In Green Pastures

Tap Dancers

2011-09-10T08:50:00.000-05:00

Greta has inherited a pair of tap shoes from her cousin Zoey and loves to put on "shows" for us. On a sunny day (we try and be outside every second that the sun is shining!) we inverted our Ikea kids table and found that it made the perfect tap stage. The girls also recently watched the movie Annie...so here is our own version of tap dancing to the finale of Annie.

p.s. I know this video is not quite up to the standards of Connie Kohlhepp productions, but I am trying :)

photo shoot

2011-08-24T03:46:00.000-05:00

Last week I had the chance to photograph this adorable two year old boy. It was fun to get behind the camera again! These are a couple of my favorites...

The "Chandler smile"

2011-08-21T09:04:00.000-05:00

July 4th Family Trip

2011-07-29T05:56:00.000-05:00

The girls are at summer camp at their preschool this week... so I've been catching up on some important things like reading Harry Potter :) and downloading pictures. Here are a few catch-up posts for the month of July.

July 4th
We were feeling a bit depressed about missing this American holiday so at the last minute we hopped in the car to go on a little family trip to the beach in County Waterford. This is in a small town south of Waterford city, called Tramore. We got there about 4:00 on a sunny Sunday and the beach was packed!

We stayed at a lovely little B&B that was very kid friendly. Here we are at breakfast in the morning.

On Monday, July 4, we drove to Hook lighthouse. Apparently it is the oldest, still operating, lighthouse in the world. The girls enjoyed the climb to the top.

And, just so you don't have the idea that this was some idyllic family trip, it wasn't. In fact, afterward, Jon and I decided it will be a long time before we take the kids on another trip. Here is a just a little sample of a tantrum along the way :)

Untitled from Holly Peters on Vimeo.

And 10 minutes later, zonked out!

And a much happier girl with ice cream!

We found another beautiful beach nearby. It was too cold for me to go in, but the girls didn't seem to mind!

The girls swimming in the cold Atlantic...

July 4 Beach from Holly Peters on Vimeo.

Summer!

2011-07-17T09:33:00.000-05:00

Well, I think that summer in Ireland may have happened this past week. It lasted from July 13 to July 13. It was one glorious day! :)

The girls and I were fortunate to have a play date in the afternoon at their friend Aaron's house. They loved swimming outside in his "paddling pool", as they call it here.

Greta...

Addie...

This is what happens when I try to get a picture of all 3 looking at the same time!

Greta's Preschool Concert

2011-07-09T17:53:00.000-05:00

Greta's Preschool Concert from Holly Peters on Vimeo.

Addie's Birthday

2011-06-20T06:10:00.001-05:00

Addie is 3! We celebrated with a party with a few of her friends on Thursday. It was nice to do the party a day early, so we could just have a fun, relaxing day at home for her actual birthday. Here are a few photos/videos from the day.
On our way to the birthday party...

These 3 are videos... you have to click on them to play :)

Visitors!

2011-06-18T05:27:00.000-05:00

We love having visitors because it means we get a chance to travel and see more of the country. Jon's cousins, Kerry & Karl were here last week for almost a week.

The first day trip we did was south of Dublin. We started with a scenic hike along the coast near Bray.

This is at the top of the "mountain" There is a large cross here.

Next we headed to Powerscourt. The rose garden was in full bloom.

On Friday, we drove to Northern Ireland, we left Greta at home at a friends house, so we could fit all five of us in the Polo. Jon, Kerry & Karl crossed the Carrick-a-Rede Rope bridge (if you squint you can maybe see it between the last two land pieces. Addie and I stayed away from cliff edges :)

Just some more beautiful coastal scenery, I love all the little rock islands along the coast.

Addie is always so willing to smile nicely for the camera!

Next, just a quick 5 minute drive away is the Giant's Causeway.

After the Giant's Causeway, we explored Dunluce Castle, definitely one of the most picturesque castle ruins in Ireland.

That evening we drove to the west coast town of Bundoran, in Co. Donegal. I went for a quick sunset walk just after 10 pm.

The next morning, Jon, Kerry & Karl went surfing. Here is Jon...looking good!

Addie and I played on the beach. It was probably only 60, but that didn't stop Addie from jumping in puddles and eventually going right in.

After she soaked her first set of clothes, we went back to the car to change and then had a nice little picnic on the beach.

The surfers...

Addie enjoyed all of the one on one attention, especially from Kerry!

Monday we took a picnic lunch to the Bective Abbey ruins.

Greta practices posing for the camera.

And, last but not least, one of my favorite pictures from the week... Kerry reading with the girls. Greta was ready to get on the airplane with Kerry if I would have let her :)

Happy Memorial Day!

