The Peacocks

2009-10-13T16:21:00.000-07:00

We went camping, and because I cannot sleep in the same tent with my babies and all of their noises, Jas got the bright idea of turning the back of the van into a crib and backing it up to the tent. Liam slept great! It did feel strange to say goodnight and then close the trunk door!

Hailey's first day of preschool!

Liam is 7 months old!

We celebrated our year mark in private practice complete with a birthday cake. Because any excuse for cake is good enough!

Enjoying the last few weeks of summer...

2009-08-14T11:32:00.000-07:00

We took the kids to the Portland Temple to walk around on the grounds. They had never seen it before and it is the closest temple to us (about 30 minutes away). It is beautiful and the grounds are lush and green. They could all feel the special feeling that is around temples.

Liam is now old enough to enjoy his jumparoo. He will bounce in it happily for up to an hour.

This time Seth and I went to the rocks and minerals museum for our date. He loved it! We had lots of fun.

We headed to Utah (just the kids and me) for a week to see my family. I was dreading the flight for obvious reasons (in case someone reading this can't figure out what they are, just picture flying by yourself with a baby, a 3-year-old who throws tantrums at random, and a 5 and 9-year-old who get along wonderfully 50% of the time and fight like mortal enemies the other 50% of the time with no real warning that a change is coming). But, to my surprise, the flight went great! Southwest let us have 2 extra seats since the flight wasn't full, so we had plenty of room, we got to give Liam his own seat and bring his carseat on, he slept for half of the flight and then was happy the rest of the time, Hailey threw no tantrums, and the boys had nothing but fun the whole time. It was actually the easiest flight we've ever had, and that includes every one we've taken since we had kids to begin with.

Liam, enjoying the flight just the way I wanted him to!

Our plane landed during sunset. The whole sky was pink and orange...it was beautiful! I told the kids I want to try and land at sunset more often. Alex took some neat pictures from the plane.

Bedtime books with Grandpa...which is way more exciting than the same books with mom!

We went to Grandmother's house for lunch and enjoyed her famous tuna fish sandwiches (no seriously, they're way better than your Grandma's tuna fish sandwiches) and macaroni and cheese. Of course, there is always an endless supply of grapes, oreo cookies and fun!

Ashley and Liam getting some cuddle time.

Ashley and I took our older kids to Boondocks (an amusement park) for the day. We did laser tag, go-carts, squirt boats, the arcade, etc. We had tons of fun!

Seth got an early birthday present from Granny and Grandpa, which was an electricity science kit. He loves it!

2009-06-15T08:40:00.000-07:00

Alex and I went to the Rice Rocks and Minerals Museum in Hillsboro, OR for our date last weekend. We had such a good time--he said it was our best date ever, and that's saying a lot since Jason and I have been taking the kids on monthly dates for the past 2 years! The kids always pick what we do (within reason, of course!) for our dates. This museum catered to Alex's personality perfectly.

2009-06-06T08:54:00.000-07:00

On Memorial Day we went hiking around and ended up finding a beautiful river...of course the boys pulled their nets out and put their boots on so they could wade at the edge of the river and catch any living things they could find. We went with our friends and Hailey and Aneya stuck their feet in the water and giggled and giggled.

Hailey decided to try and pour her own salad dressing while nobody happened to be watching...she gave it her best effort.

We celebrated our 11th anniversary and Alex took this picture for us. We put Hailey to bed early and sent the boys up to read in bed much earlier than usual and then we had a candlelit dinner of grilled filet mignon, caesar salad and imported cheese. It was really nice.

One day we all went outside to play and Liam sat in his Bumbo with us...I ran in to get something (I forget what now) and the kids followed me and I realized a few minutes later that Liam was out there all by himself. He wasn't crying or anything, just hanging out and looking around. I had to get a picture.

Jason decided to capture a moment of us immersed in a good bedtime book (currently Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets). Reading books before bed is one of our favorite passtimes and we do it almost every night.

2009-05-12T10:12:00.000-07:00

My parents came into town for Mother's Day weekend. On Sunday we went to Battleground Lake near our house and hiked around all afternoon. It was beautiful and so fun.

Peacock family of 6!

Mother's Day presents from my darling kids!

Everyone (except the moms) getting Mother's Day dinner ready. We had barbecued brisket, garlic mashed potatoes, baked beans and spinach salad. It was delicious! Jason made most of the dinner by himself and did a great job.

Liam gave Granny a huge smile.

