A Native American, A Pilgrim & A Turkey

We're back from our trip to Oregon. We have lots of pictures to share, but I thought we'd start with last Tuesday night when we were trying to get ready for our road trip to Portland. The boys have been making so many great Thanksgiving projects, I wanted to show off their handy work.

Will the Turkey, Annemarie the Pilgrim and Jack the Native American. Jack kept calling his headdress a crown.

Will's Broken Arm

Yep, Will has a broken arm. Another playground casualty. It happened yesterday at school during recess. I got a call around lunchtime - the school secretary called to tell me Will had fallen off the play structure (if you ask Will he says "the wind blew me off"). They iced his wrist, it wasn't swollen and he wanted to go back to class and have lunch. When I picked him up that afternoon he was still moving his wrist around, but I could tell he was favoring it. So when Doug got home he took him to urgent care. Sure enough, it was broken. Will's a lefty and it's his left arm that's in the sweet, removable "Batman-like arm guard" cast. As you can he's not too upset by the whole incident. Four weeks and he should be as good as new!

Sunday at the Peppmeiers'

Gus, Doug and Annemarie watching football

And in other exciting news...Jack and Will both got their ski passes for the season. Both are signed up for ski lessons this winter. At Big Mountain kids under 6 ski free, but they still recommend getting passes - if you could only see the pictures, they are hilarious! Jack kept looking away from the camera or blinking and Will would not sit up straight so it looks like he has no neck. They are both excited for the snow to start falling and the skiing to begin!

Bandon Dunes 2008

Seems how my first blog entry ever was about skiing, it only seems fitting that my second blog entry be about golf. I spent my birthday weekend this year on a golf trip to Bandon Dunes in Oregon. We had a great time, great weather and I even managed to make a little money at the poker table in the evening. Here are some pictures from the trip.

Me on the 18th hole at Pacific Dunes.
Hole #12 at Bandon Dunes.

Dan and his caddy looking for his drive on #2 at Bandon Trails.

(Left to right) Me, Mike Tarantino, Dan Lozar, Mike Clear, Jordan Peterson, Eric Weakley, Bob Davies, and Jason Hunt.

Playtime

Here's a quick video of Annemarie in her jumper/activity center. Nothing too exciting, she's just so much fun right now!

Picture of the Day

It still feels like Halloween around here. The boys are still wearing their costumes as well as the Spider-Man and Batman costumes from last year. They're sharing pretty well and I do like the Spider-Man with the Batman cape and mask combo. Jack has informed me he wants to be a pirate next year and Will wants to be an astronaut. I guess we'll have to wait a year and find out.

Here Comes the Snow

It's funny how out here there's always a chance of snow. No matter what time of year. It wasn't that cold this morning when I took Will to school. No rain, and it was probably around 40 degrees. We took a quick mid-day trip to Kalispell and by the time we got back home the ground was covered in snow.

Look What I Did!

I just recently completed my first sweater. It's Annemarie's size, but I figured I should start small and work from there. When I was in California my cousin Cara's daughter Anna had the cutest knit sweater. Come to find out it was not only handmade it was "vintage", it was Cara's when she was a baby. This little sweater was my inspiration and I'm so proud I finished this project! I've been taking a weekly knitting class so I had a lot of help, especially when it came to putting everything together. I plan to knit a few more pint size items and then move on to a sweater for me.

Halloween 2008

Halloween is a BIG deal in Whitefish. I think it may be one of the town's favorite holidays. This year we participated in the downtown trick-or-treat. All the local merchants give out candy and there were so many people. I think the boys really enjoyed getting dressed up and had fun. After gathering candy we met up with friends downtown and watched as our children spiraled out of control. I had to remind myself at times Halloween IS a holiday for children and they get a pass when it comes to trying to stay in control, especially after all that candy and stimulation. That said we had a good time. Annemarie got lots of looks and compliments. As you can see in the picture below she wasn't real sure about this whole thing but was a great sport!

