Neighborly

We have the greatest neighbors. They technically are our only neighbors seeing that we live in the country and the houses aren't close together. They are across the road from us and have lived on their farm since the 70's. J and J are so kind to us - sharing their surplus of garden goodies and letting the kids catch frogs in their pond. We fed their chickens for them last Fall and have plans to do it again this year when they are out traveling the country. It's a win-win. We don't go anywhere anyway so it's easy for us to walk over and feed, water, and collect eggs. They reap the benefits of having fresh eggs and meat, but don't have to be tied to home.

Today we went over to meet the new 'crop' of chicks. There are 18 fuzz balls staying warm in the garage. Soon they will move to their nice digs in the chicken coop. I've never seen such a NICE chicken coop before! I had no problem doing chores in my CHURCH shoes last fall - it's THAT clean! We also able to view J's extensive model train set. The kids would still be over there if we hadn't dragged them home. Before we left J showed us a project he's been working on. A huge workbench FULL of wooden crosses. Some from wood on the farm, others from his place of employment. They were beautiful!

He wanted us to have one. We picked one that was made from wood on the farm - seemed fitting. On the bottom are a series of Bible references about salvation. What a legacy! And what a keepsake! We brought ours home and placed it front and center on our fireplace mantel. It matches the woodwork beautifully.

Barely five minutes after we walked back into our house Jo and Howard's camper pulled in. Our camp hosts from the past two years are back again and we couldn't be happier. Julia exclaimed in excitement, "Can they stay for a while?" Her jaw dropped when I said, "Yes, SIX MONTHS!" Don't get me wrong, we enjoy the quiet of the off season, but it's worth the craziness of the camping season to have our friends back for the summer/fall!

Side note: When we went down to greet Jo and Howard we stopped over at the office for a minute first. I heard something in the upstairs storage area and had to laugh. So that's where the cat disappeared to! At least she was warm and I'm guessing had plenty of mice to eat - though she was mighty glad to return to our basement and her kitty food so maybe there weren't very many mice after all?!

The rain started coming down about 5:30 - (just in time for soccer practice) so I'm glad we were able to visit with our neighbors before the weather turned icky. 39 degrees and raining. Yuck! The kids toughed it out on the field for about 15 minutes and then an adult pulled the plug. Must have been one who didn't bring an umbrella. Me? I bought a Sport Umbrella at Sam's Club and am so glad I did! Between the wind last week and the rain this week. I've already gotten my $40 worth and I haven't even taken it to the beach yet!

Come on nice weather!!!! We're ready for you!

The Dragon

Julia comes home with artwork in her backpack most days. It's always fun to see what she's created at school. It usually involves a sun and lately the outline of the drawing has been trimmed with scissors. She certainly isn't lacking in the fine motor skills department!

Today's artwork is making it on the blog today because of how it made my jaw drop when I saw it hanging on the wall. She asked for tape the second she walked in the door. OK, fine. I gave her the roll and she went about posting her drawing on the wall where all the other artwork is displayed. When I got the all clear to come see I couldn't believe my eyes!

She drew from memory an almost exact replica of an art project that Sam brought home a month ago.

See?


Seriously? How does she remember this stuff? It reinforces my idea of filling her Easter basket with art supplies that's for sure! Plus, I have already commissioned her to fill four frames with her art for BabyBear's room. I can't wait to see what she comes up with!

Sunday Snapshots

I did in fact take quite a few photographs this weekend, but won't be posting any of them tonight. They are on my phone and on my CF card which requires way more effort that I'm willing to make right now. Sorry, but I'm BEAT! I walked and was on my feet more this weekend than I have in a month of Sundays. Ouch! Before I crash I wanted to jot down some snapshots of our weekend. It was a special weekend, yet ordinary at the same time. Let me explain...

