Raising Cubs in a Campground

We had a chance to go to dinner and a movie tonight. I even got to go to the gym before hand! Pancakes at Perkins, Enchanted at the theater, and lots of time to talk in the car while I drove slowly on the snow covered roads made for an eventful Thursday. We didn't walk in the door until almost 10pm. The kids were exhausted from all that activity and went straight to bed. That's where I'm headed too after I say another prayer for Brian who has to plow all night.

"We didn't have that sort of thing when I was growing up." How many of us have said that before as we watch our kids soak up the activities that are available for them these days? Now I just live vicariously through my kids since I doubt I'd fit on the duck with Julia. My Crew Ducks in a row...well, dragon, whales, and elephants too. :)

This photo was taken during his grade school years. It is a blessing to have all these old photographs of my father so I can share them with Sam and Julia. It was fun to spend this particular afternoon with my younger sisters. We never do anything just the three of us and have decided that needs to change. We saw a performance of Beauty & the Beast which was rather fitting since we all loved Disney movies as kids. Happy Birthday Dad from your girls.

Ask me what baby items I couldn't live without and I'd say my Kangaroo Korner baby slings and my video monitors. We all sleep on the same level of our home, but I still keep Julia's monitor turned up and close by the bed so I can hear and see her breathing at night. Sam is 3 so I haven't had a monitor hooked up in his room for a while now, but that changed a few weeks ago when I got sick of him yelling for me to come get him out of his crib when he'd wake up. I solved that problem by setting his video monitor up again and explaining that all he had to do was say quietly, "Mommy, I'm awake" and I'd come up and get him. He caught on quickly and he's no longer waking his sister. I still remind him when we are getting ready for bed just in case. Saying our prayers is something else we do at bedtime. Sam says the Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep prayer and then we add what we are thankful for at the end. Tonight as Sam lay curled up on my lap I s...

That's how I felt today when the carbon monoxide detector went off again. The last time I had the car so I could pack up and leave the house. Not this time. So there I was in my lounge wear , two kids in their jammies , and a dog freaking out because of the noise. Did I mention that the temperature is still below zero here? I grabbed my recipe from the furnace company and called the service department. Just in case my panicky voice didn't make it pretty obvious to the receptionist I made sure to repeat to her, "Please make sure you tell the service man that the detector is going off, I have two small children, and I have no way of leaving the house. Have him call me right away please." I couldn't just sit there waiting by the phone so I turned the furnace off, bundled the kids in hats and scarves, and called the fire department. Ten minutes later a police officer was at our door to offer us a warm car to sit in while we waited for the fireman to check out ...

"Daddy I'm hungry. I want something good. Not dinner."

I spent 30 minutes picking these tiny pieces of "dirt" off the carpet today after the kids decided it would be fun to see how far (and how fast) they could throw as much as possible before I put an end to that little game. This is an old photo from last year, but we're still using this same "dirt" to beat the winter blah's. Some of the soybeans have been dropped down the heat register, others are out of reach behind the couch, I'm sure still more are tucked behind the entertainment center.... and that's where they'll stay until we move.

Because it was only one degree outside, which for the record, was 12 degrees warmer than when we left the house this morning with zero notice at 6:45am after getting a call from Brian's coworker who usually picks him up saying that his car wouldn't start. As I was saying, it was COLD out so I was thrilled to find a spot super close to the Underwater Adventures entrance of the Mall of America. We spent a couple hours having our own underwater adventure (Thanks a million Rena!) and some bonus time at the Barnes&Noble train table before dashing through the stinging cold to the van. It was then that I saw that I had mistakenly parked in a handicap spot where the fine is $200 for parking there without a pass. Ouch. My stomach was in knots until my quick scan of the windshield did not yield a ticket secured with my broken windshield wiper. ticket. Phew. It was an honest mistake after all. I mean really - who could enjoy a trip to the mall if they were taking such a ...

Turns out I had the dirtiest computer the repairman had ever seen. My CD writer wasn't broken, but merely filthy beyond belief. My computer was also bogged down by another dirt of sorts and was in desperate need of de-frigging. News to me. I don't even know what that means so obviously I didn't know to perform that task on a regular basis. If you know what I'm talking about, then the fact that it took ten hours to defrig my computer might tell you something. So what did I do while I was without a computer for three whole days? Nothing real exciting, but I will say that time didn't evaporate like it does when I sit at the computer at night or during nap time. Brian and I watched movies together, Sam and I snuggled in bed one afternoon, we all went sledding, we made the horrid mistake of going to the Mall of America on President's Day weekend, we went to church, I read two books, we had tickle fights, we played play-doh, Brian and I each had time out of th...

