So Much to be Thankful For

Happy Thanksgiving - this year both Doug's family and my mom and sisters were out of town. So we celebrated at my aunt and uncle's home along with my dad, Papa and the rest of the McAuliffe group. We had such a nice time. Matt and Will played so nicely and kept each other entertained for hours. Jack was even a trooper and stayed up until 9p (way past his bed time). Dinner was amazing and it was nice to be with family. As you can see we took a family picture (aren't the boys getting big?) and attempted to take one of the boys, this is the best one I have.

So, we have a lot going on the next few weeks. I'll be going to New York this weekend with a bunch of girlfriends to celebrate Sarah Spindle's 30th birthday. Then we have my dad's birthday and Will's birthday, not to mention numerous other fun holiday activites. Isn't it funny how even though Thanksgiving is considered a major holiday the moment it's over we feel that Christmas is right around the corner? I'm trying extra hard this year not to become overwelmed or stressed by the season. I enjoy it too much and it happens only once a year. Plus, I already feel ahead of schedule - I put up our Christmas lights yesterday and we went and picked out our Christmas tree this afternoon.

Doug's Birthday & Other Happenings

Doug turned 33 on November 9th and he doesn't look a day older than 23! We celebrated with family, eating dinner and opening presents. The weekend before Doug and I met my cousin and his fiancee at Bandon Dunes. The weather was wet and windy, but Eric and Doug did get a day of golf in. Lindsay and I toured the small town of Bandon, had massages at the Lodge and had a very relaxing weekend.

Other exciting news, our dear friends the Knights welcomed their second child Gilbert Kelley on October 25th. I had a chance to meet him in person on Friday. He is absolutely beautiful and has a full head of dark hair. It still amazes me how quickly they grow. Also, my cousin just had her third baby on November 8th, a girl named Delaney Rose. I know so many people right now who are expecting, six to be exact.

The boys are doing great, enjoying school and spending time with family. Work has slowed down for me a bit which may be a good thing. We're moving onto the second phase of our project house which means I'll need to be much more involved. We're planning to have the home completed the end of January. Doug has spent the entire weekend demoing all the unwanted interior (removing sheetrock, tile, doors, etc.). I'll be traveling to NYC the first weekend in December for my friend Sarah Spindle's 30th birthday. I'm so excited to go and this will be my first time there. The next few weeks are going to be busy!!

"Do You Know You're Dressed Like a Chicken?"

Cock-a-doddle-doo! Yes, I've dressed the boys up as chicken/roosters this year for Halloween. Of course I chose their costumes, especially since I've figured this is the last time Will will let me make the decision. They've been told they were going to be chickens for the past couple of weeks, but the other day when Will was asked what he was going to be for Halloween he said, "a policeman". No idea where that came from, and it was the first I had heard about being a policeman, but once again I was reminded that my child has a mind of his own. We're planning to meet up this evening with Cousin Matt, Aunt Marcie and Uncle Dennis. We'll try out this trick or treat thing in their neighborhood - I'll let you know how it goes.

Will's First Field Trip

Pumpkins, bunnies and a house filled with nuts - what more could you ask for?! I had the pleasure of participating in Will's first field trip last Wednesday. Destination - pumpkin patch. We had such a nice time. It was a bit chilly, but the sun was out and it warmed up. We went for a tractor ride, picked out our pumpkins (I learned that Will prefers the green ones), met and fed animals, walked/rolled around in the nut house (similar to the play areas with all the balls) and had a nice picnic lunch. What a great time we had! At one point during the day I was teary-eyed with appreciation that I get to do things like this. I think one of the greatest parental pleasures is getting to experience everyday activities, but through my child's eyes. What a great day!

Project Update

So many people have been interested in the progress of our project house. I've included a "before" and "now" picture. I'm excited to say the exterior portion of the project is close to being done. The house is being painted this week. Once that is completed we'll be able to start focusing on landscaping and them move inside and start work in there. As for the exterior major work included trimming back the large trees, removing existing landscaping, all new windows, installing a second story dormer, new roof, some new siding and painting. We're optimistic that the whole house will be completed by February and ready to sell.

Weekend at the Farm

This weekend Doug and I were in Seattle for our annual MSU reunion. We had such a nice time visiting with all our friends. We lucked out and were able to see Ellie and Jordan's amazing and beautiful new home which has a stunning 180 degree view of Lake Washington. We stayed in downtown Seattle with Mat and Danielle and saw the Seahawks lose to the Vikings on Sunday. The perfect ending to such a fun weekend.

And as you can see from the pictures, the boys were busy this weekend as well. Tractor rides and decorating Grandpa's birthday cake. The boys helped Grandma feed the horses and sheep or so Will tells me. They had such a great visit!

Safety First

For those of you who do not have children, my goodness the amount of comic relief they provide at times is astounding. Jack LOVES Will's bike helmet - plain and simple. Anytime he sees it he drops whatever he's doing and runs over to put it on. Then realizes he hasn't yet figured out how to make the clasp work so he'll find someone to secure it for him and will be on his way. Running after Will, sitting on the sofa, even posing for pictures - which I thought I'd go ahead and share.

