Raising Cubs in a Campground

A dear friend from college came to visit yesterday. Courtney and I were sorority sisters. She was my "little sis" back in the day. Today she goes by Dr. Blake. Seven years ago she moved to the cities to attend vet school at the U. Luckily for me, she never left. We don't see each other as much as we'd like, but when we do, we pick up where we left off. Our visit yesterday marked the 10th anniversary of our study abroad trip to South America. Together with sixty other classmates, we plowed through eight countries in three months. I say plow because we created quite a scene at every airport with our mountain of luggage and typical college student rowdiness. The common theme in our trip down memory lane was how disheveled we all looked in all but a handful of pictures. We'd have stuck out anyway even if we didn't look so downtrodden in our rumpled sweatshirts and jeans. What amazed us most was the freedom we were granted to roam from country to count...

I don’t know what’s worse – finding Julia in her crib with a blob of poop on her paci (amongst other places) or catching her eating dog food (not from the bowl – that would have been much tamer – it was regurgitated dog food – otherwise known in our house as “Puppy Puke”. Sorry Sweetie – Just think, by getting this info out now, it’ll be old news by the time you’re old enough to be embarrassed by it.

I shared a first kiss with the man of my dreams. For the past 7 years we've gone on a picnic to celebrate our "dating anniversary", but this year with the chaos of our lives the best we could muster was a sub from Subway inhaled while standing over the dining room table. To make up for it, we are going to sit down to watch a movie together for the first time in a loooong time. We'll eat chicken noodle soup and snuggle on the couch. Perhaps this'll be the beginning of a new tradition..... who needs ants, mosquitoes, and the uncomfortableness of eating on the ground anyway.

Anyone who follows the Pauly's Pics & Prose will notice a dramatic increase in the posts tonight. (Don't forget to scroll down to the old stuff first so you can read them in order.) Brian was kind enough to take over the household duties this afternoon so I could have some uninterrupted time to myself. (Nobody was able to explain this to Sam though, so he managed to work in some tantrums that one person should have to deal with on their own.) And the kids cut us some slack this evening and went to sleep without any battles - a rarity lately. The weather was absolutely picture perfect today so we decided that we'd load up the kids and pick out some Open House signs at Home Depot. We checked the mailbox on our way and lo and behold - a letter from Voyageurs National Park!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm so glad we were both there to read it. Basically they said that Brian passed the initial part of the application process and his paperwork has been passed on to the perso...

It's easy for me to focus on the negative and in our current situation there is plenty of it. When I update friends and family on Brian's job search or our plight with our mortgage, it can seem like we are in a bad place. On paper, especially financially, that is most definetely a true statement, but in the grand sceeme of things, we are doing just fine. In fact - we couldn't be better. We have each other to lean on, we still find joy in the little things - especially the kids, and most of all we are trusting God. I've rediscovered a great little book called, "Joy Breaks". when I was staging our home to sell. I love it when the Lord orchestrates the little things. Out of the 100+ books I could have grabbed to sit next to a coffee mug, the one that has message after message for me is the one "I" chose. The book is filled with short devotions to celebrate, simplify, and add laughter to your life. Here's the prayer I read today: "De...

I don't live under a rock (though with our current housing situation, that might not be accurate in the near future). Already I'm digressing....sorry. It's been a really, really long three weeks. Anyway....I know it's back to school time. I know kids are lining up their #2 pencils, loading up on folders, stylish new clothes, and savoring the final days of summer. I was still caught off guard when the phone rang last week and the voice on the other end said, "Hi , My name is Rannel. I'm going to be Sam's preschool teacher this fall." What? I signed up for preschool? I know I'm sleep deprived, but how in the world could I forget something so important? There must be some mistake. These are the thoughts that flashed through my brain like lightening as my mouth mumbled who knows what. As so not to sound like a complete fool, I went with the flow and in the conversation about the upcoming open house I discovered that this lady had calle...

then a sink bath it is. In fact a cool refreshing soak doesn't sound half bad. See that red mark on her chest? She fought with the train table and the train table won.

We have a "new" addition to our house a few days a week now. Brianna had taken the summer off to stay home with her dad, but he's taking classes on campus this fall so we get to get reacquainted with our friend Bea. At 19 months she's already a little mother. Keeping a close eye on the babies while they nap (That's Grant on the monitor), returning pacifiers to Julia, offering sippy cups, and helping put bibs on. Not only do I have the privilege of watching Sam and Brianna play, but Julia is pretty taken with her too. How could you not be with a face like this??

While we were at the Mall of America yesterday I couldn't resist picking up Julia's Halloween costume. It might seem strange to be shopping this far ahead, but I've learned that the cute ones sell out fast. This fairy costume is no exception. They didn't have the 2T body suit that I knew would fit, so I had to get the 18-24 month one. A nice lady at a different Gymboree Store was able to procure the correct size and it's being shipped to my house at this very moment. Yes, I know the flower on her head is very similar to the one I dissed in an earlier post. No need to comment on it, I already know. For what it's worth - last year I bought her costume before she was even born.

After a hectic morning of cleaning and running around I decided that I'd take the kids to the mall while Daddy went fishing with a friend he's known since grade school. We had fun people watching and pretending to operate some of the 75 cent rides. As I was photographing the kids a nice man asked if I wanted him to take a picture for me. Now wasn't that nice. This is Sam getting a closer look at the rides we couldn't go on. He didn't mind too much. I think he was just happy to get away from the craziness that is our life right now. (So was I!) I'm starting to see a trend here. Sugar before bed. Thankfully it didn't keep him up. In fact he fell asleep in the car before we got home.

