The Vocabulary of a 4-Year-Old

I've said it before and I'll say it again...at times I think my children are brilliant. Today Doug and I paid special attention to the words Will chose. Breakfast was "delicious", I didn't make it, but the people at Loula's apparently did a great job. While Will was playing with Annemarie this morning he thought the fact that she was holding her rattle on her own was "impressive". And when Doug put Will's sunglasses on he thought that was "hilarious". "Enormous" and "gigantic" are two other favorites and of course "gi-normous" which is not a real word, but one the boys have picked up from the movie Elf. Are our children super-smart? I like to think so. Recently Jack has been having some speech disfluency problems aka stuttering, but when I was talking with his teachers they reminded me he has a large vocabulary and possibly his speech is trying to keep up with his brain. One of Jack's favorite words..."actually" and he usually uses it correctly.

Visit from the Weavers

Our fun friends Danielle and Mat Weaver stayed with us for two nights earlier this week. Their family has doubled in size since we last saw them. We were so excited to meet their 7-month-old twins Kessler and Caulder. We tried to keep them busy while they were visiting. We started off with a barbecue on Sunday night when they arrived.

The next day we took them for a gondola ride up Big Mountain. Again the weather was great and the view was beautiful. Pictured above are Kessler (in the blue pack) Mat, Jack, Will and Doug.

Later that day we went to City Beach in Whitefish. It's a little unbelievable, but this was our first trip there this summer.

Danielle feeding Caulder.

Kessler playing in the grass.

The boys working their magic in the sand.

Summer Fun

Here are a few pictures of the boys running through the sprinkler. They had so much fun and are becoming more fearless when it comes to being sprayed. The laughing and shrieking that goes along with this activity is so Americana to me. Hope you're enjoying the summer as much as we are!

Having fun in the sun!Getting ready to run past the sprinkler.

The boys in action.

mus·tache

Websters Dictionary definition -
1: the hair growing on the human upper lip; especially : such hair grown and often trimmed in a particular style

Nothing better than mustaches to keep the kids happy and entertained. We've had this fun collection of them for a while, it was sent in a care package (thanks Erin) and lately the boys have been obsessed with wearing the furry things.

A little crooked and tattered, but it makes a statement.
Montana Jack? Maybe in sixty years.

Poor Annemarie, we didn't want her to miss out on all the fun.

Two Beautiful Montana Weekends

We have been enjoying our summer (as you'll see below). As Doug and I continue to say "why go on vacation if you live in Whitefish?" We've been discovering local activities and sights. And as the kids get older there will be even more to do. Today Team Peppmeier took a gondola ride up (and down) Big Mountain. The weather was perfect, the view was stunning and the activity was short enough that the boys really enjoyed it.

Jack and Will on our way up the mountain. Jack kept saying "I really like this gondola!" Apparently the activity was a big hit with him.
Annemarie looks a little unsure here, but she was a really good sport and didn't fuss at all.

Doug and the boys on top of the mountain.

The view from the top!

Last weekend my sister Erin was in town for a quick visit. As previously mentioned we usually take our out of town guests to Glacier Park. However, this trip the Road to the Sun was open and we were able to enjoy the amazing views.

The views were unbelievable. The road was narrow and curvy, but Erin was in the passenger seat and was able to snap a few shots. We even saw a mountain goat and big horn sheep.

Will and Jack at one of our stops.

More beautiful views of the park.

BIG KID Soccer Camp

This week Will has been enjoying BIG KID soccer camp through the WF Parks and Rec. It has been very amusing to watch. Each day I've had Will wear a bright colored shirt so I can spot him out on the field among all the children. At times he listened pretty well to the coaches, other times he'd make a run for it into the armory so he could dribble and work on his jump shot (the basketball hoops are in there). Overall I think we've learned that currently he prefers basketball to soccer (which is just like Doug). Also, there were about 16 kids at the camp only 2 were girls. This goes along with my thinking that EVERYONE in Whitefish has a little boy.

Almost There

Annemarie can almost roll over. She's so close, here's a video of her attempts. Also, you may enjoy the ending part where off camera Will asks me if I'm going to dry my hair - everyone's a critic!

We Have a Climber...

See this beautiful light? There are two of them in Will's room, over each of the beds. Today when I went in to let Will know he could get up from his nap guess what he was doing? Hanging on and almost sitting on the top part. You can imagine my surprise when I didn't see him in his bed and started looking around the room for him, he was in the very upper corner of the room above his bed, I almost didn't see him! Needless to say, I didn't let him see me laugh (and no, there aren't any pictures, though I almost asked him to do it again so I could get it on camera), I was so shocked to see him up there! I like the lights a lot and I really don't want Will to hurt or electrocute himself so we may need to remove them purely for safety.

Gus & Annemarie

Who knew these two would have so much in common? Both can't talk, they weigh about the same amount and love being fed. Also, they endure the noise and commotion the boys make without much of a fuss.

4th of July 2008

Doug and Annemarie (Annemarie's wearing the darling dress Sarah Spindle sent) in the front yard.

This year we celebrated 4th of July at our friends' parents' house on Whitefish Lake. The view was absolutely amazing. We had such a great time visiting and watching fireworks.