2011-05-31T15:28:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we explored what is quite possibly one of the world's coolest playgrounds. This playground is located at Ardgillan Castle and yes, that is the ocean that it overlooks :) And yes, I did let Addie wear that outfit in public...choosing my battles.

Greta was thrilled to do the climbing wall...just like the high ropes course at Drewstown :)

Most playgrounds here in Ireland have these cool zip lines for kids, they are fun for adults too!

A lovely picnic in the sunshine.

Sisterly love

Greta and Addie recently discovered "football" I wish I could say that they are into sports, but mostly they just like to pretend to act out a book they own called "Stacy the Soccer Fairy" It involves fairies, goblins, and magic sports objects.

Addie and Jon on the "ropes"

a slow news day...

2011-05-04T08:43:00.000-05:00

It must be a slow news day, because this story actually happened a week or two ago, but it's interesting enough to make the front page of Yahoo news (a very reliable news source - ha!) We don't frequently walk by the Duke of Wellington statue, but it is still a bit unsettling that there is a bomb in the town you live in.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/pipe-bomb-may-queen-visit-093521685.html

The Royal Wedding

2011-05-03T08:44:00.000-05:00

I have to admit, it was really fun to be in the right time zone to watch the wedding live with the girls. Greta and Addie waited anxiously to see the "princess" arrive in her white dress. While we were watching, Addie ran upstairs to her room and when she came down she had her little princess tiara in her hair :)

The girls decided to find some hats of their own. I think these may look better than Beatrice's and Eugenie's :)

And a special shout out to Laura, who modeled these great hats while shopping on her visit here :) Laura, you should definitely bring this fashion trend to America!

Rathbeggen Lakes

2011-04-30T10:18:00.000-05:00

Spring has definitely arrived here in Ireland. The last two weeks have been B-E-A-utiful! The girls and I have been trying to take advantage of the nice weather and spend as much time outside as possible. We are still learning good places to go within 30 minutes of Trim. Rathbeggen Lakes is a family fun park of sorts. There are some lakes for fishing (I'm a little sceptical of there actually being fish in the lakes, this is not northern WI!), a huge area with 8-10 bouncy castles, a petting zoo, playground and picnic area. We will definitely be going back here. We packed a picnic lunch and it cost a total of 12 euros. Not bad for a whole day of fun for the girls!

Greta still proves to be the brave one and spent most of the time on this big slide.

Addie preferred the smaller pink & purple slide :)

Seeing Addie in this dress brings back all sorts of memories of when Greta wore it, 2 years ago!

"fishing"

I didn't see any fish, but the kids had fun catching weeds and other muck anyway

Soup Lunch Sunday

2011-04-25T05:26:00.000-05:00

The second sunday of every month our church has a soup lunch to get together and fellowship in the afternoon. April 10th was the last one and we had beautiful weather, probably in the low 70s. It was the first lunch we've had where we could eat outside!

David and Tina, the hosts, have a beautiful home in the country, with plenty of space for the kids to play.

Addie enjoyed the purple pony

If there is a horse around, Greta will be on it!

The Sprouse Family

2011-03-25T06:41:00.001-05:00

I am working on my new years resolution of getting my pictures organized, so here are a few from last August or October? (I am still working on the organized part :)

Wellies

2011-02-18T07:53:00.000-06:00

A good pair of wellies is definitely a necessity here.

Saiorse-5, Greta-4, Mark-3, Addie-2, & Caleb-1

The kids love to feed the donkeys who live right in back of our neighborhood

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T18:43:00.000-06:00

We hope your day is filled with cookies & candy! Or, as they would say here in Ireland...biscuits & sweets!

Family outing

2011-02-05T11:56:00.000-06:00

Two weekends ago we took a little day trip to Bray, which is on the coast, just south of Dublin. There is a very small aquarium there and a nice promenade. We think that it would be a nice beach resort town - if it wasn't so cold and rainy. Maybe we'll have to go back again in the summer :) The girls had a blast seeing the different sea-life; their favorites included the octopus, sharks, Nemo, and the ball pit. Here are a few favorite photos...

It was too cold to stay outside for long, but the girls did enjoy a few minutes on the beach.

A view of Bray

Christmas - part 3

2011-02-05T11:45:00.000-06:00

On Thursday Greta's preschool teacher said she is still talking about Christmas... and since it is only the beginning of February I hope it is okay that I am too :)

The cast of the first annual Peters family nativity play

Ava happily volunteered as baby Jesus...

The stable animals...

New cousin jammies

Three cheesy smiles

Making gingerbread houses

Christmas Pictures - part 2

2011-01-27T08:49:00.000-06:00

Here are just a few more pictures from our time in Wisconsin.

We spent Christmas day in Medford, WI with the Peters extended family. The girls enjoyed reading Aunt Fern's selection of books.

