Raising Cubs in a Campground

I wore Sam in the Bjorn as a baby. I wore Julia in a Kangaroo Korner sling as a baby and a Kozy as a toddler.  Elsa has split her time between the sleepy wrap and the Sakura Bloom ring sling that she's snoozing in during our photo shoot this afternoon. Babywearing is more than just practical for me, it a valuable time to bond with my kids... to feel their warm breath as they tuck in close against my chest and to appreciate the connection that comes with feeling like our hearts beat as one. I was able to get out from behind the camera today thanks to my mom coming over to do some photos for our family. THANK YOU MOM! I will cherish them forever! Linking up with Kyrstyn for Mommy and Me Monday and in honor of International Babywearing Week !

Elsa and Mommy Sunday morning after church. September 2011 Julia and Mommy after church. November 2006 Can you tell which baby is the good sleeper?  I can totally see it in my eyes! :) Linking with.... Hosted by Krystyn at Really, Are You Serious?

I posted a few photographs from our trip up North back in the Fall, but not very many. Instead I was busy putting together a book with 200+ photos in it. Oh what FUN that was! I used a combination of cell phone and DSLR shots to tell the story of our four glorious days in and around Duluth. I make a living designing books for other people so it was a real treat to make one using my own photos! (the four arrow icon in the lower right will allow you to view the book full screen) Up North by Carrie Pauly | Make Your Own Book Did you make it all the way through to the end? If you did you'll know why this book is extra special to our family! I managed to get myself in a few photos thanks to PapaBear and Sam's willingness to take over camera duties every once in a while. Today's Mommy and Me Monday selection is from our last night when we stayed in a camper cabin in one of our favorite parks - Jay Cooke. We had the park almost to ourselves - something you can't...

Don't get me wrong, we are very tied to the park during the six month camping season, but there are windows of time that 'we' can get away. Two Fridays ago was one of those times. The catch - PapaBear had to stay and work. The kids and I headed out to find supplies for my kid's program scheduled for the next day. Traipsing across six different parking lots is not my favorite way to spend an evening but with the promise of ice cream and Psalty the Singing Songbook in between, we made the most of it. The weather was beautiful so when I spotted a lacrosse game in progress at a park on our way home I pulled over. It felt so normal to be out on a Friday night. We don't usually get to do normal. Funny thing is...I didn't miss it. We get to do the important things like spend time with our family & friends, worship in a church we love just down the road, & raise our kids somewhere pretty special . And that folks is all that matters to this mommy. For ...

Hope you aren't sick of wedding pictures yet! I wanted to share this particular one from my cell phone taken at the tail end of the reception on Friday night. It's Mommy and Me Monday after all.... Julia slept for the last 2 hours of the reception in the corner BEHIND where the speakers were blaring in hopes that she wouldn't be bothered by the noise. It worked because she didn't wake up when I picked her up and moved her to the car. When we realized that we couldn't buckle her seat belt with her dress on we had to wake her and it went down hill from there. Thankfully we live three miles from the reception location and were home in no time. I was sad to take off the beautiful bridesmaid dress that Sharon picked out and even sadder to take Julia out of hers. We NEVER get that dressed up and it was fun to be girly girls for the day. I even had fingernail polish on albeit, clear. Baby steps people! I wrote this post before I realized that the theme this week is...

I handed the phone to PapaBear and asked him to take a picture of the kids and I. I didn't know he was snapping away as I corralled the kiddos into the frame. Two things stood out to me when I looked at the results. The first being, if I'm in the picture it's because I handed over my camera and asked someone to take a posed picture of me with the kids. And two, I rarely, if ever , stand for a photograph with Sam and Julia. You know what I mean moms...you crouch down to wrap your arms around your child(ren) and try to get a good one of everyone looking at the camera. How cute are they with their bug nets smiling for Daddy and looking so tall next to me! I'm sharing this post as part of the Mommy and Me carnival hosted by: Hosted by Krystyn

Three nests in three trees. We watched mama birds feed baby birds from here. Just this mama with her babies on a lazy Sunday afternoon. These are the days I want to remember. This post is part of Krystyn's Mommy and Me Monday. Click on the button to see other mom's who've gotten out from behind the camera. Hosted by Krystyn

I love that I'm self employed and have the freedom in my schedule to go on family outings with the kids. We get to do fun things like visit museums that have fun mirrors: Because who wouldn't want to spend more time with this little cutie & her brother? For more Mommy & Me posts head over to Krystyn's blog... Hosted by Krystyn

Silver lining? Where do you find that in a picture of my son and I in the Emergency room? The silver lining in having pneumonia is that everything else was put on hold and nothing else mattered but getting him well. I slept in his room for 4 nights and we had some great heart to heart talks during our snuggle time and while we waited in the ER. This picture of him holding my hand is the first time he was able to rest peacefully in 24 hours despite his racing heart. To read the pneumonia play by play click here and to read more Mommy & Me posts click on the badge below. Hosted by Krystyn

I did it! I actually got pictures off of my phone and onto my blog! I can't remember ever doing that before and I've had a camera phone for years . I had to do it in a round about way (emailing myself the pictures from my phone) but it worked! I will have to test it out in a blog book to see if a 5 megapixel camera phone has a high enough resolution to allow me the freedom I need to design pages with big pictures or not. For these two pics it won't matter - they won't be blown up, but they are no less special to me. My morning yoga routine is rubbing off on the kids. They prefer the kids yoga video and sometimes I'll skip mine and do theirs with them instead. Look at that Warrior 2 form! I love their enthusiasm and their desire to do what I'm doing. Oh and no, I don't usually work out in jeans. This was taken at night. To see more Mommy & Me posts, click on the badge below. I'm hoping to make a regular appearance on Mondays if I can come up with ...

Lindsay posted a Mom and me post today and since Booksmart is moving S.L.O.W.E.R than the sap in our maple trees I have 30 -60 seconds between every single change I make to a 440 page book I'm editing....now is a perfect time to add these pictures of the kids and I from last night. We pulled our puddle boots out of the closet and went in search of the ooy-gooey mud. We found it. And we played and played. Want to find some motivation to get out from behind the camera? Check out more Mommy and Me posts over at Krystyn's blog: Hosted by Krystyn