Fall Is In the Air

It was cold today. Summer has come to an end and Doug celebrated by giving Annemarie a ride on our extremely large portable air conditioner. The air conditioner has been put away...the weather people have started predicting snow. We may see some this week!

Up Close

We just happened upon this event taking place in Kalispell this morning. There was a firetruck, helicopter, police vehicle and ambulance all available for people to check out and even get into. The boys were so excited!

Will and Jack sitting in the helicopter. Not sure why Jack looks so sad, he's not into pictures these days.

In the back of the Special Response or SWAT Team vehicle.

What a fun activity!

Happy Birthday Erin!

Erin turned 29 on Thursday. The kids and I helped her celebrate with cupcakes, singing and gifts. Later Erin, TJ and I all went out for dinner. It was fun and very low key. We were all so happy to help you celebate. Enjoy your last year of being in your 20s!

Clothing Optional

This morning I walked into Annemarie's room to find her stark naked holding her pajamas in one hand and her diaper in the other. She was so thrilled with herself, shrieking and laughing. This was no small task. Her pajamas were full body ones with footies and snaps. I have no idea how long it took her to get out of everything. She's been taking her shoes off for a while, but she's starting to move on to other items like her shirt. Sometimes when I'm folding laundry she'll grab pieces of clothing and try and put them on. It is so cute to watch and it reminds me how quickly she's growing up.

Ties on Fridays

Here's a picture of Jack all dressed up for school on Friday. On Fridays the boys attend chapel and are required to wear ties. I love this picture of Jack, mostly because he's wearing the cardigan I tried to get Will to wear all last year. Isn't he cute?

All dressed up for chapel. Even Will's blue sling matches!

Kindergarden Circus

The circus was in town today! What a fun show...Will's class has been learning about the letter C this past week and put together and performed a live circus. They had two shows, one for the preschoolers and one for the parents. There was a lion tamer, dancing dogs, silly clowns, even a stunt man and strong man. Will was a fire breathing dragon who jumped through hoops. Jack saw the performance earlier with his class and Annemarie and I enjoyed the later show.

Here's Will twirling a hoop with his good arm.

Will jumping through hoops and Ring Master Mrs. Puchta.

Another Broken Bone (and a Dislocated One Too)

I'm beginning to sound like a broken record...so who was it this time?? On Friday night while the boys were getting ready for bed Will climbed up on a three foot high bookcase (which we always tell him not to climb on) and fell off. His right arm was extended so when he fell he broke the ulna bone near his elbow and dislocated the radius bone. We had a pretty intense and long stay at the emergency room. At first the doctor thought Will had only broken his arm, but after the orthopedic surgeon on call looked at the x-rays they noticed the radius was dislocated. So long story short, Will was sedated so they could pop the radius back into place. Will didn't feel anything and doesn't remember that part of the visit. The doctors and nurses did a great job and made the experience less scary. Will was a champ. He didn't cry and did everything the doctors and nurses asked him to. He was a huge hit. Right now Will has a hard splint that goes up over his elbow, it's wrapped with an ace bandage and then he also gets to wear a sling. On Thursday he has an appointment with the orthopedic surgeon where they'll check to make sure the radius is staying put and they'll put a hard cast on at that time. Recovery should be around six weeks.

New Hair Style for Annemarie

Finally, enough hair for pigtails!

Look What I Made!

The other night Will was playing with his legos and look what he made! A pair of glasses and not just any glasses, but ones that "work" with hinges on the side.

Clothes Made By Grandma

I've been meaning to get a picture of the kids wearing the clothes Chris made for them for weeks! The other morning the boys both put on their shorts and Annemarie was in one of her dresses and it seemed like the perfect opportunity for a picture. When we were in Oregon Chris had made shorts for the boys and two dresses (plus hats and bloomers) for Annemarie (to see the other dress Chris made check out my "Play Time!" blog entry back on August 28). Chris is such an incredible seamstress and the kids love their clothes. They realize what an incredibly special and thoughtful gift they are. Thanks Grandma!!

I had to post this picture...Annemarie is such a clown!

Summertime

Here are two of my favorite pictures from last month.

Annemarie in her tutu style bathing suit playing in the sand at City Beach.

Will and Jack at Lake MacDonald in Glacier Park during our camping trip (thanks for the pic Peschels!)

First Day of School!

Here's an okay picture of Will...
...and a good one of Jack

Visit From Tutu

What a great visit we had! My mom was here for a week and we really enjoyed spending lots of time with her. She helped me out a ton with the kids plus we got in some fun activities. My mom is headed over to Vietnam in mid-September for nine months. She'll be bringing her expertise to an orphanage over there. We're so excited for her and this tremendous adventure, but we'll miss her terribly. Thank you so much for coming out and spending so much time with us. We love you!

Will Riding a Bike!

Will popped up and starting riding his bike on Sunday. Doug took the training wheels off and without much instruction Will hopped on the bike and started riding. We were a little stunned. Thankfully I quickly recovered and was able to take a quick video of him...this was probably his third attempt. Also, this weekend he had mastered turning. Next it will be jumps...