Will the Red Dragon, Annemarie the Sunflower and Jack the Stinky Skunk

Annemarie and Aunt Erin after trick-or-treating

Matthew the Monkey and Will the Dragon

And we're done!

I also want to mention we lost a very dear friend of ours late Halloween night. He was killed in a single car rollover accident. We are all grieving his loss and are doing everything we can to help his family. This is a sad reminder to us all to cherish those you love because we don't always know what the future will bring.

October Update

We have been busy. I cannot believe I haven't posted a message in almost two weeks! And some important things have happened. Annemarie has turned 6 months (on Oct. 11), my sister Erin has moved to Whitefish and fun activities continue to come our way and keep us busy.

First Will is great - loving school, loving Mrs. Morrison (his teacher) and loving sharing all his new knowledge with us. Daily I'm amazed at the things he tells us plus it validates the choice we made to send him to the school he's attending. Jiggidy - Jack is loving school as well. He's all about his friends and teachers and is always momentarily disappointed on the days when Will goes to school and he stays home. The games and interaction between the boys is usually amusing and at times endearing. The games they play together and amount of imaginary play they do is lots of fun.

Miss Annemarie is still an absolute doll (people say she looks like a doll all the time!) and gets bigger each day. Her hair has even started to grow. We still cannot really tell what color it is, but it gets longer each day. Doug is off to Bandon Dunes in a couple of weeks for golf fun with all his boyfriends. I'm totally envious and when I get some time I plan to plot my own annual fun trip where he stays at home with the kids for four whole days. Doug's playing lots of basketball, even had an "injury" and is still getting in a few rounds of golf before the weather completely turns and the snow returns. I've been enjoying a weekly knitting class where I've almost completed my first sweater (for Annemarie, next time I may try an adult size) and I am looking forward to Nov. 4th so I can quit my addiction to cable news. Last week I helped out with a small event at Will's school and in some small way I was reminded this is where I always wanted to be (a mom).

We're looking forward to a quick trip to Oregon for Thanksgiving and having family out here for Christmas. Of course there are lots of birthdays and fun events that will happend over the next few months and we're ready to enjoy them all. Hope everyone is enjoying the fall season!

Trip to Sweet Pickin's (round two)

Today it was Jack's turn for a trip to the local pumpkin patch. Again we had another great day, a little cold but the sun was out and the kids had a good time. Now that Erin is here I was able to leave Annemarie with her and go with Jack. We had fun. He saw the bunnies, goats, alpacas, kitties and a small donkey. After all the fun activities I asked him what he enjoyed most. "Popcorn" was his answer - that's my boy!

Looking for the bunnies.
Taking a turn on the rope bridge.

Swinging on the horse swing.

Taking the pedal carts for a spin.

Going for a tractor ride.

Trip to California

Two weekends ago I took Annemarie to California to meet her great-grandmother (Gigi) and the rest of the family. We a such a nice but quick visit. Thankfully Mom took some picture while we were there.

Gigi and Annemarie

Play date with my cousin Cara and her little one Anna. Anna is three months older than Annemarie and is crawling and pulling up on things. It's fun to be reminded where we're headed.

Annemarie playing with Lindsay and Eric.

My cousin AnneMarie's children: Ryan, Libby and Alida.

My cousin Alida and her son Parker. Parker was so sweet with Annemarie and wanted to hold her.

Annemarie and I outside in the California sun. I love her little smirk and how the sun is reflecting off her bald head!

The Bad Guys

We were awakened by this scary duo this morning. The boys have moved from playing pirates to bad guys. That's underwear Jack is wearing on his head. I have no idea where he came up with the idea, but I think it's creative and hilarious. The boys are wearing their "super-fun" glow-in-the-dark skeleton pajamas Aunt Erin brought for them.

Gettin' Crazy

The Hideout

It was awfully quiet this morning while I was finishing packing for our trip. When I went to check on Jack I was pleasantly surprised to find him playing in his new hideout. He was so quiet and tucked away (as you can see) it took me a minute or so to find him. I was thrilled not to find water overflowing from the bathroom sink or a layer of Tide detergent on the floor.