*Saturday - Julia's half birthday. We celebrated with half a cake and 4 1/2 candles, but we did it on Friday night because PapaBear and I had rescheduled our date day for Saturday. I was bummed to miss out on celebrating with Julia, but she didn't seem to mind. Going to Grandma and Grandpa's house was celebrating for her! PapaBear and I enjoyed a few hours wandering IKEA and the Mall of America and then we went home so I could get ready for my girl's night out with fellow bloggers. Fun times!!!!

I talked to the kids on the phone before bed. What is it about a child's voice on the phone that makes them sound like cherubs? Melt my heart! I was able to make it home by 10:30pm thanks a whole mess of green lights. I will be glad when the river isn't flooded anymore and crossing the river isn't so difficult!

*Sunday - Sunday school for the kids and breakfast at McDonalds for PapaBear and I. I really relish that hour he and I spend together over sausage biscuits. We read the paper and more often than not I have some project to discuss with him. It's peaceful and unrushed. We sat in front of my BIL and SIL at church this morning. It's always a treat to see them! Before we left the house this morning we prepped the kids on our expectations. What a difference it makes in their behavior during church! They both whispered when they needed something and for the most part entertained themselves and then watched the skit with almost their full attention. It was so nice to not be stressed out about their behavior!

Back at home we ate a quick lunch and then headed outside for Julia's 1/2 birthday portraits (complete with birthday girl hat per her request) Sam and Daddy joined us and after Julia changed clothes we wandered through the campground picking up walnuts, exploring the woods, observing snakes (there were a BUNCH!), and climbing on huge slices of trees that had been cut down last week. There was some damage done to the road by running water and the kids were very intrigued by the four foot hole in the middle of the park road.

Eventually we made our way home and did some work in the garden space. I'm leaving a few bales from last year in hopes of growing potatoes in the loose straw. The kids dug for worms, played baseball, soccer, hunted for more walnuts, and demolished our gingerbread house as is our traditional way of celebrating when the snow is (mostly) gone. We still have dirty piles here and there, but for the most part it's GONE!!!!! (Until tomorrow when it's suppose to snow again) But today The temps had to be in the 60's - it was SO warm!

By 4pm we were all tired and hungry so we came in for our simple Sunday dinner which this time consisted of chips & salsa - nobody wanted popcorn so we went straight to ice cream sundaes. During the original version of The Shaggy Dog there is a part where the characters are at a formal dance. Julia hopped down off the couch and asked Daddy to dance. So there in her panda bear pj's father and daughter danced in the middle of the living room. It was precious!

The Bible story tonight happened to be part of the same scripture the skit at church was based on and it was really nice to hear Sam make the connection just based on me reading the title "Son of Laughter". It took them less than 5 minutes to fall asleep once we tucked them in. I'm guessing it will take me all of 5 seconds! Goodnight!

What did you do this weekend?

He is Special

We celebrate special days in our house. The kids really look forward to the privilages that go along with that day, but no matter what we manage to forget to celebrate on the exact date sometimes. It really doesn't matter - in fact when we forget I don't even tell the kids - I simply announce that "tomorrow is your special day!" and go with it. This month we were a day late for both of the kids so it all worked out.

We didn't do anything fancy today, but it was still special. Sam chose cereal for breakfast, pizza in his lunch, and waffles for dinner. Daddy even put strawberry sauce and powdered sugar on top! He's going to be talking about that meal for months! He asked to go to the library after school. I picked out a new dinosaur book for him to check out. We played outside for over an hour when we got home. Sledding, 'snowboarding', climbing the mountains of snow that surround our yard, and throwing snowballs - kinda the last hurrah before the rain comes and washes away all our snow (hopefully!)

After dinner Sam and Daddy played dinosaur and then we played two rounds of the board game "Camp" per Sam's request. We had a fun evening together as a family and for the first time those last two hours before bedtime flew by. He never asked to watch TV. He didn't ask for a treat after dinner. It was a special night! We read their devotional and their Jesus Storybook Bible in Julia's room as has become our tradition and as I finish this up he's curled up in my bed for a sleepover.

I pray that the reason behind our special days (to fill up their love tanks) was successful today - I know my heart is overflowing with love for both of them!

