Raising Cubs in a Campground

PapaBear and I joke that he and I wouldn't have been friends in high school if we'd known each other. He was almost 25 when we met and I was 21 so we weren't the same people we were as teenagers. We aren't exactly opposites, but the common stereotypical differences between men and women hold true in our relationship. One of the good things about being different is that we have different strengths. I can fall back to sleep even after going out in the cold early in the morning to unlock the gate. He doesn't mind going out in the dark to drive through the park and lock up. On the weekends during the summer, someone else opens the gate, but in the winter that job falls completely on our shoulders. When I drive past our house and see my tracks out to the gate I don't cringe at the thought of the next time I have to set my alarm for 6:45 on a Saturday or Sunday morning - instead I smile and thank God for blessing me with a husband like PapaBear . Looking for a n...

Today is a good a day as any to talk about the heating issues we've been dealing with. When else could I throw out the following info? Our house was not 80 degrees on Saturday afternoon. It didn't get that hot despite having 6 windows open. We didn't have to bother our landlord on a weekend. We didn't have to turn off our heat even though it was in the 20's outside. We don't have to wait three days for the replacement part to be shipped. It is not 52 degrees in the house when we wake up in the mornings. (We can turn the heat on for a couple hours at a time but then have to turn it off or the radiators will overheat.) We escaped the hot temps in our house on Saturday by dropping the kids off at Grandma and Grandpa's and went out on a date. These things did not happen while we were out: I did not drag my hubby into BabyGap just so I could see in person the cute outfits Brittany was talking about in this post . I wasn't subjected to 5 minutes of profanity...

Freedom - I went downstairs to let the cat out and feed him his breakfast this morning an could not find him anywhere. Brian searched. I searched. I searched again. My mind started racing through all the senarios...was there poison in the basement that we didn't know about? Is there a hole somewhere that he got out through (would help explain the mice getting in!), was he stuck somewhere? Finally I went outside and sure enough, there was the cat, trotting up to the front door to get his breakfast. Fresh Air - We have radiator heat in this house and so far it had been working just fine. I'm bracing myself for the day our built in china cabinet doubles as a freezer. Until then we are experiencing the opposite problem - it's flippin' HOT in here! Two mornings in a row we've woken up in hot, stuffy rooms. The termostat is set at 67, but it is 76 in here. I have always struggled to breath in hot air. Maybe there's a nurse or a doctor out there who could t...

5 - the number of miles I had to drive to get to my polling place 3 - the number of minutes it took me to register to vote 0 - the number of people ahead of me in line 25 - the number of ovals I had to fill out on my ballot 21 - the number of people I voted for that I know nothing about 2 - the number of times I had to go to the polling place (I had to go back and vouch for Brian.) 150 - the number of people who had cast their ballots before me (I voted at 9:15am) 373 - the number of people who cast their ballots before Brian (He voted at 4:00) 23 - the number of people who looked at Julia when she started belting out Twinkle Twinkle Little Star in the Echo-y town hall 45 - the number of seconds it took me to usher the kids outside 15 - the number of steps to the top of the ladder at the park behind the town hall I heard myself saying to Sam, "Sorry Sam, that slide is too dangerous for kids. It's only for grown ups." A slide. At the park. Geepers Carrie. B...

In all our years of camping, backpacking, and canoeing we've accumulated a fair amount of gear. Brian has been going to the Boundary Waters for 20 years, interned at Isle Royale National Park, and worked at Voyageurs National Park. I've been camping since I was 6 months old. My parents had horses and I have photographic proof of being bathed in a horse bucket at their campsite. Each piece of equipment we use holds many memories. I don't have the horse bucket anymore but I do still have my first pair of hiking boots that I bought for my horsepacking trip to Wyoming when I was 14. Whenever I lace up my Timberlands I'm reminded of that great trip, the friends I made, the scenery I saw, and how incredibly long it seems since I was 14. My next big purchases were made when I was 18 and included a new pair of hiking boots and my Crazy Creek Chair (see below). That same gear has traveled across three continents with me and reminds me of either melting in the heat of th...

