The Peck's

Christmas 2010

2010-12-29T06:13:00.000-08:00

Summer fun at Kendal's

2010-07-01T06:15:00.000-07:00

Jumping on the tramp at the Peck's

2010-07-01T06:06:00.000-07:00

Graduation-Outer Banks!

2010-06-04T16:04:00.000-07:00

We have had a wonderful May! Mylee graduated from preschool. Yeah Mylee! Christian graduated from dental school and was accepted into VCU for their pediatric dental residency. His family came out for his graduation and after we headed down to the Outer Banks. Christian and I went there last year with some friends and it was one of our favorite vacations ever. So his family decided to join us this year. We once again loved every minute. We played in the pool, with cousins, hunted crabs, boogie boarded, made a hot tub out of sand and ocean water, and had wonderful food. (Thank you Dave and Kathy for making it possible).

This is Crues new smile as he is learning to walk! He honestly cracks me up.

Our little family crab hunting on the beach.

Kayla and Mylee synchronized swimming in the pool.

Yeah for cousins! It was so fun having the boys there for the girls to play with.

Grandpa and Crue staying warm in the hottub!

On the way home we stopped in a little town called Duck. There is a little pizza shop named "Wave Pizza". He hand makes his pizzas, grows his own herbs. Absolutely wonderful pizza. Later, in the same little shopping center there is store called Duck Doughnuts. You order your doughnut and they make them fresh and hot for your face (as Christian says). I swear I will never eat another doughnut after these. Nothing compares. Anyway, this is on the deck outside of the pizza shop. Perfect ending to a perfect vacation.

Hibernation!

2010-02-08T09:44:00.000-08:00

So my friend Alison said it perfect. We are hibernating. Well not really, but school has been canceled again today. We are suppose to get another storm tomorrow afternoon with a chance of snow which means we probably won't have school tomorrow either. I am just hoping Kayla doesn't get to used to this.

More Snow!

2010-02-05T03:58:00.000-08:00

I usually love snow. I have always loved it growing up. BUT, when they shut the whole state down because of a few inches it gets pretty annoying. We had 10 inches of snow last week. They closed Kayla's school Monday thru Wednesday, and opened 2 hours late on Thursday. They have decided to cancel school today due to a possible storm tonight. The governor has declared a state of emergency so they are prepared. They haven't emptied our dumpster all week. Its kind of funny. I can remember having one snow day growing up and it was because it snowed a couple of feet over night. Now poor Kayla is stuck running errands with me.:) I also wanted to post some pics I had take of the kids way back in September. I know really late, but I have loved all of them.

SNOW!?!

2010-01-30T11:11:00.000-08:00

Well, this past week I was bragging to my dad that it was in the 60's and we were running around without jackets on. Then today I wake up to find this:

It nevers snows like this in Virginia. We have about 10 inches. The girls were dying to go out so we pulled on some tights our jeans a couple of sweatshirts and jackets and headed out. Crue and I lasted about 5 mins and the girls and Christian about 20.

After all of the fun it was time to head back indoors and have some hot cocoa and toast mmm!

Oh the Days!

2010-01-25T18:28:00.000-08:00

Poor Mylee has had a runny nose for a few days and she hated that she had to keep getting toilet paper all the time. So I told her to stick a little extra in her pocket and she would have some for later. Well, she decided to go one step further and add some to each belt loop also. She was so proud!

My little baby isn't so much a baby anymore. He is finally mobile and into everything: the toilet, toilet paper, fridge, cupboards, books, crayons, and he loves the stairs. He has even pulled 4 keys off of the keyboard on our computer. I would get mad but look at that face!

Thanksgiving!

2009-11-30T14:31:00.000-08:00

For Thanksgiving this year we headed up to New York City to see Missy and Brian. My mom and Kendal flew in the day after to meet us. We left about 9:00 in the morning. We missed traffic through all of the major cities until we got to NY. Christian was great and drove the whole way up except for the last 50 miles. It took us 6 hours to go 350 miles and 1 hr to go the last 2 miles. Traffic was terrible driving over the George Washington bridge. I have never been so nervous driving in my life. People were honking and cutting each other off. One guy actually ran into my mirror just so he could get over. Insane!!! But after that we had a wonderful time. Missy and Brian took us on a ferry to see the Statue of Liberty. World Trade Center, FAO Shwartz, Centeral Park, and we played flag football in a park by the little lighthouse. It was a little hectic with kids but we had a wonderful time. Thanks again Brian and Missy for letting us stay.

2009-09-02T07:18:00.000-07:00

Beach Days!

2009-07-16T18:27:00.000-07:00

So with in the last 3 weeks I have been to the beach 3 times. It has been so much fun. We first went to the beach when Christian's sisters were here. The water was perfect and the Whit and Joc were so good to play with my kids in the water. They showed Kayla and Mylee how to body surf. Whit and Joc did a great job. Kayla and Mylee literally stuck their head in the sand, with their bums in the air and let a wave go over them, that was their version of body surfing. Then last week I took the kids to the beach again with some other moms. The girls loved having friends their age to play with. I was lucky enough today to go again with Christian and the girls. He took the day off and we had a family day. We went boogie boarding (christian would start and then grab the girls on the way in), made mermaid tails, body surfed. And then Mylee asked if we could all go on a date together and talk about ourselves. So that is just what we did. Thanks Christian for taking us. I am going to miss you while I am gone.

