Luka's Thoughts on Getting Older

Lately Luka has been reflecting on the "benefits" of getting "older." Often, when confronted with something he cannot (or is not allowed) to do, he says, "When I turn 4, I can do that." It seems that for him, being 4 (which several of his friends are already, and he will turn in October) represents being all knowing and all doing (in other words, an adult?). I hope he is not too disappointed when he does turn 4, and the world does not change dramatically. :)

Axel just turned one yesterday, and overnight, he started walking, talking in full sentences, and running around. Ha ha. Just kidding. His favorite word is still "Done" which he says for pretty much everything. But, he says it very clearly!

Alaska Trip: June 16 - July 5, 2006

We were too busy having fun to be able to post to our blog during our almost three-week long trip. So, retroactively, here are some of the highlights (see below bullet points for pictures):

• Charlie and Mona's wedding (we just missed it by hours, but the pictures are gorgeous and they are the very happy, newly-wedded couple!)


• Axel's baptism on Sunday, June 18th (Father's Day) at First Presbyterian Church at 10th and G street in Anchorage.


• The baptism was followed by a lovely lunch of gourmet sandwiches, organic green salad, tabouleh, and very tasty European-style cakes: grand marnier and chocoloate raspberry truffle and French champagne (of course). Kiddies (and anyone who wanted one) got ice cream sandwiches. Charles and Mona shared sparkling cider, very nice cutlery, napkins and plates from the wedding service.


• Hanging out with the Alaska gang: Charles and Mona, Vernon and Tammy and kids + the new baby: Baby Vernon!; Paul and Jahna and Kids; Helen; Laura and Joan.


• Hanging out with the other visitors from across the US: Steve and Angela (NE); Aunt Carol (NC); Uncle Butch and Mabel (PA); Aunt Mary, Dennis, Andy and Shelby (MA); us (CO); Jim, Dianna, Emma and Julia (TX but on their way to CA).


• Our Denali Trip with Jim and Di and the girls: riding the school bus into the park (and, of course, Luka and Emma entertaining each other), seeing the mama grizzly with her two cubs, our great cabins, gorgeous vistas, hiking around with the kids, eating at the salmon bake, our stop in Talkeetna, and more.


• Mom's 70th birthday party blow out: we can't believe she is 70 either, but there you have it! Time does march on. Our gorgeous, energetic, inspiring Mom and Grandma! Would that we will all be so lucky and look and act like her on our 70th!


• The desserts at Mom's 70th birthday blow out: birthday cake by the Cake Lady, strawberry cake by Super Mommy (that would be Tammy), peach cobbler by Auntie Laura, Lintzer torte (almond and raspberry) supplied by Auntie Helen (from Flying Dutchman), rhubarb pie by Uncle Charlie (from their garden). (I didn't make the clafoutis for this, but it was a big hit during our visit and we made it several times. Here is the recipe.)


• Indian dinner extravaganza orchestrated by Jim and his disciples (in this case, that would be Laura and Angela), with the all-important naan bread brought by Helen.


• Hiking the Winner Creek Trail with 22+ of us--littlest kids to "big kids"--and doing the hand tram! Very exciting! Axel wasn't scared, but Mommy was! Luka went across with Auntie Mona and was a real champ! See an article that appeared about this fun trail in the Anchroage Daily News (local paper) a few weeks after we did our hike.


• Kid concerts in Uncle Paul's basement after get togethers: Luka performing very seriously on the little whistle, Col on drums, Paul E on guitar, dancing by Julia, Lauren and Kathleen. Priceless.


• The hilarity ensuing from pictures taken with Vernon's iMac's PhotoBooth. We need an iMac!


• Having dinner with Cathy and Dolly at Dolly's new, gorgeous house in South Anchorage.


• Mosquitos biting us.


• Eating Mom's (Joan's) homemade pancakes with wild AK blueberries. Divine.


• Eating Wildberry candies at the down town store (very yummy, but if I had to choose, I'd pick Mom's pancakes).


