lair o' the bear - mini-adventure

due to a somewhat uneventful summer so far, we packed up a dinner with some friends and headed up to lair o'the bear in the mountains. good times. we had a little fire, some dinner, sat around and chatted while the kids explored and rode bikes. after dinner we went on a little nature walk. it was so peaceful and relaxing up there. we couldn't stay too long as i had to be back in town for a photo shoot that evening but i'm so glad that we went anyway. it was just what we needed. thanks angie and adam! always a pleasure!

post for a saturday afternoon

i am posting with nothing profound to say....merely to note that another week of our summer has flown by. it's been a lovely week, really. we finished our summer sessions of swimming lessons. did a lot of playing at grandmas. i took a lot of photos and taught a few piano lessons. we went to the MOVIES to see toy story 3. i loved that. i loved that going to the movies was SUCH a treat for maryn and caleb. i love that they haven't been spoiled by frequent visits because i loved watching their eyes light up and sparkle at the grandeur of it all. i think i spent as much of the movie watching them as i did the screen. we had popcorn and candy which i snuck into the theatre because i'm cheap like that. but that just added to the excitement. maiya (who accompanied us) was about to have a heart attack inside...but managed to play it cool. i think in her little mind, she was thinking i'd be arrested if i got caught. and of course, we enjoyed sweet summer evenings....enjoying the warm summer nights, being ravaged by mosquitoes, taking a dip in mom & dad's pool etc. i love summer. i'm not ready for it to leave. but then again, who can say "no" to autumn with it's beautiful colors and school supplies and excitement for FIRST GRADE! and before i forget, (like i forgot my camera) my terminator of a husband crushed another triathlon today. it was awesome. i'm proud.

anyway, here are a few pictures from one of the aforementioned afternoons this week....

have i mentioned that joshua defies death on a daily basis now....he jumps off of EVERYTHING....ready or not...
caleb is the most magnificent buzz lightyear ever in his a-little-too-small costume complete with high-waters...give this boy a rope and it will keep him entertained for hours (and or a flashlight....or the best yet, bunji cords!)


and our good ol' pal and running partner extraordinaire...


this post was brought to you by aunty shauneen's extra special cookies and a glass of cold milk....filled with nuts, oatmeal, wheat flour, craisins, and chocolate chips (strictly for anti-oxidant reasons!)....almost reasoned my way to not feeling like i broke my diet:)

self-discoveries

i have days in my life where i seem to learn a lot about myself. this past week, i discovered a few things about myself for better or for worse. housework. i have a hard time with house. work. not because i don't like the work....i don't mind it actually. it's just that everytime i buckle down and dive in, i turn miserable....yuck....usually raising my voice and frustrated with the kids. last week, i decided to pick up a few talks from my mom that i have been meaning to listen to and loaded them on my ipod shuffle and listened while i did my work. not only did it go much quicker, but i had a thought provoking, spiritual, and uplifting experience at the same time.

the realization that it's not the housework that gets to me. it's the inner-dialogue that goes on in my mind as i do the housework. and i think that i have slipped into a mode where the devil gets full-access to my thought processes during housework. it's weird because i am generally a very positive person....maybe too optimistic at times....but that's just how i roll....usually. but it seems that doing the daily chores, negativity creeps in....about myself, relationships, the future, things that i can't control and fills me with frustrations that i am allowing into my head and my brain. it makes me feel dull and unrewarded even by the end result.

so my commitment this month is to be aware of my thoughts. to control them. to have faith and allow life to take it's course without any deep negative analysis and spare my children the aftermath as well. there is nothing crazy going on in my life right now...in fact, i have EVERY reason to be positive. i am very blessed. and i realize that this is merely a tool of that old screwtape to hold me back from who i am supposed to become.

thats my self-analysis for the day.
the end.

p.s. in the process, i've listened to some AMAZING talks if you are interested in a list, let me know.

a whole lotta photos....

my mom wanted to do some family pictures while we had everybody together.....here are a few of my favorites... {note to self....don't stand on the edge of a wide angle lens!}





and my lovely sisters....and no that is not emma's real eye color...i had fun playing with it:)...

playing grandma and grandpa....

the big kids....and almost big kid....