Little Moments

2009-07-12T18:31:00.000-07:00

So I feel so far behind on this blog so watch for lots of pictures and post in the next little while. Tonight I just wanted to write down a couple of cute things the girls said and add a picture. Poor Mylee has no bum so we have her in size 2T shorts (with the adjustable waistband) and they still don't stay up. Every where we go she has her little bum hanging out. So my kids keep saying things that crack me up and I want to remember them so badly that I have to write them down. So here come some more: we usually give the girls some kind of treat before bed every night (toast, fruit, and sometimes a special treat). Well Christian had been telling the girls all day that he was going to make them a special treat tonight and they were so excited, but then he had to leave for a meeting. So I made the treat (christian's favorite raspberry oreo shake). They didn't like it by the way and then started getting them ready for bed. Christian got home and we were just tucking them in when he told them he was going to go downstairs Mylee begged him not to go. When we asked her why she replied she has a witch in her eyes. That is her way of telling you she has bad dreams. Well, I have ideas of how to get monsters out of the closet and from under the bed, but how do you get a witch out of their eyes? Any help? So Christian cuddled with her for a few more minutes and then said he wanted to go make his special treat to which Kayla replied: Okay dad go get chubby! Doesn't it kind of make you want to watch what you are eating.

The Big K

2009-07-06T05:01:00.000-07:00

So I have been trying to post for a couple of weeks, but I can't get my pictures to download. So here comes a long post with no pics sorry! "The Big K" as Christian calls her is now 6 years old. She is growing up so fast she is so proud to be a big sister. I don't think there is anyone in the world who loves their younger siblings like Kayla. She likes to teach them things, and she would hold Crue constantly. She loves to help and has such a love for life. I am so proud of the person that she is becoming. We have a tradition in our family that on your birthday you get to choose what we eat. Well, my little girl has wonderful but expensive taste and asked for: lobster, crab, fried chicken, and double chocolate cake. We did get her a lobster and they played with it first and then cooked it. She is so crazy and I love it.
So this week we have been so busy. We had Jocelyn and Whitney come out. They are so great with my kids. We were able to go to the beach, shopping, a waterpark, and we went to Yorktown for fireworks on the 4th. During one of our many adventures I was talking to Kayla about the 4th of July and we starting talking about slaves. Innocent little Kayla said, "Mom I am so glad I'm not one of the mean white people 'cause I'm peach". Later that night we were reading scriptures and we were telling the girls the story about Nephi and Laban. I was trying to explain to Mylee what the brass plates were. She looked up at me and asked me if Nephi was going to go back and get the spoon and fork also. Sorry one more cute quote: I was going for a walk with the kids last week and we walked by some ladies talking on the side of the road. The ladies were so sweet and started telling my kids how beautiful and cute they looked. We talked for a few minutes and then started walking again. Mylee looked up at me and said: Mom don't worry I think you are beautiful too. She was so worried because they hadn't said anything to me. I live for these moments with my kids. Thanks Joc and Whit for coming we loved having you.

2009-05-24T18:22:00.001-07:00

I love Vacations!

2009-05-24T14:50:00.000-07:00

Well we have been going, going, going lately. Christian has officially finished his 3rd year of dental school (Yeah Christian!!!). I am so proud of all his hard work. He had 2 weeks off of school which was so nice to have him around. We made a trip up to D.C. to see Jonathan, Linsi, and Easton (Murphy) for Mother's Day weekend. It was so fun to see their little family. Easton is getting so big and the girls adored him. Then we came home for a few days and packed up to head out to the beach. We went to Outer Banks North Carolina with 6 other families and had an amazing time. We rented a big, huge beach house for 8 days. It had 8 bedrooms, 10 baths, a pool, hottub, and media room (which Christian loved). We had so many adventures: we hunted for crabs, saw wild horses, played with friends, and got a tan. Christian boogie boarded and decided to make a tooth out of sand. Well, he and his friends didn't stop there. Once they got started they built the whole lower jaw. Yes they are all dental students. You would think once they were out of school they would want a break from teeth. The kids have decided that we should move there. Crue even had a great time. He loved to lay on the towel at the beach and just stare at the umbrella.

Happy Easter

2009-04-12T05:55:00.000-07:00

I am finally posting some new pictures. We are all doing great. Crue has started sleeping about 5 hours a night and he is growing so fast. He is 6 weeks old today. I can't believe how fast it has gone. The girls adore him and I have had to give them some rules about playing with him. They aren't allowed to carry him, or bug him when he is sleeping. I definitely miss all of the help that I have had the last few weeks. We were so lucky and had both families come out to visit. We were all so spoiled with all of the help and treats that our Grandma and Grandpas brought for us. We were able to go to Kayla's school a few times for lunch, go have a campfire, shopping (of course), and many more adventures. Funny story: When Grandma Kate (Peck) and Grandpa Dave were here they showed the girls how to play a hidden picture game on the computer. Well, this morning as we were having our Easter Egg hunt the girls were having a hard time. Finally Christian asked them to stand next to the door and he took a picture of them. He then asked them to look at the picture and try to find the egg. Kayla just about ran into the door with her head earlier and still never saw the egg until she found it in the picture. Fun times! Mylee decided she only wanted to find boiled eggs. And neither of the girls cared about their dresses that much. Next year we are doing eggs only. Well, I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter. PS. for those people that I am making gifts for please email me your mailing address: mandy1peck@gmail.com

Family Updates:

2009-04-01T13:42:00.000-07:00

Well, I know it has been coming for a long time but here are pictures of the last 3 weeks. We are all healthy and happy and so sad to see all of our family gone. Crue came home on March 10th. The Peck's came a few days later and then we blessed Crue in our home. We ate lunch at Kayla's school and went on adventures. Next the Olsen family came (all of them!!!) and we went to Maymont, Shoosmith, and shopping almost everyday. We love and miss you guys

Who Wants a Gift?

2009-03-09T19:17:00.000-07:00

I saw this on a friends blog and I thought it sounded so fun.
The first five people to comment on this post will get something made by me! My choice. For you. This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:

1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
2. What I create will be just for you.
3. It'll be done this year (hopefully sooner than later.)
4. You will have no clue what it is going to be.
5. I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.

The catch? Oh the catch is that you must re-post this on your blog. The first 5 people to do so and leave a comment telling me you did will win a marvelous homemade gift by me!Let the games begin!!(Oh, and I have to be able to contact you with mailing information!!!)(I promise it will be something good!)

