boil.

We serve it with warm bread and chunks of cheese.

Adapted from Diet for a Small Planet via Auntie Laura

Ainsi Font Font Font....

Last Friday, Axel wasn't wiggling around on the floor on other side of the kitchen island, so I looked over to see what he was doing. He was doing the motions (for the first time, on his very own!) to the song Ainsi Font Font Font, les Petites Marionettes. Tonight he was really into the motions as I was getting ready for bed.

Mommy Read a Book!

The first book I have read in 1 year and 8 months! It was The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri for the new book club I just joined (picked out by yours truly). The book jacket describes it as about "the immigrant experience, the clash of cultures, the tangled ties between generations." It was about an Indian family's experiences in the Northeastern US. Very compelling.

The last book I read before this one, it was March 2005 and I was 4 months pregnant with Axel and it just took too much time to get in any more from then till now! That book was The Effects of Living Backwards by Heidi Julavits. That book was very different and sometimes hard to follow, but I recall liking it overall.

Ding Ding Ding Ding! Climb on!

At Luka's and my climbing class today, I climbed the top of the wall (above the second floor) and got to ring the bell! Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding - go, mommy!

Avocados in Alaska

Here is evidence of my random thought process:

I was wondering earlier today what an avocado cost in Alaska in the mid-70's. And, in today's dollars, what would that be? I was thinking about having them in my lunch in 7th grade and then play catch with Michaella using the pit in the lunch room and getting in trouble. What did it cost my mom to buy that avocado back then?

Native American Names

Luka has been studying various Native American cultures at school this week. They made feather bands to wear, "pottery", painted their faces, and also got Indian names at school. Luka's is Slippery Fish. We discussed and he came up with names for the rest of us too:

Mommy - Sitting Beaver
Dada - Talking Beaver (yes, these should reversed, but Luka picked them - ha ha)
Axel - Screaming Bear (okay, I came up with that, but Luka agreed--due to Axel's favorite pastime lately).

Update: Talked to Luka's teacher, Miss Heather, today after school. She said that the kids mistook her suggestion of the name "Stalking Beaver" for "Talking Beaver". Ha ha. That is where that comes from. Well, in that case, I guess it fits Papa better than it fits me (?).

Royal Icing Recipe

I have not made it yet, but want to save it for future reference (cookie decorating for gingerbead men or sugar cookies). Source: Parents magazine. This is supposed to be a smooth, hard-drying icing that works well for making cookie decorations that last. It can also be used as a "cement" to fasten decorations together. (It is not recommended for icing cakes.)

Royal Icing Recipe

1 box (16 oz.) xxx sugar
2 TBS egg-white powder
6 TBS water
assorted icing colors

In large bowl, with mixer on low, beat xxx sugar, egg-white powder, and the water until well combined. Increase mixer speed to high, and continue beating for 5 minutes. Divide icing among 5 blows. Tint 4 of the bowls with various icing colors such as red, pink, yello and green. If icing is too thick, think out with a few drops of water before decorating cookies.

See also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Icing.

Halloween Night

Luka as Spidey and Axel as a little Elephant. It was a cold night! Brrr. Spidey did a good job telling people "Trick or Treat" and had fun ringing the door bells. Axel was a little bewildered and after we trick or treated in the neighborhoold, he stayed home with Papa to welcome other visitors while Luka and Mommy went to visit Jenni and Stuart a few miles away, to show off Spidey's powers.

Luka as Spidey

Axel

Mommy's Pirate Pumpkin

Birthday, Halloween and Fall Fun

Click here for more recent pictures (Oct 2006) at our Flickr account (link is also repeated below).

Luka's birthday party with his friends on Saturday, october 21 was at Gymboree Play area and it was a lot of fun. The kids had a good time and the adults did too. We even helped when they got to play with the big parachute. Mommy's monkey cupcakes were a big hit and really looked like monkeys! He received very nice presents from family and friends and has had a goog time playing with them. There are so many, we stil have to find time!

Axel has been growing so fast. His new big acheivement is climbing our two flights of stairs by himself. He is so focused and makes a little noise as he puts out all the effort to accmoplish this task. At the top he celebrates with big smiles and happy noises. He is also very vocal (getting into the toddler stage!) if he doesn't like something and his ear-splitting shrieks make his will known! But, most of the time, he is our mild-mannered, laughing man.

Luka is having a great time at school. Today was their big Halloween party and I made "goblin cookies" for it. Reynald took some of the extras to his office.

