Raising Cubs in a Campground

It was very windy when Julia and I went outside for her 1/2 birthday photo shoot and even though she had to brush her hair out of her face time and time again, she did great. She was completely engrossed in our game of Bear Detective. I would throw our toy snake into the rocks and she'd pretend to be Snuff and go find it. In between our game of make believe I was able to snap a few portraits of our three and a half year old. She's grown so much! This picture was taken on her very first half birthday. (The day we discovered her first curls.)

This time I chose Valentine for my Alphabitty Moment . I don't want to take for granted the relationship Sam and Julia have with each other. She calls him Sammy more than Sam. Sure they have their moments, but they love each other very much. So much so that I can't seem to get through to Sam that no, he can't marry Julia. He continues to insist that he can and will. When he is teasing her and she is screaming bloody murder or when she breaks his latest Lego creation, I will remember sweet moments like this. What V moment do you want to remember this week?

I was remiss in sharing the final photographs of our straw bale garden from 2009. I found these photos in a draft from last October. oops. Must have been the bronchitis , the end of the camping season, a plethora of birthdays, and the 1,000 blog book pages on my plate that had me distracted..... I think the photos speak for themselves....our experimental garden was a success! I'm much less nervous about gardening in straw bales this year. In fact, we're going to make it bigger than 11 bales - I want to add at least 6 more bales. If you are interested in reading about our unique garden I've created a tab in my link bar that will show the ten posts I wrote on the subject. Be sure to scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page first so you can read them in order. You'll be able to see the plants grow before your eyes! If you have any questions on how you too can grow vegetables in straw bales leave them in the comments and I'll do my best to answer them. If ...

* This was the first March in BearCountry history that it didn't snow. We're known for our March snowstorms (you can experience a record breaker here ) and even a few April ones. * Almost all of our snow cover melted in a single week. * Instead of heading upstairs to finish getting ready for bed at 7 o'clock Julia and I took a walk on the boardwalk. She's never been one to walk very far without wanting to be carried. She's proved this month that she's a changed girl. Did I mention she already had her PJ's on? * I completed the biggest blog book project that I've ever worked on. 440 pages but less than 150 photographs. It took me months to complete because the blog wasn't compatible with Booksmart. * I haven't recognized anyone on the cover of magazines in the check out line in lately as a result of not having regular TV for almost a year. * Sam has taken to falling asleep on his floor instead of his bed. His head ends up right by his door ...

The i heart faces challenge for this week is "Dramatic Black & White" This image was the first one that popped into my head. I love the moment shared between the couple and all the emotion and drama that is created by the wind in her hair, the angle that makes us wonder what expression is on his face, and the backlighting. To see more from this week's challenge click on the logo below:

Part of our Beth Moore homework this week was to get up at dawn and read and reflect on three passages. Genesis 8:22 As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease." Lamentations 3:22-23 Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Psalm 30:5 For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. I got the biggest smile on my face when I saw the sun spots created by taking a photo directly into the sun as I was completing my quiet time that morning. You see, we are studying the fruit of the Spirit. Three spots of light . Father, Son, & Holy Spirit. As we prepare to enter Holy week I am more aware of the Holy Spirit interceding on my behalf than ever before. Each day I am pouring out my thoughts, desires, confessions, dreams through pray...

Want to learn how maple syrup is made? Then follow Julia to the sugar bush. Our almost three and a half year old is turning into quite the little hiker these days. On the hike we'll talk about signs of Spring and before long we'll spy the red buckets that dot the low spot on the Prairie Trail where the trees have been tapped this season. Tapping maple trees only takes about 10% of the tree's sap and can be done year after year in healthy trees. What trees should you pick? They should be at least 40 years old and 18-24 inches in diameter How much sap can you get from one tree in a season? It varies, from 10-20 gallons. But I'm getting ahead of myself here. Let's go back to where it all starts...the previous year. When the botany terms I haven't thought of since college come back to me like... Photosynthesis (the process of converting light energy to chemical energy and storing it in the bonds of sugar) And Chlorophyll (the molecule that absorbs the sunlight an...