He Graduated!

2009-03-07T10:03:00.001-08:00

Last night Christian and I dropped off the girls at a friends house (thanks Paul and Shannon) and headed to the hospital. I walked in first while Christian went to park. When I picked up the phone at the NICU (you have to call before the will let you in) the nurse said "HE GRADUATED". Which means Crue is out of the NICU and in the PCN (progressive care nursery). We were so excited. We now are able to hold him and there aren't any restrictions about the time the girls can go see him. They are starting to give him 2 bottles a day and he is doing great. We were able to feed him last night and it was so exciting. They gave us special instructions on how to hold him while he eats. We have to hold him up right and lift him from under his chin to help him breath, but he did so well. She said it might take him 1/2 and hour to eat and he might not finish. Luckily, Crue has his dad's appetite and finished the whole thing in 15 minutes with us stopping to burp him inbetween. Each day they will give him one more bottle and then if all else goes well we can bring him home. Thanks for everyones love and support it has really helped.

Crue Christian Peck

2009-03-02T10:13:00.001-08:00

Crue was born on 3/1/09 at 5:04 by c-section. He was 3.5 weeks early. Mandy woke up with contractions every 4-5 min at 1:00 am and we left for the Hospital at 1:40. Thanks Sam and Emily for coming to spend the night with the girls. We got to the hospital and Amanda was dilated to 7cm, the doctor ordered some labs. While we were waiting we watched Air Force One on TNT--a great movie. We got prepped and went to the OR. The surgey went quickly without any complications. I just learned to suture on my oral surgery rotation and had successfully placed 3 stitches in a couple of my patients after extracting some teeth, so I asked the doctors if I could sew Amanda up. They quickly shot me down and made me stand the corner. Crue weighed 6lbs 11oz and was 20 inches long. He was having problems breathing so they admitted him to the NICU. His x-rays revealed hazy lungs which signifies either fluid in the lungs or underdeveloped lungs. The neonatalogist suggested that he probably had both because he was early and because he didn't come through the birth canal which helps squeeze the fluid out. He is breathing on his own but requires oxygen to help keep his blood saturated. We haven't been able to hold him yet, and he is getting food through his IV in his hand. The doctors expect him to make a full recovery and be out of the NICU in 4-7 days. I left the hospital at 10 that morning to go get the girls. Kayla showed Sam the recipe for crepes which is their favorite breakfast as of late and taught him how to make them. They turned out really well, but the girls thought he was silly when he cut them in half and he wasn't supposed too. Later I took the girls to see Crue. They drew some pictures for him and thought he was really cute. They are excited for when he comes home.

Birthdays

2009-03-02T05:22:00.001-08:00

Well February has come and gone and so did 3/4 of our birthdays. Amanda's was the 19th. We went to the Byrd theater, a beautiful historic theater, to see Twilight. The was romantic stuff was cheesy, but the vampires were awesome. The most exciting thing was Amanda having contractions all through the movie. The next night we went out to eat as a family, but all the restaurants had a 2 hour wait. After driving around for 45 minutes we decided on Panera Bread, a soup and sandwich place and they had our food to us in 6 minutes for which we were truly grateful.
My on the 23rd was pretty uneventful. I saw patients during the day came home and ate gourmet burgers courtesy of Amanda's Burger Barn. They were fantastic-- ground sirloin, bacon, white cheddar, guacamole, romaine lettuce, tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, all on a toasted sesame seed bun. I spent the night studying for an oral surgery exam I had the next day. I took a small break to enjoy my favorite homemade cake german chocolate with coconut pecan frosting; courtesy of Amanda's Ace of Cakes a family tradition since 2003. Mylee's Birthday was the 26th. I didn't have a patient in the morning so I got to stay home and spend the morning with her. She loves playing memory, a card matching game, and is really quite good. She decided to have cinnamon rolls for breakfast, and spaghetti and meatballs for dinner. She wanted a chocolate cake with green frosting.

BABY

2008-12-25T08:34:00.000-08:00

It looks like the testosterone levels are going to double in our household. We're having a boy baby. A few people have asked about the girls. They had a great Christmas and definitely were spoiled. It was pretty funny on Christmas morning. I had Christian open the envelope because I couldn't do it. He got a huge smile on his face and announced that it was indeed a boy. Mylee broke down in tears saying she only wanted a sister. We had to turn the video camera on and console her for a little while. After a few talks she is finally ready to have a new brother. A few minutes later Kayla got so excited to open a present she flipped over backwards out of her new chair and landed on her back. What great memories. Don't worry we caught the whole morning on tape so as soon as I can figure out how to get it loaded on the computer we will post a little clip. Merry Christmas Everyone!

Merry Christmas

2008-12-23T12:30:00.000-08:00

Nothing says Merry Christmas better than a man with a nice mustache. This was Christian's last day with his stache and I miss it so much. He got a little emotional when he shaved it off. He just felt like a very important part of him went missing.

5 Days Until Christmas!

2008-12-20T16:49:00.000-08:00

This year has been a little bit different for me. I love being with family on Christmas. For us that meant a lot of traveling between houses, but it was so nice to see everyone. This year we have decided to stay home and have a Christmas brunch. Then sometime in the afternoon we will open our envelope. J/K. I know everyone is excited. We will be opening it first thing in the morning and I will try to post as soon as the presents are opened. In the meantime here are some cute pictures of the girls. We have a neighbor that works at a hospital by us and she asked Santa to come and visit. He showed up Tuesday night in an ambulance. Kayla was the first one out the door and on his lap before any of the other kids, and before I found the camera or my shoes. So, thanks Alison for taking the picture. Mylee on the other hand would not sit by him unless I held her there. Afterwards, she told the next time she see Santa she won't be shy anymore.

Thanks for the tag, Lindsay!