2009-04-26T17:29:00.001-07:00

We got Liam a "Bumbo"...which I think is the best thing to be invented since sliced bread. For those of you who aren't familiar with these little goodies, they allow a baby to sit up once the baby can hold it's head up. And since our babies always want to be sitting upright from 6 weeks until they can do it on their own at 6 months, we got one. Jason said it wouldn't do what it said it would, but he was proven wrong. Liam sat up perfectly in it. He LOVES it! Just had to get a picture.

Liam at 6 weeks old!

Hailey got her ears pierced! She was warned that it would hurt for a minute but decided to brave it out and do it anyway. She loves her earrings! She had a delayed reaction after they were pierced and started to cry pretty hard after a few seconds...then was still crying after a few minues, but once she calmed down she was very excited about her earrings.

Ahhhh...ice cream cones make all owies better.

Hailey got her hair cut and at first she did not like the length, until Alex told her she looked like Dora and now she is thrilled.

The sleep deprivation of newbornhood...

Alex and Seth and their friends pulled an April Fool's joke on me. They told me they finished the Rubix cube and I was shocked. I said we had to take a picture. Just as I snapped it they all yelled "APRIL FOOL'S!". Why I fell for that on April Fool's Day I'll never know.

We caught Liam in deep thought one night. :)

Always helping with the baby...

Daddy must be really soft and cozy.

Alex took 23rd place in the District Pinewood Derby
out of 400. He was very proud. :)

Being a great big brother, as always.

Introducing Liam!

2009-03-22T12:24:00.000-07:00

We are pleased to introduce Liam Kenneth Peacock! He was born on Friday, March 13th at 5:45 p.m. He weighed 8 pounds 1 ounce and was 21 inches long. We figure any kid who makes an entrance into the world on Friday the 13th has got to be somethin' special.

That morning I felt "different" and told Jason I thought we might have the baby that day. By noon I knew I was in labor but also that I had hours to go before the baby would be ready to come. Jason came home from work and we made arrangements for the kids for the rest of the day. I don't like hospitals AT ALL, so we went and ran errands to kill time and keep me from dwelling on the contractions. We then went for a walk at WSU campus which is 2 minutes from the hospital. Jason kept asking me if we needed to go and I kept saying no because I could tell by my pain level that it wasn't time yet. (Did I mention I don't like hospitals?) Well, my pain suddenly increased and he could tell by the look about me during contractions that it was time to go. At that point I wholeheartedly agreed. Fifteen minutes after we got to the hosital I was ready to start pushing, and Liam was born 30 minutes later! I was intending to go natural this time and I did, partly because I intended to and partly because I really didn't end up with much choice. After 3 epidural births this one taught me that my body handles things much better naturally! If only I could start over...LOL.

Alex, Seth and Hailey LOVE Liam. They pretty much want to be holding him all of the time.

Jason's cousin Heather came and watched the kids the day after Liam was born so Jason could be with me at the hospital for a few hours. While we were gone Heather helped them make "welcome home" pictures for Liam and me. The couldn't wait to show us!

Alex holding Liam while he did his homework.

Did I mention that the kids love Liam?!?!?

Granny (my mom) came to visit the day after we got home from the hospital and stayed for the week to help out. She worked hard cooking, cleaning, buying groceries, feeding and changing the baby when needed, and playing with the kids, leaving Jason free to be in his practice all week (we're seeing improvements in our patient base--now is not the time to take work off!). We appreciate her help!

Seth drew green freckles on his face for St. Patrick's Day at school, which ended up looking more like green measles!

His Kindergarten class made Leprechaun traps and he faithfully watched his trap to see if he would catch anything.

Obviously Leprechaun's are quick and sneaky because he got a note from Larry the Leprechaun without even noticing!

We caught Hailey sticking her head in the garbage one day for no reason?!?!?

Alex won 2nd place in the Scout's pinewood derby and will be moving on to district. We've never heard of district races for pinewood derby before, but Alex is very excited!

Lots going on so far in '09!

2009-02-22T21:51:00.000-08:00

Cuddling under our huge blanket which I might add I found on a great sale (seriously, this huge and very soft blanket was 12 dollars!) and got made fun of for buying--now I'm being patted on the back for finding such a great deal on one of the cosiest blankets in the world that covers all of us at once!

Only 2 weeks left until the big due date! So basically starting next week I'll be like a walking time bomb. We're very ready to meet our newest baby Peacock! And I am definitely ready to stop using the bathroom every 30 minutes.

Jason's cousin Heather offered to watch the kids for us while we went out on a date. Not that we never go out, but usually we don't stay out too long since babysitters are so expensive. So we spent several hours together exploring Portland (where Heather lives) without having to worry about that for a change. It was great!