What do you do to give your children the individual attention they crave?

Mommy and Me Monday - Our Fall Vacation

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 say in the summer months, but in late October? Q.U.I.E.T!

The first two nights we stayed at the Edgewater Hotel and Waterpark and stored our perishables in the mini fridge. On Wednesday when it was time to say goodbye to our suite and hello to nature, we had our hotdogs, beans, S'mores, granola, hot chocolate, and gorp all ready to go. It was chilly that night with a few raindrops, but we were snug and warm in our heated cabin after dinner!

We don't get to take very many vacations because we are tied to the park much of the time so we had high expectations for this trip - it didn't disappoint!

Head on over to Krystyn's blog for more Mommy and Me moments!

Hosted by Krystyn at Really, Are You Serious?
And because I love book design and photography...here are a 10 tips on how to make your next family vacation book the best it can be!

1) take detail shots as well as wide sweeping shots. This is key to telling your story. Example in our book - the pages about the waterpark and our night in the camper cabin.

2) use the information your camera stores to look up the time you did things if you want to include those details in your book (came in handy when we were up before sunrise to watch the ship come into the harbor)

3) Even though the scene might not be 'picture perfect' take the photo anyway! When you piece your book together it's more about telling the story than only having beautiful photographs. Photos that are darker than you'd want or aren't 'picture perfect' can be put in a storyboard layout rather than a large 5x7 or 8x10 spread. (for example: the pictures of our food at Perkins)

4) You don't need captions for every picture - summarize the activity either under the photo or better yet, write on top of a photo that has a 'blank space' for writing

5) Don't forget to take pictures of traveling...it isn't always about the destination, sometimes the story is in the journey to get there! (what did the kids do in the car to keep busy, did they fall asleep? Take a picture of the GPS or better yet the road map!)

6) If you are the one who usually takes the photos - change it up! Let your children take a few and don't be shy about asking a stranger to take some of your whole family! One trick I use is to walk up to a mom who's about to take a photo of her husband and kids and ask her if she'd like me to take the photo so she could be in it. Once you've returned their camera sometimes the mom will offer on her own to take one for your family or it's never been an issue if I ask her to take one of us. Be sure to tell them it's OK to snap away so you have a few to choose from!

7) Turn your camera from time to time. If you are prone to taking all vertical or all horizontal photos, you won't have as much flexibility when designing your book.

8) If you've followed the first 7 tips you should have lots to work with when it comes time to design your book...so DIVE IN! With digital bookmaking it's easy to change things around. Just start plugging photos in and before you know it you'll have a great first draft! Mix the close up shots with the story shots, add a few words when necessary and you are well on your way to having a beautiful book your family will treasure forever!

9) Chose a photo for the cover (and if you have the option, the back cover as well), include the date either on the cover or on the title page inside. I prefer scenery shots for covers - family photos can be enlarged inside, but my preference is for a beautiful landscape or a close up of something instead of people on the cover.

10) Spell check your book and have someone else read through it as well. I missed a mistake in our book because I knew what it was suppose to say and that's what my brain saw.

It goes without saying that you want to enjoy your vacation and not have to worry about documenting every last moment. BE in the moment as much as you can! I take a bunch of photos when we first arrive to get my detail shots and then I put my DSLR down. We spent two days at the waterpark, but I only took pictures on the first day and spread them out between both days in the book. I try not to ask my kids to look at the camera any more than I 'need' to. Documentary style is much more relaxed, but when my kids get in the mood to be in front of the camera and ask me to take their picture - I rarely turn them down!

For the Love of Sam

One thing that I've learned over the 6+ years I've been a mom is that while we never really want our babies to grow up, there is something really special about witnessing them grow into themselves. The relationship changes and I think it only gets better! Take Sam for example. He didn't talk in sentences until he was two and a half. Now we can have long conversations about life and I'm loving it! Last night he was suppose to be in bed but we were having such a great talk I didn't even consider cutting it short and sending him to bed.