2008-12-18T16:07:00.000-08:00

7 things I can do:
1. Use the leftover food in the fridge and come up with a totally new dinner.
2. Think of cute easy crafts for my kids
3. Play the game, Set, pretty good
4. Sing great (or least my kids think so)
5. Make good chocolate chip cookies
6. Tell when someone needs my help, without being asked
7. I am a good listener (so I have been told)

7 things I can't do:
1. Sing (I think)
2. Run (Christian says it is alot easier to tell me things I can't do)
3. I can't bend over (Kayla thinks I will squish the baby)
4. Paint without making a mess
5. Tell people no
6. Go to sleep if the kids are making noise, or Christian is studying downstairs
7. Parallel park

Things I always say:
1. Mylee, I can't understand you when you use that voice.
2. Please hurry (because it takes Kayla an hour and half to get ready for school)
3. No (Kayla says)
4. I love you
5. How was school?
6. One, two, three
7. Oh my goodness

Things I always eat (well lately it has been changing a lot)
1. plain grapefruit peeled like an orange
2. clementines
3. hot chocolate
4. chicken
5. chocolate
6. edaname (soy beans)
7. string cheese

Holidays!

2008-12-01T15:45:00.000-08:00

I just love the holiday season, and this year it was great because my sister, Megan, was able to come and stay with us for a few days. This is the first time since we moved that we have had family with us during Thanksgiving. I loved having her here. And the girls are already asking when she is going to come back. We didn't have much time with her but we did try to squeeze in a lot of activities: gingerbread houses, thanksgiving crafts, Christmas cards, and Thanksgiving. I love the picture of both girls working on their necklace that both concentrate with the same look on their face. Thanks Meg for coming we already miss you. On another note Christian has been growing a mustache. There is a fraturnity at his school that is collecting money for anyone willing to grow one and then post the pictures online. They are donating all of it to Toys for Tots. What do you think? Mylee doesn't like it but then she doesn't like any kind of whiskers.

The Tooth Fairy!

2008-11-24T15:54:00.000-08:00

We have been waiting for a few months for Kayla's first tooth to fall out. It has finally happened. She had a dentist appointment coming up and got so scared that they were going to pull it out so she decided to. She wiggled it everyday until it practically fell out of her mouth. She was so proud. We love you Kayla.

A couple of thoughts:

2008-11-10T14:30:00.001-08:00

I have had so many people ask me what we are having and they think I am nuts when I tell them we haven't ever found out. So Christian and I have an idea of waiting until Christmas and then opening up an envelope from the Dr. that morning. If anyone has any other fun ideas I would love it. Also, because I am pregnant we will be staying in VA this Christmas. We are going to miss seeing everyone so much this year, but will hopefully see everyone soon.

2008-11-02T16:46:00.001-08:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

I'm Alive

2008-09-17T05:41:00.001-07:00

So, everyone has been asking for updates on the family. Well, about the time we got home from Utah we found out I was PREGNANT! Yeah! I am about 13 weeks along and finally feeling better. This pregnancy has been a tough one. Luckily I have great neighbors and friends that took care of the family. It has been so amazing to me to watch people come together for us when we didn't even ask. I was in the hospital a few times and we have had dinner, babysitters, and people cleaning my house for weeks. Then about a week and a half ago Missy, my sister, flew out and has been helping. It has been so nice not having to do the little things. Like make lunch for Mylee or grocery shop. So thank you to all who have helped. We have truly appreciated everything. On a different note. Kayla has started kindergarten. She is loving it and doing so well. Mylee has started preschool and likes it she just misses her older sister. Christian is still loving school. He works alot on patients now and loves it. I have put some of our pictures with the Peck family in Utah. We went to the zoo, up Spring Canyon, had a great 4th of July and so many other activities. (There were to many pictures to put them all on so I will post more later) I just wanted to say a quick thank you to our families. We had such a good time seeing everyone. Our trip home was so much fun. We miss and love all of you.

It's Time!

2008-07-14T18:49:00.001-07:00

Well, we are getting ready to go back to Utah. We will see everyone soon. I don't know how much I will post in Utah, but we will be back in August. Expect lots of pictures.

Bloggy Game

2008-07-13T09:59:00.001-07:00

I saw this game on my friends website and thought it sounded fun. Here are rules:
1. Leave a comment on this blog post, leave on memory that you and I have had together (or you a member of my family). It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot.
2. Next repost these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. If you don't have a blog you can still leave a comment and I will email you a memory. It is pretty funny the memories people come up with.

Lipstick Mania!

2008-07-12T06:47:00.000-07:00

So I thought I would add some events that Christian left out with his post about the 4th. We had a long day of playing and put the kids to bed. Christian and I were watching a movie and I decided to go and check on the girls. I found Mylee had once again played in the lipstick. (Sorry Bobi Sue and Chet) She had it all over herself and the carpet.
We decided on the 5th to take the girls to play mini golf. Kayla really liked it but Mylee had more fun playing on all of the obstacles. I think Kayla looks really old in the golf picture. I can't believe how fast she has grown up. Thanks Linsi, Jonny and Easton for letting us visit.

4th of July

2008-07-07T15:55:00.000-07:00

We had a great 4th of July Weekend. We went up to visit Jonathan Linsi and Easton (Christian's brother, sister-in-law, nephew) in the Washington DC Area. We figured the best place to celebrate our nation's birthday has got to be at our nation's capital. We spent Wednesday afternoon at the mall playing at the kids play area, Mandy bought a really fancy shirt. Thursday, we went swimming at the pool, and then we took the kids to see the Washington DC temple.

Friday, we spent the day at the national mall in Washington DC. For those of you who don't know it is not a shopping mall, but a huge area that includes, the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial a couple of the the Smithsonian museuums, and many other historical sites.

This is Mandy and Christian in front of our future house. Not quite sure who the other lady is. She just really wanted to be in our picture. So we let her.