This portrait of Greta is just about the perfect depiction of her life at 4 years old: pink dress, pink tights, reading a book about...pinkalicious :)

And then there is Addie. What would any 2 year old do if they were supposed to be napping and they found an ink pen just laying around?

A close up of Addie's art project.

New look... and new purpose

2011-01-24T08:19:00.000-06:00

Hi! Do you like the new look of my blog? It is NOT a new years resolution, but I do want to keep up with blogging more this year. Mostly so I can remember the little details of our life here. So, instead of being mostly about pictures, I will now be blogging about the mundane details of life in Ireland... feel free to ignore my ramblings :) Before I get in to Irish life, here are a few highlights from our time in WI over Christmas:

Our plane was delayed getting in due to the big blizzard on Dec. 11th, but it was worth it to have all the snow to play in...

The girls loved spending time with their cousins

Poor Gabe - I'm sure he will be playing a lot princess dress-up in his life :)

Greta loves being the oldest (and bossiest) cousin on the Kohlhepp side (she is a little lower on the totem pole on the Peters side :)

Greta & Maybelle have a special bond

The girls were thrilled to have a horse ride from Papa & Great-Papa

I love this "sturdy" baby :)

Christmas Eve birthday party for Jesus at Zoey & Grady's house...

Greta was super-excited to be an angel in the Nativity play

This one is not our cooperative one ;)

Our family photo on Christmas Eve

A favorite at Christmas time is lighting the candles on the tree at my aunt & uncles farm

The annual kohlhepp-cousin-in-front-of-the-christmas-tree-photo :)

The very talented Addie Peters...

2010-11-29T09:08:00.003-06:00

Life is starting to settle down a bit and I will yet again try and blog more about our family life :) Addie is a seriously funny 2 1/2 year old. She makes me smile so much and it is hard to stay upset with her when she is naughty (which is frequently). She likes to sing and will improvise a song about almost any topic you give her. However, like all major stars, she does not enjoy the paparazzi :)

Friday

2010-08-15T23:59:00.005-05:00

Note: I apologize in advance to the non-parents reading this for the potty training post. Someday when you have kids you will realize what a major role this plays in a parent's life (In fact, I think I currently spend about 40% of my day on this task alone :)

What kind of mom lets her kids have ice cream at 9:30 in the morning? One who REALLY wants her two year old to put her poop into the potty! Addie pretty much wants to wear undies all the time (like her big sister, of course!) and has a tantrum if she has to wear a diaper, and since she is not potty trained this poses a problem. She has been very interested in going on the potty this past week, so we celebrate big "potty victories" with ice cream... fun for them and for me. I call that a win, win, win situation. :)

(translation: "no more diapers for me")... this song comes from the Potty Power video that I would highly recommend (especially for girls...it has a whole princess on the potty section which I completely credit for helping Greta learn to use the toilet!)

Thursday

2010-08-15T23:32:00.004-05:00

Thursday was a picture perfect summer day, so we took advantage and went to the sprinkler park with Zoey & Grady. The kids had a blast!

The girls put on a little dance show for us. I'm not sure the ballet lessons are paying off :)

The music is by the very talented Ross King

Wednesday - Part 2

2010-08-15T23:03:00.008-05:00

Wednesday afternoon I got to babysit for the Green family. Annie is 2 years and baby Evelyn is just 2 weeks old. I absolutely could not resist doing a little photo shoot. Here are a few of my newborn favorites...
My all-time favorite... milk-drunk smiles

Big sisters - they're the best (I would know...I have a great one!)

Being wide awake...when you want them to sleep :)

Very sleepy eyes

and some pouty lips

Giving the old "one-eye" to check things out

and... out like a light.

Wednesday - Part 1

2010-08-15T21:41:00.004-05:00

Wednesday morning the girls got haircuts...

Tuesday

2010-08-15T21:31:00.002-05:00

Early Tuesday morning (2:39 am to be exact) I became an auntie again! Welcome to the family Gabriel William! I swiped this picture from my mom. I haven't gotten to meet him yet, but will be going out to CA this Saturday... can't wait!

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

Monday

2010-08-15T14:26:00.005-05:00

We had a fabulous summer week this past week, so here comes a record number of blog posts...

Monday morning we had a fun playdate with Brynna and Carter (Greta's BFF and Addie's future husband :) It has been H-0-T hot this week, so we spent a little time in the pool.

I had two little helpers for making zucchini muffins...

Greta was in a little ballet class this summer. It was very entertaining to watch every week :)

Addie also likes to sport the tutu when she gets a chance.