He soaks up knowledge like a sponge, doesn't forget a thing, and is learning SO much in school. In January he learned to read, in February he learned to count money, and this month he's starting adding and subtracting. He enjoys school (except for the parts where he has to sit too long) and is friends with everyone.


He's excited about the baby coming and is going to be such a great big brother! He also has a name picked out for her, but that one we're keeping to ourselves. Sorry!

Simply Tuesday

Outside my window... mountains of snow on top of layers of ice.


I am thinking... that I really need to be better about doing yoga so my back doesn't hurt all the time.


I am thankful for... a doc who would call in a prescription for pink eye without having to see Julia first and that she's on the mend from Influenza A after five days of being lethargic. I'm also thankful to be 21 weeks and already have seen the good news that BabyBear's cyst is gone. You can read more about how we found out the gender here.


From the kitchen... oranges and grapefruit. Can't get enough fruit these days. Oh and fresh baked bread...or what's left of it. I'll be popping another loaf in the oven for lunch tomorrow. Yum!


I am wearing... black yoga pants, black thermal shirt, and my park* socks

*When we worked for the National Park Service we were given a clothing allowance to purchase uniform pieces. I always ordered extra socks because they are super comfy and last a long time. I've had this pair ten years!


I am creating... a 320 page blog book for a client in Colorado.


I am going... to the chiropractor tomorrow if I can get in. I only go every two weeks even though I could easily go once a week.

I am reading... The Power of Praying Parent and whatever book in the Bible I happen to open up each day.

I am hoping... that nobody else comes down with the flu.


I am hearing... Sam making gun/shooting noises from his room. It's his normal bedtime sound effect ritual. Boys!

Around the house... it's actually not all that messy! I cleaned a bunch on Saturday and it hasn't had time to clutter back up quite yet. The cat is yowling from the basement. Apparently she's in heat. I have Google to thank for the answer to her strange behavior lately.

One of my favorite things... the video I took of Julia singing the Whinnie the Pooh theme song tonight. I wish I could find it on You Tube where supposedly my phone uploaded it to so I could share it with you, but I didn't have any luck. She still sounds like she has a cold, but she's in tune and so sweet!

A few plans for the rest of the week: Chiropractor, work, grocery shopping, and renting skis over the weekend thanks to all this fresh new snow from the weekend storm. (grumble grumble)


Here is picture for thought I am sharing... This winter has been awful
as far as getting outside to play in the snow. This photo was taken two weekends ago on the ONLY day I could take the kids skiing. Sam went with Daddy early in the season once, but it's been too cold otherwise.

Julia was on real skis for the first time and did great!

For more Simple Woman's Daybook posts, click here.

How we found out what we're having

I'm 20 weeks today, but all I have for belly photos to share is this one from 15 weeks, 6 days.

OK, so now that I've got that out of the way it's time to share how we found out. I knew I wanted it to be special...something unique to our family....something I hadn't heard of before.....

Here's how we did it:

All four of us went to 19 week ultrasound appointment at 4pm on Friday afternoon, February 11th (incidentally, the same day in 2004 I told PapaBear we were pregnant with Sam) We arrived armed with a Christmas present that hadn't been played with yet and a couple of candy canes. I wanted to focus on the screen and what the tech said and not have the kids be bouncing off the walls.

Sam surprised us all by chatting with, Angie, our technician, through the whole thing. He could identify hands that waved and asked questions about what he was seeing. Julia was content to eat her candy cane and play with her new toy. When it was time to look everyone looked away, except Sam. He had an important job to do. He went to the desk with Angie who wrote out It's a ______. Sam brought the card over to the rest of us and read what it said. I couldn't have been prouder of my boy! He just learned to read in January and I thought this would be a fun way to include him and celebrate his big accomplishment. He did great!