The best part of the weekend was by far the fire work show at the national mall. It put to shame any other show that I have witnessed in my 28 years. It was a nonstop display of loud color, warmth, smoke, and patriotism that we were all very fortunate to be a part of. Unlike the snakes and sparklers that Kicking Wing likes on Joe Dirt. The national fireworks did have the good stuff I'm talkin roman candles, black cats, screaming mimis, lady fingers, spleen splitters, honkey lighters, hooskers dos hoosker dont's nipsy daisers, with and without the scooter stick, and finally the whistling kitty chasers. Here's the proof

These are the screaming mimis

Fuzz Buttles

Kayla and Mylee in front of the snicker bombs

Mandy and Christian in front of the hoosker dos and hoosker don'ts
The show lasted for about 30 minutes. The grand finale was spectacular, but not as spectacular as the dash for the metro. 700,000 people were on the mall that night and I swear everyone of them wanted to get on the orange line to vienna, which just happened to be the line that we needed to take. After coating ourselves in vaseline, and thinking very skinny thoughts, we just managed to squeeze into one of those carts. We had a 40 minute ride holding the sleeping kids in our arms. Finally 2 stops before the end a couple gave up their seats so we could sit down with the kids. It was an unforgettable night. Spending Independence day in Washington DC was an opportunity of a lifetime.

Happy Birthday Kayla

2008-06-29T18:48:00.000-07:00

Well, Kayla is 5 years old. I can't believe it is already here. Kayla has always been such a sweet girl, and I am amazed at her patience with other kids everyday. She is a great big sister always willing to help Mylee or me. She loves to learn and has so many questions. She really loves to play the 20 question game with animals. She is constantly trying to stump me with the exotic animals that she comes up with. She also loves to play dress up, school, being a mom (which I am then Grandma, and Mylee is baby), horses, wolves, or lava. She is so excited for school. The other day we were driving in the car and she told me she knew that I would miss her at school. But everything was going to be okay because she would tell me all about it when she got home. And she would still get to see me everyday. Kayla I am so proud of the person that you are becoming. I love you. Mom

Birthday Planning

2008-06-25T18:18:00.000-07:00

So I was planning on writing a cute blog about Kayla after her birthday, but the planning part has cracked me up. I have been talking to her everyday about what she would like. She planned out everything she would like to eat. For breakfast it's cinnamon rolls, lunch is turkey sandwich with not tomatoes, and dinner Lobster, fresh pineapple, and rootbeer. What kid wants to eat that? Mine. When my family was here a little while ago, Kayla sat down in a restaurant, elbowed my sister, Missy, and said order me a lobster okay? It is so funny to go to the store with her I let her pick out a treat every once in a while and it is always something weird like plums, pears, lobster, crab, or a weird piece of fruit. The other day she asked me to buy her a Kiwano Horned Melon (?). Out of everything in the store this is what she choose.

What Great Helpers

2008-06-20T19:16:00.000-07:00

It is so great when Kayla and Mylee try to help me most of the time. Wednesday night I gave the girls some ice cream before they got ready for bed. After a few bites they decided that they wanted to save the rest for tomorrow. I asked them to put it on the counter and then come upstairs. I headed up to get their pj's out and their tooth brushes ready. When they got upstairs Mylee had ice cream in her hair, down her arms, and all over her shirt. The told me they just spilled a little bit on her when they were putting their bowls away. So I continued with getting them ready for bed and just wiped Mylee down. After about 30 minutes when I went back into the kitchen this it what I found. They had spilled it everywhere, including on all the pictures on the fridge. I love it when they try, but I swear most times it makes everything so much harder. I just have to remind myself they are learning something from this.

As a Man Singeth

2008-06-18T17:11:00.000-07:00

This is Christian and this is my first time blogging. I know- I feel sorta like I lost a little bit of my manhood for doing this, but Mandy asked me to put some music on the blog so here I go obeying the commands of my wife. Please don't make fun. I know all the other guys are wanting too as well. Consider this a revolution for all male bloggers. I was looking at some other blogs and saw what they had put up. It is interesting and I have often questioned why do you post the songs that you do. I once heard a saying that says "as a man thinketh so is he." I actually think it is found in Proverbs like 23:7 or something. Well I think that as man singeth so is he. So I added some songs to the blog and here is an explanation for why I added them.
1. Foo Fighters-- Times like These This is actually the first song that came to my head and I thought it fit the purposes of blogging.
2. The Killers--Mr. Brightside just a good upbeat song, and it is in the movie Holiday. We just watched it the other night and Mandy cried like 8 times.
3. The Fray--How to save a life Give 2 breaths and thirty chest compressions. I just finished and passed my CPR class with flying colors.
4. The Fray--Over my head One of my favorite bands and the CD my dad and I listened to over and over while we were driving across the country moving to Virginia. (It was the only one we had and we listened to when we could no longer get any radio stations). Every time I hear it I think of driving at 3 in the morning in West Virginia and wondering if I was getting in over my head by dragging my family all the way across the country to go to dental school. Good Times huh Dad?
5. Pearl Jam -- Yellow Ledbetter Again one of my favorite bands. Curtis hated it when I listened to it when we were roomies at UVSC. Chato this is one for you.
6. Billy Joel-- We didn't start the Fire. I am still trying to figure this one out let me know if you have any insight.
7. Rise Against -- Swing Life Away. This is a song I used to listen to all the time with Jeff Pack in undergrad at Weber State. I wish life were this easy sometimes.
8. Phantom of the Opera-- All I ask of You. Mandy and I really first hung out at an opera in the 7th grade. I don't know the name of it, but Mandy did go see Phantom of The Opera in San Francisco and made me watch the movie. I liked this song.
9. Yellow Card-- Only One. Great song. Mandy you are my only One
10. Kelly Clarkson-- Behind these Hazel Eyes. Kelly Clarkson is the best AI and my favorite. This is an awesome song and an even better rendition is found on vh1.com live music
11. Shrek Soundtrack-- You belong to me. This was Kayla's first favorite movie. We watched it a lot.
12. Mana --Se me olvido otra vez. I served my mission in Mexico and I loved this Spanish band. You should see Mandy and Me Latin dance to this song. In fact, the moment you listen to this you will want to take latin dance lessons.
13. Metallica --Hero of the Day. Metallica is my favorite rock band, and the only band I have seen in concert. Maclaine and I saw them the Summer before our Freshman Year. It was Incredible right MAB? Hero of the Day is my favorite Metallica Song especially this version. Enjoy
14. Niel Diamond -- Sweet Caroline. I love Neil Diamonds voice and who can withstand the captivating draw of his chest hair. I know Mandy can't resist mine. I also love the Boston Red Sox and the crowd sang this song during a game in the movie Fever Pitch
15. John Denver --Annie's Song. After listening to this song I thought Annie must have been something. I also loved that movie when some kids sucked in some helium and sang this song in perfect harmony. It made my knees buckle and brought a tear to my eye. If anyone can name that movie I'll treat you to a double cheeseburger from Mcdonald's dollar menu.
16. Michael Jackson-- Smooth Criminal. After hearing Annies Song, I thought of Annie are you okay? You may have as well so here you go.
17. Michael Jackson-- Beat It. Thriller was the very first album I ever got. My neighbors gave it to me for my 5th birthday. I am pretty sure I wore it out. I had to add the King of Pop to my list for sure. This is the first song from that album. Oh the memories.
Well there you have it, my first blog. I hoped you enjoyed it. I'll update more as I remember more songs. Amanda is getting annoyed that this is so long so until next time. Tah Tah

