Author: BearVale

11 Months

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Officially our last ‘monthly’ photo session for Miss Connie… it saddens me that she has somehow transformed from a tiny helpless babe to a little woman on the move so quickly. But o the other hand, she has been a ton of fun and each month gets more fun. I am so am somewhat relieved that our photog Rachel will be handling her one-year photos. It is very difficult to get her to sit still for any length of time and the gimmicks that once worked, now have no effect.

She continues to be a smiley and happy baby and passes out kisses whenever asked. She loves singing and dancing, being sung to, and talking on the phone. She can clap along to “if you’re happy and you know it,” stack rings, and blow kisses. She loves being outside to give snuggles to the horses and moo at the cows. She could be off and walking any minute but is still gaining confidence with her balance.

Weight: 21 lbs   |   Height: 30.5″   |   Head: 18″   |  Teeth: Eight Continue reading →

Sugar and Your Health

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Sugar is killing you, literally. It  impairs your health, makes you more prone to disease, causes skin problems, impacts your mood, and is slowing you down.

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As a female, I have always been conscience about maintaining my weight, getting exercise and controlling portions. Over the past few months however I have really taken conscientious to a new level and am more involved in my food selections.

I have a sweet tooth. And my vice is chocolate. A craving for a bite of chocolate turned into devouring an entire bar or bag of whatever treat had found its way into my home. I realized that the more I ate the more I wanted. I wasn’t satisfying a sweet tooth anymore, I was addicted. At the same moment I was questioning my addiction, my friend Rachel suggested I watch That Sugar Film.

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MOSES Conference

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In late February I came across an article about two young farmers who were serving 65 CSA members on roughly four ares of land. I was impressed. The article mentioned the MOSES Organic Farming Conference and I thought I’d look it up as something for Cody and I to consider attending in the future.

Upon searching for the event, I discovered it was taking place the very next week. I printed off the agenda, we reviewed the sessions and decided it was worth our time. So we loaded Miss Connie and the pups and dropped them off with Grandma and Papa on our way to La Crosse.

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Family Winter Session

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Fall is the typical time in which families gather to get their annual photo session. The fall colors, the comfortable temperatures, and the timing before the holiday card season favor this timing. While we did do a fall session as we typically do (find here)–colors arrived late so these look more like summer images–Rachel and I also wanted winter snowy photos. We had scheduled and rescheduled this session three times to try to get the right amount of snow on the ground. Little did we know our last date shift would result in a perfect snowy Wisconsin day in February. Valentine’s day no less.

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10 Months

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Happy Valentine’s Day! I wanted some ‘love day’ images separate from her monthly images so last week I captured some in advance of Valentine’s day. Aunt Laura and Uncle Wayne gifted an adorable outfit. The shirt says “I love you” all over it, the sweater has heart pockets, and the red pants bring it all together. Red is definitely her color.  Continue reading →

Sledding

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Miss Connie had her first taste of sledding this past weekend at the Schluter cabin. We arrived late and missed many of the guests, but we made it in time to catch the remaining light in the day.

Connied tucked away in one arm, sled in the other, Cody made his way to the top of the hill. I stayed at the bottom of the hill to record the ride. I had no concerns… until the started down the hill. They picked up speed quickly and traveled faster than I anticipated. Cody attempted to slow down by putting his feet out, that just threw snow into her face. Mere seconds later, they were safely stopped at the bottom. Connied didn’t seem scared or upset, nor did she seem to love the experience. I think she was trying to just take it all in.  Continue reading →

January Photo Dump

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We are started a new home improvement project! Before Connie was born, we were busy preparing for her and creating additional space. We carved out a brand new living room area and storage space, updated the spare bedroom, and got her nursery in order. That was nearly a year ago, so it’s time to get back at it. A face-lift is underway for the dining room, bathroom, kitchen and hallway. Small enhancements here and there but all combined should make a good impact and give us a much needed update.  Continue reading →

9 Months

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This is such a fun age. Her mind is processing and analyzing and solving. She is learning so quickly and excited to try her new skills.

A few weeks ago she initiated a peek-a-boo game with me by ducking behind the coffee table then popping back up. She did this again with her daddy and I was able to get it on video. A couple of days ago I was in the shower. I kept the curtain pulled back slightly to keep an eye on her. She pulled herself up on the tub. I pulled the inside liner in front of me then pulled it back and said “boo!” She then grabbed the outside curtain and did the same. Her ‘boo’ comes out as ‘ba’.  Continue reading →

Sleep Training

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In previous posts, I alluded to our experimentation with sleep training. Miss Connie has slept well from the start. I cannot complain about sleepless nights or having days and nights mixed up. She spoiled us from the beginning.

When we brought her home, we started with her sleeping in our bed (co-sleeping). I would lay on my back and place her between my legs, approximate at my knees with her head toward my feet. She slept in the V shape of my legs and I laid in the same spot throughout the night. I’ve never had the intention of co-sleeping long-tern, but as I was nursing, it was easy to have her in bed with me. I felt when she woke up and could immediately grab her, change her, nurse her. We did this for the first month. Some don’t know how I could sleep like that, but it was very comfortable for me and the mama instincts never once allowed me to roll over or move my legs. She was safe.  Continue reading →

Gus

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Mr. Popular...and his friendsFor the past year we have been fighting leg tumors on Gus. In November 2014 we did the first surgery to remove the mass. After a few months, it returned. A second surgery was scheduled in June 2015. Within a few months, the tumor came back. Within weeks, as quickly as it came on, it disappeared. A miracle of sorts–good! Continue reading →

First Christmas

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We had several gatherings this year for Christmas 2015. I was looking forward to the holiday with Miss Connie. She is old enough to tear paper and open the gifts, but not yet old enough to understand why or what is in the wrapped package. Also not yet old enough to tear through gift after gift like a Tasmanian devil. This year, we was more into eating the wrapping paper than opening the gift completely.  Continue reading →

Legacy

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When I attend a funeral and listen to the the words people select to describe their loved one, or when I read an eulogy or obituary, I wonder, “what will they say about me?” We probably all do that to some extent. We may even think, ‘well of course they say nice things, no one is going to tell you what a jerk the dead guys was.…’ I always find it hits me during those moments and I walk away telling myself to be conscience of my actions, words and example and conduct myself in a way I would want to be remembered. I try to carry those thoughts with me… ‘what will they say about me? how will others remember me? what is my legacy?’ With the hustle and bustle of every day life, I soon forget. I need reminders.  Continue reading →

A visit with Great Grandma

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The days and years go by too fast, and the visits and time with family, the truly important things, get lost in the shuffle of daily life. My grandmother lives about an hour and a half from me, but for one reason, of for or a dozen bad excuses, I see her just once a year on average. I was excited when she made the journey to join us in June for Mariah’s graduation party. We also got to see her last week. Continue reading →