We ended the day with the Water Source Heaters softball team. The always-defeated Heaters won their first game of the year against the first place team in the league! (the other team may have been one player short, and there are only 4 teams in the whole league, but it still felt good :)

Mini Photo Shoot

2010-08-07T15:07:00.003-05:00

The girls looked so cute when we were at Ellie's horse show, I couldn't resist snapping a few photos :)

Horse Camp

2010-08-06T14:39:00.005-05:00

My niece Ellie attended horse camp at Trinity Equestrian Center this week. Yesterday there was an "end of the week show" that the girls and I went to. Greta can't wait to be as big as Ellie so she can go to horse camp too :)

Ellie on her horse Sterling

Greta & Graham

Addie & Ava liked to watch too

4-H Fair

2010-07-31T22:59:00.003-05:00

Blueberry Picking

2010-07-31T22:20:00.003-05:00

We went to the amazing Blueberry Ridge Orchard this morning. My helpers ate more than they actually picked, but I still managed to bring home 4 pounds worth of big, juicy berries. It's a good thing they don't weigh the kids before & after :)

Kitties

2010-06-30T22:49:00.004-05:00

One thing I love about living in the same town I grew up in, is being able to give my kids some of the same experiences and joys that I had as a kid. One of those being new kittens on the farm :) We went to see them for the first time yesterday, and I haven't kept track, but I am sure Greta has asked to go see them at least 50 times since then. Kitties are even more important than horses right now - and that is a very big deal for miss Greta!

looking for the kitties...

Happy Birthday Addie!

2010-06-17T00:19:00.002-05:00

Happy Birthday to my beautiful 2 year old!

Hospital visit

2010-06-17T00:11:00.003-05:00

Last week Grandpa K was in the hospital for a few days so we went for a quick visit. The girls love their great-papa :)

Addie's Badful Day

2010-05-11T20:13:00.005-05:00

Addie had surgery to get her trigger thumb fixed today. In case you don't know what that is, basically her thumb was stuck in a bent position and she was unable to straighten it. She was a pretty happy camper in the waiting room before surgery. We brought a few of her favorite things to keep her company, most importantly, "blankie" and monkey,

Addie showing off her bent thumb. We have been talking to her about the surgery for a long time, so she would repeatedly say, "Doctor fix my thumb?" It was pretty cute.

She loves to give this cheesy smile to the camera.

Before the nurses took her back to the operating area, Addie was given a sedative. She was actually pretty funny on this medication. The nurse must have seen that look in my eye, because without me even asking, she said they do not offer this as an over the counter medication :)

Addie was gone for surgery and recovery from about 8-10 am. She was not so happy when she woke up. Her throat was pretty raspy from being intubated for the anesthesia and she kept trying to rip off the bandages around her IV and her arm bandage and her hospital bracelet and her Oxygen moniter. She kept yelling "too tight". This was definitely the most difficult part.

The nurses were really sweet and gave Monkey an arm bandage too.

Addie was much happier once we got back home. After a little lunch and a very long nap (thank you Tylenol with Codeine!) she is practically back to her usual self.

Easter

2010-04-07T23:08:00.004-05:00

We had a wonderful Easter, starting with a great church service at The Bridge, then a family dinner at our house and a beautiful day to be outside. The only failing of the day was my inability to photograph the girls together in their Easter dresses. But, maybe we will try to recreate that again this weekend :)

The dinner table...

Great Grandpa and Greta share their love of horses

Greta learns to put her feet up :)

Great Grandpa & Addie share a moment (she is in her jammies because she is supposed to be napping... and that didn't happen until 4:00!)

Greta and Addie help Great Grandma celebrate her 85th birthday!

The Easter bunny

The carrot cake I made (Greta convinced Great Grandma to use the pink cake for her birthday cake, go figure :)

Dr. Addie gives a few check ups

Beads, boots & body-art

2010-03-26T14:35:00.002-05:00

These pictures are a few weeks old, but they're too cute to not share! Please note that these 3 pictures were all taken within a 30 minute period... Addie does keep me on my toes!

miss hollywood

2010-03-24T16:34:00.001-05:00

Killing time at the Dr.'s office this morning

Mission Impossible

2010-03-24T16:25:00.003-05:00

Two lollipops, two dogs and an electric train - what it took to distract Addie long enough to sit still for a haircut!

Spring Picnic

2010-03-24T16:09:00.003-05:00

Hello Friends! Addie is taking an unusually long nap today and in order to procrastinate on cleaning the kitchen and folding the laundry I will post a few updates :)

Last night we went to the park to enjoy every last drop of sunshine & warmth the day held. This was our first park visit since last Fall and the girls loved it!

Greta & Brynna

Addie sporting her sassy new hair-do (haircut pictures are coming...)

I know this next picture is blurry, but it still makes me smile

A future-son-in-law-contender

Greta loves to swing - she asks for an underdog about every 30 seconds

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-14T21:13:00.001-06:00

Snowy Day

2010-02-02T20:15:00.002-06:00

Today was a great day to get outside and play...