Happy Father's Day

2008-06-15T18:41:00.000-07:00

I love you Christian! Father's Day is almost over I hope you enjoyed it. I wanted to name a few things that I love about Christian for father's day.
1. Your love of the gospel and willingness to share it with people
2. You willingness to serve no matter what time or where
3. You are a great dad (the girls can't wait for you to come home)
4. You are such a hard worker (I am so proud of you accomplishments)
5. You are so patient
6. Your laugh when we are watching a movie, it is the best, ask any of his friends :)
7. I love how silly you can be, especially your "happy got an a dance", the girls love it
8. How you are always willing to help me
9. You are so unselfish always putting me and the girls ahead of yourself
10. How you treat your parents
Today was a little busy but fun. We started off by making Christian blueberry muffins. Then we headed off to church. Christian and I both had to teach, but once we got home he was finally able to relax. We had eggs for lunch (it's what he wanted). For dinner Christian asked for sandwiches and soup, I told him he could have anything and he chose sandwiches. I wish dinner was always that easy. Next we made homemade ice cream and had an ice cream bar with some friends. The girls loved the toppings they didn't even want the ice cream. Just like their dad, he also loves oreos!
Well I also wanted to tell Grandpa Steve, Grandpa Olsen, and Grandpa Dave Happy Father's Day. We love and miss you guys so much. We can't wait to see you. Thank you for being such great grandpas. Our girls are so lucky to have you guys.

It is still pretty hot!

2008-06-14T21:13:00.000-07:00

Well, Today we had to run to the mall to do a little Father's Day Shopping. It is still pretty hot so we decided to stay at the mall and play for a while. They love to run around and play with the other kids. Until they started playing shooters (guns). Then the girls decided to play Hide-n-seek. It is so funny to watch them. Mylee has the hardest time trying to find Kayla. Then she always hides in the same spot that Kayla just hid in. So Kayla being the nice big sister will pretend not to find her for a little while. After a few minutes they decided to play chipmunks. They were running around saying chipmunk over and over again. I had to try and explain to them that a chipmunk doesn't say chipmunk. Finally they settled with squeaking like a mouse. They both got pretty good at climbing everything.

Heat Wave

2008-06-11T15:57:00.000-07:00

Well, for the past 4 days or so we have had a heat wave. It has been so miserable, and the girls thought they were going to melt leaving the house to get into the car. Yesterday it was about 103 and with the heat index (humidity) it felt like 112. They actually have cooling stations set up around the city for people walking to work from the parking lots. They pass out water and make sure people don't get heat stroke. Luckily our apartment complex has a swimming pool, and the kids love it! That is the only way I can get them out of the house. Kayla has just started swimming by herself and has been doing so well. Mylee still has a hard time putting her face in the water but we will get there.

My Little Moms!

2008-06-07T19:44:00.001-07:00

Last week I went up to the school to have Christian clean my teeth (he did a great job by the way). Well, when I got home the girls were so excited to tell me all the fun things they had been doing. My neighbor Lara came over and brought her daughter Hannah. My girls love both of them. They actually convinced Lara that it was okay to put real babies in their play cradle. They told her they sit in it all the time (they do but they aren't suppose to). Atleast Hannah liked the flashing lights. Anyway, she took a few pictures and I thought they were so cute. We also took Kayla to school the other day. She had to go and have her kindergarten screening. I was so proud as she
marched down the hall acting so old and proud. She did a great job and they said she is really ready. Mylee is already when she gets to go to school. Anyone that has any advice for helping the younger siblings get use to the new school schedule let me know. My two girls being moms and growing up so fast.

2008-06-02T15:32:00.000-07:00

I have had a few people ask me how long we would be here. We are half way through. We only have two years left. We know we want to go back west some where we just don't know where. I guess we will see where life takes us. Mandy

Congratulations Christian!

2008-05-31T18:54:00.000-07:00

Yeah! We are finally in our 3rd year. I can't believe we have been out here for two years. It has gone by so fast, but it has been so fun. Today we went to the class party. The kids loved it. We brought our slip-n-slide and they had water balloons. At first Mylee wouldn't go near the slide, but after a while she wanted to try the big person slide. I wish I could have taken a picture to show how fast and long it was. The girls loved it, after that there was no way they were going on the little slide. Steven (christian's classmate) has a big dog named Karen. She was the sweetest dog and tried to save Kayla one time when she was going down the slide. It really scared Kayla, but she's okay and wanted to pet her again after a minute. Christian and the guys played a game of "500". It was just so hot they all came back soaked. The temperature today was about 90 degrees and suppose to rain. All the men came back and poured cups of ice water on them selves. It was a great BBQ!

