February, the depths of winter, while cozy inside...

Drew helping Mom with baking bread. He immensely enjoys helping wash dishes, cleaning up the house, putting things in order. Personally, I still say "thanks" in my head every time we clean up the toys and he helps with nary a complaint.

Drew feeding "pig", lunch in his kitchen.

These interlocking foam tiles have more then given back their monetary value in the few months we've had them. These tiles become Drew's office one day, the next their a jet, then a Zamboni shop, then a van, then a truck etc. In this picture they are a kitchen where he cooks up chicken and makes tea with his tea set. I would have never guess he could get a use out of a used tea set that Ankela (grandma) found in storage. He serves his stuffed toys on a platter and calls it chicken meat. My least favorite is when he hands me a platter with a small gray mouse (his stuffed mouse he calls "Mickey Mouse") on it and tells me its chicken meat... disgustingly gross!!!

Drew plays the tea set best when he has active participants. When Dad or Demitri aren't available, he sits his stuffed pig in the chair and serves him. However, in the event that Mom, Dad or Demitri act as participants, then the unlucky pig becomes a big piece of chicken meat that he serves on a platter.

Demitri settling down in Drew's kitchen to enjoy a cup of tea, with Drew looking on to ensure things in his kitchen go smoothly and to protocol.

Demitri doing one of his most annoying habits; putting on Mom or Dad's clothes and the next time you want your shoes, slippers or gloves you'll have to go look for them around the house.

Prince Demitri.

We made crowns from the edge strips from the foam interlocking tiles. Then we tried taking a family picture...

We didn't manage to get a family picture taken, thanks to Demitri. As soon as mom placed the camera in the 10sec timer mode and tried getting in the picture Demitri would rush over to the camera. I tried holding him but, then he'd turn upside or sideways, backwards every which way except upright in picture mode. If we could take the two boys and knock their heads together and maybe rub off a bit on each other, things would be easier.

Demitri stacking the Spiel (play) cans. They fit into each other or you can stack them and make a tower. He's been playing with these for months now and just recently discovered stacking them into a tower. Besides his miserable moments, he is adorable beyond words or pictures.

The boys (Demitri-left Drew-right) playing "eat in the essenschul (dining hall)". Just when you think you've seen the biggest whopper-of-the-imagination, Drew comes up with an even bigger one.

In this image the interlocking foam tiles are a jet. Demitri is the lone passenger while Drew mans the joystick controls up in the cockpit. We got the joystick controls from Goodwill and don't know what they were meant to control but, Drew finds all sorts of uses for them even though they aren't connected to anything.

Winter in the Midwest.

Yup, winter in the midwest is quite treacherous. Being that these are the plains, weather from the south, east, north west can blow through here with nary a hindrance. In the dead of winter it can in a few hours time turn from -20F to 30F. So our hockey season has been great and at times in peril from melting weather. As for traveling and the roads, for the most part our roads and driveways all winter have been covered in a 2 inch layer of slick, glossy somewhat uneven ice. Try driving, walking on that!

Drew clearing new fallen snow off the sidewalk with his John Deere Dozer.

Drew learning to skate on Havhal Arena (the Haven hockey rink). He uses his John Deere Dozer to keep on his feet. Demitri has a difficult time keeping upright on his shoes so of course he has to push something too!

Demitri dressing up to "geh orbitn". (go to work) Both boys like putting on dads mittens, hat and shoes and pretend their working, pushing around trucks and playing. Typical, typical boys to say the least.

Drew doing one of his activities that would make any parent smile; taking a book and sitting down to read it all by himself (or thinks he does). Though he prefers to read them with mom or dad, when he wants to take a rest from playing, this is his preferred method of doing so.

Drew working on his computer in his office. Aunt Vicky made him this house with the play mats and he moved in his furniture; a coffee table, chair and set up his small marker board that stands up and called it a computer. He was adamant about Demitri not going into his office. The computer must be a MAC or something because it kept breaking down like four or five times a day and he kept saying "computer veeduh feext." (fixed computer again)

Snack time at our house. Yes, for the most part I can say "the boys are a privilege to parent and a blast to spend time with."

A winter family picture during our Sunday afternoon walk. Despite the roads being totally treacherous, Drew insisted "papa lauf" (dad run) and papa would run and jump like a clown with Drew trying to keep up, all the while laughing like a hyena. To rest we'd lay down in the snow by the side of road, which allowed Demitri and mom to catch up to us to enjoy the snow as well.