and my very favorite....where each personality is represented....this is the one i would hang on my wall as a 20 x 30 print!!!

m&m's

i have to post something new because i can't stand that picture staring me in the face everytime i pull up my blog. it's awful.

explanations of our summer and frankly our lives wouldn't be complete without these two little ladies. they love each other so much. my life generally consists of answering the question, "can we go to grandma's?" about 25 times each day. usually, the answer is "no" because they would live with her if they got their way. the attractions at grandma's house: grandma & grandpa (naturally), delicious food, huge gorgeous huge backyard, play structures, swimming pool, treats, and the cherryontop....aunty maiya. mostly, they play like little angels and occasionally, they turn into little devils. maiya mostly has a hard time as a result of her SPD issues that she struggles with every day. and that's not to say that maryn and caleb don't have moments of their own:) the irony in it all is that when a grown-up steps in to play referee, no matter how mean anybody's been in the last 3 seconds, they turn on the grown-up and are fiercely loyal to each other....defending their foe to the hilt.

but i must say, they just love being together. maiya makes everything more exciting. if she is excited about something, she will be bouncing off the walls...literally! and her excitement is always contagious. she has an imagination like no other which makes for incredibly exciting games of littlest pet shops, barbies, school and inventing their own dance routines. and their is not such thing as the traditionally watching a movie with maiya....rather, it is somehow incorporated into the game or acted out during the movie.

in short, we are so lucky to be just a yard away from our kids "little heaven". and lucky to have grandma and grandpa who are willing to take on our little hooligans and always provide them with such a fun time and so much love they always want to go back for more.

dear uncle doug

i was excited when dad told me that you look at my blog from time to time to catch up with our family. i am flattered. and so as a personal thank you, i thought i would post a few pictures to remind you how devastatingly beautiful your nieces are these days.

documented now for you and all future generations, our "charsley family likeness"....




you are welcome.

see maryn sew

yesterday, maryn and i tackled her first ever sewing project by way of a bag for her piano books. she loved every second of it and is now begging for more projects. i suppose that it is natural that we would want to share the things that we love doing with our children but i did love how much she enjoyed it and loved the one-on-one with her which we don't get nearly enough of.

in the swing of summer days

i have decided that i have become a real loser when it comes to blogging. the summer is going well....really busy....but honestly not too exciting....just going through the motions. we go to the swimming pool monday - thursday for swimming lessons all morning....then i teach piano almost every afternoon and have photo shoots here and there.. it's getting a little old as much as i love the swimming pool...i would like to do something other than just go to the swimming pool and teach this summer. oh yes, and then there is the cleaning of our home which, well, is something i've just about given up on. with all three rugrats home all day going about their business, i can work myself to death and it will still be a disaster. i'm measuring my current success by getting a load of dishes on everyday, all the kids fed, no major accidents, and staying sane:) pathetic. but i sort of feel like i'm in survival mode.

along the lines of swimming lessons, the kids are coming along nicely. they all LOVE the water which i am grateful for. caleb is very meticulously learning free style which he swims in slow motion just to make sure he gets each movement just right. he sometimes has a little of a hard time following the teacher when he gives long winded directions and occasionally decides, instead, to do an awesome random dive into the pool or somersault if he's already in the water. this is confirmation to me that preschool next year is not optional for this kid as smart as he may be.

maryn just started a new session of lessons. she is by far the youngest one in her group by a couple of years!!! she has to hold on the side of the pool because she cannot stand where they have their lesson and all the other kids can. the first day, she got out, exhausted and discouraged after such a hard lesson (that day, she swam four full lengths by herself) and said she didn't want to go back. we gave her a little pep-talk and told her that she was ready for this level and that she could do it. despite the age gap and height difference, she is keeping up with the big kids and actually doing quite a bit better than a few of them. she swims several lengths of the 25-yard swimming pool without stopping each lesson. it makes me want to explode with pride and cry at the same time watching her swim with all her heart with those big kids. she is exhausted by the end of the lesson. but it is very rewarding to watch her gain confidence and have pride in doing something that is really hard.

joshie hangs out of the steps mostly and occasionally jumps in from the side of the pool.

sunday afternoons have been the best this summer...just lazing around....eating delicious food....enjoying summer evening at my folks.....(picture overload warning!)