mud bath

In case you are wondering, this is what happens when you have a patch of dirt, accessible running water, and three toddlers.

the new floor

We've been working on the house this summer thanks to that sweet little first-time home buyer check. The first thing to go? The carpet in the dining area. Who in the world things carpeting dining rooms is a good idea???? They don't have kids, that's for sure. Here are pictures of the process.

Goodbye horrible crusty carpet. You will not be missed.

and now for the hard part...tearing up the tile.Kurt helping outand the new planks being laidRyan and Kari came down all the way from Eagle Mountain to help a brotha out. Kyle loved having a helper, and got in a lot of male bonding during all their hard work and Home Depot runs. As for the women? We kept the babies from using tile shards as weapons. And I seem to remember some HGTV on the side. Thanks Ryan and Kari for the good times! And the finished product.

It's awesome having a handyman hunk of a husband. I'm lucky. And in this case, my non-crusty feet are especially thankful!

my amazing triathlete

Back in the winter Kyle set a goal to run a triathlon by the end of July. He was all gung ho and told everyone about his plans. But time passed and that goal fell between the cracks. On the last day of July, Kyle called me from work. His buddies from the paint crew called him out on whole triathlon thing. That was the little kick in the rear he needed, so he told me "pieper, we have to organize a triathlon today". So we did. We mapped out a route and made tshirts for the participants and medals for the winners. Kyle even found a cause to support: Colitis (a little digestive issue he has been dealing with since his mission, thank you Honduras). I am proud to report that Kyle finished the 750 meter swim, 4 mile bike, and 2 mile run, even with Colitis.

And so here are the pictures from the 2010 Run for the Runs, 1st Annual Kyle Campbell triathlon.

Noah 2 months away from 3

Some Noah stories so you can get to know him better...

Noah has started getting very wishy. He laments often, in the sorriest, saddest tone: “I wish...” followed by whatever his little heart desires at that moment.
“I wish I was Jake.” (why? so he could read books with me.)
Once he said to me: “I wish you’d stop, Mom.” (said so pathetically) I said, stop what? He said: “Stop saying bad things.” I said: “what bad things am I saying??” he said: “Stop saying bad things telling me to go to bed!”
(picture taken when he fell asleep on the couch while watching tv)
He also recently visited Auntie Lars and my brothers Christian and Andrew were there too. When we were driving away, he started crying and said: “I wish I could stay at Lars’ house forever!” He’s started using forever and never very frequently.

He also makes sweeping statements like: “Mom you are the strongest girl ever!” (which I prefer to “Mom, you are the biggest girl in the world!”)
One day we were waiting in the car for Kyle, and while we waited, Noah spotted a man that he thought looked like Dad. What does Dad look like anyway, I asked. Noah said: “He has the biggest neck of any guy in America!”

Speaking of America, Dinosaur Train has helped him learn a little geography. He was playing the piano and singing an original Noah song and I heard him these lyrics: “There are 350 kinds of dinosaurs in South America!”
(one of the dinosaurs he built out of rocks in our backyard)

Making up songs isn’t the only kind of making up he likes to do. He was greeting his cousin Abbey and he said: “Hi Abbey Shabby!” and then turned to me and said “Heyyyy I made up a new name!!” He gave Jake the new name “JakerNut”. I love it. But that changes from day to day too. Jake also goes as “Jake shake” and “Jakie chicken poo”. When he gets in trouble for doing something naughty, and we tell him to stop whatever it is he is doing, he will often respond tearfully, “But it’s just so hard!!!” Yes, Noah, being good is so hard sometimes. Welcome to life.

Kyle had the happiest day ever because of a little conversation Noah and I had. I was putting dinner on the table, and I told Noah to come and eat. Noah said: “No, Mom. Football’s on. I’ve gotta watch this.” You should have seen Kyle’s face. He was in fatherhood heaven. I let them eat in the living room, just this once :)He’s a smart kid, and so I’m sure it’s just a matter of time before watching football becomes prime manipulation opportunity. He did manage to squeeze 30 more minutes of staying up past bedtime because he “just wanted to watch a little more football with Dad!”

He is growing up fast. We were sitting at the table the other day during lunch and he said: “Mom, let’s talk.” I said, “About what?” He said; “About growing up.” I said, “Ok. What do you want to be when you grow up?” He said: “a blue troodon” (that’s a dinosaur). I said: “oh wow” And, not to leave any doubt in my mind about that possibility, he said: “Mom, boys CAN grow up to be dinosaurs.” This kid is hilarious when he talks like an adult. He held up a phone charger and asked me, “Mom, what is this?” I said: “It’s a phone charger.” In the most condescending tone (that made me question which one of us was the adult) he said: “No, sweetie, it’s a lasso."

Jake at 15 months

He is such a joyful little child. He has a cheerful disposition and infectious smile. He's so great to be around. But for those of you who can't do it, here's some pictures so you can get the idea.
And he's started developing new talents...

He's learning a few words these days. His current vocab: Mama, Dada, hi, banana, cheese, horse, juice, amen, balloon, Jesus, all done, Papa. And he loves animal sounds. My favorite is his bird imitation. While he was stirring one morning, I peeked into his room and saw him laying in his crib and waving his little hands while saying: "teet teeeeet teeet teet" in a sweet high pitched voice.
He still eats many things normal people don't. Dirt, Paint,

Crayons,But he eats regular people food too.
Whatever he eats, he also enjoys rubbing all over his face. His favorite snacks: yogurt, popsicles, watermelon, bananas, avocados, cupcakes, and anything Noah eats...Speaking of Noah, Jake loves him!

Sometimes we give him buzz cuts like Noah,but we're letting him grow it out these days to see what happens. Who knows, longer hair might be more like Jake's style. He is laid back. This is his favorite relaxation position.

He is just the sweetest little thing.

(That's his beloved Esau build-a-bear from Auntie Lars and Uncle Choo Choo.)

Jake has surprised us by becoming a blankie-boy. He just started getting attached to blankets, it's funny, he doesn't seem to mind which blanket you give him, as long as he's got something to hold on to. He hugs each one like its his best friend. I'm lucky to be one of them (best friends, not blankies :)!

Splash Pad

We celebrated little Gough's birthday too. Her party was at the downtown splash pad and the boys had a great time. Jake is fearless when it comes to water. Noah stomps through the water and roars like a Trex at innocent children bystanders. Tinkerbell was painting faces, and Noah requested a dinosaur. And what's a party without cupcakes?

Kyle's Golden Birthday

We celebrated Kyle's 29th on the 29th (last month...we have been computerless, so I'm about a month behind). I gave him a surprise party, and (insert back patting) it was a good one. I threw it together last minute (the sorry looking streamers in the middle of the room reflect that), but we still had a great time. Every party needs a theme--this was Touch Gold (Snow Canyon's Football Theme, but I'd say it worked for a golden birthday party). This was the Kyle shrine of some of the moments when he "touched gold". The best part was his sexy senior picture in the far left! I wish I had a picture of Kyle's face when he walked in the door to the surprise. He was pretty speechless, which doesn't happen very often! His two brothers (and their cute families) came down from up north for the occasion, so it was a double surprise. (and a bonus picture of cute Jake celebrating)