Saturday was all about turkey hunting preparation.  Jeff and Matt, along with a few of the kids, will be out trying to put a couple of turkey breasts in the freezer on Monday.  So since everyone was getting ready for their seasons to start, I took the opportunity to get the wife sighted in and ready as well.  Our season doesn’t start for another couple of weeks, but who I am to sit back and let everyone else shoot.

Jeff got his youngest stepson sighted in and ready for his first turkey season, my wife is sighted in and ready to put down her first bird, and we even managed to get another one of our cousins to shoot a gun for the first time.  After a little lesson on how to shoot the gun, she managed to put a few shots right in the kill zone, so Jeff may take her out sometime this week and let her try her luck, especially since Michigan has its wonderful new Apprentice Hunting License.

Then, yesterday, the wife and I bundled up little Abby and took her out to the 10 acres that her Papa and Grandma own.  This is the place that has the private pond, and is just a little piece of paradise that all of us are fortunate enough to be able to enjoy.  We blew all kinds of bubbles, rode around very slowly on quads, played in the sand pit, sat around the campfire, and I accomplished the one thing I set out to do – catch Abby’s first fish.

Considering it’s the early season, the fishing was a little slow, but I still managed to land one little bass – with Abby’s help of course.  You never know how the little ones are going to react to new things, but Abby didn’t have any problem reeling in the fish…….touching the fish…….or laying a Jimmy Houston kiss on the fish.  It was hysterical, and made for an awesome afternoon.

Spring has definitely sprung, and with it the outdoor activities are really starting to ramp up.  Turkey season begins on Monday, and camping will be here before we know it.

This weekend was perfect.  I got the wife sighted in and ready to kill her first bird; we managed to recruit a young girl for hunting; and I managed to make a memory that will last for a lifetime – catching Abby’s first fish.

Not bad.  Not bad at all.

Author’s note: And, though I loved getting outside during the winter months, it was still nice to be able to head out this weekend, let Abby play outside and have a good time, and not have to dress like we did in this picture.  Oh….winter in Michigan.  You definitely have to wear plenty of layers:):)

Last Thursday, Friday, and Saturday the wife, Abby, and I  did some outside projects on the house.  Of course, Abby had a great time playing outside and didn’t really care that there was work involved.  She tried to “sweep” the grass, and had a great time watching her mommy and I work.  And, of course, in-between work sessions, I made time to play with Abby on the backyard swing.  And to say she enjoyed it would be an understatement.  In fact, she cried when daddy decided it was time to get back to work, and that play time was over.

All of this activity reminded me of something as well:  sometimes the outdoors needs to be kept simple.  I think all of us – when it comes to getting young ones involved in the outdoors – get caught in an idea that, in order for the kids to enjoy being outside, it has to be some elaborate, intensive outdoor experience.  Really, though, getting kids involved in the outdoors can be as simple as playing with your kid on a backyard swing; showing them a spider making its way through the grass; blowing bubbles with them in the backyard; or, as I did last week, showing Abby what the moon really is – that it’s not just some magical life-like object on cartoons.

Simple.

Sure, we all want to immerse our kids in outdoor adventures, including fishing trips and hunting excursions into the deep woods, but we also want to show them how simple and splendid Mother Nature can be.

And that can start right in our own backyard.

And this year I’m going to be able to help little Abby do those kinds of things………and I can’t wait.  Since she was born, I’ve never shied away from getting her outside; we’ve had her camping multiple times, and she’s already played outside this year too.  But this year will be the first year that I can teach her to fish, or chase bugs, and actually have her somewhat comprehend what’s going on.

And I’m excited.

For the last ten years or so, a big dream of mine has been to teach one of my kids about the outdoors; to teach them about life.  And, finally, after a few years of thinking that having our own kids wasn’t going to be a reality, this year that dream is finally going to come true for the wife and I.  We can’t wait to teach Abby all about baiting and setting a hook;  we can’t wait to show her what a lightning bug is while teaching her how to catch one; and we can’t wait to be able to share our love of the outdoors with her (I’m sure our camping trips will never be the same).

Of course, showing Abby all of the things that nature has to offer will also remind us about the wonders that nature holds; it will allow us to look at the outdoor world through kid eyes.

She’ll be able to discover nature while allowing Jenn and I, as we teach her what we know, to discover nature again.

And it was fun.