LEGOS continue to be a HUGE hit in our house and Doug's skills are impressive. Jack's playing with a castle, horse and carriage Doug built.

Here's a new picture of Miss Roll-y Pole-y (as in rolling all the time). She lasts for about five seconds on her back then rolls to her stomach. She still hasn't quite figured out how to get back on her back, but I think she's close.

It's Wild Out There

Field Trip to the Pumpkin Patch

What a beautiful day! I'm so glad I was able to join Will's class on their trip to a local pumpkin patch. There were so many activities for the children. A petting zoo (bunnies, goats, a donkey and alpacas) a large sand pit with great toys, a bike AND go-cart track, just to name a few. It was so beautiful out there. All the leaves are changing and the mountains are so impressive, it was a great place to enjoy how beautiful this time of year is.
Will mastering the rope bridge (he's in the grey hoodie) with some of his classmates

taking a break from digging in the sand pit, to smile for the camera

Watch out! Here comes Will in a go-cart (I had to keep reminding him to stay in the middle of the track). He had to be rescued a few times when he'd run into the hay bales.

a tractor ride out to the pumpkin patch (look at those mountains)

September Update

What a busy month! With Will in school full time and Jack in school three days a week I was certain I'd have lots of extra time. It doesn't seem to be working out that way. I've found that instead of shopping with three I'm shopping with one. And instead of keeping three children entertained and a messy house, I'm now keeping one child entertained and a "cleaner" house. I've also recently taken up some hobbies that I let slip away while the boys were little. I'm reading and knitting again. It's so nice to have a creative outlet and once again feel like I'm stimulating my brain. Also, I feel like we have a good group of friends here, so our social life has picked up as well (not being pregnant probably helps too!).

In other exciting news, my sister Erin is moving to Whitefish on October 10. Mom is driving her out so we'll all get a short visit in as well. This weekend Annemarie and I are headed to the Bay Area to visit with my Grandma (Mom will be there too) and hopefully see some family. Grandma has yet to meet Annemarie so it's about time we make the trip there. I wish this was going to be trip for the whole family, but with plane tickets as expensive as they are right now there was no way we could make it work. So, I'm the lucky one (Doug's headed to Bandon Dunes the beginning of November, so really we're even).

Both boys are really enjoying school. Annemarie is getting big. She's at such a fun stage. She loves interacting with anyone, is starting to play with toys for an extended period of time and over all is such a sweet girl. The boys continue to adore her and are nothing but helpful and kind around her. The weather here is beginning to change. The sun is still shinning but the temperature is starting to get cooler. I realize I need to start dressing for the season - I'm still wearing flip flops and tees to drop of the boys in the morning, but lately it has been around 45 degrees!

Will has a field trip to the pumpkin patch this week, Annemarie and I will be tagging along. I cannot believe Halloween is only a few short weeks away. I was in Lowe's this weekend and they were putting up the Christmas Tree display! This time of year seems to pass so quickly. We're looking forward to a trip to Oregon for the Thanksgiving holiday. It will be quick, but we'll be able to celebrate and visit with family which is really important.

Here's a quick video of Annemarie playing for those of you who could use a baby fix!

Jack is Back

Back in school, that is. Jack is now going to school three days a week from 9-1p. He attends the Community Christian Preschool here in Whitefish. This is the same school he went to last year. I'm really excited about their program this year. There is an option to stay until 3p (a full day!!), but he's not ready for that quite yet. Jack's teachers are Miss Heather and Miss Jen. Also, many of the children he started with last spring have returned this fall and most likely will be his classmates has he continues on to elementary school. (I have a theory that almost everyone in Whitefish has a 3-year-old boy).

First day of school. Not wanting to smile for the camera.

At school, showing off a favorite puzzle.

Happy Jack

Rolling...

It happened pretty quick, but I got it on camera...