Raising Cubs in a Campground

I REALLY struggled with the letter 'J' this time. I could not come up with a word to fit the theme of Alphabitty Moments (If you are new here click on the A.M. label on the right hand side for details on what exactly an Alphabitty Moment really is.) Then it hit me square between the eyes. All those photos I was scrolling through on my phone of Elsa laughing and enjoying the simplest things was exactly what I want to capture with this project. So rather than honing in on a specific activity or habit of hers I backed up and looked at the bigger picture. Being a toddler is all about finding JOY in the little things. Little things that bring Elsa joy right now include: Peanut butter smeared on an apple slice Daddy chasing her across the room Sam pulling her on a blanket Watching Penny pop bubbles Singing Slippery Fish with Mommy Seeing Josie and Amelia when we walk into church Hearing Julia walk into the house after school Being out of the stroller at the mall Riding d...

Sorry for posting this week's Alphabitty Moment so late. We are entering that time of year where the three jobs we do collide with a different version of each of those jobs. Vague I know, but let's just say that I've got two computers running at the same time while I listen to a video on Maple Syruping and search Pinterest on my phone in the downtime between page loads to find one last MorningMischief program for our Saturday programs in the park. It will all be worth it come mid May when my entire camping season is all laid out for me and I get to do the fun part of programming - the programs themselves, the kids will be wrapping up school & I will be putting the finishing touches on the last blog books before I take the summer off, and PapaBear will be working much closer to home. It will be worth it. I just keep telling myself that. :) Anyway, on to the 'i' word for this week:  I is for "In The Air".  I had to dig through the files on my extern...

Welcome to Alphabitty Moments! I love the accountability to come here every Thursday and record at least one little moment from Elsa's 2nd year for her photobook collection. I take a LOT of pictures but often times I struggle to not skip over the less than perfect ones when it's time to put together albums. Using Instagram for this year's book has been a good exercise in focusing on what matters - capturing those precious moments before they are gone. I chose H is for Holding Hands this week because as busy and independant as Elsa is I don't know how long she's going to be willing to hold someone's hand and go where THEY want to go. This particular photo is special to me because it was the longest time she's ever held someone's hand and the sight of my oldest and youngest together like this made my heart skip a beat. It was so touching the way Sam slowed down to her pace. I am so grateful for the tenderness both Sam and Julia have for Elsa. I...

It's time to dump another month of phone pics into a blog post for later use in my 2013 blog book. (Click here for a more detailed explanation of what this entails.) What it boils down to is this: I have finally figured out a way to document daily life without getting behind or leaving huge gaps in the memories we record here. February was a blur so I'm very glad I have a short journal entry in my planner for each of the 28 days. I also kept up with my New Year's Goals  with the exception of 1 day of working out and 1 day of picking up the main living areas. It is safe to say that these new routines are a habit now and for that I am very grateful! Now to set free  50+ cell phone pictures before they get buried and lost forever.... Other than the cropping and filters from Instagram they are straight out of the camera. I will use a grid layout in Booksmart like the 1st spread in this post to make the entire collection uniform. It will also give me a quick and easy w...