Learning to Walk and Art work

Axel learning to walk - happy man!

Luka's artwork from school when they studied health and safety. He dictated the text to his teacher. It says, "I was running on the street; after I hurt my thumb so my mom picked me up and said "What happened, Luka?" and she got me a bandaid." (See picture and band aid below.)

Jill's Buttercream Icing Recipe

Buttercream Icing

(Jill's notes below.)

2 lb. bag of powdered sugar
1 ½ cups Crisco (butter works great too)
2 tsp. clear vanilla extract (I use real vanilla unless I want really white icing, for that you need this clear stuff)
7 Tbsp. water or milk

Put Crisco, water and extracts with a small amount of powdered sugar in large bowl. Mix on medium speed and gradually add the rest of the sugar. Mix for 10 to 12 minutes (this is why I use a stand mixer) until fluffy.

Axel Talking

Axel is very discerning about the words he says and repeats sounds that he thinks are fun. Ask him to repeat something, and sometimes he will, but he may just laugh mischeviously and choose to say it later when he is good and ready.

"Words" he said on his own with no prompting include "Wahoo!" after Mommy said it to express excitement. Today, after reading "Coco et les autres" he also said "Coco" on his own and also "Tralalalalalala" after the part where Coco, Gigi and Nana dance together and sing that. He really liked that word!

He says his famous word "ooos" (or however you spell it) less, but here is a funny video of him saying it for us at Disneyworld.

Nouvelles en Français

Salut à tous les français !

Tout va bien au Colorado, et les fêtes se passent sous un metre de neige. On a eu une grosse tempête de neige juste avant Noël qui a littéralement paralysé le Colorado pendant prés de deux jours. On était coincé à la maison, mais c'était mieux que de devoir laisser son vehicule sur la route et d'essayer de rentrer a pied, ou bien d'être coincé a l'aéroport comme beaucoup l'étaient. Il y a deux jours, une deuxième tempête est arrivée et nous sommes de nouveau coincés à la maison depuis, ce qui nous fait des vacances ! Ce qui est surprenant c'est que toutes les grandes surfaces n'ont presque plus de produits frais depuis une semaine et que les gens se battent presque pour acheter les derniers cartons de lait ou des fruits. Un manque de preparation totale qui a de quoi inquieter si on devait un jour faire face a qqchose de plus serieux qu'une tempête de neige.

Ces dernières semaines, on a fait quelques periples, avec un trip à Omaha dans le Nebraska pour retrouver le frère de Eve et sa maman a l'occasion du long weekend de Thanksgiving. Un weekend sympa et reposant, mais parcourir les routes du Nebraska en plein hiver n'est pas conseillé (on a vu des dizaines de voitures dans le fosse à cause du verglas et on a mis 12 heures pour rentrer au lieu de 8).

Histoire d'aller chercher le soleil, on est allé passer une semaine de vacances en Floride (Orlando) debut décembre. On etait en fait invites pour assister au lancement de la navette spatiale Discovery. Ce fut un évenement plutôt special car nous connaissons le pilote de la navette qui est un ami d'enfance de Eve (ils sont allés dans la même école a Anchorage). C'est le seul astronaute d'Alaska.

Le décollage de nuit a ete très spectaculaire avec une lumière éblouissante (meme a 5 km) et un bruit infernal. Vraiment une expérience unique, pour Luka aussi qui n'en revenait pas et qui j'espère ne l'oubliera pas. On en a aussi profité pour aller à Disney World et le "Royaume Magique" de Mickey pour une paire de jours. Beaucoup de monde à notre avis meme si c'est la saison basse, mais les manèges étaient sympas et on a pu emmener Axel avec nous a peu près partout. Luka a aussi vu Cendrillon (dont il est un grand fan) dans le château.

Pour Noël, nous sommes allés passer 3 jours dans un chalet perdu au fond d'une vallée à 3500 metres d'altitude ou l'accès se fait en raquettes ou à ski. Ce fut plutôt une aventure (10 km en plus de six heures pour y arriver) avec des chutes de neige toute la journée et des temperatures approchant les -15 degrès. Les enfants ont eu froid par moment mais heureusement qu'on avait des "hand and toe warmers" sinon on aurait du faire demi-tour. La remorque les protège assez bien, mais il y a tout de même des limites. Eve et un ami ont du souvent etre derrière la remorque pour m'aider. Le chalet était bien équipé, avec des lits pour 20 personnes, il faut juste amener sa nourriture et son sac de couchage. Le sauna chauffé au bois était un plus appreciable. Et je ne parle pas de la poudreuse qu'on a pu skier aux abords du chalet sans se bousculer.

Pour Nouvel An, nous avons simplement prevu un petit diner avec des amis, et on sera surement couché avant minuit. Les temps changent...

Samedi prochain, Luka va commencer a prendre des lecons de ski pour 6 semaines a une petite station pas trop loin. On espère qu'il sera bientôt autonome... Pour 2007, on n'a pas prevu grand-chose. Mes parents seront chez nous en printemps. Ils voudraient aller vers Yellowstone et aussi le Grand Canyon et les parcs nationaux de l'Utah. On espère aussi que ca permettra a Luka de pratiquer son français.

Pour voir quelques photos de nos derniers periples, cliquez sur "Trip to Florida" à gauche - il y aussie une vidéo du décollage de la navette. Tous nos meilleurs voeux pour la nouvelle année et à bientôt !

Reynald

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.