Koen, 4 years old!

The long awaited birthday arrived. Koen's not a fan of sweet stuff so we had a "shark cake" that was made of vanilla pudding, blue whip cream (water) and gummy sharks. He got a Skeletar costume (he loves being the mean guy while playing with Daradie), handcuffs and swords, and a skater shirt. We ate his favorite things: waffles and sausage, hot dogs, chips and veggies/dip, and pizza with bread sticks and extra sauce. (We got our fill of meat stuffed into tubes that day.)

FOUR things I love about Koen:
1. his smile (his eyes and how he lifts his eyebrows waiting for you to laugh also).
2. thoughtfulness, if he knows I'm having a bad day and doing a bit too much yelling he comes up and gives me a hug or rubs my back and tells me he loves me.
3. "his word is his bond," I always think of that because he can be very stubborn at times but if he says he'll do it, he will but he does it on his terms.
4. adventurousness, it makes me a titch worried but he loves to be outside and keep up with the big boys (and he does a dang good job at that as well).

D+A= Beautiful Genes

Picture time. Brace yourselves. I know you know good looks when you see 'em, but really, sit down for these! I had the kids pick out their own clothes. Love doing this because it captures the REAL them instead of fake smiles stuffed in a shirt. The red shirt and teal sweater that they are wearing--are actually backwards but that's what they wanted (and knowing that the plain shirts would look better anyway, I didn't put up a fuss). NONE OF THESE ARE POSED.

The pictures were taken at our lot down the lane. Love this picture because the kids are like this--really. While watching TV one of them will have their arm around the other one. One will always ask if they can take a treat home for the other. They really do love each other.

My grandmother's fur coat and purple hat that I loved wearing when I was little.A 10 gallon smile for a 10 gallon hat. (Mom and Dad, don't worry, you'll be getting real pictures in the mail shortly.)Capturing how giddy a damsel looks while talking to a real cowboy. (Truly, my kids really do this stuff on their own. I just had an excellent photographer that knew when to capture life.)
It's his eyes that make his smile light up the room. Every picture had a smile. He's always ready to make a joke and get you laughing...even though it only takes those eyes.

A spirited daughter that knew exactly what she wanted to wear, how to wear it and how to look in the picture. Assertiveness will take her far in life.

Love you, kiddos!

*Disclaimer: some of the pictures are a bit fuzzy due to my issues with the scanner...or lack of scanner. I couldn't get it to work and so I resorted to taking a picture of the picture. It is not from the awesome photographer.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Daradie has come home from school everyday supplying our apartment with Thanksgiving decorations. I do believe that I have 5 turkeys in a variety of styles, pilgrim hats, Indian feathers of gratitude and fall leaves taped to every wall possible. She came home one afternoon and made the rest of her family Pilgrim hats. We were thoroughly excited to wear them.
And no, we're not going swimming. They were playing Indians and just got done doing their war dance.Happy Thanksgiving, from my little turkeys to your's!

(Go ahead, Pilgrim. Show me what you're made of.)

Laundry Day for Pictures

Okay, so while I was going through pictures I totally forgot to add these. Take a look at all of the grandkids from shortest to tallest on the Peck side. This was at a reunion and we went swimming.The picture below is: Jackson (5), Koen (3), Tera (6), Aspen (6), Daradie (5), Kendall (10 and don't you love the 6 pack). To me, Koen and Tera have the same face and coloring, a bit hard to tell in this picture.

You Know You're Old When...

Birthdays just aren't what they use to be huh, Dan? I completely forgot it was your big day until your friend called to wish you a good one. Oops. Then you asked to have a pumpkin pie but I didn't have all the ingredients. I didn't rush off to the store to get that one item. You settled for a chocolate cake. Then while waiting to blow out your candles you gave me a smirk. What? Is that piece out of the cake obvious? I was hungry and everyone else was taking a nap. You know I just can't help myself in situations like that. So, here's to you Birthday Boy. And yeah, I know your day was yesterday but hey, still love ya!

Ode to My Childhood Days

I can't help but think of my idea of a fun time for my children. We have never owned a season pass to anything while living here. My children just barely went to Cherry Hill the second to last day it closed for the first time in their whole lives. They've never been to a Boondocks Fun Center. I can count on one hand the number of times they've been to the zoo. But my children know how to play together and use their imagination....

You give Koen a stick and he's good for the day. (Pay close attention to end reaction to the "tiger.")


Daradie was throwing rocks in the water. I guess I like taking the kids here because it's what I did for fun growing up. We'd walk down to the canal and throw rocks in. Some afternoons we'd have fun playing in the dilapidated tree house or daring someone to walk across the "skunk bridge."

Wondering how long you can entertain your family here? We spent 2 hours here (and it was 4 miles away from my house) and I always get whining when it's time to go. If I could, I'd toss in a haystack for fun also. They make great houses and forts. There were plenty of days when we had tea parties, dance performances, and cops/robbers. It was always exciting to find a new batch of kittens somewhere in the haystack.


You give Koen a rope and he's good for the day. Really, truly. He plays more with sticks and ropes than any toy in his toy box.


The kids have a great time here. You can't drive right up to it, which makes it even more secret and fun. In fact, Dan has no idea where it is. Most people just walk right on by when they get to this prime real estate location for FUN. The tree is great to climb in. It's smooth enough to have a picnic. And there are plenty of sticks to create marching bands or swords to protect yourself from the tiger in the bushes. Plus, I didn't have to buy any cheap souvenirs, watch kids run amok without socks in inflatable toys, stand in a line to be told to stand in another line, and have to turn around and go home for tantrums after just paying $30 to see animals behind a glass wall.

Here's to my childhood days: Simple. Real. Memorable.