Man and Fire

Nachos, peg-board, triggers, wheels...and of course fire.

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As a woman, I may never truly understand what it is about fire that can draw men and boys so close (yeah the same boys that I have to herd like cats to get them to be in any one place that I want/need them). But, hey, turn on the fire pit and they stay in a 10 sq. ft. area with no herding involved.

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Okay, sure there was also chocolate, marshmallows, and graham crackers present...oh and loud noises and bright explosions going off in the background, but what would the Fourth of July be without that!

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I was playing with my camera and tried out the night portrait setting, with some pretty weird results.

{I call this one "The Ghost of Warren Present"}

What's a good friend?

Well, it helps if you've known her since college, so that she has some perspective of you before anyone called you "Mommy."

She can spend an entire afternoon at your house, being exposed to more of your life's reality than you care to see yourself some days. For example:


~a little show and tell as your 3 yo shows her all of his "owies" and the excruciating details of how he got them.


~watching helplessly as your 5 yo puts on maybe the biggest display of naughty, attention-seeking, obnoxious, relentless (okay you get the picture) behavior possibly to date in his lifetime.

~apologizing over and over as your puppy hunts and attacks her feet like he is on some kind of military mission.


You can talk about everything from celebrity gossip to the seriousness and irony of life's paths, including careers and men. And just about get caught up on your upstairs sofa (as you are simultaneously corralling your boys for a nap), reconnecting after a much-too-long time span of not seeing each other.


And then you can leave all that behind and head to a trendy restaurant downtown just like old times...kind of...okay, not really since you have a giant pregnant belly and you did stop on the way out the door to have your picture taken by one of the men you may or may not have been talking about earlier in the loft :)

(Love you, Hubby, thanks for taking our pic!)



Anyways, a good friend is priceless and so dear to my heart. And hard to come by actually, so treasure them!

Love you, Jess!

Thanks for spending the day at the "crazy house" as I affectionately call it.

.AT THE END OF THE DAY.

I am sweaty and hot.

My hair has made its way to some form of an updo.

I have various spots and smudges on my clothes.

But I am proudly rockin' my new necklace,

with my SAHM of three boys motto.

Lovin' my life!

Focus

When the tongue is sticking out, you know they are focused.

After spending the morning at our favorite park riding bikes, getting soaked in the fountain, and monkeying around on the equipment for hours, our indoor activity this afternoon was puzzles.

The boys love to get out the basket of puzzles and are sure to put together each and every one. It is pure bliss for momma for about an hour!

Little Explorers

It was HOT in Denver this weekend, so Bryan had the great idea to beat the heat by spending the majority of Saturday indoors at the Natural History Museum, even taking in an IMAX movie "Wild Ocean."

Warren and Jack really enjoyed seeing all the exhibits, but particularly liked the Space Exploration one. They even pleaded to go back to that one at the end of our visit.


They are such little sponges for information and I find it to be so true that they learn best by doing and playing -- much moreso than reading or flashcards, or all the other fancy learning tools/toys I have ever bought into.


I have definitely never seen their faces light up like they did at the museum when I pull out the Summer workbooks we have been doing. But I will continue to offer them that form of learning too -- it can't hurt to have multiple sources, right? And it certainly doesn't hurt to have a little quiet time for mom, as they trace letters and connect dots for just a few minutes.

Feeling Blue?

Well, I can assure you of one thing that will lighten the morning mood -- a huge basket of delicious blueberries. There are squeals of delight when I pull it out of the refrigerator.

Add one plum per child,
and maybe two for mom,
and you're on your way to a great start of the day!

Recon Mission: 'Soak yer Mom'

Now, I don't know what other people experience when they bathe their little ones, but around here, the designated parent-in-charge (and the floor) is generally drenched.

Four little hands and four little feet are white and withered.

What's left of the water in the bath is luke-warm at best.

And occasionally, some memories are captured on camera.

...last night was certainly no exception...

And since I had my camera out in the treacherous zone of the Western-style dueling water guns (aka the boys' bathroom), I thought I would also capture a little more of that room.

Note: their cool toothbrushes that suction upright to the counter, the two sinks (they still always cram around one, elbowing each other off the step stool to wash their hands), the tile that goes to the ceiling to protect the drywall...can't imagine why, the jungle and camo theme, the plethora of lotions for their super sensitive skin...

and the fact that I have been playing with the aperture 'f' value on my camera.

Trailblazing

We loaded up the bikes and headed downtown this morning, to get out before the Vet came over to give Wrigley his shots and do a check-up. There is a great trail right along the river near the Children's Museum that we have never ventured to. So, I decided today was the day to check out some uncharted territory for us.

Which made me think about the fact that we as a family are very soon going to be trailblazing on another front, with the addition of our third child. I wonder how different it is going to be. What new challenges we will face. And how the rest of the Summer will shape out with the baby in tow.

I have been trying to make an extra effort the past couple of weeks to take the boys out and about, doing the typical Summer outings, because I just don't know how possible it will be in another month to hop in the car and set off. But, knowing me...we'll find a way and will soon enough establish a new normal.

It will be out of necessity after all, since the only thing that slows my boys down is the need for sustenance.

And the occasional little break in the shade.

Catch and Release

When I pulled my little camera bag out of our beach bag today at the pond, Warren quickly quipped, "Oh, is that fishing poles, Mommy?"

