Miss Connie was six and a half months when she first traveled to Grandma and Grandpa Pulvermachers in the Wild, Wild West (Webster, South Dakota). We made the trip again this year, a few weeks later than the year before and experienced our first snowfall of 2016, as well as a quality visit.
Fabulous, home-cooked meals, warm hospitality, genuine excitement, fencing, vintage toys, stories, cows, and dancing filled our three full days. Great moments, lasting memories. Continue reading
I did not have any intention on dressing Miss Connie up for Halloween this year. Afterall, she is only 18-months-old so does not yet grasp the concept of trick-or-treating. And we don’t permit her to have sugar, especially in the form of candy, so what would be the point? Continue reading
On Monday, Cody started a new job after 12.5 years with The Kraemer Company. Spoiled with a short commute for so long, he is acclimating this week to the journey to Mega Rentals in Madison. We are excited for the change and using it as an opportunity to improve processes in our home… waking early, prepping lunch the night before, and ensuring the coffee maker is programmed for a caffine-induced commute!
I took an impromptu day off on Monday and thought it would be a nice excuse to ‘celebrate’ his new job. Miss Connie and I met him in Madison that evening for dinner then a trip to Pope Farm Conservancy to see the sunflower field. Continue reading
Going through images the other night and getting images off our cell phones, I realized there are a number of captures of my baby girl I didn’t get around to posting. This is for me (for us) more than anything. Our online, digital journal. So as to not be remiss in our experiences around the time of her first birthday, here they are. Continue reading
I was diligent in posting monthly during the first 12 months, purging our monthly collection of photos. That first year is a big one and I think we did well to capture it in our various forms. Going forward, we’ll purge photos periodically. Here is what early summer has looked like so far.
She loves rides on the tractor, skid steer and four wheeler. We take frequent walks around the land. New to the farm this year, oats. A trip to the zoo, berry picking, and everyday life on the farm.
She is so fun right now. Continue reading
A milestone birthday calls for a milestone photo session! Following her one-year commemorative photos, we celebrated with a cake smash!
Now there are different levels of “protective parent.” I let Connie explore and figure things out for herself and don’t hover too much. She’s received bruises and scratches along the way, but she has also gained confidence and curiosity and is developing very well. When it comes to what she is consuming however, I hover! It is important to me that her exposure to pesticides, toxins, and processed foods is very limited. Continue reading
Happy, happy, happy birthday, Miss Connie! I could mention all the clichés that come with time going too fast, but I’ll just say I am in awe. She’s developed into a little person with personality, tenacity, and a big heart. This has been an amazing year, truly. 
Weight: 22.02 lbs (83%) | Height: 32.75″ (100+%) | Head: 18.25″ (86%) Continue reading
In just a few short days, our sweet angel will be a year old. I’m still in disbelief. We had the opportunity last weekend to visit with our Arkansas family, the Eichorsts. We departed on Thursday at about 4 p.m. Miss Connie fell asleep at her usual time of 8 p.m. and as she stayed asleep through the night, we drove through the night. Cody delivered us safely to my sister’s home almost 12 hours after we left Bear Vale. Continue reading
Easter brought Grandpa Carl and Grandma Darcy from South Dakota for a visit. This provided us with the opportunity for a laid back visit, catching up, and the celebration of Easter, a late Christmas, and an early birthday for Miss Connie. Continue reading
March offered warm temps, longer days, and many evenings outside. We load Connie up in the backpack carrier and off we go for chores and hikes–so we have many selfies this month! Mud season is in full swing at the farm and we are looking forward to green pastures. Cody picked up a manure spreader so that is helping to keep things a little cleaner in the barn yard but the girls are anxious to be in the fileds. Continue reading
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
Here’s a collage of images from February 2016. She turned 10 months old, Cody and I celebrated five years together, and we’re making updates to the lower level of the original part of the house. We were able to visit with Great Grandpa Harry on Valentine’s day.
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.
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
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
Bear Vale Farm 