Spring Update

We have been too busy for me to keep up my normal pace of writing on the blog, so here is an update from the last few months!

To see sets of photos from the last few months, go to our Flickr site and click on the sets of photos called:

- JC/Annick Visit Part I - Trip Out West
- JC/Annick Visit Part II (various photos of the family)
- JC/Annick Visit Part III - New Mexico Trip
- JC/Annick Visit Part IV - Great Sand Dunes

Select "View as Slideshow" to see each in slide show format.

(Scroll down for bonus photos!)

In March and April, for 5 weeks, Reynald's parents visited us and we had a great time together. It was truly wonderful to have them here with us for those weeks and we were able to do a lot of things together. They helped me A LOT at the house with watching Axel and making lunches, and cleaning the house. They also gave us good ideas for some improvements we could make (they have great taste). And, Jean Claude worked hard being Mr. Fix-It around the house, fixing things we didn't even know were wrong (you can tell how "fix it" we are - not very!). Annick and JC took Axel on lots of "bike rides" after they bought him a new push trike and lots of walks. They took Luka to school every day and picked him up. With all this busy-ness, we still were able to get in a few good trips.

Reynald, Luka, Annick and Jean Claude took a memborable trip March 11 - 18th to points "out west" such as Capitol Reef, Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon and the south side of the Grand Canyon, and Monument Valley. They saw other great things too, but Axy and I stayed home, so Reynald will need to edit this to put in more details! See more pictures from this trip here and select the set of photos called "JC/Annick Visit Part I - Trip Out West " to see the slide show.Their good friend, and ours, Edith, also came for the last two weeks of their stay. She was the perfect house guest too and we had a wonderful time with her as well. The last week of their stay, we went to Taos and Santa Fe, New Mexico. We rented a great house (over the Internet!) in Taos and stayed in the well-placed TraveLodge (yes!) in Santa Fe. Everyone seemed to have had a good time exploring all the artists' displays in these towns, having fun meals together, and visiting museums. Axel and Luka even spent a few hours as the Georgia O'Keefe museum in Santa Fe! On the way back from New Mexico, we also spent a night/day exploring the Great Sand Dunes National Park in the southern part of CO. We had an adventurous hike on the dunes as our last hurrah. See more pictures here and select "JC/Annick Visit Part III - New Mexico" or "Trip - JC/Annick Visit Part IV - Great Sand Dunes". We also had a lovely Easter dinner with Eve's brother Steven, his father-in-law, and Uncle Jack visiting for the afternoon. (JC's birthday below.)During their visit, Axel also made a lot of progress. He went from "barely walking" to walking just as well as any other almost-two year-old. Walking seemed to have opened up a whole new world to him and he is very excited about exploring it! He also was weaned by the week before they left (so around the end of March). I was sad, but it was very helpful to have them here during this time to distract him, and now, I know it was the right thing to do: he is a big boy now!

Axel says a lot more words now. He tried to say "Jean Claude" before they left, and he would practice with Annick pointing to Annick, himself, Jean Claude, etc. He also currently says many French words, despite Reynald's fear that he would speak much more English than Luka did at the same age. Luckily, this is note the case! He says: eau (water), propre (clean - yes, like father, like son on this one...!), doudou, hi (in English), Yay! (in English), Mom, Mama, Dad, Dada, Papa, Uddle (that means Luka - go figure), balloon (lolo), and other fun stuff.

