Snow Day!

A couple weeks ago Tone' took the week off and we all went up to my dad's cabin near White Salmon, Washington for a couple days. It was a time of relaxation as we mostly read, played outside and watched a couple movies with some hot cocoa and blankets wrapped around us. We both needed that forced time to get away from our own home where all the daily demands are staring us in the face trying to keep us from any form of rest. It was nice.

We spent one day taking the boys sledding! It was not only both of their first times sledding, but also Luke's first time playing in the snow. He was beyond ecstatic:)

The expressions of happy boys

Lukey couldn't stop smiling:)

Except for when Nik threw snow in his face....

Then Luke ended up being the instigator of snow ball fights. In fact, he is often the little instigator.

Luke helped drag the sled back to the car, what a tough little boy he is.

Around January, I forget that we have mountains with lots of snow on them. Hopefully, we can make a couple more day trips to the mountains to do some more sledding as the boys had so much fun. Tone' and I had a fun time watching them having fun. It isn't quite the same fun we had when we used to go snowboarding together, but it is definitely more rewarding. I also know that in a few short years, (next year?), the boys will be able to start snowboarding with us! Man, having kids is great. We will always have an outdoor adventure buddy. So far, at least, our kids have shown that they are quite similar to their parents in their love for the outdoors and all things extreme. I thank the Lord for that blessing!

Helpful? No. Hopeful? Yes!

Tone' was working on some projects around the house for me last week and, between Nik and Luke, he had a constant shadow wanting to help. It slowed him down considerably, but was it was so cute to see the boys so excited to use their tools on some "real" work and to help their daddy out:)

Luke was ever so focused on drilling this hole, so much so that his tongue was sticking out and to the side, just like daddy's does when he is concentrating. It was like looking at a little tiny replica of Tone'. You can't see his tongue in this picture, but it really was cute.

Now to be a true carpenter, you have to wear a pencil behind your ear. Though it does become a nuisance when the pencil won't stay due to having baby ears.

After going through quite a few pencils, we finally discovered that colored pencils are slightly thinner. With that delay taken care of, the men could finally get back to my curtains.

I sure hope this trend continues long enough for the boys to do some real projects for me!

There's A New Bookworm In The Family!

Tone' has suddenly found a new interest in reading adventure books about men overcoming incredible circumstances and living to tell the tale. Apparently, little Lukey is getting sucked in as well!

I have become a thorn in my husbands side as each book he brings home and starts to delve into I soon after pick it up and start reading it as well. Then, (and this is what pokes his skin) I pass him up as I have more time to read than he does, (not to mention that I stay up until all hours of the night reading as well). To make matters worse I always take something to read whenever we go anywhere, even if it is 14 minutes to church, and so I will be reading HIS book and then he has to hear my reactions to what is happening (something like: "gasp!", "Oh my!" "Sick!") of which he, being the type of person who goes hunting for Christmas presents guy that he is, will DEMAND that I tell him what is happening . Even if I AM 10 chapters ahead of where he currently is. So then I, being the type who hates to ruin surprises and absolutely does not want to know what I am getting for Christmas before I actually open the present, tries to play down my sudden expression of shock over what happened in the book and instead tells him as little as possible while giving just a tiny little peak into what lays ahead in order to satisfy his curiosity. Phew!!! It is a rather exhausting ordeal and I am always quite relieved when we both finish the book, but then he brings home another one and the process starts all over again.

I would love to copy my sister's family as they all read a few chapters out of a book together each night, but I just couldn't keep myself from reading ahead while Tone' was away.
It's a sickness.....I got it from my father. Yes, that's right, I'm blaming you Dad. It's a good sickness, though!

Moving on.... where'd Lukey go????

There he is!

I mean, really, does that game ever get old to a little kid??? So far, it still is the favorite in our household. And at what point do they realize that I CAN still see then even if they can't see me?

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Tone's reading list so far: (and mine, by default)

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Endurance: Amazing true story of Ernest Shackleton and a group of men whose ship became stuck in the ice on the way to the South Pole. They survived on seals and penguins for 2 years in bitter cold WITHOUT Gortex!

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Adrift: True story about a guy whose ship sunk in 1982 and he floated in his life raft for 76 days! He lived on 36 fish and birds that he caught with a makeshift speargun, all the while fending off sharks and other creatures trying to dump him overboard. So much more to the story you simply must read this!

