Attempting to post a movie

Here is my first attempt at movie posting. See what a rainy day can do for my blogging? TWO blogs in less than 24 hours!! Let me know if there are any problems viewing this movie, it is one of the kids nearly one year ago!


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Memorial Weekend Camping Trip

This past weekend we ventured back into the world of camping since before Addison and Keith were born. The last camping trip we went on was with Nate and Amanda Hubbarrtt to PJ Hoffmaster in 2003. And since they posted the highest number of sarcastic comments since my last posting, I will now begin this blog with their picture from that trip, so we can all enjoy their smiles until a month later when I post my next blog.


And here is a picture of DUNE BOY...


Now, continuing with this camping trip...We wanted to take our first camping trip with just the four of us, because we weren't really sure what to expect with the kids and camping. All in all in was a great success and we are definately up for more camping this summer, and hopefully we can convince friends to join us. We camped a little south of Louisville and the campsite was nice and quiet, that is, until UPS started their 11p to 7a flight pattern which went right over our campsite and sounded like they were grazing the top of our tent. Thankfully, the kids were so tired, that they didn't even stir with the noise.

Here is Brian setting up camp on Friday...


Friday's dinner was a pudgie-pie supper of ham and cheese pies and dessert pies, then we took a dip in the pool to cool off before bed. Here were the sleeping quarters for the kids, Brian and I slept at the front of the tent on the air mattress.



Since we were all crammed into one tent, when Keith hit his normal 6 a.m. wake up time, everyone else got up then too! We fixed a nice breakfast and got as "freshened up" as possible without running water. Here is a pic of me making the ever-important morning starbucks and a pic of the kids enjoying their first camping breakfast.



Oddly enough, the Hills were coming down to Louisville on this same weekend, so we met up with them at the Louisville Slugger museum and factory tour (have I mentioned my LOVE of factory tours???)


This was followed with lunch at BW3 and ice cream at Graeders. All four of the kids were wacked out of their minds by the time we were done and I'm betting the Hill family had a similar scene in their car minutes after hitting the road...



Please notice that Keith fell asleep holding his souvenir bats! When we arrived back at camp on Saturday nite we fixed a small dinner of grilled veggies and mac-n-cheese, then took our nightly dip in the pool; this time it was not only to cool off, but also to wash all the dirt and sweat off!! Saturday night, true to Kentucky/Southern heritage, there was a small bluegrass concert at the campground which we enjoyed under the moon and stars in our pjs. Sunday we basically woke up (Keith slept in till 7!!), cooked breakfast, tore down the campsite and headed home. Here is a picture of Keith and myself coming out of the tent after getting him and myself dressed.



And here is Addison playing with her best friend Pumpy and her lizards. Note the acorns that she had collected and insisted on calling "haycorns" like they are called in the Winnie-the-Pooh stories.



When we got home, a Memorial Day miracle occurred. You see, last Thursday Addy's beloved cat Burgie Brandenburg never came in from her nightly hunting. This was rather unusual for this cat who normally is meowing at the door about the same time Keith is waking up. She never showed up all day Thursday or even Friday before we left. I was talking to our neighbor and asked him to keep an eye out for her while we were gone. He said there were lots of big hawks that hunted over our woods and it wouldn't surprise him if she was hunted by one, since she is such a small cat. So, the whole trip the sadness of Burgie being hawk-lunch was in the back of my mind and I dreaded breaking the news to Addy. I even prayed that Burgie would come home alive. I tried to drop hints to Addy that Burgie had been gone for a long time, and I wasn't sure if she'd come back. Addy just replied "shes just out hunting mice, Mommy. She'll come home when shes done". Well, about 45 minutes after us returning from our trip, I heard a familar meowing at the door, and it was Burgie!!! She was wet from the rain and starving, but otherwise in good shape. She has been sleeping the entire time after returning. She must have done some serious cattin' around!


Addy was certain that Burgie was coming back despite my negative attitude that she wouldn't and this was a big reminder to me of Jesus' teaching that we all need to have that child-like faith in God.
LUKE 18:16-17
But Jesus called them to him, saying, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”

OK, I am going to go shower for about 3 hours now to get off all the dirt and fire-smell. Both kids went to bed at 4:30 this afternoon, so I'm sure they'll be up early tomorrow!

Until my next blog,
Jen

Today is Ray Millers Birthday and I'm blogging just for him

So, let me start off by giving a shout out to one of my best friends, Ray, since today is his birthday. Here is a picture of him, just so you know what he looks like and can wish him a happy birthday if you see him on the street.


I've been very bad about blogging this month. I've been attempting to get back into shape, and my workout time conflicts with my blog time. So, today I chose blog over bulge.