More Pictures

I especially like the series of kid photos, of course we were trying to get a group photo, but the group had other ideas!

Pumpkins

Today we had the greatest day! This morning we met the Hovdes and Knights out out The Pumpkin Patch on Sauvie Island. The rain held off while we took a hay ride out to the patch, then searched for the perfect pumpkin. I think we may need to get Will out into nature a bit more. He can be a bit cautious about new situations and he wasn't very thrilled about having to manuver around all the pumpkin vines. We've never been there before and it was beautiful, I felt refreshed just being out there. I've include a couple of pictures of us at the patch and then the boys after we returned home.

So Big!

Here are some recent pictures of the boys. I see them everyday and I think they're looking so different, but after looking at these pictures they also look so old! Jack's starting to catch up to Will (size-wise), though he's still a head shorter. The boys are playing together much more. Basically anything Will does, Jack is right behind him.

PS Jack has learned to say "cheese" for the camera.

Where Did the Summer Go?

Seriously, I forgot we had a blog - it may have only been for a day or so, but I did forget. Phew! It has been a whirlwind of activity the past few weeks. Sara Peppmeier aka Sara Hunt and her new husband Jason were married on Sunday. What a great event and the bride and groom were so beautiful and happy. You've got to love that. They are now honeymooning on the island of Kauai for ten days.

At home it's all work and play. Our dear friend Eleanore will be in town this weekend for a quick visit as she makes stops all along the west coast before heading out to Chicago where she landed a great job with Kraft. Yes, Kraft. Pretty cool, huh? So we'll be around this holiday weekend, enjoying our visitor and gearing up for fall. We thought summer was busy, but actually fall is going to be pretty much the same. We have family gatherings, a wedding and trips planned for five different weekends (Sept-Nov).

Corey will be returning next week from her summer in Europe so we're looking forward to seeing more of her. We have lots of birthdays coming up six before the end of Septemeber and all are family except one! Work and our project house are keeping us super busy. The boys continue to get bigger everyday. We're looking forward to seeing pictures from Sara's wedding - especially the ones with all the nephews in their suits.

Happy Labor Day!

Our Latest Project

As if we weren't busy enough...Doug and I decided it was time to purchase our first "fixer". This is something we've been wanting to do for a while and everything seem to fall into place. First, the property (and the price) were too good to be true, then funding was available and our contractor. The house was built in 1948 and is located on a large corner lot. Perks include being across the street from the best looking house in the neighborhood and within walking distance of the elementry school and multiple parks.

We're hoping to turn the property around in 4-6 months and price it so it sells quickly. I've included the rmls link so you can take a look at the "before" pictures: http://www.rmlsweb.com/reports.asp?PropType=1&ReportID=CLFULLRES&ID=6059435

We're starting with the exterior, new roof and gutters, new windows, fixing the siding (which is cedar and in pretty good shape) and a new coat of paint. The trees are being trimmed up all the old landscaping has been torn out and we'll be putting in all new sod and landscaping. We're hoping to have that all done by the end of the month, then move inside and get started in there.

Summer Photos

Here are some recent pictures of the boys. Swimming, Jack walking and his new haircut. I cannot believe it is already August! Summer is just flying by. Jack is walking like a champ now. Still a little wobbly at times, but I cannot remember the last time he crawled. He wants to do everything Will is doing - play with the same toys, eat the same food, be in the same exact spot. It has been really fun watching them interact. Will is getting so big! He talks constantly and his current favorite song is "Happy Birthday" which he usually sings to me (lucky me). Will really enjoys helping Doug with any projects he's working on and continues to be such a sweet boy.

Happy 4th of July (a month late)

Last year was great and this year confirmed it - I think Lake Oswego is one of the best places to celebrate the 4th of July. Every year the town hosts multiple events, including my favorites the 4th of July parade (which this year we watched instead of participating in) and fireworks over the lake. One of the nice things about our home and having children that are too young to stay up for the show is that we can see the fireworks from our back deck (as pictured). Ideally, it would be great to be in a boat on the lake for the fireworks, but the deck is a great alternative.

That's How We Roll

Oh, the fun we have in the Peppmeier household. Will and Jack are really starting to play together. They are definitely interested in the same toys - or maybe if one has something the other just wants it. Here they are partaking in one of their favorite activities. The other day Jack put Will's helmet on and sat on the back of the bike for almost five minutes just waiting for Will. I realize this it not the safest activity especially for Jack but he hangs on for dear life and they both laugh and have so much fun.

All About Legos

Remember when you where young? There are those toys that really stand out. The ones you spent so much time playing with. Right now Will is really enjoying his legos. Thankfully there are plenty of them so he lets Jack play as well. He's really into building airplanes and towers. Guess which one this is? Also, he really prefers to have Mommy or Daddy sitting with him when puts stuff together. It's so much fun to see his mind at work.

Walking!!!