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Into Thin Air: (Actually, Tone' hasn't read it yet, (but I have, heh heh))

True story of one of the worst climbing accidents in history. The first hand account of why 12 climbers died on Everest and what that night was like. I can tell you that I have no desire to climb mountains again. Ever. Let's just say that I never want to be in a place so cold that my eyeballs could freeze in place and I would be alive but not able to move them. No thanks. But it was a really gripping read!

Know of any great adventure reading for Tone' (and me:))???

Leave a comment! or you could email me....or call....or text....but no faxes-that's so last century.

My Little Pirate Turns 2!

On Sunday Lukas turned 2 years old! I can hardly believe it as he has seemed like such a baby still. Since Luke has been in a pirate phase lately, I figured we better have a pirate party.
I made Lukey his very own little pirate ship and my niece, Alex, made the sail.

Just because I like to torture myself, I decided to make a pirate ship cake floating on an ocean, complete with gummi sharks. It took me about 4 hours to make it, though, I was interrupted multiple times. What do you think?
The only thing missing were the tootsie roll cannons coming out the sides. I just never made it back to the store for them, though there are malt ball cannon balls on board:)


Lukey actually blew his OWN candles out! I didn't think he even knew what was going on, but then, "whoosh" thar he blew!

He also did the classic face plant into his cake. Typical pirate.

Here's the new little two year old! My, he's cute. It's quite amazing that Tone' and I produced two cute kids. I wonder if we're pressing our luck by wanting more?!

Lukas' stats:

24 lbs. 33 in.

Likes: Pirates, horses, trains, balls, bike rides in the trailer, riding his tricycle (with help), jumping on trampolines, stomping in puddles, his brother Nik, wrestling with daddy, cuddling with mama....

Dislikes: Food, horses up close, big dogs, being wet, his brother Nik, being told "No" (by Daddy especially), going to sleep....

Words: Up until recently I had been thinking this boy wasn't ever going to talk. Then one day after nursery at church one of the workers said, "He talks so much! " Apparently, he even uses sentences with them, who knew?! The last couple weeks I have noticed myself that he is stringing words together more and more. In fact, seconds ago he came riding in on his horse and said, "I ride my horsey!". Of course, you would have to know Lukey dialect to have known that was what he said, but he really did think and say it! He also has finally started saying "Nik". Now he won't stop and it drives Nikolas a little crazy. Haha, now Nik knows what I feel like after hearing "mama" a hundred times a day!

This boy definitely has won me over. Tone' comments multiple times a week with, "You are smitten over that boy."

To which I reply, "Why yes, yes I am".

Mummy's Boys

Q. What happens when Mama gives Daddy the rolls of streamers and asks him to decorate for a birthday party?

A. Everything except the decorating!

My first clue to something amiss: Loud Chuckling
My second clue to something amiss: Daddy saying: "Go show Mama!"
My third clue to something amiss: the sound of little feet running to me with crinkling and swooshing sounds included

ARG!

Nikolas thought this was quite fun, but little Lukey...not so much. Aaahhh, husbands, you gotta love 'em. If nothing else, there is always the comic relief.

The Battle For Bedtime Continues

Darth Papa has been back in the Gibson galaxy now for 3 months, yet the battle for bedtime still wages on. Young Nikolas the Ridiculous insists that he needs all his treasures in bed with him and thus escapes multiple times to go fetch his precious treasures. When he has accumulated everything to his contentment he then announces that he is thirsty, sick, needs to go potty, etc. etc. etc.....His last plea is for Queen I'm the Mama to come stay with him and "never to leave".
To end this cycle of insanity Darth Papa has declared war on young Nikolas the Ridiculous, vowing to put a stop to his midnight escapades.

And so it begins:

The battle rages from one end of the Gibson galaxy to the next. Both sides show no sign of giving in to the enemy.

In his last attempt to flee, Nikolas the Ridiculous shows his Jedi skills by leaping off the top of the couch to apparent safety.

His skills have so impressed Darth Papa that he is granted a momentary reprieve. The battle finished for the night, Nikolas the Ridiculous then holsters his trusty light saber and arrogantly struts away.

Beware young Padawan,
you may have won the battle,
but you have not won the war!!!

Our Little Daredevil

It felt like a spring day today with the temperature in the 50's, so the boys and I headed outside and rode bikes to get the wiggles out. Nikolas had to show me all his cool new tricks, and wanted me to take "pictures!" as he is yelling in the video.




He amazes us with his athletic ability. I showed him once how to ride off a curb and he did it first try like a pro.




Today he did something new and impressive. He was riding like he was weaving in between cones. I'm ready to go pick up some cones and set up an obstacle course for him, just to see what happens. I definitely see him "competing" in some bike races this spring, won't that be so cute?!