Axel's favorite book is "T'Choupi fait du vélo" (T'Choupi rides his bike) - that he can pick out from all the other books (that look exactly the same to me!); he also likes other T'Choupi books and still really likes all the Coco books too. Luka's new favorite book is the ABC dinosaur book his grandmother bought him at the Great Sand Dunes book store. I am learning more about dino's than I ever thought I would!
Axel also skiied for the first time - yes, it's true! - on May 4, 2007 at just two days shy of 21 months old! Every time he saw Luka on skis, he wanted to try them on. So, this time, at A-Basin (still open!) we made sure to bring Luka's old skis (strap on boots, scales on the bottom, no edges) for Axel to try. He didn't like it for the first 10 seconds or so as I strapped them on his boots, but after that, he loved it and got mad when we took them off at the end of the day! He skiied around between our legs at the bottom of the mountain and he was also able to shuffle along without falling, on his own, at the end of the day. Go, Axel! Olympic champion in the making! Luka is a true little skiier. We were so impressed with his skiing abilities, taking him to A-Basin two weekends in a row. We had not really seen him in action since he had completed his Eldora ski lessons on February. It is a sight to behold! He is totally in control and has a great time skiing down either doing the pizza (snow plow) or french fry (parallel). He has no fear and just skis along with Mommy or Daddy, though he may take on the persona of Spiderman or Superman to get down the hill! He went on the bunny hill at A-Basin with Mommy April 28 during Daddy's randonnée ski race, and then, we took him on the greens the next weekend (May 4). Those greens are the toughest I have ever seen, and are pretty steep. So, I'd say Luka is good for blues at most other major ski resorts! Go, four-year old ski man!

Both Luka and Axel love riding their bikes around. Axel on the push-trike (he can't reach both pedals at the same time yet to pedal himself) and Luka on his "big boy bike" with training wheels. Mommy is happy too, because she finally got her "comfort bike" - a 7-speed, upright black and white Giant. We still need to pick it up from the shop in Boulder, but I can't wait! Reynald also got a new fancy-schmancy mountain bike. He deserves it, though, after all these years on his old one. What adventures does he have in store for us on that thing?

Here is a blog bonus. This is Luka's drawing from the Mother's Day Tea at school. He said it was "Mommy on the couch watching TV" - you know, that activity I often do during the day (NOT!). Maybe that was his dream for me - "relax, rest a bit and watch some TV!" ha ha.

Luka and the Beanstalk, oh no, that's "Bead"

Today, Luka stuck a bead up his nose at school. Yes, we have now experienced that legendary event in parenthood when your kid sticks some weird object up his nose. It was a bright blue bead that was just out of our reach. Luka also has trouble mixing up "blowing" his nose and "inhaling" so that was pretty tricky!

We'd already had "the talk" about how he is not to stick stuff in any of his bodies "holes" or any of the openings in Axel's body. You know - nose, eyes, ears, belly button and other unmentionables.... But, to no avail, I guess. (However, I think this incident may have cured him, at least for the next few years.)

We called our doctor. They were booked for today (!) and told us to go to the emergency room (!). We then called urgent care run by a Children's Hospital clinic near our neighborhood and they were not open till 5 p.m. (it being 2:45 pm at the time). It just seemed ridiculous to go to the ER for this (not to mention quite costly), so I, luckily, remembered the walk-in clinic at (hold your breath, are you ready?)....Wal-mart!!!!! OK - that will teach me to be a snob. I had noticed it the other day on one of my few forrays to Wal-mart. Luckily for us, it turned out!

There was not much waiting (compared to the ER, anyway), and the nurse practictioner was able to reach in there with a special tool and get it out for a mere $65 (no sarcasm here - the ER would have been over $500 I am sure)! That was a real relief and we were sooooooooooo happy to avoid the ER.

So, I ask you, what is wrong with our healthcare system that I am thrilled to get care at a clinic in Wal-mart? I know the healthcare system needs fixing all right, and if I knew how, I bet I could be president (oh, now that I think about that more, I guess not...). All that matters right now is that Luka's nose is in good shape and bead-less for the time being and hopefully forever into the future!

Axel man is growing up - or is he?

