Dog Whisperer - a must see!!

Our new favorite TV show is the Dog Whisperer on the National Geographic Channel. See Cesar Millan's website at: http://www.cesarmillaninc.com/index.php

You actually learn more about YOURSELF than your dog by watching this show! If you have not yet watched it - I would highly recommend it - even if you don't have a dog - it's fascinating and you will learn a lot about yourself in the process. If you DO have a dog - it's a no-brainer - you NEED to watch this show and figure out who's the "pack leader" in YOUR house!

Anyways - I was going to share some pictures from today of Charlie. We put him in the kids' backyard pool this afternoon - he actually did swim around a little bit! Fun to watch!

Here are all of the "Charlie" related nicknames SH & the kids have come up with since we brought him home. He gets called a different name depending on his mood (fiesty, energetic, being sweet, mellow, being funny, etc) and/or what he's doing (running laps, sleeping, etc):

Charles

Chuck (but NOT Chuckie!)

Chuckles

Charlie Brown

Cpt. Charlie

What's Up, Chuck?

Charles In Charge (more like Charlie's in Charge!)

Sorry, Charlie

Charlie Marley

Harley Charlie

Charlie's Angels

Charlie Boy

In the TINY pool (no - this is NOT the pool he was swimming in)

His bottom half is completely soaked after swimming - and he resembled a Chinese Crested when walking around the yard.

Lounging in the dirt after swimming...great...needless to say - he had to stay outside for a while until he got out of the dirt and dried off enough. Then he got a bath!

lazy summer

Kids coloring in their state wildlife notebooks - we're having fun with this

Ms. P fell asleep in a play tent we had set-up earlier in the day...

Here are some pictures of some "down-time" from this week and last.

Coloring & napping - aaahhh...where do I sign up?! Unfortunately, I don't see this scene very often! (maybe that's why I snapped some photos of this rare sight?!)

I miss the days of the kids actually sleeping all afternoon...my how time flies...

A Letter To Me

The connection of what I'm about to share is a strange one...it comes from an incredible woman (Jen) who passed away a few weeks ago from breast cancer. Her blog was absolutely amazing to read - I wish she had been a personal friend of mine. She was actually a very close friend to a new friend of mine (April) - who I just met a year ago. This new friend of mine (April) was actually friends with my husband in high school. So, I was introduced to Jen's blog through April...If you're confused, no worries! I just wanted to share this blog entry, which was written by Jen, who, like I said, passed away a few weeks ago. I was browsing through her blog posts and there are some great ones - including this one that just touched me tonight for some reason.

Here it is:

Brad Paisley has a new single out called, "A Letter to Me." No, I won't provide the lyrics today, but the song is a pretty good one. He tells you what he would do if he could send a letter to himself at the age of 17. As adults, we have this wisdom and experience always wishing we could have had that perspective at a younger age. While I'm not one that likes to look back, it got me thinking about what I would tell my younger self if I had the chance.

• I would probably mention that grades don't make the world go around.
• Listen to the words of the sermon, don't just go to church because you parents make you.
• Nourish the friendships that you have had for a long time, don't think you need to be involved with the "cool" group.
• Boys are better off as friends because one of those friends will eventually be your husband!
• Lean on your faith more, it's the one thing you can always count on.
• People don't care what you become, they're more interested in who you are.

I thank God for the guidance during those years. He protected me and put me down a path where I have little regret. That was probably because of my parent's many prayers, but I feel fortunate to end up where I did...cancer and all.

"In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps." Proverbs 16:9

Air Show - 2 of 2

Dad & G-man ON TOP OF THE WORLD!

These 2 boys love ANYTHING military-related!

The kids liked this "shark" plane!

Air Show - 1 of 2

I won't wear these flip-flops next time...maybe combat boots would have been a better choice?! (goat heads)

Watch out!

She's in the driver's seat of the Bradley Fighting Vehicle

(aka: TANK)!

3 kids ready for take-off!

Isn't this the life?!

Being pulled by brother while sipping her lemonade...SHEESH!

in china...

This morning Ms. P was singing a really pretty tune in a really pretty voice.

So, I asked her "Where did you find that beautiful voice of yours?"

She said, "In China".

I tried not to laugh as I kept on with breakfast.

Then, a short time later, she came up to me and said, "Mom, guess what else I found in China?"

(I couldn't wait to hear the answer)

"...my imagination."

I was trying SO HARD not to laugh - not because it was "funny" per say, but it was SO CUTE!

summer: so far so good

Been a crazy week. We are having NO problems staying busy this summer. And for that, I'm VERY glad. While it is good to lay low a bit, and take a break from the busy school-year schedule, I still think there should be SOME form of structure and expectations for the summer months. If there's not, MOM goes crazy! :)

Below are my 5 stories for the past week (in no particular order). Each story has a picture except for #5 --- ENJOY! :)

#1 - GONE FISHIN'

The kids went fishing with Grandma & Grandpa. The only child to catch a fish was our youngest child - way to go Ms. P!! They all had fun and Ms. P was thrilled about her catch!

#2 - DOES THIS LOOK SAFE?!

Sweet hubby really wanted to get our playset stained - it was really starting to fade from the sun and weather. We were going to go the "easy route" and spray the stain on rather than brush it on ... but then we would have needed to do ths all over again next year. The guy at the hardware store assured us that if we took the time to BRUSH the stain onto the wood, we could possibly get THREE years out of it rather than 6-12 months. So, we went the extra step and brushed it on. DH is all about doing things the RIGHT way versus the easy way - I love that about him. Thanks DH for your time! :)

#3 - My new bike! (ha ha)

This is actually Ms. P's bike...we're going to take the training wheels off this week! They cause more problems than just taking the time to teach her to ride without them on. They are a pain! I'm sure I'll have a blog update on that here pretty soon...it will be an adventure for sure...as it was with the older kids...fun fun!

#4 - GOT DIRT?!

We started out the week with a big delivery of garden mix (1/3 compost + 2/3 top soil + lots of other "goodies" that are great for gardens and flower beds). Of course, within one hour of the dirt delivery being dumped on our driveway, it started to rain. I could literally see dollar bills washing down the driveway, into the gutter and down the street. Let's just say I wasted NO TIME driving to buy a tarp to cover up our precious cow poop!!

In addition to the rain, I forgot that DH's car was still parked in the garage and he was now unable to drive anywhere without taking my car. He reminded me that I should have backed his car OUT of the garage BEFORE the dirt was dumped on his half of the driveway...it's times like these that you blame your "mom brain".

#5 - GOT MARBLE?! (NO WAY!)

We also got our NEW dining set delivered. I opted to return the marble top table. Who on earth would want marble ANYTHING?! After reading website after website on how hard it is to keep marble looking nice because it is so porous - I'm dumb-founded over any furniture company that would make & sell and dining table with a marble top. What in the world?! That's ridiculous. Granite - SURE - go for it. But MARBLE?! Come on!!! So - needless to say - I was thrilled to get our new WOOD table and matching server/buffet. LOVE IT!!