Alex turned 9! He had a really fun birthday.

Alex's birthday presents included an airsoft gun, which came with a long list of safety rules and conditions for use (composed by his parents, of course!). So far he's kept them pretty darn well! (except for the few bruised birds who we believe probably don't like his gun!--Yes, we discussed this with him and as far as we know he hasn't used living things for target practice ever since)

Hailey turned 3 the day before Alex's birthday--here Alex and Seth are helping her learn how to play her new TV Dora plug-in game.

Hailey got a big-girl bike for her birthday (which was FREE by the way--a hand-me-down from a friend!). She LOVES it and rode around the whole main floor of the house all night after she got it.

Hailey's (kind of scary looking--Hailey helped) Dora cake...she thought it looked exactly like Dora, so that's really all that matters!

She got bunches of princess jewelry (the ring, earrings and necklace in this picture are from Aunt Ashley), a crown and sparkly nail polish for her birthday and couldn't feel more complete now. Yes, despite having 2 older brothers and no female cousins yet, she is definitely all girl! Don't get me wrong, she likes to light-saber fight. She just does it in her princess attire and with pointed toes and way too much grace for a light-saber fight!

Hailey's party

Hailey and Aneya (her best friend) at her party.

Seth is so proud that he can read now! He had just gotten done reading this book to me cover to cover and we just had to snap a picture. He is doing great in school!

Hailey got out of bed and unexpectedly promenaded down the stairs with a halo on one morning.

Alex being...well, Alex!

Merry Christmas

2008-12-28T17:36:00.000-08:00

Sorry it's been so long since my last post! I couldn't get my login to work for awhile and I am famous for just not wanting to bother with things like that--but I finally appealed to Jason for help since he is the computer savvy one in our marriage, even though he's not a blogger. He's going to become one through his wife's ignorance and impatience! Anyway, we hope you all had a great Christmas and wish you all a blessed New Year! Our Christmas was really fun and relaxing.

Our traditional Christmas Eve festivities:

Making cookies for Santa, going bowling and new jammies!

Alex earned his Wolf in scouts!

Our first snow in Vancouver--school was closed due to 1/2 inch of snow! I didn't think it was possible to play in that much snow, but the kids started a snowball fight AND went sledding in the neighbors steep driveway! They loved it. I decided that 1/2 inch of snow is the way to go...you can still have fun without having to clean up too much of a mess. We didn't know what we were in for in the days to come!...

After the above very small snowstorm, we heard more was coming and everyone was saying it would be a "blizzard". We were making fun of them because we know what a real blizzard is like and we knew Vancouver didn't get them. Everyone went out and bought chains for their tires and snow shovels...we just laughed at 'em. Well, a couple of days later it started to snow and didn't really stop for a week. Vancouver got more snow than they've had since 1968! The whole city shut down (even though the total was only 2 or 3 feet) because this city just isn't prepared for that much snow and nothing got plowed. We wished we would have bought a snow shovel and chains instead of pointing and laughing at everyone else! We were able to get a great snowman out of it.

Halloween and stuff

2008-11-11T08:37:00.000-08:00

Seth played his first soccer season this fall. He loved it and even enjoyed a moment of fame for running the length of the field with the ball and scoring a goal during one of our hardest games!

Seth and his soccer trophy.

One night last week we were all wrestling and playing together as a family...Seth suddenly disappeared for a few minutes and then ran down the stairs dressed like this. :-)

Alex won an award at his scouts Halloween party and pumpkin carving contest!

Halloween was so fun! The kids had a blast trick-or-treating (of course!) and our neighborhood is a great place for it. Jason got into the spirit with this suave hairdo.

Hailey very successfully potty-trained last week! One day she seemed ready so we tried it and she only had a few accidents the first few days and now she's a pro! (Yes, her underwear is on her head in this picture!)

Hailey got to go to her first birthday partyand it was...you guessed it--a princess theme! All of the guests dressed up like princesses. She still refers to this party as the party where she was beautiful.

2008-10-22T21:59:00.000-07:00

The reception area of Jason's office--looking pretty nice, huh?

Hailey in her new big girl bed!

At the Oregon Coast for a Peacock family reunion.

The kids in their bedroom at the beach house.

Seth burying himself in the sand.

The cold water didn't stop Alex!

The Peacock girls soaking up some rays (on our faces, anyway!).

Hailey was mad because her
pants fell down and
instead of pulling them up
right away I giggled and
took a picture first.

The Peacock cousins (the ones who were there anyway!).

