So it turns out I live on the edge of Narnia and I had no idea. I have
lived here for almost 5 years, and I have never been further than the
brush pile in our back yard. But this Christmas, Ben gave Tobi and I our
own snowshoes. Of course we had NO snow until mid January this
winter. So when we finally got enough snow to cover the ground, we all
put on our new gear and headed out through the backyard.
And then we entered Narnia...
Ben goes snowshoeing out here in the winter a lot...but it was so
foreign to me that we lived on the edge of this winter
wonderland...trails and snow-covered beauty...just beyond our own yard.
Tobi did great for being 3 and walking in snowshoes for the first
time. We were out about a half an hour and she (with the promise of hot
chocolate upon completion) really enjoyed herself!
But,
there was a day last week where things aligned just so... two kids
actually napping at the same time and the house was relatively "clean"
(enough) and Ben working at home, so I decided it was the perfect
chance to return to Narnia.
Its
so amazing to me that there is a whole system of snow-covered
paths...winding behind all the houses I drive by everyday...leading up
to the water tower...over frozen streams that I never knew existed. I
just kept walking...and winding...and wondering where the next path
would lead. Ben told me about snowshoeing there, but without having
experienced it myself I really didn't think it was much more than snowy
woods. And actually it isn't much more than that...the reality is that I
didn't realize how cool snowy woods could be. I thought of a hundred
metaphors for life while I was trekking...how we live on the edge,
peering in and never knowing what is beyond waiting for us until we dare
to enter...how others explain things to us but we don't fully
understand until we experience it for ourselves...how sometimes you just
have to get into the bureau if you want to see Narnia. For me that
bureau was a a path past the brush pile, a pair of snowshoes and a
couple of tired kids.
So, this is it...the last month of the 1st year of Axel's life. It seems like such a big jump from being measured in months to years, so I decided that when Axel is 15 he will still just be 180 months old to me! (Thank you calculator.)
Another big month for the boy...
First Christmas...
This marks the last of the firsts as far of holidays are concerned (unless we count MLKJ day...but Ben doesn't get that one off so it's no holiday around here.) Axel came home from the hospital on Valentine's day last year (also not really a holiday...but we will be celebrating...right, Ben?).
I think we can say we have a walker. He still prefers crawling most of the time. It's so much faster. But I catch him taking steps all the time now...just to get from one spot to another. He is very proud of himself. Sadly I haven't gotten any really great video footage of his best walking because he likes to end his walking show with a dive into my arms...but this will give you an idea.
We got our first snow of the year on the 11th (the day Axel turned 11 months old). So to celebrate we bundled him up so he could hardly move, stuffed him in a backpack carrier and brought him out in the cold for a little walk. I guess he didn't mind too much, since he fell asleep almost immediately!
Other advances include waving goodbye, repeating the tone of some things we say (all done, bye bye, i love you...they all sound exactly alike, but he is definitely working on some speaking skills), and breaking in some serious molars (poor guy!). Oh, and he loves to sing along to "Angels We Have heard on High" on the chorus..."Gloooooooria"...way to keep the Christmas spirit alive, Axel!