• Luka dealing with it being light all the time. Once, at 10 p.m. with sun streaming in his (Auntie Helen's) bedroom window, he was convinced to go to sleep because Papa, who was then back in CO, was already asleep. So, it was okay then.


• 4th of July pancake breakfast with Auntie Laura, Luka, Mommy and Axel on the Park Strip. From her bed (actually, Auntie Helen's bed, thanks, Helen!) Eve heard the rescue helicopter that we could visit during the celebration land at 5:30 a.m. It was LOUD!!!!!! The helicopter was from the AK Air National Guard and is used in some very daring rescues! Go, guys!


• The 4th of July parade. Lots of Anchorage communities represented. The Iraq vet with two legs amputated deserved the ovation he got.


• Luka doing the bucking, mechanical salmon at the 4th of July celebration. Go, Luka, go!


• A relaxed 4th of July BBQ at Uncle Charlie and Aunt Mona's with master grilling by Charles and fabulous hosting by Mona. Three perfect little girl friends to entertain Luka, with Axel the Monster Baby and Mommy the Monster chasing them (and all the other adults too with Axel in front). Hilarious for all involved. It turned out to be a gorgeous sunny day.


• Fireworks the Anchorage way - at midnight, but it is still light out. The fireworks looked great against the backdrop of the Chugach Mountains.


• Seeing my friend Michaella and her family our last day in the morning.


• Taking the flight home with the kids on the red eye. Even though I never slept (Reynald had left the week before), they were both very good little travelers. I think I may just take them again!

☺For more info on our trip, check out Steven and Angela's blog.

☺For pictures see below and also visit our family website for AK pics and others.

HERE ARE SOME PICTURES!

Charles and Mona wedding - June 16, 2006

Mom and Kids at wedding

Happy Axel Man after his baptism

Luka and Smokey the Bear at Portage Glacier Visitor Center

Eve, Axel, Reynald, Luka - Denali National Park

Axel, Reynald, Julia, Jim - Denali National Park - Toklat River stop

Emma and Julia - Denali trip

Mom on her 70th Birthday!

Pretty much the whole Lindemuth gang at Mom's birthday party:

Back row - L to R: Baby Vernon, Tammy, Vernon, Paul, Andy, Dennis, Mona, Charles, Laura, Steven, Butch, Julia, Jim

Middle: Reynald holding Axel, Eve, Mom the birthday girl (Joan), Angela, Aunt Mary, Mabel

Bottom: Kathleen, Paul, Col, Elias, Luka in Shelby's lap, Emma in Amanda's lap, Lauren, Helen, Dianna, Aunt Carol

Missing: Jahna

Dianna, Axel, Eve on hand tram!

Luka, the alien (thanks iPhotoBooth!)

Mommy and Axel in Andy Warhol mode - (thanks again, iPhotoBooth!)

Luka cutie man in Auntie Helen's funky ski hat (a gift from Mommy/Eve)

Recipe: Peach Relish

I made this recipe up tonight to put on some mild, white fish, to take advantage of the fresh peaches we bought from Costco. It was a hit! Here is the recipe:

2 fresh peaches, peeled and diced (you could probably use fresh frozen ones too--thawed)
1 large stalk of celery, diced small
2 - 3 green onions, sliced thin and small
1/2 tsp dried basil
2 TBS red wine vinegar
1 - 2 tsp sugar

Put the peaches, celery, onions in a bowl. Mash peaches with fork or pastry blender and blend the mixture. Add the vinegar, sugar and sprinkle the dried basil onto the mixture (crushing it between your fingers as you add it). Mix everything together. Let sit at least 10 minutes before using, to allow sugar to do its thing, or put in the fridge covered for several hours. Mix again before using.

Camping Success

We got back late tonight from a camping adventure with the kids. We left town Saturday afternoon, stayed camp site #6, loop C at Lakeview Campground at Twin Lakes. We had a dinner of cous cous and canned salmon with feta, tomatoes, black olives and Greek spices (my favorite spice mixture). We could not light a fire so we ate marshmallows along with some chocoloate in the tent. Yum.

