Change in the Season

Autumn is quickly arriving. The temperature has dropped and the painting of leaves is sure to follow soon. This is by far my favorite time of year. The temperature, the colors, the holidays...I'm so glad we live somewhere that it lasts more than 2 weeks.

One more week of work and we'll be on vacation! We are heading up to Chicago again for the aquarium and the natural history museum. Plenty of pictures to come.

Rachel has been happier as she's been running each morning. She finds it very effective at not only staying healthy and in shape, but relieving stress as well. Maybe I should take a cue and do some excercising myself.

Annalyn had yet another visit to the dentist. This time to get her latest 2 cavities filled. Luckily she's getting use to the dentist; she's getting more and more brace with each visit. It went well too: no unexpected expenses, and the kids didn't give Rachel an ulcer! 

Happy Labor Day

Yesterday was Labor Day - so glad to have the day off from work! 3-day weekends are always welcome, as they don't seem to come often enough.

The weather has been cooling off, but yesterday was one more randomly hot day as it hit 93 instead of the upper 70's that is has been lately. It made for an enjoyable day at the park for the ward picnic (until everyone was simply through with the sun) and for the kids to come home to sprinklers and popcicles. 

For the first time now too, I'm trying to batch out some cutting blocks to sell; I'm making more of the same type I made for Rachel. All that walnut was quite expensive, but with the price point I should be able to make something off of it. Rachel and I are wanting to finally get my feet wet to see how feasible it would be to invest some time and resources into a woodworking side gig. Who knows? We'll find out hopefully writhing the next couple of weeks.

Walter is finally cutting tooth number 5 and 6! He seems to be a late bloomer when it comes to teeth. He was also late crawling, but fast walking, so maybe his teeth will all come in at once!

A Flower Up the Nose

So Declan decided to make our weekend extremely interesting. When cleaning up the toys Thursday evening, he stuck a toy flower up his nose, which he never told us about - we just noticed it when brushing his teeth. 

We tried getting it out ourselves - no luck. Rachel took him to the pediatrician - no luck. We then tried with an otolaryngologist (ENT) - no luck. We had to take him to he hospital. 

After 3 days of appointments, we had an early morning appointment to put him under and they were able to quickly take it out. It would've been just as simple for us, but as a 3-year-old, it's impossible for Declan to hold still. No more Playmobil toys.

He came out a talkative little trooper. Hopefully he's learned his lesson and won't stick anything else up his nose.

Solar Eclipse

Today we got to see a  solar eclipse! They've referred to it as the Great American Eclipse as it spanned across the entirety of the continental US. At 1:18pm, we were in the path of totality in a park next to the temple and we got to see the sun completely blocked by the moon. We saw one bright star (which was presumably a planet) and felt the temperature drop about 10 degrees. As it approached the light all around turned to an other-worldly pinkish hue. Finally it happened. The light dispersed, a star came out, and the brilliance of the sun's corona stretched across the sky. The bluish, pinkish streaks of light eminating from behind the moon was truely astronomical and beautiful. It was as though the heavens came down to let us see them, almost within hand's reach. 

Annalyn was able to watch with her class at school, which she loved. Declan and Walter were with us. Luckily we were able to wait in the car as it was so hot out.

Earlier this week too, on Saturday, Rachel and I got the opportunity to visit the King Tut exhibit at the St Louis Science Center.

We had tried before a few weeks ago with the kids, but that turned out to bedisastrous, as the crowds and the dark was too much for them, Walter in particular.

But going back was well worth it. Everything that was discovered in his tomb had been recreated. I even found out the ancient Egyptians used dovetails in some of their woodwork! Full-sized shrines, all 3 coffins and the death mask, hoards of treasure and  artifacts were amazing to see. The scale of his burial was very surprising to see all at once.

He was even buried with thrones and chariots!

We feel lucky to live where such world-class exhibits come on such a regular basis.

In other news this week, Annalyn has just gotten over a cold, to which she has passed on to both her brothers. We're not looking forward to what we assume will be a night filled with crying, runny noses, and headaches. We will be praying hard tonight.

New School Year

Annalyn started school on Wednesday with her new teacher, Mrs. Bowman. Declan started today. They both have been getting more and more antsy for school to start. Luckily, the time is finally here. Annalyn already likes her teacher and has been acting better at home having school again.

On Monday, they both had appointments with the dentist and it was the usual...Annalyn had 2 cavities and Declan (our little candy lover) didn't have any. Sometimes life just isn't fair. It ended up being about twice the cost too from what we were expecting, so we'll be looking for a new pediatric dentist.

Rachel can now enjoy a little quiet time when the kids are at school and Walter goes down for a nap. We're both hoping that it will relieve some stress that the crazies have been building up all summer.

Welcome Back

And life continues onward. Family has grown, and hopefully so have the individual family members. 

Just a couple of months ago Rachel and I celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary. Annalyn is 6 years old and preparing to start 1st grade this week, Declan is our lively 3 year old, and our newest addition is our son Walter, who just reached his 1st birthday just one month ago.

For the Independance Day weekend we went out to Utah to visit both sides of our family. On that Saturday was the Peck family reunion, and Sunday was the Jones family reunion. It had been three years since seeing everyone.

Now, we're gearing up to move, most likely in the spring. We're freshening up the house and looking a little at homes in St. Charles County at hopes of finding a top-notch school for the kids.

Recently I have started working at the St Louis temple as an ordinance worker, a choice experience for service, spiritual fulfillment, and enlightenment.

Our ward was recently combined with our previous ward, the Hazelwood Ward, and 2 weeks later we were part of the organization of a brand new stake, the Hazelwood Stake. 

Looking forward, I hope to keep a better record of our completed clan, the Peck family.

Hello...?

 I guess it's been a while.

Declan loves to climb on everything and Annalyn is growing so fast! She's been in dance classes and is now taking swimming lessons (Declan too!)

The pursuit of becoming an actuary has been put by the wayside. Family has just become so much more important that any new changes just haven't been worth it. It's time to just settle down.

Rachel loves sewing, and has such a knack for interior design. She has been revamping our living room and our basement to make it much more vibrant and enjoyable. She is the love of my life!

I figure a few updated photos will help close out this update. Hopefully I will return again soon.