Lovely Ladies

Erin stayed with Annemarie the other day when we took the boys to see the Disney train. When we got home the girls where sitting on the front porch enjoying the beautiful weather. They looked so cute!

Annemarie's First Trip on Whitefish Lake

Look at our little boating baby! This picture was taken before the fussing began. Annemarie HATED her life jacket but liked the wind in her face. Thank you Peschels for taking us out. We really enjoyed it!

Disney's A Christmas Carol Train

Disney is currently promoting their upcoming movie A Christmas Carol by driving a train across the country. It's making many stops and luckily Whitefish happened to be one of them. Doug and I took the boys to the attraction and really enjoyed ourselves. Thankfully we received a tip that if you show up before they open the gates you won't have to wait as long (the day before people were waiting up to 2 hours to get on the train). The train itself was four cars long and as you walked through it you learned about the making of the movie. It was very interesting, but maybe a little advanced for the boys. After walking through the train we went over to the inflatable movie theater where we watched a 10 minute preview of the 3D digital film. It was pretty cool.

The four car train parked in Whitefish.

As we walked along the side of the train there were Christmas carols playing and even fake snow.

A model of Big Ben inside the train.

At the end of the train in the room decorated for Christmas.

Slip n Slide

The yard is in, the house has been painted and the boys have been fairly patient. Will and Jack were promised a slip n slide when everything was done. Here they are trying the slide out this week.

Jack was done after five minutes. He said it was too cold.

As you can see Will needs to work on his sliding technique. Overall I think the slip n slide is a success!

4th of July 2009

We had the greatest 4th of July weekend, but you wouldn't know it because I didn't take any pictures except this one of the kids at the Arts Festival. We had a big group of friends in town and we spent the weekend playing, taking in what Whitefish has to offer, eating and even going out without the kids. The adults spent 4th of July evening at the Northern and we were able to watch fireworks from the roof of the bar. It was definitely a highlight of the weekend. Thank you to everyone who traveled out here to visit. Please come back soon, it was such a pleasure to host you!!

Surprise!

I was cleaning out the storage room the other day and Annemarie was in there playing with the boxes. After moving something and coming back into the room I caught Annemarie doing this...

She seemed pretty proud of herself and in this picture looks like she's had a few.

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!