Move over lion...here comes the lamb...

This was today....

Lovely spring temperatures reaching 70 degrees.  Unusually warm for mid-march.  Bare feet, short sleeves, swing sets and sandboxes.

This was last week...

After a virtually snowless winter, March decided to give us one last surprise. Hats, mittens, snowshoes and snow walks.

We were happy to get a little more use out of our winter gear.
Sadly, the soft snow and lack of nap proved to be too much for our youngest snowshoer...and she opted for this innovative ride after a just a few steps on her own.

I did help Ben with the load and we divvied up the kids.  I took the littler bundled.  Yes, this is him sound asleep...

 Nothing like adding 40 lbs to your workout...

 

But...enough of that.  That was last week.

THIS was today...

Hello spring!!!!
See ya next year, Winter.  (Or perhaps next week...you NEVER know 'round these parts.)

Happy Birthday, Little Valentine!

Well, despite my pleading and protesting he still went ahead with it!  He had the nerve to go ahead and turn ONE! 

Axel was so anxious for his party he decided to get things rolling a little early by pulling a whole bowl of Pirate's Booty (or Pirate's Goody as it is known around here thanks to Tobi) onto the floor and start digging in...

After some snacks it was pizza time...

Then it was time to open some gifts..with a little help from the ladies...

No party would be complete without a little entertainment...

 

Then it was time to get down to the big event...

   

Cake time!!!  

Axel had his own cake.  

It was made by Daddy...

 

and thoroughly enjoyed by the birthday boy...

 

...especially the frosting.

 

 Okay...he enjoyed it all...even the plate!

 The proof is in the smile...or cake induced stupor.

 Poor tired boy.  He rubbed his eyes...and rubbed red velvet cake EVERYWHERE!

Time to call this party done!

It's hard to believe that just a year ago we were introducing Axel baby here.
It was Valentine's Day, one year ago, that we got to take this precious gift home from the hospital and now he is woven so deeply into the fabric of this family.  When he was added to our family it gave us all new roles.  Ben and I became parents of a son and Tobi got to take on the role of big sister.  It stretched our titles but more amazingly stretched our hearts.  We couldn't imagine our home without Axel's silly infectious giggle, pointing finger, "manly" grunting, squeals of pure joy, pitter patter of toddling feet, slap-slap of toy-clad crawling hands, scrunching nose, cheesy smile, curious nature, and even the pant-grabbing whining with an incessant "ma ma ma ma ma ma ma...".  It's all part of our daily experience here.  We are so in love this boy and we thank God every day that we get to be his family!!!  Happy Birthday, Baby Axel!!!  WE LOVE YOU!!!

Entering Narnia

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.

The Eleventh Hour....er....Month

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!

double digits

Time for a little catch up! 
Axel is 10 months old now (almost 11...but we need to cover the 10th month first).

On Dec. 16th this little turkey weighed in at 21 lbs. 5 oz. and measures in at 29 inches. (Actually I think we had a 20 lb. turkey for Thanksgiving...)




Axel's 10th month had a few firsts for him...

First Thanksgiving.

 First time getting a Christmas tree...

 and decorating a Christmas tree...

He started standing on his own and even took his first few steps.

He has definitely mastered sleeping through the night (woohoo!)...

He's a great sleeper and great eater!

He is always on the move!!!!

And he loves to dance...


He sure does make us smile!