We have been having fun with Halloween. Luka has a cute monkey costume and Spiderman and has been switching between them. We went to the Ghost Train at the CO Railroad museum with friend Connor and a very fun Halloween costume at church. Tonight is the big Trick or Treating night and we will do our neighborhood and our friend Jenni's as well, after visiting her and Stuart. Axel has been a pumpkin and an elephant. Tonight it supposed to be cold, so for Trick or Treating, I am thinking he will be an elephant since that costume is warmer.

Click here for more recent pictures at our Flickr account - select the October 2006 set - click the slide show in the right hand corner of the Flickr page to see them in a slide show. Nice - no extra clicking for each photo!

Monkey Cupcakes

Monkey cupcakes! To make your very own monkey cupcakes, go to:
http://entertaining.about.com/od/cakebragbook/ss/monkeycupcake.htm

They have great instructions. I modifed it a bit because it was hard to find think licorice for the mouths. I used that new canned, decorator frosting. It is under pressure like canned whipped cream and has several tips you can use. It worked perfectly. You can buy it in the decorating/baking section at the grocery store.

For the frosting, I made a butter cream and added some cocoa to make it brown. It was easy (thanks, Jenni and Karen!). I had originally bought canned frosting, but it tasted really bad, so I made it myself and it was quick, easy and looked and tasted good. Here is a picture of the monkey cupcakes I made for Luka's party:
See the posting with more about his party here:

http://bodeux.blogspot.com/2006/10/birthday-halloween-and-fall-fun.html

Happy Birthday, Luka!

Today is Luka's 4th birthday! He had lots of fun. First, Mommy took mini pumpkin muffins decorated with yellow frosting and halloween sprinkles for morning snack at school and everyone sang happy birthday to him. His teachers said he even took a nap (!) and had a very good day overall.

Then, at home, after dinner, we had a cake (see below photos for recipe) and four candles. He had fun blowing them out (twice - once for "happy birthday" in English and once for it in French) and eating his name off the cake. He liked the cake and frosting too - yum, yum. Then, time for presents! Two games from Cranium that Mommy thought looked like fun--Cariboo Treasure Hunt and Hullabaloo, and a scooter! Can't wait to play the games and try to scooter!

And, last night, he received a package from his grandparents and got new clothes and games from them, plus some madeleines de commercy (yummy little cakes).

He told me today that he gets three "parties:" one at school, one with Mommy, Da-da and Axel, and one on Saturday with his friends (big monkey-themed blow out at Gymboree).









I have brainwashed my family to eat "healthy" cakes and like them. Hee hee. Here is the recipe for Luka's family birthday cake (on Saturday, we will be eating monkey banana cupcakes!).

Pumpkin Bread

2 cups of whole wheat pastry flour (original recipe calls for all-purpose)
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 TBS baking powder
1 tsp ground cinammon
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground ginger or cloves (I used ginger)
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
1/3 cup shortening (I used non-hydrogenated)
1/2 cup chopped nuts (I used pecans in a separate bread from what we used as the birthday cake)
1/2 cup raisins (optional - I personally do not like raisins in this type of bread)

In large bowl, combine 1 cup of the flour, the brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, nutmeg, and ginger or cloves. Add pumpkin, milk, eggs and shortening.

Beat with an electric mixer on low speed till blended, then on high for 2 minutes. Add remaining flour; beat well. Sitre in nuts and raisins, if using.

Pour batter into a greased 9x5x3-in loaf pain. (I use two and make the breads thinner and cook them less time. That stretches it a bit farther and the pieces are not so high then when you cut a slice.) Bake in a 350 degree preheated over for 60 - 65 minutes or till toothpick comes out clean. (If you use two pans like I do, check them at about 20 minutes and they will likely be done in no more than 30 minutes for sure.)

Cool for 10 minutes on wire rack. Remove from pan; cool thoroughly before wrapping.

Frosting
(this is not healthy, but it worked in a pinch for the pumpkin muffins and his birthday cake after supper--I found it on the Internet last night)

1 package of instant pudding mix (I used French vanilla)
1 cup of milk, very cold
1 regular size container of Cool Whip
sprinkles

Mix milk and pudding mix together, till well blended; about 2 minutes. Then, gently mix in Cool Whip. Frost cupcakes and/or cake and refrigerate till ready to serve (though that stuff is not really dairy (!) so don't worry too much about the refrigeration part if you have to transport it). Decorate with sprinkles. I also cut this in half, and it worked fine.