Happy 4th of July!

Our attempt at a family photo before the camera battery died.

Check out the exuberant flag waving by Will, Jack and Matthew.

The Sweet Sound

...of a baby cooing.

Hard at Work

Doug and the boys working on our mess of a front yard.

The Human Paper Shredder

I just wanted to mention one of Jack's talents, which I really haven't put to good use. He loves to shred paper, stickers anything ripable. For example in the mornings if the boys are up early Doug will give them toys to play with in their rooms. Many times (including this morning) when I go to get them up Jack's room is covered in tiny pieces of paper. The paper ususally comes from instructions to toys, legos, and more creative the warning labels on the bottom of the mattress or price tags still attached to clothing. I think I may try and exploit this skill by giving Jack old documents and a trash can, I wonder if it will be just as fun for him?!

WF Farmer's Market

It's that time of year again. The Whitefish Farmer's Market takes place on Tuesday nights and we have made it our mission to take the kids to it each week. Last week we took Annemarie's stroller and made the boys walk (it's about a ten block walk from our house) which they protested almost the entire way there and back. So this week we took the wagon and I carried the baby. Of course this time nobody wanted to ride except for me. There's lots of good food, jewelry and other great items at our market. It's always busy and packed with families. Tonight Doug and I had Szechuan noodles and the boys had shaved ice (they had dinner before we left). Jack insisted on calling his treat ice cream and we let him. Annemarie was a good sport and fell asleep during the walk home.

The House of Pee

Sometimes do you wake up and not recognize your life? Or more appropriately your life doesn't look the way you thought it would? Right now I'm dealing with a lot of pee and bathroom related issues. Not that I didn't assume potty training would be difficult at times or that boys rarely hit the toilet bowl (hitting the seat, lid or base of the toilet do not count in my book) but I didn't think the topic pee would at times consume my life. I detest pee, especially when I'm cleaning the boys' toilet for the third time in one day. I also cannot get over the fact that I usually cannot let the boys go to the bathroom on their own (in our own home). Why you ask? Because 9 times out of 10 they will fill the toilet with an entire role of toilet paper (which Will and Jack did today), squeeze an entire tube of toothpaste into the sink or the most disgusting, put things in the toilet then fish them out covering the floor with water (today Jack put his underwear in the toilet). Like everything else I know this too will pass.

On the other side Annemarie can let off a toot that lasts up to 10 seconds. The best part is if Doug's around he looses his breath from laughing so hard, he thinks it's so funny.

Big Brothers Are the Best

I'm frequently asked how the boys are with Annemarie. Thankfully they are very sweet, kind and attentive to her every need. Yesterday I was making Jack's bed and I set Annemarie down because I need two hands for this chore. Annemarie really does not like to be put down, she rather be held (all the time). Anyhow Jack was with me and I asked him to try and entertain her. He started by singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (his other favorite is the ABCs), when that didn't work he covered her with his blanket and gave her the pacifier. She was so content she fell asleep. I guess Jack knows what he's doing.

Summer Cuts

Summer cuts aka really short hair is popular in our house right now. With the sun finally here and the weather getting warm short hair really does make things easier. It's fast drying and easy to get things out of.

Before the haircut...
...and after.

The other reason I posted this picture is Jack's facial expression. He's started this thing we call "crazy face". It's really quite something!

Trip to Glacier National Park

When coming to visit us, depending on the time of year, plan on a trip to Glacier Park. Most of the park is still closed because we had so much snow this winter, but other areas were open. We stopped for a short visit at Lake MacDonald Lodge and then headed up to the Avalanche Lake trail. We got pretty far, but had to turn around before reaching the lake. All the boys were good sports and I'm impressed by how far they walked. Here are a few pictures from our visit.

Will, Jack, Caleb & Matthew
Caleb, Stacey, Matthew & Steve on the trail

family photo of Team Peppmeier

The Peppmeier Boys (& Annemarie)

Annemarie, Caleb and Jack

Steve, Stacey, Matthew and Caleb are all here visiting us in Whitefish. This is their first time here and we've all enjoyed having them here. The boys are especially excited to have their cousins here to play with. Their favorite activity so far was swimming together earlier this week. Steve and Doug have played a few rounds of golf, Stacey and I have massages scheduled for tomorrow morning and we even went out to dinner (without children). And the weather has been great!

Matthew and Will playing at the house

Will and Matthew swimming at the pool at the Lodge at Whitefish Lake

Caleb and Jack at the pool

Jack resting at the pool

Two Months

the beginning of a smile
check out the eyelashes!
our little angel

She's growing so fast...really, she is! Annemarie turned two months last Wednesday. She had her doctor appointment today and is now 10 pounds 7 ounces (50%) and 22 inches (75%). She loves to interact with everyone and is a good sport about being passed around (she loves and prefers to be held). She's still moving a ton, her arms and legs are always moving. She's been cooing and smiling and even spending some time on her tummy. She still eats about every three hours, but at night she usually can go longer, four to five hours is typical. We're really trying to enjoy this special time, before we know it she'll be crawling and pulling up on everything.