"Um, no, Sweetie. Sorry, it's just my camera."

"That's okay then, we can just use our hats to catch fish. Come on, Jack!"

Could it be the next (or first) great suburban sport?

Well, maybe...probably...most-definitely not. But they sure had fun --Hat Fishing.

Father's Day 2009 [from his perspective]

What do you do when you are done proudly displaying all your tools on the walls of the garage -- drive to a top-rated restaurant for delicious BBQ, of course!

And then watch as your boys fill up on Rootbeer and chips from the comfort of your lap, before the real food even arrives.

And watch as your smokin' hot wife (...okay, okay, gigs up. It's me, Charity, writing this...) plays with her new camera and takes an incessant amount of photos.

Good Weather. Good Company. Great BBQ.

And the satisfaction of knowing your tools are fastened to the wall...handy...waiting to shine proudly when the headlights of your truck pull in the garage.

What more can a Daddy ask for on Father's Day?

Father's Day 2009

Peg-board Engineering:

I am told that man's true best friend is peg-board.

Bryan's request for Father's Day was to have time to organize his tools in the garage...

well, that and his favorite dinner -- BBQ, but more on that later.

And what were the other guys doing while Daddy worked?

{I am gonna pretend that I didn't see Jack using a plunger as a sword...}

{Or Warren, "rearranging" Daddy's sockets for him}

The end result is quite impressive...more Father's Day pictures to come!

Not Likely

You will not see me react this way if I am ever told that it is time for bed:

If the day should ever come that I am actually urged, encouraged, or enticed to embrace bedtime, my reaction is likely to be very, very different than Jack's last night.

I love you, little man, especially your zeal for life that certainly knows no bedtime.

Things are about to get interesting around here!

Today was a remarkable day for several reasons, but for now I will just focus on one...

...my NEW Canon Rebel T1i camera. Yup! I finally got an SLR after making due with a point and shoot for long enough.

So, I realize I have a steep learning curve to become proficient and actually get the kind of pictures I am dreaming of. Tonight I will start at the bottom of the curve by reading the manual and I may take a one hour class at the store I bought it from too depending on how the first week of usage goes.

But, I must say, the very first picture I took when I turned the camera on today just in all the automatic modes and default settings wasn't half bad:

{The FIRST picture I took with my new SLR camera...it helps when you have such a cute little guy to practice on}


Now I get to learn all about aperture and lenses and ISO and on and on :) Should be a fun challenge!

And I was worried --

--that I wouldn't know what to do with these two boys all Summer...since this is my first Summer staying home with the kiddos. Ha!

{Impromptu Pinata fun...on a random Thursday night...just because}




{Jack is such a "hat and sunglasses" guy}


{Warren on the rides at City Park with a buddy}


{Perched on a rock like a sunbathing lizard at the Promenade}


{In the backyard at Grandma's, with a racket, a slip 'n slide, and a faceful of frosting}


{Life is but a dream for Jack on the choo choo train at City Park}


{The giant singing horse statue was a little intimidating at first}


Now, don't get me wrong, there are some days when we don't leave the house or even our pajamas for that matter. Opting instead for popcorn and a movie for breakfast and long naps after extensive bike riding. But, since we live in such a great place as Colorado, there is such an abundance of things to do and we love to be on the go! I have a strong suspicion that this Summer is going to fly by.

Time is Flying By...

Lately, the weeks and months are just melting together and flying by at what seems like an increasing pace. Sure, if I really sit and ponder what I accomplish and experience each day, it is a lot and each day is full and different. But, at the same time I also remember when I was a little girl and each day seemed like its own unique adventure/lifetime.

Even looking through pictures that I download (and desperately need to organize on our hard drive), reminds me that it has been more than 10 years since Bryan and I graduated high school some 2500 miles apart (as the bird flies).

Here we were last Summer at his 10 year reunion, at the 'Cannon Game' in Pueblo, Colorado:

{Bryan with his Sly Stalone smile}


So, I want to spell out in a list (just because I love lists!) what we have accomplished since graduating high school. This way I can see in black and white what the past 10 years has brought as far as major milestones and accomplishments:

~We both went to college and got Bachelor's degrees from 1997-2003. I stayed on an extra two years and got a Master's (thankfully, since that is when I met Bryan and fell in love...cue harp music)

~We bought our first house and got married, and conceived Warren... ALL in 2003. Yes, it was a busy year. Bryan also started working at his company in 2003, where he STILL works today, and kicks butt by the way!

~Welcomed Warren into our lives in 2004.

~Welcomed Jack into our lives in 2005.

~Bought an investment property in 2006, which is currently a great rental house.

~2007, what to say about 2007? We just enjoyed life and the spoils of dual income, two kids and not much else.

~Bought our new-construction house in 2008, where we currently live. I also crashed the news on Bryan that I was quitting working after flailing for a few years trying to find a career path that I could enjoy. Turned our old house into a rental property too, which is working out mostly good, it is rented out at the moment to a great family.

~All set to welcome our third son into the world in 2009, next month!

I wonder what the next 10 years will hold! I'm sure I will at some point return to work...how long will we stay in this house?...will we have a fourth baby ;) ?...will we ever move to another state than Colorado?...who knows. And I wouldn't even want to know the answers really.