This is our third day of vacation and I think we've accepted the vacation routine very willingly...sleep, eat, play(swim or golf), eat, sleep, play, eat, sleep. There's lots of sun and the temp has been in the low 70s. Here are a few pictures from the last two days. 
Will and Erin speeding away in the golf cart.
Doug at the golf range. 
Grandma, Jack, Mom and Will after lunch at the Club. 
Will and Jack at the pool. Annemarie still has not had her first swim.
In order to get to Palm Springs from Kalispell we endured a five hour layover at SeaTac Airport. Truthfully it wasn't THAT bad. We arrived at 7a and departed for PS around noon. We had a leisurely breakfast, tried out all the moving walk ways, spent some time in the kids play area...you get the point. We arrived in PS on time and with all our luggage (three car seats, three large bags and a set of golf clubs). All in all it was a good start to our vacation and we only have a three hour layover during our trip back.
the boys on the moving walk way
Will in front of some airport art
a little traveler
Annemarie in the play area
our sleepy girl
What's pond skimming? It's an annual event Whitefish Mountain Resort hosts each year on the last weekend of the season. Contestants dress up, ski down the hill and ski across a pond. The contestant that makes it the furthest across the pond wins a cash prize. This year there were 60 contestants. As you can see it was a beautiful day. Lots of people turned out for the event and we had a great time.
All the spectators watching the event
Annemarie loves all the action, what a happy girl!
Looking down on the pond Check out a pond skimmer in action...
Happy Birthday Jack! You are getting so big! You're such a fun, busy, curious boy. You love your brother and sister and enjoy playing with your toys and reading books. You've become quite the skier and love to spend time outside. We celebrated at home with a birthday dinner, LOTS of presents and of course cake. Thank you everyone for the really nice gifts Jack is thrilled with everything he received.
Gladiator Jack
Team Peppmeier opening the gifts.
Playmobil from Grandma and Grandpa. 
A scooter from Uncle Neill!Happy Birthday to you...
Annemarie on the Dizzy Disc
We've signed the boys up for a quick round of swim lessons before we head to Palm Springs next week. Both boys are very comfortable putting their faces in the water and Will is even swimming without holding on to someone. It's fascinating to watch them try and learn something new each time.
Blowing bubbles
More bubbles
Here's a clear shot of Annemarie's bottom teeth. Aren't they cute? She also has four on the top.
Look! She even has a small tuft of hair.
Jack and his chocolate milk moustache and goatee.
So, I was all set to show these dramatic before and after pictures of the boys. They had their hair cut the other day, can you even tell? It had been almost four months since the last cuts and Jack had enough hair for a small ponytail. If you cannot tell, that's okay, but trust me, in person they look much better. Oh, the lives of Jack and Will. What can you say? It's got to be a blessing and at times a pain to have a brother so close in age. They play well at times and fight like mortal enemies the rest of the time. They have many similarities but are also so different. I'm very curious to see what is in store for them. I really believe they are going to be the greatest of friends and have so many wonderful experiences together.
Check it out, our little girl is pulling up and standing. However, she still needs to hold on to something and I'm not in a rush for the next step (literally). I know what comes next, do you think she'll start walking soon? (The boys didn't start walking until 14 months.)
Another Montana first...On Sunday Erin invited Will to join her and her friend Holly for a dog sled ride. He of course and was very excited about the whole event. Here he is standing with the dogs. There's a place outside of Whitefish that offers dog sled rides. Erin said it was so much fun and the guide was really great. They have about 100 dogs, which to me isn't even imaginable. We're hoping to get the whole family out there next year. Thanks Holly for all the great pictures!
Holly, Erin and Will, bundled up and ready to ride.
The dogs all lined up and ready to go.
The view from the sled.
Will getting ready to drive the sled...
...he looks like a professional!
Phew, what a ride!
Thank you Aunt Erin!
Here are some recent pictures of Jack and Annemarie playing with the work bench. Jack was so good with her, letting her wear the hat and even hold some of the tools.
"No, I think I want the one you have."
This is a pattern from The second little Sublime hand knit book. I also used Sublime yarn, though I cannot remember the name of the color, it's a nice greenish/khaki color.
I love the raglan detailing and the working buttons. Much easier for putting on and taking off a baby.
" We're ready to bowl!"
"Look at those funky shoes!"
Jack lining up his shot...thank goodness for the ramp
All packed and ready to go!
I was going through our pictures and realized I forgot this very important post. Doug and Annemarie made a quick trip to Portland in mid-February. Sadly, Doug's grandmother passed away and he went back to Portland for the service. As a surprise for family members Doug decided to take Annemarie with him - after all her plane ticket was free. Annemarie was an absolute angel on the flights even sleeping a bit. This was a great father daughter bonding opportunity. Turns out Annemarie wasn't too interested in visiting with everyone, she just wanted Doug to hold her the entire trip. Thankfully when they returned home she let me hold her though I think she prefers Doug.
Doug took this video of Will skiing today. It's pretty impressive. There would have been more, but the battery on the camera died. For the past few weeks the weather has been in the 30s sometimes 40s. But we did get some new snow over the past few days and today was a great day to be on the hill. Sunny with no clouds. Quite perfect really. I'm planning to go skiing for the first time in two years next weekend. The boys have their last lesson that day and I want to see them in action.
I know, it's been weeks since my last posting, sorry. Everything is pretty normal around here. Everybody is busy with school and activities. I'll be signing up Will for T-ball this week and games will start mid-April. The whole family is looking forward to spring break, we're taking a trip to Palm Springs to visit and celebrate Easter with the Boscacci side of the family. I'm looking forward to the warm weather.
Add another Peppmeier to the "I Love LEGOs Club". Doug has discovered that Annemarie loves sitting in the LEGO box. Even though she's not quite ready to start building masterpieces she does enjoy holding the blocks and the sound they make when you move them around.
The "Club"I don't feel that the previous video of Annemarie crawling portrayed her ability accurately. This video is a bit more correct. She is turning into a speed-crawler. I'm constantly putting her at one end of the house and she seems to make it to the other end within seconds. I think I'm going to have to pull out the baby gates very soon.
Look at our pretty ballerina, isn't she cute? Marcie and Dennis bought Annemarie her first tutu for Christmas and she really likes all the tulle. Now if we could only get her to do a pirouette she'll be all set!
