The Big Reveal

From "pink stucco house" with light blue windows and a scrappy front yard...
to "grey stucco house with the darling white picket fence"
the beautiful new front yard

a REAL front door

Most of you have been so patient waiting for us to post these pictures. Doug hung the last outdoor light last night and we finally got the flower baskets in place. I tried to take a picture from every possible angle - I hope you can get a feel for what the place looks like now. We're very happy with the results and are planning to rest and admire Doug's hard work for the rest of the summer.

flower baskets at the end of the carport

new railing on the back deck

the view from the back of the house

Standing

If you have the time to sit through this lengthy clip you'll see Annemarie's latest trick. Not only is she standing without holding on to anything, she stands up without any assistance. This clip is especially for my mom since when I explained what Annemarie's been doing (going from sitting to standing) she said that sounded unusual. This way Mom (and everyone else) can see what I'm talking about. What do you think??

English or French?

Yesterday I took the kids to the library and they were so good! They each picked out a couple of books and waited patiently to check them out. Will was adamant about checking out a picture dictionary. I asked him if he'd like a story book instead, but he insisted on the dictionary. Then much to my surprise when we got home he asked for a blank piece of paper and pen. Then he started coping words out of the dictionary. I was so surprised to see him doing this - and he was so content. Then when I started looking over the words he had written down I discovered it was an English/French dictionary! And he was writing the English AND French words. Will is at such a fun stage. He's so eager to learn. We have lots of conversations about how things work, how to spell words and he's even doing addition and subtraction. It's such a wonder to watch children grow and learn - and even more so when they are your own children.

Little Pink Shed

The little pink shed is getting a makeover. It's currently set up as a shed/greenhouse but most of the plexi-glass is broken plus we don't need a greenhouse. So Doug (and the boys) is updating it. He's removing the old shingles and plexi-glass and installing a new roof. Oh, and probably most important, painting it to match the house.

Father's Day 2009

Happy Father's Day Doug! Thank you for being such a kind, patient and fun role model for our children. They love you dearly. It's so fun to see their faces light up when you come home from work and they truly enjoy spending time with you even if you're doing chores. Great job on being the best dad ever!

The Little Climber

So I know I've mentioned before that even though Annemarie is not walking (she has started standing without holding on to anything) she is climbing on everything. Today she started something new and I was able to get it on video so I could share it with everyone. She must have climbed into the jumperoo eight or nine times before I finally took a video of her. Sometimes I wonder if she's absolutely fearless. She has also started launching herself off the sofa as if she knows someone will catch her (and we always do). Also, not to be alarmed, but the mark on her face is a mosquito bite.

Sneak Peak

We are so close to having this project wrapped up. People have been asking how the paint looks and here's a sneak peak. The painting will hopefully be finished this week. Our new front door will be installed the beginning of next week and we hope to get all the hardware (lights, house numbers, etc.) up this weekend if possible. Soon we'll be sitting back and enjoying all the changes.

Blowing Raspberries

Annemarie has just started doing this...and I think it's so funny. The video didn't quite pick up the noise she's making, but she's making it. She'll blow raspberries on anything, the sofa, my arm, her arm, her highchair, anything that makes the sound. My favorite part is that she thinks it's funny too.

Summer Break Officially Starts Today

Will's last day of school was yesterday, which means all the kids are officially at home. Today we went to Kalispell and spent a couple of hours at Woodland Park. It is so beautiful there and the kids really enjoyed it. Not to get all sentimental, but I had a moment where the boys were playing nicely on the play structure, Annemarie was content in her stroller and I was able to just sit on the park bench drinking my coffee. It was so nice. I've always had a habit of thinking about the future and I forget to really enjoy the present. So for a few brief moments I truly enjoyed present.

Fishing on Whitefish Lake

Three mini-pirates

This weekend the boys went on their first fishing excursion. Doug, Will and Jack joined John and Matthew on their boat and had a wonderful afternoon of fishing. The boys had an especially fun time, even though no fish were caught. They are not discouraged and are looking forward to next time.

Jack and Will - looking very similar in this picture, maybe it's the squinty eyes. No wonder people mix them up!
Captain Jack - looking the part of a true fisherman, big smile and messy hair.

Will enjoying his turn with the fishing pole.

Baby in the Buggy

Annemarie is small enough she can ride in her new buggy as well as push it.

Striking a pose.

