The Peters' Porch

Saturday, August 23, 2008

So-Long Summer...

Well, the first day of school finally arrived. You can see that at least two of our children were happy to start the day! Daniel was upset because he could not walk to school (His school is at least 6 blocks away!!!)

Katelyn and Ethan Milton waiting for their teacher to arrive. These two have been buds since Kindergarden - they have been in the same class every year and have played on the same soccer team the last few years as well!

This past Tursday we decided to sign Daniel up for soccer. Even though we had our reservations about him being a bit young we took him to his first practice. Our friends are coaching the team and encouraged us to join their team. Their daughter Serena and another boy from Daniel's class are both the same age as Daniel and are both on the team. So, we'll see...

Daniel didn't like that another boy took the ball away from him. This could pose a problem.

Thankfully he got back out there and joined his friends.

He is pretty good when he focuses on the ball.

We will keep you posted!

Catching up since August 1st!

It's been exactly three weeks and two days since I have posted. I know this because 2 of the 5 people who look at this blog have been reminding me that "there is nothing new!" Sorry. I guess I didn't realize that anyone was following along :)

So let's see if I can recap in words and pictures why I have been absent. The last time I posted Matt and I were preparing to go on a mini vacation. The night before we left, the kids had a "vacation" of their own!!!

Camping in the living room has never been so much fun!

Although the "camping" looks like a lot of fun, Matt and I opted for something a bit more comfortable for our mini vacation. We headed to the coast for our 10th Anniversary. We had a great time in Pismo just doing whatever, not worrying about schedules, children, etc. It was just what we needed.

Here's where we stayed-a home on the edge of the cliff (literally!)

that Matt's family has been renting for the past 20 or so years.

New things for the end of summer:

Short hair for all three girls!!!

And a new boat for all!!!

The pups watching us clean the boat and keeping the neighborhood safe :)

We decided to take the boat out a day after we bought it and join some of Matt's friends from the fire department at Millerton Lake. We had a great day; except that our new boat only lasted about 2 hours in the water! Apparently there was a seal that wasn't "sealed" and a bilge pump that didn't work! Hmmm... anyone think maybe we should have taken a test drive? Thankfully we didn't sink and we were able to jump on our friend's boats. Here are some of the photos from the day.

Jeremy against the kids... I think the kids won!

More photos to come...

Friday, August 1, 2008

Happy 10th Anniversary!!!

On Saturday, August 1, 1998 Matt and I became husband and wife. Today we celebrate 10 years of marriage. We owe all that we are and all that we have to God. Without Him, we are nothing. It hasn't always been easy, but I wouldn't change a thing (o.k., maybe one or two things). Seriously though, it's through the struggles and challenges that we were able to grow and become who we are today. We know that God is not through with us yet and we look forward to all that He has to teach us in the future.

Look below and be sure to read the titles by putting your mouse over the picture. We hope you enjoy this quick peek at our wedding day.

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Princesses, Rock Stars, and Fairies

While I was busy in the kitchen the other night, here is what my children were doing :)

Here is Gina, Katelyn, and Emily, otherwise know as
the Super Girls Rock Band!

Katelyn is pretty in pink :)

Gina too!

Emily has a style all her own :)

Of course, then Daniel had to get into the action.

Then on Saturday, July 26th, at her cousin Gaven's
Birthday party, Katelyn lost her first tooth!!!
And we were visited by the "Tooth Fairy"

And then we had Rock Star - Take 2!!!

Not to be out-done by The Hannah Montana-Myley Cyrus
Best of Both Worlds concert in 3D!

Katelyn, Emily P, Emily M, and Daniel pose with their
cool 3D glasses!

Emily and Emily

It didn't last too long. After a few minutes they

were bored and wanted to watch Transformers!!!

Monday, July 28, 2008

Swim Hard! Swim Fast!

Matt and I are so proud of our girls and how well they swam this year for the Reedley Marlins. They both improved their times in all of their events and made it to the Time Trials. They were mentioned in the local paper several times and felt famous when they were stopped by people at church and in town to congratulate them. Katelyn also made it to the finals where 22 teams competed against one another. She received a 4th place in the 25 yard Freestyle and 8th in the 25 yard Backstroke.
Next year, we will have three swimmers since Daniel will be joining the team. Look out 6 and under boys!

As you can see the kids have a lot of fun! Look close and you will see all that happens at a meet: swimming (of course!), lots of junk food (why? Because that's the way it is...tradition...makes them swim faster), ribbons in lots of colors, and lots of fun making friends.

Birthdays and Mortorcyle Rides

We've been so busy in the Peters house that there hasn't been any time to blog. On Saturday, July 12th, Katelyn turned 7 and had a big pool party. She received tons of cute clothes and gift cards (that she chose to use to buy more clothes and shoes!) It's truly dangerous to take her shopping!!!

As the party was winding down, Katelyn was surprised by a visit from her Grandpa Graber. He stayed the night and took us all to the movies the next day to see Wall-E. Then we came home and they took turns getting motorcycle rides! Oh what fun!!!

Friday, July 11, 2008

I was sent this story today and thought I would post it hear for all to read because it bears repeating. Thanks Erin H. :)

A 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud man, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o'clock, with his hair fashionably coifed and shaved perfectly, even though he is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today.

His wife of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary. After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, he smiled sweetly when told his room was ready. As he maneuvered his walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description of his tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on his window.

'I love it,' he stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy. 'Mr. Jones, you haven't seen the room; just wait.' 'That doesn't have anything to do with it,' he replied. 'Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn't depend on how the furniture is arranged ..... it's how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it. 'It's a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do. Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open, I'll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I've stored away. Just for this time in my life. Old age is like a bank account. You withdraw from what you've put in. So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories! Thank you for your part in filling my Memory bank. I am still depositing.'

Remember the five simple rules to be happy:

1. Free your heart from hatred.

2. Free your mind from worries.

3. Live simply.

4. Give more.

5.. Expect less.

Thanks again Erin.

Erin and T.J. with Haley and Jack and the kids.