Gut wrenching laughs.

Do you remember when you were a child and you would laugh so hard that you fell on the ground? Do you remember you sides hurting when you were done, which was 10-15 minutes later? We have several members of our family that can laugh that long and when they start laughing, everybody else joins in even if they don't know what was funny initially. It is the chain reaction effect of laughter. Well, on this particular day, the below activity made the two boys involved stumble through the house barely able to stand because they were laughing so hard. I did manage to get a few pictures after the laughter died down. Here is the story behind the pictures. For Huckleberry Finn Day (pictures and post are down below), the boys dress up like Huck Finn. These are a pair of Dad's shorts that were worn for that day. Thomas and Nicholas decided to see if they could both literally fit into that pair of shorts. Wild laughter ensued and I was lucky enough to capture a few pics in the heat of the moment. Enjoy! And make sure that you take the time to think back to your own days of gut wrenching laughter.
strange version of Siamese twins...



What will they think of next?

After all of the festivies...

We found this fort on the edge of Granby on our way out of town. It doubles as the school playground, but I assure you, it is far more than just a playground. It was a compound! The children got out the last of their energy before the 2 hour ride home. It gave Larry and I a chance to catch our breath after 2 very action packed days.
Ellie on the tire swing.
Thomas's self -photo.
Maria and Sabrina. Who is pushing? Hmmm...
Ruthie relaxing in the chair swing.
And of course Nicholas, who found something to climb on.

Welcome to the family! June 17, 2007

The day was Father's Day, June 17, 2007. We all gathered in Granby, CO at The Lady of the Snow Catholic Church at 11:30 am to witness the wedding of Betty Jo Zachmeier to our Grandpa/Great-grandpa Roger. It was profound and emotional seeing the two families come together and bless them both. Welcome to our family, Betty Jo!
Here is the cute couple posing for pictures just before the ceremony began.
On the left is my cousin, Samantha Peterson. In the middle is one of Betty Jo's granddaughters and on the right is our Ellie.
Sabrina is on the left, Maria is in the middle and Ruthie is on the right. Betty Jo wanted all of the grandchildren/great-grandchildren involved in the ceremony. The oldest boys handed out programs while the girls and the young children walked down the aisle with flowers to put in a basket that was on the steps at the front of the church. Ruthie shook her flowers until the buds fell off the stem. We made sure that all of the buds made it into the basket and the bare stem made it back to our pew.
Here they are exchanging vows.
Aren't they adorable holding hands? We felt blessed to be able to attend. It is something I will remember forever. Congratulations Roger and Betty Jo Peet!

June 15, 2007 The trusses are up.

It was time to get the trusses up on the roof. The crane set up and got right to work. Here is the story.
This was the first truss to be set. It will cover the back deck, north side, which is off the master bedroom. Larry setting the truss blocking.
Seth waiting for another truss.
Seth and Larry hanging over the edge (I have learned not to look) while nailing off the gable end truss.
Larry standing on the top of the south side wall waiting for another truss to be brought up.

More truss pictures.

And just like that, another truss gets set.
Nicholas wanted to go along for the ride.
This truss is being set above the garage door.
The view from the front of the house, south side, with most of the trusses on.
This view is looking at the east side, the garage side, of the house.

June 10, 2007 Hiking at Fish Creek Falls

This was a beautiful afternoon for a hike, so Dad took Ellie, Brian, Nicholas, Matthew and Joseph up to our favorite waterfall. They climbed all the way up to the top of the falls and were able to look down at the water cascading over the rocks. They came back tired, but full of stories. Here are a few of the pictures.
This is at the base of the falls on the little wooden bridge that crosses the creek. The hiking trail is across the bridge to the right. And up they go!

Here is a spectacular view of the waterfall from a rock even higher up. Someday I, Mom, would like to hike up to the top and see what they were able to see.
This is the perfect rock for a little rest and a picture.
Looking down at the little creek.

Just for the record...

We wanted to formally announce, in case any of you have missed our wonderful news, that we are expecting baby #10 in November. Feel free to scroll back to the Anniversary picture and you can see the little one in Mom's protruding belly. We will be all moved into our new house, Lord willing, sometime in August, giving us plenty of time to adjust and get settled before the new baby arrives. Due date is November 17, but I say end of November just to keep my mind off the fact that my "due date" has come and gone yet again. The twins have their birthday on the 21st and Ruthie has her birthday on the 28th. It looks to be a very busy November again this year.

May God be praised for His continued blessings to us. We are humbled to receive another one of His children into our fold. May God give us the grace and wisdom to raise each child so they are a well-equipped warrior in God's army, able to accomplish the tasks God has for them.

Let's go to the park! June 4, 2007

Once again, the children walked up to the local playground, sword in tow. It was a glorious afternoon and fun was had by all.
Matthew brandishing his sword.
Ellie and Maria on the new fangled "see-saw".
It is harder than it looks.
Ruthie trying to make her way up the climbing ladder.
Joseph the monkey.

more park pics...

Ruthie sharing her cedar chip. She finds just about everything amusing.
Thomas has fallen off the turtle.
And now that they are all played out....
...they are on their way home.

The catch of the day. June 2, 2007

Nicholas was the first successful fisherman, pictured here with his fine fish. He came home with two that day. Maria caught a whopper, but as she grabbed the fish and unhooked him, he jumped out of her hands, back into the stream. The one that got away...

Huckleberry Finn Day. June 2, 2007

Huckleberry Finn Day has become an annual tradition with the Pedersons. Every year, the local Department of Wildlife stocks the local stream and has a free fishing day for children. They even supply the fishing rods and bait.
Brian didn't dress up like Huck Finn this year but Joseph did. Those very holey jeans come in handy.
Thomas fishing off the bridge and Matthew trying to learn his tricks.
Aren't they cute?

Nicholas in his Huck Finn garb.
Thomas fishing again.

The walls are up. June 1, 2007

You are looking at the front of our new house. The gentleman standing on the ground is standing right in front of our front door. To your right is the garage.
This is a view through the garage door.
This is the back of the house with part of the garage door opening on the very left of the picture. None of the doors or windows have been cut out of the sheer yet. On the far right is the patio slab that comes off of the dining room.

Happy 15th Anniversary!

We celebrated our 15th Anniversary on May 29th of 2007. It was a special evening alone for the two of us, something we don't do very often. Larry took me to an outstanding restaurant which gives new meaning to the words "fine dining". We decided that we would definitely be coming back to that restaurant.

We are both very thankful for the work that God has done in our lives and in our marriage over the past 15 years. It has been His hand that has sustained us and brought us through the trying times. May we continue to seek Him together for the rest of our days.