Axel: these shoes are made for walkin'

As I mentioned in a post below, Axel loves to "walk" with our shoes on his hands. Here, I caught him in the act! (Two different pairs of Luka's represented here!)

Bathtime and other musings

Luka and Axel have been taking a lot of baths lately because they are having so much fun with their bath toys. Axel makes his happy noise with all the toys--letters, fish, shovel, pails to pour from, etc.--and loves to play with the shower head that hangs down (when it is off).

Tonight during their bath, Luka had fun saying all the numbers in Spanish, French and English, then saying all the colors that make up the numbers (and mathematical symbols). Then, he told me all the colors in Spanish and English. We got distracted when it got to French,. He is really into counting lately. When I was putting Axel to bed, Luka was in his room counting to 100 (cent) in French.

Luka had a good day at school and took a nap too! Yay!

Axel had a good day with his babysitter, Odette. We are so lucky to have her! I was even able to stop by and get my hair cut after my business meeting was over! I really needed it!

Halloween Fun

Our current nightly ritual for the Halloween season:

After dinner when it is dark enough, we (me) light our Halloween candles (tea lights in metal "bags" that glow through images of witches, pumpkins, ghosts and bats + the candle Luka made at VBS this summer), we (me or Luka) plug in the pumpkin strings of lights hanging from the curtain rods in the living room, we (me or Luka) turn out all other lights, and then we (me) turn on our Halloween music and we (Luka, Mommy, Axel and Papa if he is home) start dancing away! Our current favs on the CD are Monster Mash, Ghost Busters and Time Warp. When we are done, Luka blows out the candles, and we go up stairs to get ready for bed (bath, books, kisses, tickling, etc.).

And a few more...

Pumpkin Patch Fun

Some Recent Pictures

Axel with his soap "hat" in the tub






















Papa, Luka and Axel (hiding his face) at Rocky Mt. National Park (Mills Lake)

Axel: if the shoe fits, wear it!

One of Axel's favorite activities lately is putting (inside) shoes (mine, Luka's, his own, Reynald's) on his hands and then crawling around happily with them. He is very attached to this and gets very mad if you take them away to put them on. So, we try to only wear our shoes when really necessary if he is interested in them! Funny! He just loves parading around with them. Will try to get a photo of it to preserve a shot of this latest exploratation technique.

High Altitude Alert for iPods!

If you have an iPod and you are planning to take it above 10,000 feet (a not uncommon occurrence for many of us here in Colorado), don't do it! Check out this article from a Coloardo Springs TV station where they tested one at over 10,000 feet of altitude and it ruined their player! Regarding their test, they say, in part:

"At first when we turned it on, it seemed to work fine, until we tried to play a song. The i-POD began making a clicking sound and it struggled to play. We later found out that every time it made a clicking sound, it was the [device] reader scratching our hard-drive. At one point it gave us a sad face and then we had a hard time turning the device off. The best advice is not to turn it on when you are above 10,000 feet. The i-POD instructional manual does say there is an altitude limitation. If you do chances are good Apple will not cover it under it's manufactures warranty."

Axel's making progress

Axel has been pulling himself to standing for a few weeks. He is doing it all the time now. About a week ago, I found him standing up in his crib for the first time. Until just the last few days though, he would get "stuck" and not be able to sit down on his own. Last night in the tub and today on "dry land", I noticed that he now can sit down on his own. Go, Axel!

Interesting books: thank a Translator!

The local Colorado translators group of translators to which I belong put on an event at the new Tattered Cover on Colfax in Denver. It was held on International Translator's Day: Sept 30th. The idea is, many books we can read in English have been translated from other languages. So, thank a translator!

Passages from the following books were read in both the original languages and in English. All were very compelling--I encourage you to pick one and read it!