Earlier in the week I asked if anyone could tell what was going on in the first picture. There were lots of good guesses, but nobody hit the nail on the head. The kids weren't hitting nails either...they were continuing the tradition that I linked to in this post last year. Here is the demo from this year:

Welcome to 21st edition of Alphabitty Moments ! The letter U gave me trouble this week so I threw it out there on twitter and low and behold I got lots of great suggestions. (Thanks everyone!) As soon as I saw "UP" I knew that I wanted to capture the time in Julia's life when she asked to be picked up. She'll be too big to carry someday and I want to remember these days of being little. I filed a few ideas away for other U words. I now have two extra U words that fit for Julia and one for Sam. Wahoo! This is by no means the layout I would have chosen for this picture though and only serves as a reminder to myself that it's worth the extra cost to include more pages in a book so that each letter can have it's own layout. The font is fine for the T-Rex side, but it doesn't fit the UP side at all. Live and learn I guess. We're getting to the end of the alphabet and that means a fresh start with the letter A in a little over a month. Are you planning t...

We're making the most of it with evenings filled with baseball, hammock swinging, kite flying, soccer, and outside story time. These photos (all from Monday night) are courtesy of my camera phone and I'm totally OK with that. No fancy camera to worry about and more time in the moment with the kids. I brought my good camera out for our hour hike tonight, but that's a whole 'nother post for another time.....

We've implimented a new responsibility chart in our house that is just as much for PapaBear and I as it is for the cubs. It isn't fancy and the reward is very simple. A penny for each sticker they earn. We are trying instill good habits and a sense of accomplishment in doing things for themselves. We've been at it about a week now and the kid's {loudly} announce before bedtime that it's time to PUT ON THEIR STICKERS!!!! Here's our list: Pick up room Make bed Pick up playroom brush teeth A.M. brush teeth P.M. pick up downstairs read Bible schoolwork* stay dry at nap (Julia only) stay dry at bedtime (Julia only) stay in room (Sam only) sleep in bed (Sam only) They get a special jar for putting their pennies in, separate from their three allowance jars. They love counting their money each night and I love the opportunity to ask them questions about their day and ask them how it feels to accomplish their goals. * schoolwork in our house means anything that is ...

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

Welcome to Alphabitty Moments where once a week we post a picture (scrapbooking not required) that goes with the letter of the week. The goal is to think of a word that captures the essence of the " little things ". I know we are nearing the end of the alphabet but don't let that discourage you from jumping on board. I plan to keep cycling through the alphabet throughout my children's entire childhood, God willing. If you wait, then there might be moments that are missed. Granted for this week's letter, there doesn't seem to be an end in sight for my kid's obsession with dinosaurs. It has been over a year of dinosaur mania. Julia does pretend to be other animals quite often, but when she decides to join in on a dinosaur hunt, chances are that she'll chose to be a T-Rex. These pictures capture everything that embodies being a T-Rex. The facial expression, the stomping across the yard (or living room, or bedroom, or playroom, or kitchen, or library, or...

After taking the winter off from regular photo shoots I'm back in the saddle again. It feels good. Really, really good.

Update: I forgot to include the recent picture of Sam flying the kite today. I added it at the end with another of Julia. My how he's grown! I am suppose to be working tonight, but I couldn't help but take some time to look through my blog archives to find old pictures of kite flying. We've had this same kite for years so there were bound to be a few. (I blogged about the day we got it here .) We flew it in 2007 , 2008 , 2009 and again today. By complete coincidence Julia wore the same boots as she did last year. But that was then, this is now: I encourage you to look back at your archives. I bet you'll find a post or two that are along the same theme, but years apart. I'd love to read them if you do so leave me a comment directing me where to look so I can visit.