Away in a Manger

2010-01-05T21:28:00.001-06:00

Old MacDonald

2010-01-05T21:27:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-24T15:50:00.000-06:00

Our 3 year old

2009-11-23T21:33:00.004-06:00

There is a lot to catch up on from the past month, but until that happens, here is one of Greta's 3 year pictures, taken right before her birthday... (halloween, birthday, and Ireland pictures coming soon!)

"It's Inter!"

2009-10-24T13:54:00.003-05:00

These were the first words out of Greta's mouth after waking from her nap yesterday to find that the rain had turned to snow. I know that come March, we will be tired of this weather, but for now it is pretty fun to play outside in the snow.

Our backyard - at least the snow hides all the leaves that we never got raked up

Greta was very excited to wear her new snowsuit from Zoey

Attempting a snow angel

Addie couldn't resist tasting the snow

Taking a little rest in the hammock

The latest wedding

2009-10-08T20:40:00.003-05:00

Here is the link to the slideshow from the wedding I just finished editing. They were a very fun couple and the wedding was at Lake Wissota golf course which was very beautiful (especially at sunset)! This picture was one of my favorites from the day.

A few funnies...

2009-10-07T00:42:00.002-05:00

I am up late tonight editing a wedding. So in true procrastinator style, why not update the blog? Greta's speech therapy is starting to pay off and we are understanding a lot more of what she is saying. It turns out she is a very funny girl (which we have known all along). Here are 3 recent Greta conversations:

1. Greta singing: (context...Greta is wearing her new "princess dress" from Zoey)
"Old MacDonald had a farm, E I E I O. And on that farm he had a dancing dress, E I E I O. With a dance dance here and a dance dance there, here a dance, there a dance, everywhere a dance dance. (I am sure this was much funnier in person :)

2. The big 3 year bday is quickly approaching and we have a few "big girl" things to work on. The first one tackled (thanks to Papa & Gramma) is getting rid of the nuk. She didn't ask for it while staying at their house on Friday night. Saturday night was a bit more difficult. I was trying to console her and talk about her being a big girl and that nuks are for babies. I mentioned that maybe we could give her nuk away to some baby ponies who needed it and her response was ... "let's give Addie's nuk to the baby ponies" :) Taking Greta's nuk away has been a lot like dealing with a drug addict in rehab (I imagine). She writhes on the floor in agony, has searched high and low for it, and even resorts to asking "I need my nuk for just one minute mommy".

3. This last one is a little gross, but as a mom I found it funny. The next "big girl" thing we will be tackling is potty training. She has been getting much better. Yesterday after she finished her poo on the toilet, she got off and was looking at it and exclaims, "it's a hotdog! yum!"

Farm City Day

2009-09-27T20:37:00.002-05:00

Zoey and Greta & Addie learn about cow pies

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

Shucking corn

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

Addie wants to shuck corn too

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

Milking a cow (this was Greta's favorite part)

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

Mmmmm...pudding

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

Ready for our wagon ride

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

Little Addie Woodlawn

2009-09-27T20:35:00.001-05:00

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

Happy 1st Day of Autumn!

2009-09-22T20:58:00.002-05:00

Good bye summer! Wish you were here a little longer :)

First day of Pre-Pre-School

2009-09-09T15:42:00.004-05:00

Greta had her first day of Camp Come and Play today. As far as I can tell, she had a blast. All I was able to get out of her was that they painted and had a snack.

Greta was very excited to get to "school"

Addie was excited to have some alone time with mama - she was not excited to spend all of that time at Target!

The best attempt at a picture of the 3 of us (thanks Laura!)

Loves wearing her backpack!

Ice Cream (and the wedding too)

2009-09-01T23:14:00.007-05:00

Jon asked Greta what her favorite part of this past weekend was and she immediately replied "Ice Ceam!
(short pause) and the edding too" (that's how she says it) We had a fabulous time in Ogema, WI this past weekend with Jon's family for his cousin Annika's wedding. I thoroughly enjoyed attending a wedding not as a photographer (although I did take plenty of pictures of the world's cutest flower girl). Here are just a few pictures...

Greta patiently waiting for the wedding to start

Following her cousins down the aisle (she walked down, but did not throw the petals)

The whole "bucket brigade"

Posing for the camera

Addie all tuckered out with Mimi

Addie gets a second wind

Jon, Grandma Peters & Addie

Tired again :)

These last ones are of the ice cream stop on our drive home.

Someone is extremely happy to have ice cream (and a cone). I did not get a picture of how mad she was when it was all gone :)

The Sprouse Visit

2009-08-20T21:18:00.004-05:00

Here are a few pictures from my sister Heidi's visit to WI. We are sad to see them go to CA but loved having them here for a few weeks.