Since I already know the outcome, it's hard to show much excitement for sharing the news that we had someone call about seeing the house today. We had 1 1/2 hours notice and since there's a big difference between being ready for house pictures and ready for a showing - we had our work cut out for us. I had to get creative in where to put things - baby monitor in the china cabinet, remote controls in my dresser along with some candle holders, CD player in Julia's dresser, dog supplies under the play structure in the yard, jars of grain in the china cabinet. About the only place I didn't hide something was in the fridge. Oh wait....scratch that. I did cram the fruit bowl in there. (Have to maximize that counter space ya know!) Brian loaded up the kids and the dog in the car and went to a park. I spent the final 10 minutes on my hands and knees spot cleaning the floor. It was very, very strange to be home alone - completely alone. Even the dog was away. The lady...

The sign won't go in the front yard until tomorrow morning, but I did just wrap up the posting I did for the Internet. We've been interviewing Realtors all week and after giving it a go on our own for a week or two we'll bite the bullet and let the professionals take over. Here are a few photographs that Jennifer took for us today. Didn't she do a fabulous job? As soon as I can carve out the time, I want to give you all the full tour. Even those of you who've seen the place in person will be in for a treat - a neat, uncluttered house - what a change from the norm! Our living room - or more precisely, half of it - the other half is where all the kids toys are. Kitchen and dining room The one and only bathroom. At least we have the double sinks going for us!

We haven't told Sam anything about our plans to sell the house and possible move 5 hours from here. If I can't wrap my brain around it, we certainly can't ask our 2 1/2 year old to. Keeping things as normal as possible is very difficult to do as we remove/rearrange every piece of furniture we own, sell 75% of the kids toys, and not have as much time to play with the kids as we'd like. On Monday we decided enough was enough. We needed a break so we packed up the kiddos and off we went to the ball pit. Sam has never had so much fun there. Then tonight as we pulled into our neighborhood we were careful to avoid the children running through the street. Brian was the one to notice the reason for their mad dash - the ice cream truck (actually a mini-van) was blaring "The Entertainer" as its summons to all ice cream lovers within earshot. We sat on the curb waiting for it to come past our house. "A music truck! A music truck," yelled Sam. As you ...

Julia has been rather adventurous over the course of this past week. At the ball pit she dives in head-first, crawls around the perimeter, and doesn't mind a bit when she sinks deep into the rainbow sea of balls. Our days of sitting on the blue mat during tot-time gym are over as well. She now crawls on, over, and through everything. She probably won't be walking by her first birthday, but that won't stop our little climber. Cruising along furniture is probably only days away, much to Sam's dismay. His trains are no longer safe from chubby, inquisative fingers . She's getting the hang of playing catch too. It won't be long before she and Sam are playing together rather than side by side. The baby gates have come down at our house after 2 YEARS. I must say it is liberating!! Of course we have to be vigilant about knowing where the kids are at all times. Having Brian home all the time makes that a cinch. We'll never know if she would have been able t...

Me: What do you want to thank Jesus for tonight Sam? Me again, trying to prompt him: For food, your toys.... Sam: for Daddy, for you... Brian: how about Julia? Sam: and Taren and Tullen and Taren's mommy.... Yes, Sam, I thank Jesus for them too!!! Note: Until this evening Sam's prayer had always gone like this: Me: Sam what do you want to say to Jesus tonight? Sam: Sorry Jesus (I think this comes from his Bible story about Jonah and how at first Jonah didn't go where God told him too, but then he said sorry and followed God's command.)

I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out - plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for. Jeremiah 29:11

I have edited this post to correct what appears to be a misunderstanding. I should have been more careful in choosing my words, but I wasn't, so I'm sorry that I offended my readers. As the author of this blog, I have the right sing the praises of my children as much as I want, but I shouldn't have been so harsh on the other contest entrants. That was wrong, but I stick by my Author's Disclaimer on the right hand side - read if you want, or don't read. First the good news - we made a little over $900 at the garage sale. While it would be nice to spend that on something fun, what it'll go towards is our mortgage payment. Without a paycheck coming in for Brian, this will be a huge burden lifted for at least one month. Having him at home will also mean we can list the house MUCH quicker - as in the next 2 weeks. He's been working so hard on painting, staining, cleaning, and packing. I don't even want to think about how long it would have taken me to do...

Me: (calling from the driveway to Brian in the house) HEY BRIAN!!!!!! (he didn't hear me) Sam: Mommy's talking to you Brian Garage sale update: The sale is going really, really well. We have made about $800. The rain is probably keeping people away, but those that do stop buy on average $15-$20 worth of stuff.

Julia: priceless (or as my sign read - "baby not included") After wrapping up Vacation Bible School last night at 9pm I headed home to put my over-tired son to bed and begin my marathon pricing frenzy to get ready for my big garage sale today. From 10:30pm to 1:30am I sat in my driveway wearing Brian's headlamp, pricing clothes before moving into the garage to price toys. I was up at 5:00 in order to be ready for the early bird shoppers and sure enough an hour before the sale was scheduled to start I had my first customer. She bought $14 worth of stuff that started us on the road to a total of $380 for day one. We have many people to thank for the success - My mom for bringing me tables; Brian's parents for helping set up, bringing supplies, hauling furniture away, watching the kids, building steps for our back patio door; Brian's sister for watching the kids, bringing us lunch, buying us dinner; my sister for helping with the kids; our friends, Scott and We...