• Poem: The End of the Book (Freg Ikh Bay Mayn Libe Froy) by Moyshe-Leyb Halpern' s in the book Yiddish Poetry, A Bilingual Anthology, University of California Press, Berkeley and Los Angeles, 1986.
• Suite Française by Irène Nemirovsky, translated from the French by Sandra Smith. (I read the English excerpt of this at the presentation and my friend Michèle read the French!) French edition published by Denoël, English edition published by Alfred Knopf. Moving novel about French life during WWII by an author whose manuscript was recently discovered, and who was herself deported and killed by the Nazis. For more about her and her manuscript, go to Book Browse's summary.
• Dom dzienny, dom nocny/House of Day, House of Night, by Olga Tokarczuk, translated from the Polish by Antonia Lloyd-Jones. English Edition ISBN 0810118920; Polish edition ISBN 83-900281-9-0.
• An excerpt from La tregua/The Reawakening by Primo Levi, translated by Stewart Woolf. Read in Italian by David Russi and in English by Dannah Edwards. English ISBN 0684826356). Clever and moving - uplifting although also dealing with the Holocaust.
• Laços de Familia/Family Ties, by Clarice Lispector, translated from the Portuguese by Giovanni Pontiero. Portuguese ISBN: 8532508138, English ISBN: 0292724489.
• Cien años de soledad/One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez, translated from the Spanish by Gregory Rabassa. Various editions of this book are available.
• Die Märchen der Brüder Grimm/Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales by the Brothers Grimm. German ISBN 3-442-00412-8, English ISBN 0553382160 - find it on Amazon. Absolutely hilarious original version of Cinderella (and other tales) before it was sanitized by 20th Century society.

Trash Can Fun

We seem to have fun with trash cans at our house. Luka still likes to say "trash can" in sign language, and Axel has a new trash can game. He sees it as one big container and he loves to put things in it: letters that go to his French fridge Leapfrog letter came (those are not cheap!), baby-safe cars, trucks, combs, and other smallish items. I have to check teh trash carefully before we dump it in the big bag for Monday's trash pick up! For now, I have moved it to the top of the filing cabinet.

Axel and Luka Updates

Axel is pulling himself up a bit more to stand. He is not trying to walk yet on his own, but we are trying to encourage him. Last night, he had a blast with Papa and Luka when he kept trying to pull down the curtains in the living room and Papa would playfully grab his foot to keep him from causing disaster. He has a fun time at music classes with Mommy on Wednesdays and likes all the songs and especially loves playing with all the instruments (sticks, shaker, drum, scarf). He is going through a "low growth" stage maybe, in any case, he often rejects even his most favorite foods. What is up with that?!

He went with Mommy, Sanya and Kylie to the Gymboree Play Gym last Friday and had a blast crawling around on all their fun stuff. He also likes going to our neighborhood park with Mommy when Luka is at school and playing in the tunnel, the little steps and the slide (Mommy still helps him go down).

Luka is doing well in PreK. His teachers are really nice. He loves singing English and French songs still and adores riding his bike (trike) to and from school. We read the knock-knock joke book for the first time in a long time and he loved it. He was laughing his head off. It is fun to see how his humor has changed and how he gets more and more of the jokes as he gets older. even if he doesn't totally get them all, they sound funny to him and we have a lot of fun with it.

He has a fun time playing with his neighbor friend, Grant who will be three next week. They often ride trikes together or play outside or at one of their houses (mostly at Grant's, I must admit, but sometimes here).

He is excited about his birthday party (one month away-see Luka birthday count down link to the left!) and Mommy is getting ready for the monkey-themed blow out at Gymboree Play Gym. We like that place!

A Turtle Sighting in Westminster

I saw a fairly big turtle on the Big Dry Creek trail (mile 2)! It had about a foot-long shell and it was jumping into the creek at mile 2 where the water is pretty churny. Obviously, someone had it as a pet and let it loose (bad, bad you people who think you want exotic pets). Poor thing. Well, it is warm out for now, so he will survive for now, I guess. I called the city just to let them know they had an out of place visitor. I suppose that happens more than the rest of think!

Luka - champion rock climber!

Luka (aged 3 years, 10 months, 4 weeks and 1 day old!) had his first experience rock climbing today. And, it was OUTSIDE, not in a climbing gym! He was so awesome! World Championship, here he comes! Corinne and Dan were taking Ada climbing (she has been climbing since last year and is now almost 4) and invited us to come. They had all the gear set up.

When we got there (Gregory Canyon Ampitheater) Ada was starting her second climb. The climb was rated a 5.4. She looked so great! Also, it was neat to see Luka encouraging her instead of being jealous. He was saying he wanted to do it too, but he was very excited for her success and sincerely cheering her on. They really are good little buddies and a good match in the world of pre-kindgergarten dare devil sports. :)

After Ada was done, Corinne took Luka up. She was already familiar with the climb and we thought it might be better for him to have a "teacher" rather than go with one of us (less likely for him to say, "No, I don't want to, etc." to one of his parents). No danger of that as he was really into it and did an awesome job! Corinne raved about how he was a natural. :) He has been wanting to do it for a while, so I guess he knew what he wanted! She said about half way up, he turned to her, at first serious, and then broke out in a big smile and said, "I'm climbing!"

