"Darcy Cereal"

Shredded Spoonfuls from Barbara's Bakery are known in this house as Darcy Cereal. Darcy shared these tasty guys with Lucas last summer and it has been a hit ever since. With 4 grams of fiber, 5 grams of sugar, 4 grams of protein and 15 grams of whole grains in each serving we can't go wrong. :)

Today, after a trip to Trader Joe's, it was Axel's turn to try them. I hadn't shared the delicious cereal with him yet because we usually eat it dry, in the car and I was afraid of him choking. No more worries with a little milk!

As you can see, it's a big hit for Axel too! He loves them and they went perfectly with his blueberries. He wasn't as excited about the sunflower butter sandwich but the cereal was awesome in his opinion. We'll work on the sandwich later.

Here's one of those situations I'm faced with all the time...which photos to keep and which to delete?!?! I'm not so good at deleting as our computers memory knows all too well. :) Hope you enjoy Darcy Cereal as much as we do!

Big Mess

We received a big box full of mats for framing Mike's photos. Little did we know, it would also come with instant fun for the boys. Unfortunately, I didn't get a photo of Axel sitting in the box. By the time I realized I didn't have one, there was NO WAY I was going to open this can of worms again.

It started out sweet, keeping everything in the box and quickly escalated to a "popcorn" hurricane. I thought Mike was going to hyperventilate. :) In the end, the entire box was emptied in our living room and it took Lucas about 30 minutes to clean up with a dust pan...and a lot of encouragement and A LOT of patience from Mommy & Daddy. It was worth it and turned out to be a great activity for a good hour or so. .

Little Messes

When I down loaded my photos this morning, I realized that I had a little theme going on. One mess after another or at least the aftermath of a mess. Did I happen to mention that I love messes and especially the results of a good mess?!

1. Mike ordered some enlargements of photos he has taken. He is a wonderful photographer and it's a shame not to share his work. I'm fairly certain he could sell them if he was motivated enough. He loves scenic and wild life the best. We were so happy that these two 16x24's turned out so well although my photos don't really do them justice. He did all the framing at home and framing is a messy job but one with awesome results!

Longs Peak, CO
Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs, CO
2. Arts & Crafts is a daily activity in our house. Lucas has discovered the craft book section in our local library and yesterday we made what he calls, "Spoon heads." Our craft table is a continuous mess but at least it is usually contained to one area. :)
3. Card board box fun. Lucas wanted a jail house. I wasn't sure why until I made it and he told me we should lock Axel inside. :) Poor Axel, he's a trooper and went inside but there was no "locking" him in. We had card board pieces every where and Axel had to taste a few and see if Mom was still going to say, "Uh-oh...that's yucky!" He thinks I'm hilarious when I say that, the whole cause & effect is in full force these days.
4. Hot chocolate face! I love this little mess. Lucas & I went skiing on Sunday and spent the day enjoying each others company...and the rain! Axel & Daddy spent the day doing their own fun things.
5. Play Doh! This stuff could drive you nuts if you let it. It is super messy but soooo much fun. Luckily, it dries quickly and is easily swept up. Lucas received a gift card to Hobby Lobby from Grandma & Grandpa J and picked out a Wacky Factory Play Doh Kit. He still tells me he wishes he could put more money on that card which is quickly followed by, "How do we get more money on that card?" Gift cards....money...hard concepts but he's learning quick!
6. Big stuff! Axel is all about being big just like Lucas. He sees him on the stool daily and while Lucas was at school the other day, it was Axel's turn to give it a try.
So proud!
He's not real steady so it makes me nervous but I was able to get a photo. He needs a spotter for sure. I think most of the food ended up on the floor...he truly is following in Lucas' foot steps! I feel like the kitchen floor is never clean...I give up. :)
7. When not using the stool, we try to keep the craziness contained in the high chair. Check out this boy "using his spoon!" The spoon is used for about two bites and then lives on the tray or floor while the hands take over.
Who couldn't love a mess like this?!
So yes, my days are filled with cleaning up after 3 boys. Myself, of course, is always so clean and I never leave anything out....HA!!!! I sure love messes!!

Winter Mix

More exciting things for our February...

We did it! We made it to the top of Ohio...Campbell Hill reaching 1,549 ft after a winter ascent!! :) The boys were a little tired so they opted for naps in the car while Mike & I took turns up the treacherous mountain. Don't worry, we will go back and let the boys tag the summit too. It's actually located on the campus of a vocational school.

I'll let the photos do the talking. :)
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Our friends, Dana and Adam, joined us one wintery afternoon. Check out those brown eyed babes!
Adam loves his Mama! :)
Lucas' Valentine's Day Party! We had four stations: cookie decorating, necklace making, candy heart stacking and construction paper 'love bug' butterflies. The kids had a great time but Lucas' favorite part was giving and getting all his Valentine cards and treats. I remember doing this as a kid and I loved it too!Busy bees working on their butterflies.
Necklace making.
Heart stacking...this is a super simple activity and the kids LOVED IT!!!
Everyone had to decorate a mailbox at home and it was so cute to see what everyone came up with. I wish I had more photos but we were getting close to running out of time so there was no time for extra photos.
What a busy month...so much fun!!! :)

Snow!

It snowed all day today. The third storm, this month, for a total amount of snow around 1.5 ft. We've been shoveling, sledding, downhill skiing, cross-country skiing and making the most of the fluffy white stuff.

Axel is all bundled up and ready for our neighborhood walk.
Lucas was already outside climbing mountains...Mt. McKinley and Mt. Everest!
The fastest way down...on the belly. We cruised around the neighborhood looking for other mountains to climb. He was all tired out by the end of that walk!
Snow angels!
Someone woke up and wanted out of his backpack. It was pretty chilly with the wind so he opted to say in my arms.
We've taken Lucas to the local ski hill, Mad River Mountain. It's about an hour away and cost $10 for military members to ski and kids under 6 are free. For $20 our family can ski?! It's perfect!

Here's our little skier! His skis are a little long but it sure is nice to have our own gear.
Axel was not too excited about the whole skiing thing. The cold wind chill didn't help either.
Lucas & Daddy warming up.
He was over the bunny hill after the first run. It was time for the lift!
Mommy even got to ski with him. Last year, I was super pregnant and couldn't join him. It was so fun. I was so proud!!!
Here's my view...
Pizza!
French Fries! "Mommy, I like doing french fries the best!"Click here to see him with the leash. (Sorry about the bad video, you may get sea sick!)

The little wedgie on his ski tips is a life saver and the leash is a great way to stop him. However, Daddy was brave and let him go for it. It's a short video because Daddy had to go tackle him because he got going super fast! We need to practice small turns (follow the leader) and stopping. Then Mommy will let him off the leash. :)

Click here to watch him without the leash.

Wonder what Axel does while Lucas is out shreddin' up the slopes?

He plays video games!
He also plays with my cell phone (sorry if you've been getting random Axel calls) and eats and sleeps and cruises around the entire lodge. Axel knows how to stay busy so don't you worry about him!

Axel wants to be in charge of the spoon these days.
Peaches! Just look at those sleepy eyes.
Skiing is not complete without treats at the end of the day!
After skiing, we headed down the road a few miles to "hike" to Ohio's High Point. You know, a winter ascent! More to come on that...

What an awesome Valentine's Day. I love you all! Hope you had a wonderful day too.