Axel's first trip - he was a real champ. Just waking up here and there if he was too hot or too cold. It was 104 degrees in town and probably in the 80's and 90's we were, so the tent was a bit hot at the beginning of the night. Luka slept the whole night through in his own little sleeping bag. They both liked playing in the tent and around the camp site.

We also went biking with them in the Chariot (bike attachment). That worked very well and it was very comfortable for them. It is familar and they are used to it now too--their little place to sit when we go on adventures. We biked up to a lake above us and did some "fishing" with Luka's fishing pole. He can cast by himself! I can't believe it. I showed him how when we went to Echo Lake and he remembered from that! I was really impressed. It took me longer to learn how to do it than it took him!

Axel had fun too. He had a new safari/monkey hat to protect him from the sun. And, he liked exploring pine cones (trying to eat them), playing in the dirt (grabbing it while reaching from inside the tent), and other fun stuff.

We ate lunch at Erin something picnic grounds at Turquoise Lake outside Leadville. Nice set up there with water available and nice toilets, and good view of the lake, but a lot of bugs (mosquitos).

Then, we did our big bike trip, riding from Copper to Breckenride. About 16 miles. The kids did great and we both had fun, with Reynald pulling the kids.

Reynald had to go back and get the car while the kids and I ate at Kenosha BBQ in Breck and Luka beat Mommy at horseshoes. :)

Reynald pulling the boys in our slick Chariot - in its bike trailer incarnation.

Luka, Mommy and Axel at the camp table after out dinner (that is not our tent behind, but the campers next to us).

Luka in our tent (through the bug screen).

Axel in our tent (through bug screen)

Axel: new word!

Axel said "done" very clearly for his lunch, after he was done chewing and wanted more. It is so fun to see what words babies pick out as important to them. "Done!"

Interesting article on Code Switching between Languages

Interesting article on what is called "code switching" between languages - what we call "mixing the languages," by bilinguals.

http://hamminkj.cafeprogressive.com/CS_paper.htm

Interesting explanation of different types of code switching (that stuff we do sometimes actually has a specific name and had been studied!).

Using Skype for International Family Contact

We have been using Skype since last fall to talk with Reynald's parents in France, and now are using the newest version so that we get both voice and video, for free. It is free if you call "computer" to "computer". It is really awesome to be able to have them see the kids, and vice versa. Luka loves to show them things he has done at school, his toys, his boo-boos, etc. He loves to see them too.

The Internet is an awesome tool for things like this. I wonder what we will think of today's technology 10 years from today, but for now, it works wonders and is, in fact, better for this kind of (family) contact than the regular old telephone.

For more info on Skype, check out their website:
www.skype.com

Axel is really crawling now!

Axel is really crawling now.... He is now going forward on all fours (as opposed to just backwards). Go, Axel! Luka never crawled that way, so that is interesting to see the differnces between them. Luka did the special forces crawl (lay on the ground, push with one bent leg, pull with one arm). He may have crawled on all fours one day that I recall, and then went back to his (for him) more effiicient army crawl.

French TV

We finally got the French TV channel available in the US installed! It took us years...! But, they have a deal for free installation and first three months free. We got it yesterday (satellite dish). Youpi (as the French say). It is mostly documentataries, movies, French talk shows, but some kid shows. I plan to get a DVD recorder, so we can keep some of the stuff to watch when we have time. Fun, fun!

For more info on the French channel in the US, go to:
http://www.tv5.org/TV5Site/usa/index.php

Axel word update

Today, in the morning as Reynald was leaving for work, Luka said, "Papa," and then Axel said, very clearly, "Papa." Luka said, "Hey, Axel said 'Papa'!" I thought so too - so I told Reynald as he hopped in the car to get to the office. Yay, Axel!

Axel has had a high temperature the last few days (up to 102.6 under his arm yesterday), but was still a happy little man and the doctor said he should be okay. We are just keeping an eye out, but looks like he is out of the woods now.