Today, I took Axel to the grocery store and thought I'd let him walk next to me like "a big boy" - he is now 21-1/2 months. He is walking well and loves to do "big guy" stuff. However, he also likes to be a little imp and sometimes run or walk away on purpose and start giggling when we say, "Come to Mommy/Daddy, Come back here!" etc. So, today, he runs down one aisle away from me and then starts pulling bottles off of the bottom shelf and throwing them hard on the ground! I don't think he did that part to be a stinker, I think he just thought it was fun to grab and toss them, not realizing really what it all meant. But, of course, out of the four bottles he threw down within about 5 seconds, before I could get to him, two of them broke! He was just happily grabbing them and tossing them! In any case, the guys who worked there thought it was funny and were really nice about it, but I was horrified! He had salad dressing on his shoe afterward, but otherwise, he was okay! ...Those crazy kids!

Recipe: Zucchini Pancakes

The kids like cooked zucchini with a bit of salt and pepper a lot (yes, it is true!), but we were getting a bit tired of that this week, so I decided to use our zucchini for a different and quite tasty purpose. We ate them for dinner with some sausage and Axy and Luka agreed that these pancakes were very good too! You could, however, eat them for breakfast too.

4 eggs
2 cups grated zucchini
3/4 cup all-purpose flour (or whole wheat pastry flour)
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3 TBS olive oil
4 tsp baking powder
butter for the skillet

In large mixing bowl, beat eggs, add shredded zucchini and mix well with fork. Add flour, sugar, salt and olive oil and stir to blend well. Finally, add baking powder and mix well using a large spoon, scraping sides with spatula as necessary. Do not overbeat.

Spoon batter on to cooking surface. Cook until there are no longer bulbbles forming in the pancake--about 2 minutes. Turn over and cook for a few minutes longer. Serve with butter and maple syrup if desired. Sit back and think how smart you are for getting zucchini into your kids unnoticed. :)

Luka's Show & Tell Presentation: Movie!

A few weeks ago, it was Luka's turn to be the "star" student at school and he wanted to talk about pilots. He had decided that he wanted to be a pilot during "career week." The kids had a great time with that. Even today, Luka got very excited when we saw a plane in the sky and said, "Hey - that is what I want to do - fly planes!" Well, that must be in his blood - just like his grandpa!

He did a version of his presentation at home by narrating the slides I made for him. You can access the movie and his narration by clicking on the image below. I am not the greatest at editing sound, so be aware that the sound goes from soft to loud. But, Luka is a real star! Have fun viewing his 2-minute masterpiece.

Axel and Mommy Party Down

Well, not really... We were holding down the fort for a week (yes, a whole week, from Sunday to Sunday!) while Reynald, Luka, Jean-Claude and Annick went on a trip to visit various national parks and other interesting parks in Colorado, Utah and Arizona (the Grand Canyon). Tonight, they went to the South Rim when they heard the North Rim was closed for the season. They have also been to Zion, Bryce, Colorado National Monument and other sights. We will have to get the full scoop from them when they get back and post their pictures. Sounds like Luka is having a great time with them.

Axel and I are "riding" his bike a couple of times a day, going to the park, sometimes eating out (the Mediteranean place at the mall and Noodles), and just hanging out. Not so bad, but we miss our guys! :)

Laura's Banana Bread

(by way of Laura, Silver Palate and Margaret D)

8 TBS (1 stick) butter - softened
3/4 cup sugar (or substitute Rapadura)
2 eggs
1 cup of white flour
1 tsp of baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup of whole wheat flour
3 ripe bananas - mashed
1 tsp of vanilla
1/2 cup of chopped pecans

350 degree oven. Use greased loaf pan. Cream butter and sugar (with wooden spoon). Add eggs one at a time (with whisk). Mix white flour, soda and salt together. Then, stir in whole wheat flour to the dry mixture. Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture. Stir only till combined. Fold in mashed bananas, vanilla and nuts. Bake for 50 - 60 minutes until done. Cool for 10 minutes on rack. Remove from pan and let cool completely.