It started with a chilly quad ride.  Normally this time of year everyone would be riding snowmobiles, but luckily for me the snow hasn’t cooperated and the snowmobile trails were a mess; I don’t own a snowmobile, so I would have had to sit at the cottage and let everyone else ride their sleds.  I do own a quad, though, so three of us took those and tore down some trails and a few of the roads, all the while taking in the awesome scenery.  I love the laws that allow us to ride all the secondary roads in the county.  It’s awesome.

The ice-cold wind was finding its way through my helmet, and the 8 layers I had on weren’t preventing it from smacking me right in the chest.  But I was still in heaven.  The trails and roads were lightly snow-covered, and the scenery was something that could only be found in North Country such as this.  It was awesome.  I ignored the icicles hanging from my nose, my frozen thumb that was operating the throttle, and drove on.  It was perfect.

After a few hours of that, we headed back to all of our families who were waiting at the cottage.  They had come in order to visit Tip Up Town USA.  Houghton Lake is a smorgasbord for anything ice or snow-related this time of year, and the annual two week festival was to provide many things for the kids to do: They rode fair rides, fed a llama that I thought might eat their clothes off, and slid down the ice slide.  Honestly, the ice slide was one of the highlights of the trip – If you could have only seen the smiles on the kids’ faces as they slid down that thing – all bundled up in snow pants and winter coats – with a grin on their face all the way to the bottom.

The adults had a good time, too.  I loved watching the kids experiencing everything, including my little Abby who looked somewhat like the I-can’t-put-my-arms-down kid from A Christmas Story; she was so bundled up I’m not sure how she managed to fall asleep in her stroller through most of the experience.

I even managed to do something that most of the group was amazed by:  walk on the ice.  I hate ice fishing, and I hate standing on the ice; it is just a strange feeling for me.  But when there are vehicles out on the ice, I figure it’s safe to step on out.  Jeff relished in the moment and managed to capture a few pictures for proof.  Heck, it was so much fun, if the weather cooperates; I might even ice fish with him this weekend on a local lake.

Cabin fever tends to settle in for a lot of people this time of year, but I’m glad that hasn’t happened to any of us.  There is just something invigorating and refreshing about being outside………..even if you have to wear 8 layers to stay warm.

After looking at some site statistics, and noticing a few hits on Abby’s pictures that made me a little leery,  I turned into protective dad – and rightfully so I might add.  It’s hard to be a parent and not be protective of your kids.  And while I don’t live in constant fear, I can’t help but try to keep her in a bubble from time to time.  If you don’t believe me about the dangers lurking out there on the ‘net, read Matt’s post.

As a benefit to all of you, however, I have since gotten over the paranoia; not completely, but it has curbed somewhat.  At first I contemplated locking the posts down that had to do with Abby, and requiring people to sign in to view them.  That isn’t the best option, however, and requires a little more headache then I want people to go through to read the site.  So, for now, I will be doing Abby updates again, but only intermittently – with one picture an update.

Believe it or not she is already 8 months old.  I truly can’t believe how fast the time goes by.  And what have you missed in the last few months?  Well, quite a bit actually.  She can wave, she can yell, she can sit up all by herself, she laughs like crazy, and she has already camped for her first time.

Honestly, she is an absolute riot.  She is the most laid-back, easy-going kid I’ve ever been around.  She loved every minute of our camping trip, slept in her pack ‘n play in the tent without a problem, and loves to watch the campfire; it mesmerizes her.  Her and the dog get along awesome, she likes to eat grass to mommy’s dismay, and she is already a huge music lover like her daddy (she even has started to “dance”).

These 8 months have been some of the best of my wife and I’s lives.  We love every minute we get to spend with her, and we can’t wait for the coming months when we will be able to get her more involved in outdoor activities – fishing, hiking, etc.

God help us when she starts walking!

Note: The picture was taken in our backyard.  We had her out there sitting in the grass and just hanging out.  She loved it!

I think that happens to all of us bloggers from time to time; we get a little overwhelmed with posting.  The other contributing factor is that I’m off work for the rest of the week, and have switched to “no” mode : no motivation, no drive, no worries!

Abby and I had a great day yesterday: reading books, playing, napping.  It’s too bad that the weather is still so crappy, otherwise we would have been doing something fun outside.  Instead, we read about animals.  We learned about frogs, ducks, mice, dogs, and cats.  I think I at least gave her an idea of what everything was – everything that her 4 1/2 month old mind can handle anyway.