I did not wear 11 different articles of clothing in order to stay warm on our trip . I did not wear the same shirts for 4 days straight. I did not forget about our dog the entire time we were gone until the drive home and I saw a dog in someone's yard. Brian did not tip over the canoe when he was going out to fish before dinner. I did not just blog about Brian tipping over the canoe despite him saying that we weren't going to speak of this...ever. We did not break camp over an hour before the sun came up in order to get home to see the kids sooner. No, that would be stupid and dangerous. We wouldn't go up the rapids in the dark. Brian would never carry a canoe over rocky terrain in the dark. I did not spell Stellan's name incorrectly and then proceed to take a bunch of pictures of my mistake. Julia did not fall into the pond while we were gone. I most certainly didn't laugh at her reaction at see...

I did not wear 11 different articles of clothing in order to stay warm on our trip . I did not wear the same shirts for 4 days straight. I did not forget about our dog the entire time we were gone until the drive home and I saw a dog in someone's yard. Brian did not tip over the canoe when he was going out to fish before dinner. I did not just blog about Brian tipping over the canoe despite him saying that we weren't going to speak of this...ever. We did not break camp over an hour before the sun came up in order to get home to see the kids sooner. No, that would be stupid and dangerous. We wouldn't go up the rapids in the dark. Brian would never carry a canoe over rocky terrain in the dark. I did not spell Stellan's name incorrectly and then proceed to take a bunch of pictures of my mistake. Julia did not fall into the pond while we were gone. I most certainly didn't laugh at her reaction at see...

Mommy and Daddy were driving six hours away to spend their first nights away together in over 2 years. While you were getting dressed, we were paddling across the first of 2 lakes. While you were eating breakfast, Mommy was resting half way through the 190 rod portage. While you were painting pumpkins, Daddy was carrying the canoe (and the food pack) around some rapids on the South Kiwishiwi River. While you were eating hamburgers and ice cream cones at McDonald's, Mommy was catching our lunch. While you were making pizza with Sharon, Grandma, and Grandpa, Mommy and Daddy were enjoying the view at their campsite. While you were watching Whinnie the Pooh, Daddy was catching big fish. For the record Mommy had a bigger bass on her line until it broke the line. While you were eating tacos, Mommy and Daddy were eating fresh fish. Really fresh While you were getting ready for bed, Mommy took this picture for Stellan's gallery. While you were sleeping in your beds, we were sleeping i...

That's what Brian and I pledged to each other seven years ago today. These are the roses he came home with after work in honor of our wedding anniversary. Aren't they beautiful? And speaking of flowers.... I was tickled pink to discover we have tulips at this house, but that excitement was dimmed when I realized that this single bloom would be the only one we'd be able to enjoy. My disappointment is a thing of the past now that the other perennials are making their appearance. This is a rare Fern Peonie that lives in our front yard. The kids and I made our front porch more welcoming with the addition of these beauties . I have a collection of pots from my hometown pottery shop. You might remember them from our failed container garden last year. Isn't it funny what makes you feel like a grown up? For some reason having my very own flower box on my front porch makes me feel like an adult. The two children planting the flowers? You'd think that's what wou...

We called today Mommy's Special Day. I got extra hugs and kisses. I got to sleep in (too bad it made us late for church). I received 3 cards from Sam and two from Julia (all homemade). The kids gave me marigolds to plant in my flower box. Sam gave me a framed picture of himself he made at school out of puzzle pieces. I got to pick our afternoon activity ( Frisbee golf). I got a gas station cappuccino - just because. Julia picked me a flower. At bedtime when we asked Sam what he wanted to tell Jesus thank you for today he said "Mommy". It was a wonderful day - one I won't ever forget. Happy Mother's Day to all you moms out there!

Joseph continued to fight through the day yesterday but wasn't able to eat his food despite it floating right above where his weak and crippled body was hovering. Brian came up behind me at 8:30 last night and said, "Say bye-bye". In his hand he held the net with the fish inside. "He died?"I asked. He hadn't, but Brian said it was inevitable. Was I upset to flush a live fish? Of course, but what I was glad he had been the one to just get it over with. Otherwise I'd be the one to find him this morning (most likely) belly up for good. I panicked that maybe Sam should be there so he didn't always wonder where he went, but he showed no signs of trauma when I told him Daddy flushed Joseph last night. Poor Mary doesn't seem to be handling it well. She's swimming laps like I've never seen her before.

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...