Last Day of School

It's that time of year again - when school gets out and I'm left thinking do I have enough summer activities planned to keep my boys busy? Today was not only Jack's last day of school, but his last day at the Community Christian Preschool. Next year he'll be joining Will at Whitefish Christian Academy. Thankfully many of his friends from this year's class will be joining him there. Today was a fun celebration. The children sang songs, we watched a video with pictures from the school year, certificates were handed out and we enjoyed sundaes. What a great year this has been for Jack. He has learned so much.

Enjoying a sundae. Always a clown.

Way to go Jack!

Rock Mountain

The piles of dirt are gone, but now we have a large pile of rock. Not surprising the boys love playing in it. I think I prefer it to the dirt, but the boys still come into the house dusty and dirty. The rock will be put into place one the house is painted. We're using it instead of bark - plus it lasts a lot longer!

A New Lawn!

Another project completed. This Saturday was Sod Saturday and what a great day it was! The boys worked incredibly hard and the end result is amazing. The front yard is so big and level. Perfect for soccer, football, croquet and the slip-n-slide I promised the boys. The only other big project left is painting the house and if the weather cooperates that should begin this week.

John supervising the less experienced laborer.
The boys hard at work (Jack riding his bike - which was helpful).
The end result - a perfect playing field!

Will's Last T-ball Game

The T-ball season was short! Only one month long with two games each week and no practices. Plus two games were cancelled due to weather. Will had a really great time and looks forward to playing again next year. Since the teams have five- and six-year-olds on them Will and Jack can play on the same team, lucky us! Here are a few shots from his last game.

Spagetti Face

We are those parents who wipe our childrens' faces after every bite, okay, maybe every other bite. But it was bath night and spagetti can be so fun. As you can see, Annemarie enjoyed eating and playing with her dinner.

The Big Pile of Dirt...is Gone!

Will and Jack on top of the dirt mountain. They really enjoyed digging holes and then standing or sitting in them!

Doug calls this erosion control, I call it watering a pile of dirt.

Back in the Bobcat, what a pro!

All lumpy, but getting close...

Perfectly level and ready for sod!

Annemarie "Helping" Unload the Dishwasher

Bike Riding Weather

It's finally getting warm here. This weekend Will got his first big-kid bike. We also invested in new bike helmets and the boys cannot be happier with the "cool" flames.

Annemarie's New Buggy

Annemarie received this baby buggy from my mom this week. She is not walking yet (crawling with amazing speed and climbing on everything), but at least now she's attempting to stay on her feet. She's thrilled with her new toy.

Project Update

The work continues! Doug has been very busy and we have the pictures to prove it. The weather the last few weeks hasn't been that great for prepping the house and painting, so we're hoping the weather will improve so we can get this place painted and looking good. Sod will also go in once everything is finished.
We have a huge pile of top soil in the front yard. The boys and the neighbor kids love playing in it. This is typically what the boys look like when it's time to come in.

The boys staking out where the fence will go.

The view from the house.

The front of the fence. We're planning to paint it white.

Our sad deck before without the railing and our deck now with the new railing.

Mother's Day Tea

Will's class hosted a Mother's Day Tea yesterday. It was so much fun and I'm so upset - I forgot my camera! We painted a flower pot together, had lots of fun treats to eat - there was even a chocolate fountain! Will presented me with a beautiful angel pin he had made, a framed picture (of him), a flower wand and a finger-painted placemat. We listened to a story, the students sang two songs and we all had a nice time visiting and enjoying all the all kids' hard work.

Another Peppmeier Project

We have two skid-steers, a chipper and a trash trailer currently out in our yard. That can only mean it's project time! As most of you know we live in a darling little pink house and ever since we purchased this home two years ago we've been saying we were going to paint it. Well, the time has finally come...Of course once we started talking about painting the house that lead to other projects that needed to be done. The other big one is redoing the front yard. So this past weekend Doug has been hard at work, trimming, clearing and chipping all the old landscaping (and not to mention trimming the enormous hedge that runs almost the entire length of our property).

So, what does the entire project entail?? We're having the house painted, a new railing installed on the back deck and a new front door and hardware (outdoor lights and house numbers). In the yard Doug's installing a picket fence along the front of the property, we'll be getting a load of rock for around the house, a load of top soil and new sod. I don't think I've left anything out. Needless to say Doug's been busy. We cannot wait for it to be finished! We'll post pictures as the work continues.
Doug cut everything down with clippers and a hand saw. After it was done I told him we could have purchased a chainsaw, but he said the work is good for him!?

Mr. Bobcat himself - Doug has pretty good skills when it comes to operating one of these.

All clear!

The pile of brush before...

during...

...and after! Great job Doug!