Huge news, huge milestone, Jack is walking! It is so fun and exciting. He's still pretty wobbly and refuses to walk when you want him to but other than that he's doing great. He has walked across the living room (about 15-20 steps) and continues to go from sitting to standing without pulling up on anything. Of course we've gone through this before with Will, but I forgot how amazing it is to watch them "get their legs". I've only managed to get one picture and it's not the best, but I know people want proof. (Disclaimer...it's been hot the past couple of days that's why Jack is only wearing a onesie.) Yea, Jack!!

Happy Father's Day

We celebrated Father's Day according to Doug's wishes. He watched the US Open from 9a to 4p. All day on the couch watching golf! Not a bad day! We celebrated with my dad later in the day with dinner. Here's a picture of the boys giving Doug their Father's Day gifts.

Tough Guy

This is the worst owwie Will has ever had. I cringe everytime I look at it, and I can only imagine the awful things people think when they see him. So here's what happened, the Jeep was being worked on so I took the carseats out of the car and leaned them up against the window when you first walk into the house. The boys were having a great time sitting in them and climbing on them. Unfortunately Will was leaning too far and the carseat slipped out (still not quite sure how that happened) and he fell, hitting his face on the window ledge. I think he was so surprised he wasn't able to put up his hands out to protect himself. He cried when it happend, but a few minutes later he was off and playing. He hasn't complained about it once. Such a tough guy.

Number One

Do you recognize this baby? It's Will! His eyes are very much the same and the calic is still intact, but he's changed so much in the past 2 and 1/2 years. How quickly he's grown. It's funny looking back, I had no idea what he would look like as he got older and now when I look at him I'm starting to see what I think he'll look like as a teenager and possibly an adult. Looking at this picture makes me so thankful we have pictures and it gives me an opportunity to remember him as a baby.

Also, before the babies were born we referred to Will as Number One and Jack as Number Two. We never used their names before they were born because we didn't know if they were a boy or girl.

Children at Play

Here are some recent pictures of the boys playing. Jack wants to be involved or doing exactly what Will does. Will is pretty good with Jack, but as soon as Will's done playing nice he usually pushes Jack over. I can only imagine what kind of ruckus we'll have once Jack's big enough to push back.

Jack's Walking (sort of...)

going...
going...
gone!












Jack is so close to walking! He's moved from hanging on to the furniture and walls to pushing around his little walker. He gets moving pretty fast and you can tell he's thrilled with himself. He'll be turning 14 months on June 4 and that's right around the same time Will started walking. I'm excited for this next milestone, but I also cannot imagine what it will look like to see him walking on his own!

Mother's Day Weekend, Cannon Beach 2006

Don't mind the little terror (Will) waving the stick in the first picture. Aside from some very typical 2-year-old behavior we had a really nice trip. We spent the weekend with the Hovdes (Dina, Ryan and Luke) at their neighbor's beach house. As you can see we had fun playing at the beach. The weather was gorgeous, we were so lucky. On Sunday Dina and I went out for Mother's Day breakfast. Then Team Peppmeier headed home early so we could barbeque with the Peppmeiers and my mom. It was such a nice evening, the weather has really warmed up and we spent time out on the deck. What a great weekend!

The Boy in the Barbie Car

I was thinking this morning about what it's like to be a mom of two children and how your perspective can change when there's two instead of one. I believe I still have this intense determination that I will provide my children with my very best (unfortunately my best, isn't always that great). I want them to be confident and independent while having compassion for others and of course through all this I hope they will have a sense of humor.

What sparked this is I was looking back through some pictures and came across this one of Jack having his hair cut a couple of months ago. Yes, he's sitting in a Barbie Car because all the "boy" chairs where occupied. What's funny about this is that if it had been Will I may have even waited until another chair opened up. But with Jack I find myself thinking "it's no big deal". What I'm curious about is to see how my much more laid back approach to certain situations may effect Jack's outlook. With Will I was able to concentrate solely on his wants and needs and I'm unable to do that now. I also wonder how far back my boys will remember things when they are grown. My earliest memory is of Erin being born and going to the hospital. I was about 31/2. Does that mean I have a free pass until they turn three? I have another year to get my act together?

The Writing is on the Wall AND Will's First Day at Preschool (4.18.06)

One of the funny things about parenthood is that just when you think you KNOW your child, they go and do something you would never expect. For example Will drew all over the dining room wall with a permenant marker. How did he find the marker you may be wondering? Of course I left it out on the counter and didn't even think of the trouble it could cause. The funny thing is that Will uses crayons and pencils all the time and he's never drawn on the wall. He must have known just how "special" that marker was. Thankfully we still had some leftover paint and I was able to cover the "masterpiece".

Will's first day of preschool was the day after we got home from Palm Springs. The preschool is run by the same person who runs the childcare both boys have been attending since February. Will was the oldest at the infant/toddler house so they decided he was old enough to move to the "big kids house". There are 16 children ranging from 2 1/2(Will's the youngest) up to 5. He is doing really well! He's interacting with all the kids, follows directions really well and is even sleeping on his mat during nap time. He's even brough home a few art projects, and of course, they are so darling!