Variations: Add 3/4 to 1 cup of (frozen or fresh) blueberries or raspberries with the bananas. Will take a little longer to bake.

Oh Madeleine, oh Madeleine

Reynald's parents brought us two big bags of Madeleines de Commercy (and often send us these in packages). These divine little cakes are coveted at our house. I make a pretty good recipe too, but the "real deal" are these from Commercy which are reputed throughout France as being "it". See this article on Wikipedia for more information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madelines

This article does not mention though that they likely were created for Stanislas, the exiled king of Poland, who was living in Lorraine, and then made for the French king as well. See
http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/Cakes/Madeleine.htm.

Here is the recipe I use:

MADELEINES

(Makes ~12 and recipe doubles well)

- 1-1/4 cups regular flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cup confectioner's sugar, plus some for dusting
- the grated rind of 1 lemon or 1 orange
- 1 TBS lemon or orange juice
- 6 TBS unslated butter, melted and slightly cooled

Preheat oven to 375 F. Butter a 12 cup madeleine pan. Sift (yes, sift) together the flour and the baking powder.

Using an electric mixer (preferably a stand mixer), beat the eggs and confectioner's sugar for 5 - 7 minutes (even with a standmixer it still takes a while) until thick and creamy and the mixture forms a ribbon when the beaters are lifted. Gently fold in the lemon or orange rind and juice.

Beginning with the flour mixture, alternately fold in the flour and melted butter in several batches. Let the mixture stand for 10 minutes, then carefully spoon into the pan. Tap gently to release any air bubbles. e

Bake the madeleines for 12 - 15 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Tip out on to a wire rack to cool completely and dust with confetioner's sugar (optional) before serving.

Note: if you do not have madeleine pan, you can use a mini-muffin or other such pan. They will still taste great even though they will not be in the traditional shape. Adjust the cooking time as necessary.

Luka's Birthday Count Down

Yup, it is still a long way off, but the minute he got in the car after his 4th birthday party, he asked, "When is it my birthday again?" But, he is "mature" now and happy to give his friends their gifts in the meantime, rather than wanting to keep them for himself. :)

In honor of his upcoming special day (no matter how far off still), here is a count down just for him:

Grandparents arrive and new photos

Jean-Claude and Annick arrived earlier this week from France for their 5-week stay in the US. The kids enjoy them and we are glad to see them as well as appreciate their help. Some pictures below from the past two months. More of the grandparents as their visit progresses.

Luka in the "baby" swing at the park.

Axel on his new "bike" - with push handle to protect Mommy's and grandparents' backs!

Axel having fun at the home improvement store.

Go, Horsey! (Favorite activity of the boys, unfortunately for Papa!)

Luka qui fait le fou dans le jardin.

Luka, Axel, Annick, JC in Eldorado Springs (cold day for a hike!)

Flourless Chocolate Cake

I have not made this recipe, but the Chocolate & Zucchini food blog is awesome, and I love flourless chocolate cake, so am putting it here so that I can whip it up when I have time.

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Source: http://chocolateandzucchini.com/archives/2005/08/announcing_wbw13_like_wine_for_chocolate.php

Flourless Chocolate Cake

- 2 sticks minus 1 Tbsp) butter
- 7 oz dark chocolate
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 eggs
- a rounded TBS flour

Note: best made a day in advance (or at least in the morning if you plan to serve it in the evening).

Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Line an 8-inch round cake pan with parchment paper (don't need to if using a non-stick pan).

Melt together the butter with the chocolate (in a double-boiler or in the microwave slowly and for just a few seconds at a time, blending with a spoon between each pass). Transfer into a medium mixing-bowl. Add in the sugar, stir with a wooden spoon and let cool a little. Add in the eggs one by one, mixing well after each addition. Finally, add in the flour and mix well.