Fast forward to Monday (Valentine's Day) when we invited family over for dinner. Due to schedule conflicts only PapaBear's parents were able to attend so we made some phone calls later that night. Nobody knew we decided to find out and had no clue that they were about to know the gender too so it was pretty fun for the kids to hand out their valentines that read:





























Our baby girl was so active that other than getting a glimpse of her four chambered heart, we didn't get to do all the measurements they want so I'm going back in on Friday for another look. I will ask them to look for one other thing while I'm there....I mentioned a prayer request on twitter this morning and it relates to something they saw in her brain. She has a choroid plexus cyst that I'm praying fervently is GONE by the time I go back in on Friday. This could be nothing more than a blocked duct, but it's also an indicator of Trisomy 18. I wish the doctor hadn't even mentioned that part since a cyst seen at this stage of brain development (18-20weeks) is typically gone soon after the 20 week mark and there were no other indicators for it, but it still worries me. I'm measuring a little under 20 weeks so by the time my ultrasound on Friday morning it could still be there and still be considered normal. Obviously our heart's desire is for it to be GONE and for her heart to be normal as well. Would you pray for that with us? We would be most grateful.

Heart Strings

As I slowly but surely have more days with less medication (learned the hard way yesterday that I can't go cold turkey. The result? Repeated vomiting all morning long) I am able to be in the moment with my kids more often. When the fog lifts there are some really really sweet moments to be had - especially related to this new life growing inside me. A couple recent examples:

Julia: Good night Mommy! Good night baby! Hope you sleep well. {kisses my belly}
Sam: {Julia is already asleep in her bed when Sam comes in} Good night Julia. Jesus loves you!
Julia: {in the bathtub saying a prayer} Thank you for my bath and the baby!
Sam: {Julia asleep in her bed, Sam touches her on the shoulder} God bless you!


Those are some good tugs on this mama's heart strings!

The end is in sight

The mountains of snow in our park have been available for winter fun since mid November, but it's been so darn cold we're lucky if the kids get out once a week. Thankfully February is flying by and before we know it we'll be tapping Maple trees and pulling out puddle boots. I know we're suppose to make the most of every day, but this has been the worst.winter.ever and I am so glad the end is in sight!

BabyBear Update - 15 weeks

I don't feel like there's a whole lot to update since my life these days revolves around watching the clock for when I can take my next dose of medicine and pacing myself in the eating department.

Here's a 14 week belly photo to distract you from my next sentence. I gained 10 pounds in 3 weeks. The good news is that I'm only back to my pre-pregnancy weight which I guess is doing OK considering I'm 15 weeks today.

My doctor finds the heartbeat really easily at my appointments (in the 150's) and what a sweet sound it is. I'm still sick every day, but haven't thrown up in quite a while. I graze all.day.long on whatever sounds good. I'm waiting for the "I want a SALAD!" craving to kick in like it did with Sam. Right now I'm stuck on a Cherry Coke & Fritos craving. It's awful. I know how bad pop is for me, yet it's one of the only things that calms my tummy besides sleep.

Speaking of sleep. I'm still going to bed super early - usually sound asleep by 8pm, if not earlier. I'm holding off on the Unisom until the middle of the night and breaking the dose into two in hopes that my catastrophic dreams will stay away and I can get more than 2 hours of sleep at a time. Right now I'm waking up almost every.single.hour. Not restful at all let me tell ya!

Sam and Julia ask when the baby is going to come out of my tummy about once a day. They know that when it's time to go to the beach again that it's going to be almost time. We scheduled our 20 week ultrasound for a time that they could both attend. I hope that doesn't turn out to be a mistake. I really want them involved and to get a glimpse of their sibling in action in a few weeks.

Are we going to find out what we're having? Don't know yet. IF we do find out, we won't be sharing the names on our list until after the baby is born. We have lots of girl names to choose from but our boy list is pathetically short. If you have any suggestions please share! We like classic, easy to spell names that will sound good with Sam and Julia. Bonus points to the person who comes up with a boy name (that we like) that has the "aw" sound in it!