Olivia - on the move, all the time :)

Greta hopes to have a hat like Great-Papa's someday

Addie loves to swing on our back porch, especially when her sister is pushing her

Greta is pretty excited to roast her marshmallow

Eating smores with Peter

Ready for her big fishing trip with Papa

PJ girls

A few family photos...

Bennett

2009-08-06T00:06:00.004-05:00

I am finally catching up on some work after the great computer crash of 09 (yuck!). I had so much fun working on these pictures so I thought I would share a few. John and Jill are good friends of ours that we met through YL in Eau Claire. I think this session was extra fun for me because older brother Logan is about the same age Greta was when Addie was born - brings back lots of memories :)

Who doesn't love baby feet?

One of my favorite classic baby poses - Bennett was a superstar sleeper for us

This is one of my favorite pics from the session

Logan is SO adorable! Possibly a future son-in-law (or two) ??? :)

I love how he is almost smiling in this picture.

Cruisin the 4-H babes

2009-08-02T22:35:00.004-05:00

A few photos from our trip to the fair last week:

Olivia

Grady

Addie

Zoey

Greta of course wants to do everything Zoey does

Face paint, balloon animal and a sucker - it's been a good day :)

June Wedding

2009-07-13T15:43:00.002-05:00

Here is a little slide show from the last wedding we did in June. This wedding was extra special for us because we have known Steve and Meredith (both Young Life leaders) since we first moved back to Eau Claire. The ceremony took place on a beautiful farm just south of EC. The weather was a little unpredictable that day, but we managed to get a few fun pictures!

http://hollypetersphotography.com/dehnwedding/

Sunday afternoons

2009-06-29T22:07:00.004-05:00

Concert in the Park

2009-06-25T20:56:00.001-05:00

A few from tonight...

Happy Birthday Addie Anne!

2009-06-17T21:02:00.002-05:00

Addie walks

2009-05-13T21:10:00.002-05:00

I went out for coffee and some "alone time" tonight. When I came home Jon had this little video ready for me :)

Our little girl

2009-05-03T23:52:00.003-05:00

I am not sure if there is a definitive age when a child changes from a toddler into a little girl, but I think we are there. Greta has officially entered the "I would wear a dress every day if my mom would let me" stage.

Sleepwalking

2009-05-03T23:41:00.002-05:00

This first picture is how I found Greta in her room tonight. The second picture is from last week. If anyone has any tips on how to keep Greta in her bed, please let us know!

A quick update

2009-04-29T21:41:00.003-05:00

If I ever don't post for a long time, it is because I have way to many pictures to even know where to begin. We had a great trip to Texas and I hope to post some of those soon, as well as a couple of really fun portrait sessions. I don't even have these downloaded to my computer yet, so for now here is a quick update on Addie:

Last Friday Addie took her first steps! I would not officially label her as "walking", but she is getting closer. She wants to walk sooo badly.

As of yesterday, she can officially go up and down stairs and is quite proud of herself. The stairs are probably her favorite toy. She would play there all day if I let her :)

She can do the sign for "more", wave bye-bye and blow kisses.

And that is all the excitement around the Peters house!

Happy Birthday Carly Ruth!

2009-04-14T00:03:00.002-05:00

Sunday we celebrated Carly's birthday with the Kohlhepps...

Happy Easter

2009-04-13T23:36:00.004-05:00

We had a fabulous Easter weekend celebration that included two birthday parties and a lot of ham! Here are a few pictures from Saturday in Medford with the Peters family. In case anyone notices, I am trying out a few new photoshop actions - let me know what you think!

Easter egg hunt for the kids

Great Grandma Peters helps Greta count her eggs

Laura & Ava

Jon & Addie

This is one of my favorite expressions of Greta's

Sweet Ava is the perfect model for the camera - smiles everytime !

This is the best shot I was able to get of the girl cousins together

Happy 88th Birthday Great Grandma!

Great Grandma Peters and her "kids"

Somebody please get this poor child some cake!

OBX

2009-04-06T21:53:00.004-05:00

I have been a bit of a blog slacker, but I figure better late than never, right? Here are a few of my favorite pictures from our trip to North Carolina.

The birthday party... Olivia turned one and Grandma turned... ???

Olivia eats cake with passion!

Greta and her mommy at Kitty Hawk

The cold weather didn't stop Greta, she loved running in the sand and chasing the waves

Grandpa's girls

Sisters

My favorite picture of Jon and Greta

My attempt at landscape photography.

Spaghetti

2009-03-25T10:46:00.002-05:00

Today is the first day I have been able to work since getting sick last week. I am tired of being sick and even though I am still only feeling about 60% I am glad to be back at my computer. Well, I am supposed to be working, but I just came across these pictures and they were too cute to not post. Here are Graham and Zoey enjoying some spaghetti last weekend.

Addie Anne - 9 months old

2009-03-22T03:58:00.002-05:00

A few pictures from today...