He wore Ada's climbing helmet, special kid harness and cool flame climbing shoes!

Axel and Mommy had a fun time hanging out and watching everyone (and a pretty hike to get there) and Reynald did a climb too. Dan was a trooper in belaying everyone. A nice fall day and sunny, but a bit chilly for Dan and when we were out of the sun. Axel was a sport and fell asleep on Mommy at the end. Corinne and Dan were awesome to share all their knowledge and gear with us. Thanks, you guys!



Afterward, in the car, I asked Luka who the champ climber was and he said himself (since that is what I was obviously hinting at) and was excited to add on his own "And Ada too!"












MORE PHOTOS HERE: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bodeux/sets/ Then, click on the Rock Climbing set to the right to see a slide show!

What a great day!

Eve's article on the web

An article Eve wrote on the web in a translation journal:
http://accurapid.com/journal/38review.htm

Don't Eat Pete!

Luka has been talking about Don't Eat Pete for a while. With his explanation, searching on the web and some ingenuity by Mommy, we figured out how to play. Here is how to play this exciting game:

- Download and print the Don't Eat Pete grid that Mommy made for Luka.
- Get Cheerios or other small edible items.
- Place the items on some or all of the numbers on the grid.
- Have one person leave the room so the others can choose which Cheerio on which number represents "Pete."
- Let the person come back and eat Cheerios one by one.
- When the person picks the Cheerio designated as "Pete" everyone say, "Don't eat Pete! Don't eat Pete! Don't eat Pete!" and then see the kids convulse in giggles and laughter.

We are going to try it with Axel next. We think he too can play Don't Eat Pete!

Luka's Birthday Countdown

Luka's birthday is coming soon. The milestones of fall/winter, as explained to Luka today: First, comes his birthday. Then, Halloween. That is followed by Thanksgiving, then Christmas and then New Year's (fireworks!). Very exciting all that!

Keeping Track of Axel

Axel had his year check up at the doctor today. (Okay, he is 13-1/2 months; it just took a while to get in there).

His stats are:

Weight: 19 lbs 12 ounces - 10th percentile
Height: 31-1/4 inchces - 80th percentile
Head: 18-1/4 inches - 50th percentile

Here is his ticker, updating his age:

Try-Athlon

Our First Ever Try-Athlon (organized by Cameron and Eve) was a great success! It took place on Sept 9, Saturday. A day that started out a little rainy, but turned out perfectly--even for the outside pool!

The kids had a blast swimming, then biking and then running. They loved the bibs, and loved finishing the biking and running stages through the balloon arch. About 15 kids and their families were there. We had magnets too that matched the bib design and the kids received those at the end; everyone had their name called. They also received a participation ribbon. And, of course, snacks at the end: Teddy Grahams and ice cream!

Kids ranged in age from 2 (almost 3) (Melanie) to 6 or 7, I'd say. Luka was right in the middle of the pack. He was very excited and pumped his fists when he'd finish an event. There were no "winners" per se and everyone cheered everyone else on. The event starts were staggered to get the correct ages together. It really did encourage "love of sports" without any negativity about "losing" (that can come from elsewhere in life!). It was truly a great success and we are all looking forward to doing it next year!

Updated photos from Eve of the event on flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bodeux/tags/tryathlon/

And, these that one of the dads posted on flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bells/tags/tryathlon/

Luka is in two of these dad's photos: one is of him running, in motion, with his gray t-shirt flying out behind him, and his orange athletic shorts, along with (of course) his cool Spiderman sunglasses. He is also in the group photo with all the kids listening to instructions.

I will still try post some more photos and the event logo too. I still need to reinstall Photoshop after my computer upgrade; I am only re-installing things as I really need them (too time consuming).

Luka Update

Luka moved to PreK today at school. Yay! I think he will like it a lot and he did well. They said he only wanted to go back to his Preschool class when they had nap (thinking he could more easily avoid it, I am sure!). He is going to go full time now (Mon - Fri). I think it will help him with the consistency, and right now, I just have too much work for him to go part-time. I think it will be easier on all of us. I am planning to get him earlier, around 3:30 every day. I usually am done working by then anyway, for the most part anyway (could always find something to do, I am sure, but have to call it a day and move on!).