Summer Starting

2008-05-29T07:31:00.000-07:00

So for the longest time Kayla has been begging us to teach her to ride her bike with out training wheels. I took them off about a month ago, but we have been traveling so much we haven't even been home to teach her. Yesterday, Christian surprised us by coming home early and we thought what a great day to try and learn. It was only about 75 outside which is great weather to run up and down the sidewalk. Kayla get pretty nervous but she is trying. Afterwards the kids wanted to make some bread. They both love to come and help cook in the kitchen. Thanks girls!

2008-05-26T17:10:00.000-07:00

Happy Memorial Day! Well, ours was pretty boring. We decided to take it easy. I ran a few errands in the morning and picked up some water balloons. Christian took the girls swimming for a little while. Our swimming pool isn't heated so they don't last very long. We went for the first time on Saturday and they kept getting in for a minute and then would jump back out and head for the towels. Then we had a water balloon fight in the back yard. We invited the neighbors to join us (Isaac, Tayden, Wyatt, and Isabelle). I filled up about 100 balloons and it took about 5 minutes. Next time I think we will have make the kids play some games with them or something.

2008-05-26T04:57:00.000-07:00

We have loved living out here for school. The hardest part is that some of our friends leave every year when they graduate. This year we have 17 families leaving our ward. The Goeckeritz family is one our closest friends and so we wanted to do one last activity with them before they moved. Linsi had a huge piece of white paper from her photography studio so we let the kids go crazy with paint. It was our way of saying good bye to our little preschool group. Some of the kids stayed pretty clean, others (like Tayden) completely painted every part of his skin that was showing. Little Belle just wanted to keep tasting them. As you can see they had a blast! Megan and my mom also flew in that morning so we were trying to kill time before Grandma Veda and Missy got here. We decided to find some rocks and sticks to paint also. As you can see we now have some snakes and lizards (Louie the lizard). What a mess but so much fun.

Shoosmith Campground

2008-05-25T19:06:00.000-07:00

Summer Vacation

2008-05-25T16:24:00.000-07:00

Well, I have a lot of catching up to do. We have been up to DC to visit Jonathon, Linsi, and Easton. My family came into town and we went everywhere. Then we had to speak in church today. So this is the first moment I have had in about a month to sit down and download the pictures off of my camera. Poor Christian, he has been hanging out with SEVEN girls for 10 days. Hey was really great as we walked through parks, down streets, and even exercised with us. We stayed a few nights in VA Beach, and then came back to Richmond. The girls love to dance. They went over to a neighbors the other night and they taught them ballroom dancing. This is Kayla being the prince and Mylee is the princess. Afterwards Mylee falls to the floor and pretends to be asleep. Kayla has to come to her rescue and kiss her on the lips to wake the sleeping beauty up. Girls, Girls, Girls!

Our first visit to Maymont 3/06

2008-05-22T10:07:00.000-07:00

This past week we have had a lot of friends graduate from school. It has made me remember when we moved to VA. The girls have grown so much. Mylee couldn't even walk. She used to scoot around on her bum like a monkey. I can't believe we are already half way through school. It just gets harder and harder to say goodbye to friends as they leave. We miss and love them

Hueguenot Park

2008-04-16T21:27:00.000-07:00

The girls and I went to a fun new park the other day. They had bench swings, and these chair swings that the girls loved. The whole part was built for a young girl in a wheel chair. There were ramps going to the top of each of the slides. It has to be one of my favorites.

Brand new Play house

2008-04-12T12:14:00.000-07:00

The girls were invited to visit a friend of mine that just had a baby. She used to teach school and misses playing with older kids so she asked the girls to come over. She had a huge cardboard box that she made into this house. I don't know if you can see it very well, but she put some curtains up and painted the outside. The bushes have flowers and bugs, the inside has pictures hanging on the walls along with a computer desk for each of them. It is so cute I had to show everyone.

My Two Little Peacocks

2008-04-12T11:24:00.001-07:00

Well as everyone know we went to the zoo a about 1 week ago. The girls loved the peacocks roaming around the walk ways. They also love the movie "Barbie Island Princess". So when they opened their package from their grandparents this morning and saw the peacock feathers they had to make their own tails. Kayla was Roe, from the movie, and Mylee was the peacock. Thanks Grandpa and Grandma Olsen for the great package. We love and miss you.

Our new Van

2008-04-12T11:12:00.002-07:00

I have had all of you asking to see our new van so I thought I would send you a picture. This other pictures is the kids when we went to the zoo.

Our new Van

2008-04-12T11:12:00.001-07:00

Shoosmith March 2008

2008-04-06T18:29:00.002-07:00

We went to a nearby camp site for an Easter Egg hunt. We had a bonfire and went fishing. The girls each caught about 4 fish. Mylee actually liked fishing this time. The girls love to cook hot dogs and smores. It was nice with all of our friends there and this time no one fell in(or got pushed in). Kayla said she only had a little bit of fun because she couldn't stay the night.

Hubby Tag

2008-03-07T06:40:00.000-08:00

1. What is his name? Christian Sargent Peck, we have had people think he is an actual Sargent in the Army.

2. How long have you been married? 5 1/2 years

3. How long did you date? We dated 1.5 years

4. How old is he? 28 and I am 4 days older. (He says it doesn't count because I was born 6 weeks early and he was born 1 week late)

5. Who eats more sweets? It depends on the sweets.

6. Who said I love you first? Christian did

7. Who is taller? He is by a few inches

8. Who is a better singer? Christian definitely. I am not a singer.

9. Who is smarter? It depends on the topic. I am with math and Christian with everything else.

10. Who does the laundry? I do other than Christian put a load in the washer this morning?

11. Whos pays the bills? We both do.

12. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? He does.