I'm dropping my computer off at my mom's this evening so her friend can take a look at it. I've been unable to burn CD's for a while now, but have been limping along by using my flash drives instead. That method is getting to be too much of a hassle and is eating into my profits since I have to pay to put images onto a CD instead of doing it in the comfort of my home. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I'll have it back by Monday evening, but you never know. I feel like I'm cramming for a test this afternoon as I scramble to get all my wedding photography research completed, order prints for a client, print off schedules and phone numbers for things to do next week.... I'm finally feeling like myself today and hopefully the kids will be back to normal by tomorrow. It was a long week to say the least! Thanks again for all your prayers. Have a wonderful weekend everyone and I'll be sure to check in with you all when my life-line has been restored...

With all that's going on in our house right now a romantic Valentine's is out of the question. (Thanks for the babysitting offer though, Sharon.) 8+ years into our relationship Brian and I still try to not leave it to only the Hallmark-ish holidays to express our love for each other so it's really not that big of a deal that we couldn't do anything special. Two years ago we spent Valentine's Day in the hospital while I received IV fluids because of terrible morning sickness, but that's a whole other post... Today Brian showed his love for me by leaving me a note before he left for work. The words were simple..that he would be thinking of me. When he came home from work at 10am I showed my love by continuing to care for our sick kids so he could get some rest, despite still feeling nauseas myself. When he got up he proceeded to clean up some of the mess in the house without making me feel bad for letting it get so out of control. Then he let me crawl into be...

Happy Valentine's Day! This is what the kid's Valentines look like this year (with a cute Walgreens border), but now that we are all sick, I don't recommend stopping by to claim your spot. Sam called for me at 5 this morning and because I was too tired to care I just let him come into our bed. Brian was gone already and I just wanted to get back to sleep asap and avoid waking Julia. Within 30 seconds of being in our bed he started making that telltale vomiting sound. In one swift move I grabbed the bowl next to the bed and got it into position just in the nick of time. That's when I noticed that it wasn't 5am, but barely midnight. If I had seen the clock correctly I would have been changing Sam's sheets instead of rinsing out a bowl. I wouldn't have let him come in our room that early, but obviously I'm glad I did. Julia slept straight through the night again (even though she'd soaked through her jammies and sleepsack) so I was able to get so...

Before we all turn in for the night I wanted to say thank you to everyone who's sent well wishes the past couple of days. The vomiting has ceased but the nausea remains for Brian and I. Sam hasn't shown any symptoms...yet. We pray he never does and that the rest of us get our strength back soon. We're expecting 2-4 inches of snow tonight and Brian has already set the alarm for 1am so he can go in to plow. Goodnight everyone.

If you've ever been to a Renaissance Festival there's a chance you saw this duo perform. Years ago I saw them live and enjoyed their humor, but now that I'm experiencing puke & snot in real life....not so funny. Julia's had a cold for a few days that is still lingering but I knew that the wet I felt on her sleeve when I went into her room this morning at 5:20 meant more trouble. (Most people have their nose to keep them from avoiding putting their hands smack dab in the middle of puke, but if ever there was proof that my sense of smell is extremely weak - this was it.) It's looking like there isn't a connection to what happened yesterday. We've already had the stomach flu once this winter and I pray this time will be our last.

Hindsight is like that. The nausea, the dog wanting to go out four times in an hour.... It all added up when we returned home today to find the carbon monoxide detector was going off. There weren't all that many clues, but it still rattled me to know that something so dangerous was seeping into the air we breathe. Thankfully the furnace company was out within a couple hours and was able to determine the source. Looks like I'll have to get really creative in my menu planning with our stove out of commission. Brian and I had each taken a turn sleeping on the couch this week so that's why we were the ones to feel sick being so close to the kitchen. As has become our new routine, I took the kids to the gym for the entire morning so they weren't exposed as much as they would have been if it were any other day of the week. I'm not usually one for public service announcements, but tonight I can't help but highly suggest that everyone make sure they invest in a...

Brian suggested I use the title "Hassenfeffer anyone?", but I nixed that one.