He also did his presentation for show and tell, finally! Miss Desiree moved him up to PreK after he did, but wanted him to get the chance to do it before he moved up. She said that she was excited to have him do it because every other kid so far had just brought a toy. His was different, so she was happy to have him do it too. She was gone when I got to school to get him (will have to ask her later how it went) but I asked him. He said, "Mommy, the kids didn't even laugh (at what he thinks is the funny part of the ABC song)." I thought they might not (might not be funny to everyone else...;) But, it sounds like he did a good job and at least it was a good excercise for him to practice and see it through.

I just signed him up for a gymanstics class at the Broomfield Rec Center with his friend Johnny. It is 50 minutes on Thursday evenings for 5 weeks. They really liked it! Johnny's mom, Axel and I waited outside. We could watch through a big glass window. It is a nice gymastics center with all the gymnastics stuff (beyond me for the most part, but balance beam, etc.). There were a lot of girls and several classes or teams out there at once, but for Luka's class of 4 and 5 year olds, there were 3 little boys and 2 girls! So, that was great. The other little boy is also Johnny. It seemed really fun and they had a good time. Also, it being once a week seems doable and not too much then. Swimming at twice a week got a bit much for him (and therefore, for me).

Luka is very imaginative and always has some game of pretend he wants to play ("Mommy, you be a monster, Axel is the baby monster and you guys run after me making monster noise; Mommy, I am a race car and you and Axel are race cars too, etc. etc.").

Tomorrow is the Try Athlon that Cameron and I have put together for the kids. We are expecting 20 kids like 3 - 7 or so. Two lengths in the pool in Louisville, two laps around the park on bikes or trikes and two laps running. Should be a blast. Will try to post pictures. We have a log and everything: bibs for the kids, magnets for them to take home, participation ribbons, snacks, water, etc. If it goes well, next year we may try to make it an official event, not just for our friends. We will see how it goes! Luka is ready for this too! He is excited about the competition and ready to go!

Axel update

Yesterday, Axel said, "Wow! Wow!" very clearly when Luka and he and I were eating dinner and I gave him a little purple spoon to use to learn how to eat himself. Luka got excited and said, "Mommy, he said 'wow'!" It was really cute to hear it come out of his mouth!

He also said "uh-oh" when we were in PA--copying Grandma saying it.

He has started clapping when he is happy about something.

Tonight, both Luka and Axel really liked it when we sang the ABC's in French and danced around.

He is really crawling around a lot. I had to get rid of a big plant in the living room that he kept getting into - we'd play a game where I'd say "No, no, no, no, no!" and he'd laugh his head off...but he kept getting into it when I wasn't looking, so it had to go. He is really into his toys and playing with stuff: his big plastic trucks, bowls, containers where he sticks his head in and makes an echo noise, Baby Tad, his LeapFrog caterpillar, etc.

He has not been eating a ton lately. He wants to nurse a lot, but not eating much solid food. He has taken to accepting what is offered in his mouth (chicken, etc.) and then immediately spitting it out. !!! Luka did that too when he was little for a stage, so I guess he will get over it.

Otherwise, he is still the winner of the nicest baby award. He is very easy going and a sweet little man.

Bike ride: Breckenridge to Copper and back!

32 fun miles from Breck to Cooper and back! Luka and Axel where the champs in the Chariot (bike trailer), Eve did great, and Reynald is one beast of a bike ride pulling the kids and all their gear up and down all those hills! Fun, fun!

Happy Birthday to me!

Happy birthday to me! Plans for today: get a facial and a spa pedicure with Ann (we were born the same day and the same year and often go to a restaurant together--this is a new idea for our joint birthday celebration!).

Luka asked me, "Mommy, when is your party?" I told him Mommies don't always have parties and that I was going to the "spa".

Reynald gave me a dozen lovely orange roses and a card. He always writes great cards. 14 years together, two little men, and continuing to move into the future...!

I also got a card from Laurie Ann and one from Karen. They never forget. :) Thanks, girls!

Luka's ABC Show and Tell

It was Luka's turn to do Show and Tell today (a new thing for his class). The assigned theme was "Back to School." I gave him some suggestions (teach your friends some French words about school, sing ABC song in French) that were a no go. But, he liked the idea of playing his favorite song (really) for his friends at school: an ABC song with a British guy who makes a "mistake" as he firsts starts singing ("A, B, C....Zed...no, that's not right!"). Luka finds that hilarious.

We practiced, and his presentation is supposed to go something like this:

- Hi, guys, I am going to talk about the ABC's today because ABC's are something we learn in school. (Shows his paper, protected in plastic, with the ABC's that Mommy printed from her computer in different colors)

- I am going to play my favorite ABC song for you.