Whitefish Brewfest

Another reason why Whitefish is great...we have our own little brewfest. It's an event to raise money for the local snow bus which runs during the winter and is free. There were maybe 8 - 12 brewers mostly from Montana, but Deschutes Brewery was there and they had a new organic brew called Green Lakes. It was probably my favorite. The best part was being able to walk up and get a beer without waiting in a 10-person deep line. Here's a picture of us with Laura and John.

Play Time!

Tyler and Stef came over for a visit today. The little ones played nicely for awhile and then Annemarie starting hogging all the toys - I wonder who she learned that from?? Tyler and Annemarie are about nine months apart in age and they're getting to a stage where they're doing some of the same things. Who knows maybe they'll even start playing together. I think Annemarie still has about four pounds on Tyler and is kind of pushy (literally she pushes him) but I'm sure he'll be the same size as her soon enough. We're looking forward to many more play dates.

Now what??
Annemarie showing off her standing/walking skills.

What a happy guy!

Last Few Days of Summer

This has been a great week. My mom is here visiting and she's been spending lots of time helping with the kids (I've actually been able to get some stuff done). Today we took the kids to City Beach. I think that may have been our last trip of the season. School starts next Wednesday for the boys and Will has his first soccer practice on Saturday.

So much going on...what to do next?

Annemarie running for the water. Her feet are barely touching the sand.

Annemarie going for her first swim in Whitefish Lake. Mom and I were surprised by how much she wanted to be in the water. The water wasn't very warm (thanks Mom for going out there with her!) but Annemarie did not want to get out. She loved kicking her legs and splashing with her hands. She even puts her face in the water. Finally a child that likes the water as much as Doug!

Put the Fire Out!

Receiving instructions from a local firefighter on how to properly handle a fire hose.

Will putting out the fire.
Jack's turn!

We finally made it to the farmers market (first time this summer). My mom is here visiting until Monday and we wanted her to see it. When we got there the local firefighters had set up this fun activity for the kids. The boys really enjoyed spraying the hose and putting out the fire in each of the windows.

Happy Campers

Yesterday we wrapped up another successful Peschel/Peppmeier camping trip. This year was so much fun! We stayed at the Apgar campground in Glacier Park. The weather was great, even warm during the days. Our last night it got a bit cold and we were freezing when we woke up in the morning.This picture was taken on our last day right before Doug took the tent down. I didn't realize I looked so tired!

There were lots of camping activities (aside from eating a drinking). Here's a picture of the boys working on the Junior Forest Ranger packets we picked up at the visitors office. Will was very adamant about completing his packet and getting the badge. Jack and Matthew worked on theirs but I think preferred riding their scooter and strider more. The boys also used our tent as a bounce house (jumping on the air mattresses and bouncing off the tent walls) and that kept them busy for hours.

The Peschels brought their boat with them and we were able to go out on Lake MacDonald. The weather was perfect but the water was cold. Annemarie did pretty well. She was most content holding a can of Coors Light.

Our view from the boat. Pretty spectacular, right?

Evening activities included taking the boys for a ride around the loop.

Will with his Junior Forest Ranger badge. Way to go Will!

Vacation Wrap-Up & Highlights

We're back home. We got back around dinner time on Saturday. What a great trip...lots of driving, but also lots of visiting with family and friends. Friday before we left we got together with the Knights and Hovdes for a family barbecue. It was so great to have everyone together. The kids are getting so big! Unfortunately I forgot my camera, but thankfully Dianne was able to snap some good pics.
To view them click here: http://goodknights.blogspot.com/2009/08/7-kids-6-adults-crazy-chaotic-fun.html

Other vacation highlights included seeing my Dad and Papa, a girls night out with Dina and Dianne, a quick trip to Prineville and staying at Doug's parents' beautiful cabin. Doug and I also had dinner with my high school friends Renee, Evan, Ryan and we met Ryan's fiancee Christina (we're looking forward to their wedding in September!). It was a busy two weeks! Things are getting back to normal for us here in Montana, the weather has improved and it's feeling like summer again. My mom is coming for a week long visit next week and we're really looking forward to seeing her. Only 14 more days until the boys start school. Where did the summer go?

Trip to Cannon Beach

Family picture in front of Haystack Rock.

Today we took a quick day trip to Cannon Beach. The weather was good, about 65 degrees and sunny. We got into town early so it wasn't too crowded. We went to the beach first and let the kids play for about an hour. Then we headed into town for a bite to eat. We walked along the main street and did some window shopping. What a great trip!

Annemarie enjoying the beach and playing in the sand
Doug and the kids digging a hole
Doug and Annemarie taking a beach stroll

I love this piece of sculpture, it used to be in Lake Oswego so I was thrilled to see it had found a new home. It's called "what came first the chicken or the egg?"

Concert in the Park

Tonight we met up with McAuliffes for a concert in the park. We ate dinner, drank wine and listened to music. The boys played, danced and eventually got rowdy. It rained on us but we felt like true Oregonians. We had so much fun!

The rowdy bunch...Will, Ryan, Matthew and JackAunt Marcie and Annemarie

Ryan dancing the night away

Matthew and Jack showing off their dancing moves