Pour the dough into the pan, and put into the oven to bake for 30 minutes. Turn the oven off but leave the cake inside for another ten minutes, then put the pan on a cooling rack on the counter to cool completely. Cover with plastic wrap, refrigerate, and take it out about an hour before serving. Garnish with whipped cream, raspberrry coulis, or other.
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Axel's First Steps

Yahoo! Axel's long-awaited first steps solo were today. It was at the doctor's office for his 18-month check up showing her he really COULD walk! Now, we just have to get him to do it more on his own... stay tuned!

Axel's current stats:

Height: 32-3/4 inches
Weight: 22 pounds and 7.5 ounces
Head circumfrence: 19 inches

Axel/Luka Update

Axel stood up for the first time (that we saw, anyway) on his own today! I turned around and Axel was on top of the wooden kid table, standing up all by himself, just looking at me! Look, ma! No hands! Then, he was all excited at me taking his picture, so would then again balance on his two feet (no hands) and smile proudly for the camera.

He has a new word too: "Encore". Papa was very happy he has a French word as one of his first ones. He loves saying it and says it over and over (but does use it appropriately). He also says "Luka" pretty clearly now and is very proud of that too.

Speaking of Luka, this week he pretty much stopped wearing "slips spéciaux" to bed and now just sleeps in his underwear like a big boy. Yipee! He has done at that at nap at school for years, but I think he liked wearing the PullUps at night because sometimes he was too scared to go potty in the dark! Now, as long as he goes wee wee before going to bed, everything is fine.

Picture below of Luka in the cowboy hat and boots he made at school the week they studied the Stock Show (big event here in Colorado in January). He was very proud! (He's holding a basket of safari animals!)

Galette des rois - 2007

Here are pictures of the kids this year celebrating Epihpanie French style. Axel and Luka both got feves and they played with their crowns for weeks. Luka decorated his and Mommy made Axy's. Next year though, I am sure he can do his own.

Go here to see the recipe I have been making for the last two years.

If you read French, try this one. Or, this one. These look pretty easy too and I notice that they use more eggs than the one I used above, and use powdered almonds instead of almond paste. If I remember to look this up next year, I will try one of those.

And, some history about the tradition of the galette des rois and epiphanie in France to be found here (my blog) and here (a well-known French recipe blog).

Axel's new words

Tonight as the tub was filling up for Luka and Axel's bath, Axy looked at it and said (unprompted), "Bubba" for all the bubbles that were filling it up, and he said "aught" for "hot". Then, we kept asking him repeatedly to say those words and he thought that was great and smiled while he said them for us several times. He was kind of shy, but repeated them for us and we all had fun laughing together.

Luka/Axel Update

Luka's favorite song (still even though Christmas is over): 12 Days of Christmas, all of which he can sing all by himself! He also considers "Ne pleure pas Jeanette" his "favorite" song and has me play it over and over on the iPod. I knew we'd like the easy repeat feature!

Axel's favorite song: any of the ones in the three French song volumes with fun pictures; any song to which he can boogie down (movin' to the music!)

Axel's favorite book: Any Coco the elephant book (Cocol Vole, Coco et les autres, Coco et Sidonie, Coco Mange, Coco tout nu). Actually, of these, his definite favorites at Coco Vole and Coco et les autres. He loves the part where Coco, Gigi, Nana and LuLu dance (see below) and the all of Coco Vole - that plane is just so cool!

Axel's new words: he likes to say l'hippopotame ("pippopa" or "popopo") and "tralalalalala" as in "Coco, Gigi et Nana dansent...tralalalalala!"

Luka's current favorite game at school: tag!

Luka's first day of ski lessons!

Luka getting ready to ski - first day of lessons!

Saturday was his first day of ski lessons at Eldora Mountain Resort. It was a family affair with all of us there. The wind at Eldora was crazy -- the closed the lifts - but the kid lessons went on anyway and Luka got to ride the "magic carpet" and do the pizza move! He really liked it and we are looking forward to more skiing fun.

Axel having fun at Eldora too

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.

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.