Last week myself and my friend Tracy visited the windy city for a CME conference for PAs and to have a little fun. Here is Tracy at Julius Meinl, a coffee and tea house that we went for breakfast EVERY day except one. Tracy loves it so much she began to pout when she found out it wasn't on the itinerary on the first day (I guess I didn't grasp her true Meinl addiction). It was quite yummy.


We got to see the musical "Wicked", which was awesome and highly recommended for anyone who likes to go to that sort of thing. We also ate yummy sushi at the best sushi restaurant in the midwest, KATSU. The weather was crummy until Saturday, which coincided with our visit to Millenium Park, home of "the bean" (see below). It is quite a thing to see, even if we did have to listen to high school choir geeks singing songs from "Rent" a cappella.



And, we drove by Brians favorite building from childhood in Wrigleyville...



OK, it wasn't really his favorite; but it was a running joke with myself and my sister-in-law, Beth, that it actually was, and so every time we drove by it, we'd always say "look Brian, there's your favorite building from childhood!"...I guess you had to be there...

Today was a milestone in Keith and Addy's life...their first dental appointment. We went to visit a pediatric dentist, and had a really good experience. Here they are in the waiting room with a reluctant look on their faces.



I had taken Addy with me to my recent dental cleaning because my Aunt Brenda cleaned my teeth and I thought it would be good for her to see what the visit entailed with a familiar face doing the cleaning. My aunt did a great job explaining everything, and even gave Addy a bag of dental stuff for her to play dentist with at home (which she did, after being instructed that the cats did NOT need a tooth cleaning, only people!!). So when the hygenist today explained all of the same stuff, Addy's expression was one that seemed to say "um, my Aunt Brenda already covered all this, and you're boring me!" Here she is getting to touch the cleaning instrument...



And here she is doing some "cleaning" of her own before her exam...


Despite what this picture looks like, she did really well with her examination; as you can see she had her lizard friends in hand to help her through it.


Keith, on the other hand, was a slightly different story. He usually screams when we brush his teeth at home, so we knew an exam by a stranger was going to be rough. He didn't cry, but this picture pretty much sums up his exam. I wonder how many times Dr. Wells gets bitten trying to pry toddlers mouths open?


Here he is post-exam, I think he was checking with his tongue to make sure everything in his mouth was still there. Do you see the pretty hygenist behind him? Yeah, he was flirting with her after the exam, smiling real big and he even complemented her neon pink manicure (he said "eh, eh, nails, eh, eh, pink!). She then brought him 3 Thomas the train stickers, which thrilled him even more. So, I think he'll definatley want to go back to the dentist.


The first trip to the dentist was fun...and definately exhausting...glad we don't have to do it again for another 6 months!!


Until my next blog,
Jen

Home again, Home again

We're back! We had a great, relaxing vacation. The travel back home was a little stressful because we had to be out of our condo by 10am but didn't take off until 4pm, so we had a long, napless day in the airport which led to wacky children on the airplane. But, we are always thankful at the end of a vacation, when no one gets really sick or hospitalized!! Since we got back late Saturday and yesterday was Easter, today is the day of finishing unpacking and the dreaded laundry. While I was sorting the clothes, the kids busied themselves with the piggy banks, a favorite pasttime for them. While they were playing, Keith (of course) tried to eat a coin. Then, Addy chimed in "if I eat a coin, will a gumball come out of me???" Of course I laughed hysterically.


















Our week was fairly warm, so we enjoyed many hours of beach play and pool time. The last day, when this picture was taken, was the chilliest, so we had to take our final pictures with our jackets on. Even though we couldn't get wet, we had a fun time flying Nanas kite and looking for shells.










The condo was, as usual, very nice. We borrowed one of the cribs from the condo for Keith, which we re-named "the prison crib" because it was made out of metal and quite tiny for our big boy!!! Although he had no problems sleeping, I think he was excited to stretch out in his own bed when we got home












Every moment that we were in the room, the door to the balcony was open so we could play and listen to the ocean. Here is a picture of Addy on the balcony before we went out to eat at Blackbeards, one of our favorite seafood places.



We did get out and about a few days. Monday we went to Sea World, which was fun, but I think the kids might still be a little young for an enjoyable day at a theme park since they can get a little grumpy without naps. We also went to Daytona Beach and, as a usual Pieper vacation includes, a factory tour, this time of a chocolate factory. The best part of this tour was the free samples!!!


Like all vacations, the end was bittersweet as we were sad to say goodbye to the beach, and slightly warmer weather; but also ready to come home. Thanks so much to Aunt Brenda and Uncle Larry for letting us use their condo, and thanks to Nana for help with the travel expenses. Also, thanks to Uncle Buck for watching after the kitties and making sure our pipes didn't freeze! All helped make our vacation so much more enjoyable!!!