Happy Birthday Ava Joy!

2009-02-26T15:19:00.004-06:00

Five special people in our lives have birthdays this week! We got to celebrate Ava's first birthday last weekend at the cabin.

Every girl needs a yummy cake for her birthday...

A little help blowing out candles

Addie wishing she could have cake

Yum-O!

The beautiful Muench kids

I love this picture - Graham is trying so hard to smile. Did somebody bribe him with a treat or something?

A Happy Birthday shout out also goes to our cousins David, Laura, Annika and Heather. We missed being able to celebrate with you, but know that we love you!

Zizi and Gigi, Part Deux

2009-02-15T20:38:00.005-06:00

Greta got to have Zizi spend the night again on Friday and these two girls had a blast...
Friday night bathtime

Two doctors try and fix Elmo

Riding Roxie

Making Valentine cookies

After only one semester of music class...

Princesses dancing...

Cabin weekend

2009-02-03T22:49:00.003-06:00

Here are a few pictures from last weekend at the cabin. It was amazing to finally spend some time outside. Even Addie enjoyed riding in the sled while we skied.

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

Zizi and Gigi

2009-01-23T21:46:00.004-06:00

Greta had her first real sleepover last night with Zoey (Greta calls her Zizi). They slept in the same room without waking each other up and we had a super fun play day!

my blog break

2009-01-20T23:26:00.005-06:00

It seems that my devoted fans demand an update (thanks Allison and Amber!). I don't even really know where to start on the past two months.

The highlights since my last post were: (in chronological order)
1. Thanksgiving
2. going to the cabin with friends
3. Jon's 30th birthday party
4. celebrating Christmas a lot (I think we had 9 different family gatherings)
5. going to the cabin with the Peters family for Christmas
6. having Bill, Heidi and Olivia visit
7. Addie being dedicated at church.

The lowlights would be: (in chronological order)
1. Jon getting sick
2. Addie getting pneumonia
3. Jon getting the infamous Nutting stomach flu
4. Jon getting pneumonia

it's been an interesting few weeks. But most importantly, for the moment we are all healthy and only 154 more days until summer (wahoo)

Here are a just a few pictures...

The Peters babes (Addie, Ava & Grady)

Greta loved playing with Graham's b-day present, I guess we should get her some tools

I had the chance to take some pictures of Olivia while she was here - not an easy task - she's fast!

Grandpa and his girls

Heidi and the babes

Addie - 7 months old

We miss you Laura!

2008-11-20T21:58:00.003-06:00

For the past few months we have been lucky to have my cousin Laura in our area while she was on rotations. We had a little tradition of getting together on Thursdays to watch the Office. It was rather lonely tonight. Here are a few pictures from her time in EC...

Lucky Laura gets to play with all 3 kids!

These pictures were taken when Renee was visiting from Green Bay. Carly is growing up fast!

Renee & Addie

Greta acting shy around Great-Papa

Dr. Laura - back to work. We hope you are having a good time in PA!

Happy Birthday - Party #2

2008-11-09T23:36:00.005-06:00

Happy Birthday - Party #1

2008-11-09T23:19:00.004-06:00

Greta and Ellie's birthday's are a day a part so they get to celebrate together on the Peters side. Greta is a little uncertain what to do with a birthday cake

Daddy helps blow out the candles

Ellie blows out all 6 by herself!

Ellie tests the cake

Zoey shows everyone how to really eat cake

Grady is all smiles

Ellie lovin' on Addie

Ava's Dedication

2008-11-09T23:11:00.003-06:00

A week ago Sunday we traveled to Chanhassen to attend Ava's dedication at church...

Halloween

2008-11-09T22:59:00.002-06:00

Our little pumpkin

The Dave Peters Family

Ladybug on a trike

A ferocious lion

Zoey and Greta

feet, hands, stomach, smiles, sisters

2008-10-22T23:40:00.005-05:00

Addie's latest trick this week is that she has discoverd her feet...

She loves to suck on those hands...

Addie has been working on her abs, I think it is really starting to pay off :-)

All smiles for the camera...

A sweet sister moment... I had set Addie down on the chair for a minute while I went to get the laundry, when I came back Greta had crawled up next to her and given Addie a book to read.

The terrible twos

2008-10-22T23:30:00.003-05:00

Greta is just a few weeks away from turning 2 - and it is starting to become quite obvious. Let me preface this post by saying that 95% of the time she is a sweet, fun girl to be around. The other day (Friday to be exact) Greta was very upset that I made her put on pants. It's a tough life, what can I say.

5 sure signs that Greta is having a tantrum:
1. Screaming
2. Crying
3. Turning red
4. Rolling her tongue
5. Random, uncontrollable hitting

I think her messy hair just adds to the effect of this picture.