VBS & Recipe: Coconut Date Nut Balls

Luka and I went to Weekend Vacation Bible School at the church tonight. It takes place Friday evening and Saturday and Sunday mornings. They had a really nice program with lots of activities, as if we were living in Bethlehem. Luka sang songs, played games, made a candle, sampled food from Bibliccal times, helped make candy, made a pottery bowl, and other fun stuff. He is in the Judah tribe.

For the candy, the kids hand-ground (with a table-attached, old-fashioned grinder) dates and walnuts together--like they may have done in Biblical times. Luka had a good time doing that. Then, the adult in charge of that station completed the "candy" balls that Biblical people may have eaten. It was from this recipe below and it was yum!

Coconut Date Nut Balls
[updated 12/19/2008]

1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs (or more to taste - to make mixture a little less sticky)
1-1/2 cups pitted, dried dates
1/2 cup flaked coconut, toasted and cooled (I used unsweetened, and did not toast it and it was
good) and more for rolling
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped fine (I used 1 cup)
dash of orange juice (freshly squeezed preferred)

First, in a food processor, mix graham cracker crumbs, dates, coconut, the honey and just a dash of organge juice, until just combined. Add the nuts and blend till mixture forms a ball. Remove from working bowl.

Second, roll out mixture into small balls, roll balls in remaining coconut to coat. Store in an air tight container. Makes approximately 32 balls.

Note that this recipe is forgiving with the proportions; you can fudge the portions a bit to emphasize what you like best.

Axel: Bananas & Luka: Fishing

Today we came to the conclusion that Axel's first word (besides Mamamamamamamamam and Dadadadadadadadadadadada) is "banana". He eats A LOT of bananas. And, today, he said "nanna" very clearly. Got get him saying it the French way. ;) We think he said it the other day. We think he is saying other things too, but we have not figured it out yet. I am wondering if "nanna" referes to bananas or any food. Right now, I think it means bananas...

Luka "went fishin'" today with his Scooby Doo fishing pole with us at Echo Lake, on the road to Mt. Evans. He also casted a few times almost by himself. Very impressive! He then did his own version of casting that made him happy too....loosen the line, let the ball drop, click it to stop reeling out, flick the ball out in the water, reel it in. No fishies biting (no hook! but he doesn't know that part is required), but he said we will get some next time!

Axel is starting to crawl

Axel, like Luka was, is a "late" crawler. He has been happy sitting, though, and kind of "spinning" around to where he needs to go, within a small area. But, he just started getting on all fours and rocking back and forth. Go, Axel, go! He also has started crawling--backwards! He pushes himself backwards with his hands. He really gets going on our hardwood floors. He has ended up in the corner of our dining area, and almost under the dresser in Reynald's and my room. He will be cookin' along before we know it! Will post a video of him doing his thing soon.

Updated pictures

I have been too busy to take time to download photos from my camera and then upload them here, so haven't been many photos for a while. So, here are some of the kids:


Last day of Axel's music class in mid-May















Just before Luka's race (and then Mommy's 9K)
Mother's Day 2006















Luka kayaking (!) at Boulder Creek Festival May 2006















Axel at Boulder Creek Festival May 2006
It was very hot!
















Axel having a picnic in the back yard
(eating yogurt)

Luka in back yard playing the "fou"

Axel trying to get out of his dinosaur bath towel
(note his adorable bottom teeth)

















Luka's new hair cut - photo taken June 15, one day after
he visited the barber shop called "Chez Reynald"

Picturs of New Baby Vernon William

Born: June 3rd, here is the newest addition to the family (our new nephew)!

2 days old

4 days old hanging out with Mommy

9 days old

What is a baby?

Baby. What is a baby?