Tomorrow will be much of the same.  It’s Daddy/Abby day again, and hopefully it goes as well as today did.

Maybe, eventually, this weather will actually break and I can write about actual outdoor adventures.  For now, though, I’ll just take the time with Abby in stride and appreciate every minute of it.

I hope everyone else is having as good of a week as I am.

I’m not trying to rush things, because as many of you know, these early years go by too fast anyway.  But I just can’t help but imagine what our future outdoor endeavours will hold.  I also hope that she loves the outdoors as much as her mom and I do.  I think by starting her early we will help with that.

I wonder how she will handle the whole outdoor experience.  Will she embrace it like Tom did, after being shown the ropes by his Dad?  Will she fall asleep during it, like Jeff’s son from Lowcountryhunting.com? (If any of you haven’t seen those pictures yet, you definitely need to click on over and check them out).  Will she have a slight fear of the outdoors, like my cousin’s daughter did, and develop a fear of big bucks after dark?  Or will she simply dig her heels in, kill her first buck, and load it in the truck like Elizabeth did when she was 15?

All of these things, of course, remain to be seen.  I just can’t really stop myself from wondering what outdoor experiences we will share.  I hope that all of them are fond memories for her, and I hope that we continue to make those memories right through adulthood.

It is honestly okay with me if she chooses not to hunt or fish.  I do hope that she has some sort of love for the outdoors, though – whether it be camping, hiking, kayaking, or whatever.

It’s too bad I couldn’t look into my crystal ball and see what the future holds.  I guess that would eliminate half the fun, though, wouldn’t it?  Because as we share the outdoors together, and I get to show her the outdoors for her first time, that is how the memories will get created.

And not knowing what the future holds only adds to the excitement and wonder.  As the weather starts warming up, the time only gets closer for her first real outdoor experience.

I know she won’t remember it, but her Mom and I certainly will for the rest of our lives..

Honestly, the months are going by too fast.  On January 3rd Abby turned 3 months old.  By the way, if any of you have seen those 3 months, please let me know, the wife and I are looking for them.   I can’t believe it has been that long already.  It seems like just yesterday she was born, and she is already laughing, smiling, and sometimes, already sleeping through the night (we hope that keeps up).

For the past few weeks she has been smiling up a storm.  Of course, her mom and I absolutely love that.  Then, just yesterday, I finally got her to truly laugh out loud for the first time.  I was just tickling her, and blowing on her cheeks, and all of a sudden she started cracking up.  I’m sure that is a moment her mom and I will never forget.

She has also recently discovered a few things:  Her hands and her voice.  She will pick up her hands and just stare them as if to say “Hmm, I wonder what those are?  I think they should go in my mouth”.  She also yells in anger, and yells in delight as well.  I will scream at her, and she screams right back; not the best thing to teach her, but man it cracks me up that she will actually mock us already.

Unfortunately her mom had to go back to work this week, but she is safe at her Aunt’s house while we work.  At this point she is a complete blast to be around.  She’s fun, she smiles, she laughs, she squeals, and just loves to have you be around her.

If only that could keep up for the next 13 years or so.

Abby is abby.  She is cute as ever, a very agreeable baby for the most part, and pretty easy to get along with.  The only issue she really has is when she’s hungry.  If she is hungry at all, and that bottle isn’t immediately ready, you better look out because she will scream like a banshee.  Besides that, she is awesome, and a perfectly adorable little girl.

It is amazing to me how fast she has changed.  She is still our little girl, and completely recognizable, but at the same time I think she changes everyday.  I know that sounds like I contradicted myself, but I think you parents out there will know exactly what I’m talking about.  I can’t believe how much she has grown in such a short time, and sometimes it even bums me out that she is growing so fast.  It seems like just yesterday that we brought her home, and already she is 6 weeks old.

There are some good things that come out of her getting bigger though:  She is much more attentive now, and actually seems to be paying attention to us, and she also is starting to hold her head up a little.  Her mom and I have been attentively watching and waiting for a true smile, but unfortunately I think the ones we are getting at this point have to do with gas, and nothing her mom and I are doing.

In a nutshell she is growing every day and her mom and I are appreciating every minute of it.  Sometimes I want it to speed up-so that she is a little more interactive-and other times I wish it would slow down. 

She is just growing up too fast.

She is four weeks old today.

Abigail, our future huntress.

It will only be a matter of time before her camo outfit is from She Safari.

Happy Halloween everyone!!!!