I think that's about it for a baby update. Like I said, my world revolves around medication and food. Thankfully I have two busy kids to distract me!

toys today

My mom called to wish us a happy new year. We talked and laughed. It was refreshing. I've missed having her here every day like she was the week before Christmas. Since then it's been so quiet here. You know, as quiet as it can be with a bunch of new Christmas presents to entertain us....er I mean THEM. We are pretty much housebound with the weather and the need to catch up on work that I couldn't do when I was so sick. It's easy to get discouraged. I'm easily distracted and bored. I'm tired all the time because I'm not sleeping well at night. Anyone else deal with waking constantly at night while pregnant? I expect the 2-3 times a night to use the bathroom, but HOURLY waking is killing me! It's been going on for a month. Ugh. See? Easily distracted....I meant to write about the toys the kids are enjoying these days.

I have three words for you.

Remote.

Control.

Helicoptor.


The boy is in love and I don't think daddy minds showing how it works. We are excited to take it out when the snow is gone so we can fly it out in the open instead of our dining room.


Another favorite?

Bowling ball and pin set.

It's meant for toddlers but with our wide long hallway upstairs we have the perfect bowling alley. Sam keeps score - great for learning addition and the practice writing doesn't hurt either. it's a big hit with everyone.

Nerf guns.

It adds a new element to the "school" game the kids play with daddy. Wait. That doesn't sound good. It really isn't school like so don't worry :)

There is no shortage of imaginative play, good old fashioned art projects, and plenty of sibling squabbles to keep us on our toes.

Plenty to keep them busy until school starts again.

How to Throw a Snake Themed Birthday Party

There isn't much on the web about how to do a snake themed birthday party, but that didn't stop me from honoring my kid's request for a snake birthday party. In case you have a snake lover in your family - here's a few tips on how to have a fun and easy party!


1. applique snakes onto shirts using the same method here. (optional: Instead of letters use their age)
2 let kids make crowns from poster board a decorate with stick on letters and jeweled stickers
3. hide a dozen plastic snakes around the yard and have the kids each find one
4. Fill decorative cups with gummy snakes for them to take home as favors.
5. Cut out plywood in the shape of a snake then cover with green construction paper
6. Line up cupcakes decorated with frosting that matches your child's favorite snake - Coral
7. Use a couple of chocolate chips & a strip of Fruit by the Foot to cut out a snake tongue.
8. Have pizza delivered so there isn't any cooking
9. Have a couple games ("hot potato snake" & the limbo under a snake) on hand
10. Sit back and watch the kids have a ball!

Optional - plan the party for when a nearby park district is having a snake program so you can take the group to see the snakes! (We were almost able to do this, but unfortunately our park snake program was too early in the season) Oh well!

Alphabitty Moments - The letter R

We're already on the downhill slide for this round of Alphabitty Moments! It goes so fast! By the end of the alphabet this time both my kids will have two books of every day moments to look back at. The beauty of this carnival is that you can do it over and over again because interests and ability change.

I don't know if Sam is going to outgrow is love of racing any time soon but I came across this picture* in my archives and new I had to incorporate it into alphabitty moments somehow.
Running, Racing, Romping....it all applies to my rough and tumble boy. He LOVES to race. He races his own teammates to the ball in soccer even after the whistle blows. We're working on that.

* I love how this picture shows the perspective how close we are to where we work. There is no doubt we live in the park. (That's our home behind the barn where the campground office is located. I stood in a campsite to take the photo of Sam racing across the island on a beautiful November day last year. The weather is just as nice today so I think I'll take the kids down to the pond for some frog catching. Fun times.

Alphabitty Moments - The letter Q

Ah, the dreaded Q. It's a tricky one to find a relevant Alphabitty Moment for, but thanks to Sam's recent love of Chess, I was able to use QUEEN.

He's been pretending to play chess for a while now but last week PapaBear read a book and figured out how to play and then taught Sam. The next day he taught me.


It's really fun and not nearly as intimidating as I thought! I love sitting down to play a game with Sam - we just need to stop doing it before school so we aren't rushing so much at the last minute. :)

Do you play? How about your children?