When Luka was little, baby mean boobie.
Then, it meant his dollie ("Where is my baby?!" "Baby has to go sleddnig with me!")
Baby meant Luka to us when he was a tiny man.
Baby then meant Axel.
Baby could mean boobie to Axel, but we don't really call it by any name anymore. ;)

Axel was the baby. Now, in the wider family, he is still a baby, but not the baby since little Vernon William arrived a week ago. Will he be called Baby Axel like Luka was Baby Luka by his cousins? That was so sweet. He is still a baby. I guess he will always be my baby (as will Luka). Helen is for sure still the baby for our generation. ;)

Lien sur le bilinguisme / Link on being bilingual

Un article sur Wikipedia (version française) sur le bilinguisme. Très intéressant. J'adore Wikipedia - en français et en anglais !

en français : http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bilinguisme

An article on Wikipedia about being bilingual. Very interesting. I just love Wikipedia - in French and in English!

in English: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multilingualism

Axel has another toothie!

Axel has yet another toothie coming in. His top right tooth is just peeking through. Some people get blasé about milestones for their second kid, but here I am, blogging about his third tooth. Ha ha. He is just so cute though, and such a sweetie, even when teething. The only noticeable consquence seems to be that he did not have much of an appetite today. But, otherwise, he is just as sweet and nice as always. My Axel!

Dora the Explorer en français ?!

Luka loves Dora the Explorer. When he is allowed to watch videos/TV he always wants to watch Dora. This is in contrast to the same time last year when he looooooved T'Choupi and everything was about T'Choupi. He still likes T'Choupi a lot, but as little kid fixations go, he is way into Dora at the moment (or, rather, the last 6 months or so). He first saw Dora in January or February. I take the blame - I had never lot him watch US TV before. But, one day I let my guard down and let him see what temptations were out there in American kid TVland. ;) The exposure to Dora was deadly. The Teletubbies seems that it was only a passing fancy.

In any case, because English is everywhere and we still need as much input in French as possible to keep up his great skills, we are trying to get him to watch other stuff too. But, I also don't want to deny him of his current "obsession". So, I had this great idea....

I found out that, oui, Dora does exist in French! I came across a whole entry on this (and other foreign-language adaptations of Dora) in Wikipedia. What did we ever doe before Wikipedia? For the entry about Dora, go here: DORA EN FRANCAIS. Is the Internet great, or what?!

In any case, now, I am planning to buy some Dora episode's from Amazon in France. The only thing is, I hope it does not cause a wrinkle in the way he sees things (French and English in their separate compartments). He likes structure and it is important to him that some things are "French" and other things are "English". Dora is definitely "English" right now. Sometimes, if I try to talk about Dora to him in French, he does not like it and says in English, "Mommy, Dora does not speak French." Meaning, please talk about her in "her" language, which is English.

Well, I guess it won't send him into catatonic shock. We will see and I will post the results here. It will be a few weeks though, as it always takes a few weeks to get a delivery after I place French orders. More to come....!

The Yucky Song

Luka likes the Yucky Song. What is the yucky song, you ask? No, it is not a song that is bad, it is: Yucky Doodle went to town a riding on a pony....

He really likes that song, even though it is the "yucky" song!

Axel update: today, Axel had his first babysitter! And, it was all day long! Mommy had a big client visit and he had a special French baby sitter who played games and took care of him for 10 (!) hours. I thought he 'd be dying to see me at the end of the day, but he was enamored with his new playmate and sad to see her go! My man is a real social little guy. (Luka was at school so he didn't get to spend much time with the fabulous French babysitter, but she was very impressed with his level of French--in her "other life" she is a private French teacher or teaches class for small children at the Alliance Française).

Axel also eats a TON. Here is an example of what he can eat at one sitting:
- Half an avocado
- A whole Gardenburger (veggetarian hamburger)
- A whole peach or banana
- A YoBaby yogurt

(All this is plus the milk he still gets from Mommy in the a.m., after naps, at night and sometimes in between).

I think he is going to be bigger than Uncle Vernon....over 6'6"!

Eve: Been working a lot lately, so hopefully this week will be a little more "normal." Whatever that means! :)

Reynald: did a bike "ride" of 95 miles last weekend and then climbed up (biking) high near Echo Lake last Saturday.