Valentine's

We did not do anything too amazing on this day. We did get some packages in the mail from the grandparents and that was fun. Thanks Grandparents! I made a German Chocolate Cake completely from scratch for dessert. This cake takes a lot of time and effort, but after you have a piece you quickly remember why you go through the hassle. Yum! I attempted to make heart shaped blueberry pancakes, it didn't work as well as I would have liked, but the pancakes were good. Craig pre-ordered a copy of Tangled which I am so looking forward to. Awhile back there was a good deal online, I asked Craig if we could get it and he said no it was not that good of a deal. Liar! He had already ordered me a copy. Happy Valentine's Day!


I was really proud of this cake! Doesn't it look ooh so good?

Dance to the music!

We bought some headphones for Lucas for the plane ride. They were unsuccessful, he kept taking them off. One day I was listening to music while I cleaned the bathrooms, Lucas notice me and decided he wanted to listen to music, so we found his headphones. Surprisingly enough he loved it and kept the headphones on. Dancing seems to be his thing, second only to playing with balls.

The rest of January in a nutshell!

Craig headed by home the second week of January, Lucas and I stayed through the rest of January. The fun didn't stop when Craig left (although it should have! -editorially note by Craig). Kim and I took Eevee and Lucas to the Bounce Zone, it is part of Classic Skating. Once again Lucas was a little whiny and apprehensive at first, but was soon bouncing up a storm!






It was unseasonable warm at one point during our trip. Eevee and Lucas wanted to go outside so bad, made us put there jackets on and everything, so while they were still in the PJ's we let them go wander in the front yard. They really enjoyed it! When we came home I was so sad that we don't have a yard where I can just let Lucas wander.

Lucas putting his younger cousin to work! Free ride!

We had tons of fun during the rest of our visit!!! During this time Lucas language skills took off. He was saying people's names, imitating the words you would say, he would say "happy", it was sure cute! If you say, "ready set," Lucas will say, "go". Lucas loves to play ring around the rosies and head shoulders knees and toes. These games were especially fun to do with his cousins. He also grew and is starting to look like a little boy!

Foot Zoning

My friend is going to school to learn how to zone people's feet. I had never heard of this before. Foot Zoning, or Reflexology, is an alternative medicine that involves massaging the feet. In case you don't know what this is, the Reflexology Association of Canada defines reflexology as: "A natural healing art based on the principle that there are reflexes in the feet, hands and ears and their referral areas within zone related areas, which correspond to every part, gland and organ of the body. Through application of pressure on these reflexes without the use of tools, crèmes or lotions, the feet being the primary area of application, reflexology relieves tension, improves circulation and helps promote the natural function of the related areas of the body." While my friend is in school she has to zone a certain number of feet. So being the wonderful wife I am I volunteered Craig, he has so many issues, allergies, messed up knees, etc. so I figured he needed all the help he could get. Here are pictures of my cute friend zoning Craig.

Jungle Jims

While the Swenson family was sick, and before Craig ended up getting sick, we decided to get out of the house. We met up with Craig's younger brother Alan, his wife Sarah, and their little girl Elise (who is about a month and half older than Lucas). They get along pretty well together and it is fun to watch them interact.
We went to Jungle Jim's, which is a place where they had a bunch of kiddie rides. It was pretty fun, and there was not a whole a lot people so Lucas and Elise were able to ride whatever rides they wanted numerous times! Lucas did not like the ride that went around and around really fast, the first time he looked apprehensive and the second time he cried. Lucas is cautious, when trying new things. He is pretty apprehensive, might wine a little bit, and you can tell from the look on his face that he is trying to figure it out and understand what is going on. Once he figures it out and decided he likes it he really enjoys it! He loved the swings! We had lots of fun! Were glad Sarah, Alan, and Elise came with us!






It was pretty entertaining to watch Craig and his brother try to fit into the little rides. Though I have a suspicion they enjoy it!

Quarantine

Lucas ended up spreading his little disease among the Swenson clan. Within twenty-four hours everyone was sick except for Craig and I. Lucas was still recovering, and it took him awhile to do so. The next day Craig came down with the illness, however Lucas was feeling better. I decided that I was not going to be next!!! It was pretty crazy! However, everyone survived!

How we started the New Year!

Our New Year started with us ending up the morning of January 1st in the E.R., again. Second time within a week. On New Years Eve Lucas fell down the stairs all the way down to the bottom (~13 steps). He cried a little, but appeared to be okay, until 3 a.m the next morning, when Craig found him laying in his throw-up. I woke up to Lucas throwing up several times in the bathroom. It was pretty sad, poor little guy, he would throw-up and then just look at us unsure of what just happened. We wondered if he had a concussion from the fall. Later that morning he appeared to be okay and he didn't seem to be throwing up. Craig called Lucas' nurse who said they recommend taking the child in if the have thrown-up twice with a 24 hour period after the fall. We decided if he threw-up again we would take him in. We didn't really want to go to the E.R. (especially on January 1st and be surrounded by people who partied a little too hard the night before). Lucas was drinking his mid-morning milk, and sure enough he threw it all up, and then wanted more. So we went headed to the E.R. In talking with my mom, she suggested taking him to Primary Children's Hospital (this was an excellent idea!). We didn't have to wait long till we were seen, and the personnel was wonderful. During the visit, we discovered Lucas had diarrhea, which lead us to the possible conclusion that he was sick. We were right, and it was just pure coincidence that he happened to get the stomach flu the same night he fell down the stairs. What a relief for us.