(and the rest of these tiny toes too) belong to baby Henry, who turned two weeks old today. His parents are friends of ours so it was extra special to photography his family. From head to toe Henry was a precious as can be. I'll post more photos as soon as I finish editing. Update: I'm was able to post more from my shoot today over at my new photography blog .

During Sunday school a couple weeks ago the kids made muffins and learned about sharing with others. Sam tends to clam up at church when people talk to him, but not this day. He walked carefully into the fellowship hall with his tray of warm muffins and handed them all out. He was so sweet about it. "Would you like a muffin?" he'd ask. Stunned, the other members would ask, "I can have one?" "SURE you can!" Sam exclaimed. My heart swells with love for this little man and the love he shows for his "neighvors" ...and for the record: He helped with the dishes too. Won't his bride be a lucky gal!

2 hand-me-down Columbia snowsuits - $0 1 two piece Columbia snowsuit - $7 at a garage sale 1 Mom in Columbia gear almost twice as old as all the kids ages combined - worth every penny Brian and I shelled out years ago 4 warm, happy, fresh-air breathing people - PRICELESS!! More photos from our fun filled outdoor adventure to follow.....

Both my kids were up before six this morning. I spent almost five hours between two movie theaters. I saw portions of three different movies in the same day. I was bold enough to go up to someone that looked awfully familiar and strike up a conversation to see if in fact I did know her. I do know her - I last saw Pastor Sarah* three or four years ago when I attended my grandma's church on Christmas Eve. She lives 20 minutes from the Community Center, but happened to pick today for her first visit. While picking up a photo order at a local business, there on the counter sat 4x6's of someone I know - Isaac . * To top it all off, just yesterday I'd been thinking of her and the sermon she shared that Christmas about her broken nativity set from Mexico. - that doesn't happen every day, but today it did.

I have a picture of what Julia looked like with pink eye. I also have a picture of which socks Brian and his dad were wearing last Sunday night. I also have a couple of Brian's sister and his mom, but I love my SIL and MIL too much to post unflattering pictures taken by their favorite 3 year old. I can post this one of Julia and I (looks like someone's finger was over part of the flash) and this one of Mommy and Daddy. (Check out those senior pictures on the wall) I think we're going to have to get Sam his own camera one of these days. He loves taking pictures. Looks like it runs in the family. (My uncle was a photographer and my dad was a wedding photographer when I was a kid.)

Thanks to friends who've taken me up on my free portrait session offer* , I've gotten some more practice and advertising material for my business. It's tough to grow a business without funneling money into advertising so I feel blessed to have had the chance to add to my portfolio and do something for my friends. Thank you Nicole, Kristin and the Coopers! Click here to see more portraits from this week. * I would love to include you in my free offer. Get in touch with me to set up a time for a session.

Another month has slipped by. Actually a whole year has slipped by when you look at these bath pictures from February 22, 2007 My dear sweet JoJo, you are still full of personality. You are starting to put on this silly grin when I ask you to smile for a picture (and sometimes you do it just at the sight of the camera). You've spent the last two weeks fighting a cold and pink eye. You're a tough cookie though and are on the mend. When you had your finger pricked last Friday to check your hemoglobin, you didn't cry. In fact, you didn't even blink or change your expression. Yesterday when a boy stood on your finger you just looked up at him, waiting for him to step away. (I thought for sure he was right next to your hand since you didn't cry out. Sorry baby girl.) At 29 pounds you are in the 90th percentile. Only 5 more pounds to catch your brother! It's been so fun to dress you in tights and put two bows in your hair this month. Your favorite toys are p...

I haven't been ice fishing in 20 years. My fear of the ice has become so bad that I get sick to my stomach when I see vehicles on frozen lakes. I wasn't going to let my fear keep Sam from experiencing the fun of catching fish through the ice so I sent my camera along and off the boys went to catch some fish. Brian caught one fish while Sam and Grandpa were out drilling more holes. Things were slow after that so out came the snackies. Sam thought it was fun to push snow into the holes and then scoop it out. He's always doing some sort of job. :) And then they started biting! It was THIS big!!!!! Nothing beats a warm fire - except maybe some father son bonding time. The boys aren't the only ones who can spin a fish tale - There was no way I was going to miss out on seeing Sammy have such a great time (or let my Rebel XTi out of my site)