Adelaide Anne

2008-10-09T21:56:00.002-05:00

"Babies are such a nice way to start people."

Perfect Fall Day

2008-10-04T00:22:00.003-05:00

I should be in bed so I am well rested for our wedding tomorrow, but I am still up charging batteries and cleaning lenses. Today was such a beautiful day, we spent a lot of time outside on walks and blowing bubbles. I love days like this!

Randomness

2008-10-02T23:15:00.004-05:00

I just got my new (and now favorite) lens so I have been taking a lot of random pictures...

Greta loves playing with her sister

Addie holding her head up high

Addie really does like to be in the bumbo, I think she is just mad that her mom took all these pictures without fixing her messy hair.

Greta's new favorite game, pushing Addie in the bumbo - hold on tight Addie!

A picture to show off Addie's chins

Addie sporting Greta's sticker collection

Greta

2008-09-25T13:50:00.002-05:00

Labor Day

2008-09-18T22:37:00.002-05:00

A few pictures from Labor day at Lake Windfall...

Addie & Grandma

A riveting game of Bocce Ball

Greta and her BFF Great-Papa

Sisters

Amber & Allison

2008-09-08T14:56:00.005-05:00

In August two of my college roommates came to visit. We spent the majority of our time at the Peters cabin. Here are some pictures...

Amber & Allison took Greta for a canoe ride - Greta loves being in the "boot" (that is how Greta says "boat")

We took some maternity pictures of the stunningly beautiful Amber. She is due at the beginning of October. We can't wait to meet Carson David Roberts!

Greta was feeling a little left out of having her picture taken, so she waded into Amber's photo shoot :-)

I couldn't resist posting these cute cheeks!

Allison with Greta & Addie

Keeping up with the Joneses

2008-09-03T00:21:00.003-05:00

I am still catching up on my "pre-addie" work. Here are some pictures I took back in May of our good friends Aaron and Heather and their sweet daughter Olivia.

Summer

2008-08-28T22:16:00.003-05:00

We have enjoyed a lot of time at the Peters cabin this summer. It is hard to believe the summer is almost over. Here are two of my favorites from this past week.

Greta loves to swing on our back porch.

A quick little photo shoot with Addie (these were just taken today)

4th - Part 2

2008-07-16T09:41:00.003-05:00

A few more pictures...

Ellie & Graham love smores!

Ava is full of smiles :-)

Addie - in a rare wide awake moment

Greta in her itsy bitsy teeny weeny 4th of July bikini

Resting with Great grandma & grandpa

Jon reading with his girls

Happy 4th - Part 1

2008-07-10T15:55:00.003-05:00

Here are some pictures from our time at the Peter's cabin over the 4th...

Greta, Graham & Ellie

A very tired daddy

The grandkids (except Zoey - We miss you Zoey!!!)

Our best attempt at a family picture :-)

Loopy Greta

2008-07-01T14:30:00.004-05:00

Greta gets a little loopy when it is past her bedtime and she has an audience. Her three favorite dance moves: spinning, falling and jumping

Great Grandpa Kohlhepp

2008-07-01T10:50:00.001-05:00

Great Grandpa Kohlhepp holds baby Addie...

Catching Up

2008-06-30T22:25:00.002-05:00

I have a ton of pictures to share from Addie's first two weeks of life. I will try and catch up in the next couple of days. First of all, I have to share the video of Greta meeting Addie at the hospital. Thanks Mom for making the video!

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

Facelift

2008-06-30T22:24:00.002-05:00

Due to inspiration from my friend Amber's blog, I decided to add a little facelift. Black was getting a little boring and with 2 girls I need a little more pink in my life :-)

Welcome Addie!

2008-06-21T14:36:00.006-05:00

Adelaide Anne (Addie) Peters was born Tuesday, June 17 at 11:29 am. She weighed 7 lb 2 oz and was 20 inches long. So far she has been a sweet baby, even putting up with a few "love pats" from her sister. Here are just a few pictures :-)

A few seconds old...trying out her lungs

A very proud daddy

Her first bath from nurse Nancy and daddy

She liked having her back rubbed

Clinging to daddy's hand

Meeting the grandparents...

Our first family photo

A few more...

Itsy Bitsy

2008-06-01T21:39:00.002-05:00

Greta's favorite song is definitely Itsy Bitsy Spider - she always sings along in her high soprano voice. (thanks Grandma Connie for the video :-)

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

A fine Spring day

2008-06-01T21:28:00.004-05:00

Some pictures from earlier in May...

It's hard to share

2008-05-21T22:43:00.003-05:00

Yesterday I had the chance to take some pictures of our good friends Aaron and Heather and their daughter Olivia. After the photo session and some lunch Olivia and Greta "played" together for a little bit. I am not so sure Greta is ready for a sibling to share with - she definitely has the "it's mine" facial expression down!