With Jason's Grandma ("GG"). She was nice enough to treat everyone to the beach house. Thanks, GG!

First week of school!

2008-09-08T10:31:00.001-07:00

Seth getting ready to get on the bus for Kindergarten!

Hailey took her babies for walk when we went to take Seth to the bus stop.

Hailey and I went to have lunch with Alex at school.

A light at the end of the tunnel

2008-09-08T10:25:00.000-07:00

Jason called me the other day from his office and said he needed to tell me something. I was worried because we have had way too much bad news this summer. But he said "The builders just installed the counters in the reception area...and they're beautiful". He was so choked up he could barely even talk on the phone. I said "You realize this has nothing to do with the counters." He has been so stressed out about getting his practice open and bringing home the bacon for his family and the counter being installed and being beautiful was a symbol to him that his nightmare is actually almost over! So I told him I had to come and take a picture of him with the counter that made him cry. :-)

More Exploring

2008-09-08T10:16:00.001-07:00

We went to Mt. Saint Helens and were amazed by the affects the 1980 eruption had on the surrounding landscape. The volcano used to be surrounded by a crystal clear lake and thick, lush pine trees. We were truly amazed at the power mother nature has.

We went hiking with my dad's cousin and his family and saw some gorgeous scenery and beautiful waterfalls. We also got more exercise than any of us has had in a long time! We hiked (with a few breaks) basically all day.

Baby #4!!!

2008-08-20T22:03:00.000-07:00

Yep, that's right...baby Peacock #4 is on the way and will be here in 6 months (late February/early March). The kids are so excited and are placing bets on what the baby's sex will be. I told them I think it's a girl, and Jason responded, "So it's a boy then?". He has every reason to say that because we had thought Alex would be a girl, Seth would be a girl and Hailey would be twins. So much for thinking. We won't be finding out the sex of this one (we didn't with Seth and Hailey either and it was so fun to be surprised), so we'll just have to wait and see!

Our Practice!

2008-08-19T20:49:00.000-07:00

Our practice is finally 2-3 weeks away from opening. We already have several patients scheduled for the first week and of course are hoping for many more! You can't see the sign too well but it says "Peacock Prosthodontics". It is looking really good on the inside compared to what it was a month ago!

Summer Fun

2008-08-17T21:43:00.001-07:00

We went to the Vancouver rodeo and the kids loved it. At first though, when the first bull rider came out, Seth had the most horrified look on his face at the way the rider was being thrown around. I said "It's okay buddy, that's what they're supposed to do at a rodeo." After that he was able to enjoy himself much more!
Alex and Seth found a habitat 2 minutes away from our house with lots of snakes and tadpoles and frogs to catch. The frogs are tiny and so cute!
A popsicle and an ice cream cone! It's like heaven on earth.

Seth turned 5!

2008-08-15T09:52:00.000-07:00

We went camping for Seth's birthday. Other than getting eaten alive by mosquitos (even with bug spray) and getting attacked by gnats (long story), we did have a great time. We got to swim in the beautiful (very cold) lake (kids never seem to mind the temperature of water) and we got to feed some chipmunks out of our hands.
Seth had to soak his finger after burning it on his roasting stick (because he's Seth). It didn't keep him down for too long though.

Hailey dipping her toes in the lake.
After camping we went out to dinner. The waitress brought Seth a HUGE sundae for his birthday. I figured it was my duty as his mom to help him eat what was a sundae obviously made for at least 2 people. We all had a few bites.

Celebrating the birthday at home after dinner.

Weekend in Seattle

2008-08-05T22:12:00.000-07:00

Our best friends from dental school, Matt and Camery Pollard, are living outside of Seattle, so we decided we needed to get away from the stress of the practice and drive up to see them. The drive is only 4 hours and they took us to the beach and showed us around. We took the ferry into Seattle. We had a great time! It was just the escape we needed...and then we got back home...anyway, Seattle is gorgeous! And the practice progressed while we were gone which was even better.

2008-07-16T08:43:00.000-07:00

Most of you already know that in June Jason graduated with an advanced certificate in Prosthodontics (a dental specialty). We left the Buckeye State (Columbus, OH), and our Ohio friends and "family", the next day and moved to Vancouver, WA. We are currently building a practice (Peacock Prosthodontics) and are due to open in early September. It has been an experience! (All you future dentists out there, buy an existing one if you can!) Jason can't wait to start digging into mouths again. This summer has been long for him as he waits to get back into doing what he loves. In the mean time we have been working hard to get the practice done and have been enjoying the beautiful scenery in this part of the country.