(our set was purchased off of Craigslist for $12 - it's from Poland)

slowing down

Life rarely slows down for our family. Even the little trip the kids and I took to ride bikes on some new trails had a two fold purpose. One, our park system is developing a brochure for the new trails so I was asked to take some photographs while the colors are at their peak. Two, it's birthday month for our kids so I dressed them accordingly in hopes of snapping a few keepers to commemorate their 4th and 6th birthdays.

Our outing was fun and productive. I admit I found myself prompting the kids to hurry up so we could get to the next leg of the trail or hurry up to get their seat belts buckled (they can do it themselves now! Hallelujah!). I can feel my heart starting to race and the pressure mount when they move.so.slow. I can also feel that nudge to let them be. Do we really need to hurry up? Sometimes the answer is yes (like this morning when Julia slept until 5 minutes before our departure time) but much of the time I'm hurrying them out of habit.

It's something I want to work on - for their sake and mine. I've started to notice that when they ask for something like a snack or help with something they want me to hurry up! How does that saying go? "Lord grant me patience, and I want it right now!"




Be still and know that I am God.

Psalm 46:10

Wordless Wednesday - Fall Fun

alphabitty moments - the letter p

This week
Alphabitty Moments is brought to you by the letter P.






P is for Plastic spoons (and if I can get more pictures of the other plastic items my kids used as toddlers I will add those to the book before printing)

Wait, you say, that's not a moment - that's a thing!


Here's how I look at it - It's something that my children used at a time in their childhoods. That time feels like a moment in the grand scheme of things. In fact we are really close to retiring the Gerber bowls the kids use for cold things (hot items are reserved for glass custard dishes or Pampered Chef Prep Bowls). Pretty soon there won't be any colorful items in my cabinets anymore and a moment of their childhood will have passed.

What P moment do you want to remember this week?

Fall Harvest Orchard Outing

If you haven't been to to Fall Harvest Orchard then you are missing out on a whole lot of fun! September 4th in BearCountry was BEAUTIFUL so we packed up the van for a little road trip and headed out to find Fall Harvest. I'd visited their Facebook page so I knew a little bit about what to expect. Everyone raved about the place and the orchard (and working farm) didn't disappoint.

Upon our arrival the owner greeted us and directed us towards a girl with a basket of (FREE) food for the goats. Sign me up! I HATE having to pay 25 cents for a small handful of grain!



Back to our outing...we fed the goats half a bag of grain and then moved on to the other baby animals on the farm. Adorable chicks and sweet kitchens were the highlights of the day for me.














The kids really enjoyed the corn bins and feeding the cows.













Two hours after our arrival we were ready to take a wagon ride through the orchard. The driver stopped along the way to let us pick popcorn and a gourd for each of us and then again to show us the sunflowers & unique equipment they use for harvesting. We did have to pay for the ride ($1.25 per person) but it was worth it considering all the fun we had on our first outing to Fall Harvest Orchard.

Did we even pick apples? You bet! (They have U-pick and you can buy them in the store as well.) We also picked up a big mason jar of honey. Yum! There was a hail storm in the area this summer so their Honey Crisp are on sale for less than $2 a pound even though there was hardly any damage that I could see. We were able to eat all our apples - no bad spots for us - and are looking forward to going back for more!

Have you been to an orchard this year? Which is your favorite?

Alphabitty moments - The letter O

Welcome to Alphabitty Moments where we stop and remember the little things of childhood! These are not the milestones or the well documented events like holidays or birthdays, but the every day things, events, and emotions that might be forgotten as our kid's interests and abilities develop.

This week 'O' is for "Old McDonalds", the name my kids gave McDonald's long ago. I suppose some day I should correct them but for now it's Old McDonalds to us! I took these pictures at a McDonald's an hour from home.



Our local McDonalds doesn't have these fun chairs or the yummy chocolate ice cream, but I snapped these as a reminder of Sam's favorite food there - "douvle hamburger" and ice cream!









What's your Alphabitty Moment for this week?