OK, I just heard the washer finish....

Jen

I wish I weren't such a control freak

Well, I'm actually sitting down and taking a break from a very chaotic week right now. We're getting ready to head to New Smyrna Beach, FL for a little R&R. I can't wait!! However, because I can't possibly trust that Brian (or really anyone else, for that matter) would pack the kids stuff appropriately, I have put it on myself to pack for three AND make sure the house is spic and span, because I despise coming home to a dirty house. This, on top of going to my 2 bible studies, gymnastics, gymboree, library class and a small group cookout, has made for a tiring week.

Here's a few pics to tide you over until we return. Hope everyone has a great week.
Jen

Addy, taking a sip of a Sprite that is actually the same size as her torso!





















Keith being wacky






















This is how Addy chose to entertain herself while I packed

The pressure to blog may lead me to drinking

Wow! Who knew when I started this blog that I would have so many (and by many, I mean 3) people waiting and longing for my next blog! OK, I admit, I've sat back and enjoyed the many blogs that you all have posted since the time of my last blog, and felt continued "blog guilt" for not giving something back to the blog-munity (for the slow ones out there, that was supposed to be like community, only with a "blog" where the "com" usually goes).

It was only a mere...dare I say it...16 years ago that this time of year would coincide with my anticipated track season at AVON HIGH SCHOOL. Many of you may not know it, but there was a time, when I weighed considerably less, when I was a speed demon. Just like Lightning McQueen, I lived for my next race. Back in 1991, I hit the peak of my track career when I broke the AHS school record for the 300 hurdles, running that daunting race in a mere 48.4 seconds. I'm sure for the steroid-using teens of today, that may seem turtle-like, but back then, for a white girl, that was quite an accomplishment. In fact, I even qualified for the State Track Meet (we'll not mention how I did in that meet, the important part was that I got there).
Here's a snapsnot of me back then. Nice hair, eh? I believe this was the day, while we were all sitting around waiting for our picture to be taken, that we played MC Hammers "Can't Touch This" over and over again on our cassette-playing boom box, so we could memorize the lyrics for the regional track meet. These were the pre-internet days when lyrics.com did not exist!

So, while you all are sitting at your computers wondering where Peeper is and why she hasn't blogged yet...I'm probably sitting by the track reminiscing about the days past and wondering if Keith or Addy will start their hurdle training by jumping over the saplings of our back yard just as I did years and years ago.

I promise, the next blog topic will be more interesting.

Jen

Springtime, Cats, Bubbles and Crazy Hair

Well, I've been enduring the stories of Tracy going for runs in Houston while the temperature is in the 70s, meanwhile I look out my window at Mt. Snow and wonder if it will ever get warm enough here to melt. I finally got my wish; today is a gorgeous day and the kids and I were able to get outside for several hours and get some well-needed fresh air! Addison tried to dig up a butterfly that we buried last fall and Keith took several bites out of Mt. Snow despite the dirt-crust that lies on top of it.

I've been racking my brain trying to come up with a topic worthy of blogging and came to the sad realization that my life isn't very exciting!! So, I'll blog one of Addisons favorite topics; our cats. We started out with two brothers last June that we got from a free newspaper ad. We had just returned from a trip to Arizona and had discovered ancient ruins there at a place called Tuzigoot, a name that both Addy and myself really enjoyed. So Addy named one cat Pickle and the other was named Tuzigoot. Unfortuately, Pickle met his demise with an oncoming car last December. So, we then replaced the deceased cat with a humane society cat which Addy named Bergie Brandenburg. Today, while sitting on the toilet, Addy talked to me about her cats.

"One is named Tuzi and the other is Bergie. Bergie is my FAV-ERT (she laughs after this because she knows she pronounced favorite like a back-woods hick). And I love her so much. Hi Tuzi (the cat has walked up to her) Did Tuzi come up and sleep with me last night? First Tuzi and then Bergie. Did you hear the cats last night? I heard it, it went MEOW! and then MEOW! and it sounded like a baby crying. Can I cut Tuzi's fuzz with scissors?"

Here you see Addy with her beloved cats; Tuzi is the black cat and Bergie is the calico.

Everything has been preceeding pretty much as normal here. Brian and his parents took the kids to Gymboree this week; here is a picture of Keith in the bubbles.









Also, Addisons gymnastics class has started "theme" classes, and this weeks theme was "Silly Hair day". Funnily enough, every little girl in her class had the same hairdo, I guess there isn't much else you can do with a 3 year olds hair!


OK, this blog has gotten way too long...enjoy your week.

Peace and Love,
Jen