13. Who mows the lawn? We haven't had a law to mow yet. In Virginia the don't even plant real grass, that is something I really miss. Nice soft grass to play on.

14. Who cooks dinner? I almost always do. I love to cook and would like to take some classes one day.

15. Who drives? I drive the car 90% of the time, but if he is with me he does.

16. Who kissed who first? He kissed me and then started laughing, because it had been so long.

17. Who asked who out first? He asked me only because I was the only girl around.

18. Who proposed? Christian, but between me and my sisters we almost ruined it.

19. Who has more siblings? He does he has 2 brothers and 2 sisters, I have 2 younger sisters.

20. Who wears the pants? The kids, no just kidding I think Christian and I are pretty equal.

2008-02-29T16:40:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Mylee! Well, Mylee turned three on the 26th. We didn't have a big party for her this year, but we did have Ryker come down and have some cake and icecream on Sunday. On her real birthday we had a pretty busy day. I took the girls in for their check ups and they are both doing great. Mylee is in the 75% for her height and only the 9th for her weight. Mylee was really brave with the Dr. until she wanted to see her teeth. Then she cried again when Kayla got her fingered poked to test her blood. That night we had dinner, Mylee chose to have meatloaf and potatoes. When Dad got home it was time for presents and cake. Kayla tried to convince Mylee to open her presents first but Mylee wanted the cake. She would stop and until she finished all of it. She kept telling Kayla I'm not ready yet. Finally when we opened presents Mylee was ready to go to bed. She ended up getting sick and is just now better. We are all doing great the girls and Christian all have new hair cuts so I will try to post all of their pictures.

2008-02-23T15:08:00.001-08:00

Happy Birthday Christian! We love you!!!

2008-02-21T18:57:00.001-08:00

Well, I think we are going to pick up the van tomorrow. We are all so excited. If we get the van we will post some pictures for everyone to see.

Girls, girls, girls

2008-02-21T05:07:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,
We have been doing great. The weather is finally warmer so we play outside quite a bit. The girls have been make a lot of mud soup lately. The girls and Christian surprised me with breakfast in bed on my birthday. Then we all got dressed up and went to dinner that night. They both like to use the little kids chopsticks and got pretty good until the end. Kayla kept leaning over and whispering through out the night that daddy had great dinner surprises. Well, I hope everyone is doing okay we love and miss all of you! We have to go and get ready for Christian and Mylee birthdays.

Mall Tree House

2008-02-01T05:31:00.000-08:00

We had to spend quite a while in the car yesterday. So I decided to take the girls to run around at the tree house. The girls loved it. As you can see Mylee got a little excited and fell into the boat just as I was taking a picture of Kayla. Mylee also got into her first fight with another little girl. Mylee was on top of the slide and the little girl started calling her some not very nice words. My stood up and pointed her finger at her and said that you don't say those kind of words. They just kept growling (really growling) at each other for a few minutes. Kayla just kept looking at me and said
"Mom we shouldn't say that". It was really funny. Well I have to go and get the girls dressed.

2008-02-01T05:21:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,
I finally have a family website. I thought this would be the easiest way for everyone to see how we are doing. You guys can get on when ever you would like to see pictures of the girls or post some messages for us. Right now the kids are playing with some playdough. They won't even eat any breakfast until the are done making their "surprise". We love you guys and miss you.
Mandy

Girls, girls, girls!

2007-09-01T12:39:00.000-07:00

Well my girls definitely keep me busy. I asked them to get dressed and they came back down in their winter pj's with gloves on. It is like 70 degrees outside today and they are trying to convince me that they are cold. Then later in the day they decided to take a nap in my bed and took their clothes off because they were cold. They were up their giggling and being so cute. I just hope they can stay this close.

Happy Halloween

2006-10-31T18:09:00.000-08:00

I thought I would try to catch up on some of my old photos that I have done anything with. When we started carving pumpkins we weren't planning on telling a story, but it kind of happened. Christian made the scary pumpkin eating the small one. He had the second one throw up, and the last one is just scared. Who knows what he will come up with next year. Wow! I can't believe how grown up my girls are now. Belle and Tinkerbelle both had fun at the ward christmas party and the trunk or treat. It actually to Mylee a little while before she would take candy from people, and then in the middle she decided she was done. She didn't want any more candy. What kid doesn't want more candy, well my kids didn't. They said they were done and were ready to leave. Oh well, not as much for us to eat. The next night we went out trick or treating and it was like 70 degrees. I remember going and trying to see how many layers of warm clothes I can fit under my costume. It was really fun being able to see the costumes exactly how they are suppose to me. Taylor, Cory, and Lorelei we miss all of you so much!

Cute pictures

2006-10-06T12:03:00.000-07:00

My neighbor is a great photographer. She has the two cutest little boys: Tate and Max. She asked me if it was okay for her to take some pictures of the girls for her advertising flyer. So I get beautiful pictures of the girls for free. I have a ton more I just don't know how to flip right side up. These were all taken in our backyard. Thanks Lindsay!!

2006-08-30T18:34:00.000-07:00

We are in Virginia! Mylee still loves food as much as ever! Some how she can eat more than Christian and me. Poor Kayla still getting used to the time difference. The girls have done really well living out here. They love the girls next door Taylor and Cory Greenhalgh. Hopefully they will be friends for a long time.

Big Sister

2005-04-15T18:57:00.000-07:00

What a great big sister. Kayla is always taking care of Mylee. She makes sure she stays warm, puts hat on her head, and can make her laugh better than anyone else.

2005-03-10T18:44:00.000-08:00

Mylee Kate Peck! Her personality is already coming out. She hates it when we change her clothes or diaper already. Kayla has been such a great big sister. She loves Mylee so much and is so protective of her. I can't believe I am so lucky to have two wonderful girls!