- Miss Desiree, can you start the song now? (She starts the CD....)

I am wondering how it really went, and will ask the teacher later today when I pick him up. In any case, it was a good exercise for him to practice his presentation and he was excited about it.

Update: he did not get to do it at school, so the teacher said we'd try next week. I hope it works out!

Safeway Organics

I have never been that great a fan of Safeway. (It was not the greatest store to shop at in Alaska growing up, and it was not that great in VA or CO either, in my experience). However, with their "makeovers" they have become updated and more interesting and there are always less people there than King Soopers, so that is a plus.

But, the latest thing that I think is a great assett about Safeway is that they have a very competitive line of their own organic products. It is competitively priced and so far what I have tried is good quality.

Today, I was impressed that they had organic ketchup in this brand, which so far no other grocery store that is not "health food" store has had locally. They also have a good selection of frozen organic veggies and fruit and French fries. We traditionally have gotten Alexia brand organic fries in large quantity from Costco, but they don't always have the kind we prefer (traditional crinkly fries). Safeway also has organic milk which is reasonably priced and other things.

(Now for the editoralizing....you can skip this part if you just wanted to the low down on Safeway's organics. :)

I suppose this is the beginning of the "corporate coopting" of organics, which is good or bad, depending on how you view it. But, as long as it is really organic and adheres to what that should really mean (USDA certified organic or similar), I think long-term, this is good for consumers, despite mourning the loss of some of the power the smaller farmer has regained with the rising deman for organics.

Newspaper or other articles often mention that Wal-Mart is getting into organics in a "big way" and this will profoundly change pricing and distrubition in this area, but do you think Wal-Marts core customers really care? Maybe Wal-Mart is trying to get at the more "affluent" market who values organics, but I really hate Wal-Mart and I am sure that a lot of the "new customers" they want to get with the move toward organics do too.

Why do I hate them? For all the cliched reasons: they squeeze prices down but have crappy products, they won't pay for workers' insurance but force the public systems to pick up the tab, blah blah blah.... But, mostly I hate shopping there because it is a big ugly warehouse and (snob that I am, I guess) I just think it is a creepy place to shop with scary people shopping there.

Articles and "the media" talk about how "everyone" shops there, but I can tell you, I only go there two or three times a year if I really have to and I would be glad if that store fell off the face of the earth. Also, I think it is absurd to say that we all want the cheapest possible prices at the bigger cost that Wal-Mart enforces (a favorite theme of news articles on Wal-Mart): terrible labor practices, crappy products that are cheap-o, and an unfriendly shopping environment. If I can (which of cousre I can, I can choose as any consumer can, where to spend my money), I would always choose to spend my money elsewhere, even if it costs a little more.

How did this discussion become an anti-Wal-Mart rant? Well, it is not like I love the Safeway corporation, but they seem more palatable than Wal-Mart and not disgusting to shop in, in any case. So, whether Wal-Mart has organics or not, I will not be dashing out the door to shop there. But, you should give Safeway a try for more reasonably priced organic products.,

PA Trip: Axel and Mommy

Axel and Mommy (me) took a trip to PA to help Grandma (my mom) close down my grandparents' house since they are both gone now. Highlights of our trip:

- Everyone thinking what a sweet little man Axel is (and they are right--he is the champion traveler and my little easy going man).
- Axel going to Mom right away--recognizing her from his trip to AK in June: outstretched arms to have her take him from Mommy upon arrival.
- Visiting Knoebel's (me, Mom, Axel) and going on the small merry go round (he did not like it), and the big train (he liked that one!). Eating ice cream there--Eve had peach/vanilla twist (soft) and Mom had choc/vanilla twist. Axel did not want any (he has the right idea ;)
- Visiting Oakland/Susquehanna to visit with Freida and Bob (great mac and cheese dinner and good conversation) and then a nice visit with Frederick and Bettty. Seeing Mom's house that she was born in, and her school when she was little. This was before the move to Indiana (PA).
- Visiting Lebanon Valley College and seeing a favorite professor and his wife, doing some other "business" related to fundraising, and donating some of Dearma's organ music to their organ program. (But not the part about running out of gas on Intersate 81! though that turned out okay too.)
- Giving away Dearma's muisc (organ, piano, voice, chorale, recorder, violin, etc.) to people who will use and appreciate it. There was A LOT of it (stacks and stacks and thousands of dollars!) and also keeping some ourselves (Mom and Laura, mostly).
- Going through Dearma and Popop's house and taking a few souvenirs and savoring our last time in their house where we spent our lives going. I have my own memories there, but Mom's go deeper emotionally and further back in time.
- Axel's friends next door (Emmy and Dylan) who helped us by baby sitting him a few times. He had fun playing with them and we had more time to do our "work".
- Driving our cool rental car (Mazda5) -- or at least cool to a mom of two who usually gets boring rental cars. Thanks, Priceline.com!
- Eating Mom's bread pudding.
- Seeing Tresa, Jan and families along with Butch and Mabel at Carly's birthday weenie roast, which we happened upon.
- Going downtown Danville and having fun visiting the Beiter's store, as well as other places.
- Our dinner at the Town Perk in Bloomsburg and Axel's love affair with our waiter. And, of course, their Treasure Chest and the fun zebra book he got from it.
- Seeing Karen L. and her parents when we arrived in Hburg before driving north.
- Getting up at 2:30 a.m. for the drive to make our plane for the trip back home out of Harrisburg airport (okay, that was not fun per se, but not too bad, and it was memorable).
- Coming home to Luka and Papa! And, Axel's happy face (a sweet crinkly smile around his nose when he realized he was again with his beloved Papa and brother!).

Luka and Sharing

Luka defines "sharing" as "everyone else has to give me their stuff, but I can take all their toys/books/food, etc. from them or they are not sharing with me!" I guess all 3 and 4 year olds feel like that. But, it is funny to see the self-centered logic. :)

Axel's favorite books

Axel's favorite books are currently:

- Qu'est-ce qui fait Bêê ? A fun little story about a little sheep who tries to find others like him, and meets various other animals along the way. It has sections for Axel to touch like the sheep's wool, cat's whiskers, silk flowers, bunny's fur, etc. Axel loves it! This was a gift from one of our French relatives.

- Baby Einstein's Language Nursery book. This one was a gift from Cathy when Luka was a baby. He liked it a lot too. Each page has a simple image (duck, star, cow, bear, lamb, flower, train) and then has some phrase in 5 languages: English, Spanish, French, Japanese and Hebrew. For example, "This is a cow ~ C'est une vache." I always just read the French. Though sometimes the Japanese is fun to pronounce (Konnichi wa!). The best part of the book is the last page where there is a mirror and we get to say, "Je m'appelle...Axel!" (My name is Axel!) and show him the mirror. He gets really excited every time. What fun!

Movie: Axel & Luka Summer 2006

Go here to see the movie I made on JumpCut of Axel and Luka.

This is my first try, so I Have not totally figured it out, so click on the "Play" button if you only see the main title and black background. Then, it will start.

You will see: Luka on bucking salmon, Axel laughing, Luka fishing, and Axel's birthday!

Axel's 1st Birthday!

Axel had a great birthday and birthday party: August 6, 2006: He was one year old! He took a nap until 2:30, unconcerned that the guests were arriving at 1:30 p.m. Some guests inquired at to where the man of the day was, but understood that he needed his beauty sleep.

He woke up to see all these people at his house! And, a giant cake (bouncy "castle")! He ate some mac and cheese and fruit, and then was ready for some cake action! See photos below. Everyone sang to him twice - in English and then in French.

There was a chocolate raspberry Winnie the Pooh cake that he and the the other kids (led by Luka) admired very much (not being able to resist putting their fingers in it earlier! But, no real damage done :) There were also some "adult" cakes from Wild Oats and they turned out to be very good, including: a carmel apple cheesecake, a "down home" chocolate cake, lemon tarts, and a rustic fruit tart.

We had lots of friends come to celebrate with us.

Luka and his friends had fun in the bouncy castle and the kids seemed to like the "goodie bags" that Luka and I had prepared the night before: crazy straw, fruit candies, tatoos (of course), rings for the rings and frogs for the boys. What fun.

Axel went in the bouncy castle a few times with Mommy and/or Papa, but was not crazy about it. He'd had a big day and was more interested in crawling around on the lawn or checking out Papa's camping chair.

All in all, a very successful party to celebrate our littlest man!

See some photos below.

Axel Birthday Prince!

No - I don't want it! I am the birthday boy and can stick in my cake if I want!

Mmm - that IS good!

Little Explorer

Luka in Bouncy Castle Heaven

The bouncy castle - or in this case, "cake"!

Winnie the Pooh cake!

Birthday plate made by Mommy