YMCA

After two years of thinking about it and continuously putting it off we finally signed up to do the YMCA. I had two good motivations that pushed me to finally follow through and get it done. They were signing up for swim lessons and I thought it would be fun for Lucas and I don't want him to be afraid of the water. My second motivation was being able to exercise without freezing to death. When we first got back from visiting family, I tried to do my walk at 5:30 in the morning. Bad Idea! It was so cold, and then it snowed and I couldn't cross the street without being in the middle of the road.

It was a good decision and I am glad that we finally got it done. I have been warm while working out and it has given me an opportunity to try the exercise machines and to push myself a little more than I would while walking. Don't get me wrong, as soon as the snow melts and it warms up I will be back outdoors. This has just been a good alternative.

Lucas is doing swim lessons and he is doing pretty good. It is new, so at first Lucas was really apprehensive and clinged to me, but after a few times he is doing great. We're still working on kicking his legs, floating on his back in the water, or jumping into the pool, but at least he isn't afraid of the water, it is all about the baby steps!

I also take Lucas to this indoor playgroup they have on Fridays, he loves it!!! It is in a gym like area. They have a slide, a little basket ball hoop, a miniature trampoline, some rider toys, and other fun toys to play with, and of course they bring out a couple of those big exercise balls. Lucas thought he had died and gone to heaven.

Friends!

Lucas hanging out with his friends! They get along pretty well together. The little girl on the right is Sadie. Lucas really likes her, when he sees her, he calls her name and gets all excited. When we say something about Sadie and he points out the window and starts to whine because he wants to go see Sadie. He is more willing to follow me if he knows were headed to see Sadie.

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!