Allen Drives!!

Well, today was Allen's first day driving with his instructor! It went very well! And Mom did pretty ok. I felt very comfortable letting him drive off! Now, it may be a different story when he's driving while I'm in the car!! It's all in God's hands!

Birthdays! Birthdays! Birthdays!

Lauren, Jordan and Bailey

Cake and pie and Ice cream!!

The beautiful table!!

Allen and his new comforter!

Thanks, Grandma and PaPa!

Caleb in his new ACDC hat!

October and November are big birthday months for my family. My brother, Brian, celebrates his birthday on October 13. My nephew, Caleb, and niece, Jordan, both have birthdays on October 24, and my sister-in-law, Jessica, and my son, Allen, have November 1st birthdays! We all got together a few weeks ago to celebrate Brian's birthday, and this passed weekend, because my parents are leaving for Florida this week, we celebrated the other 4. Caleb is now 19, while both Jordan and Allen are 17. Yes, for those of you who knew Caleb and Jordan when they were just little things, they are now 19 and 17!! Holy cow! The following are some celebratory pics!

Has it been that long?

Once again, I apologize! It's been way too long since I last posted. I've been busy. I know, haven't we all?? Anyway, to update, last week, I went up to Michigan on Thursday to be with my parents. My mom had her gall bladder out early Friday morning. Both my sister, Dana, and I were there to keep my dad company during the surgery. She was in and out of the OR within 45 minutes! They told her she had some of the largest gall stones that had ever seen! Way to go, Mom!! She had to stay only about an hour and a half longer, and then Dad and I took her home. She is doing very well now and is happy she got that over with!

Allen has started drivers ed. He's into his 3rd week of classes now. He's got this week and next week to go. He doesn't start driving until the end of the month, though. He's got 30 hours of classwork, followed by 6 hours of drive time. He's very anxious about driving. I'm scared to death!! I do, however, look forward to a time when Allen will be able to drive himself around. Lately, with his schedule, I feel like that's all I've been doing!!

I visited Dustin about 2 weeks ago, and will be back to see him at the end of this week. He's still struggling with aspects of his bi-polar, and some other behavioral issues as well, but we continue to hope and pray that he will be able to overcome them. Dustin is a wonderful kid with a great sense of humor. We hope to have him home again soon, where he belongs.

I've been busy at the dance studio. I now clock about 12 hours of teaching time, plus administrative time. On Wednesdays, I start teaching at 9am and teach until 1:15. Then I start up again at 3 and teach until 8. My feet are killing me by the end of the day. 95% of my classes on Wednesdays are ballet, which mean I'm in ballet shoes all day. For those of you not familiar with this type of shoe, it's nothing more than a canvas glove on my feet - no support! I'm researching some teaching sandals. I'm loving all the time I spend at the dance studio though! It's been great!

John has also been busy with work. He will be doing some traveling again soon too. North Carolina next week, and Boston in another week or so. Just a week and a half ago he traveled to Wisconsin Dells to outline a building project there. Busy busy!

So, there is an update from the Peters' house. I hope to post again soon with some pictures and more interesting stories!

Dustin's 15th Birthday!!

My boys are growing up! On August 20th, Dustin turned 15! As many of my closest friends and family know, Dustin is not currently living with us, but is nearby at a medical facility getting some help with his BiPolar Disorder. It's been an uphill battle for him, but we hope with lots of prayer, he will soon be home again. This isn't the greatest picture of Dustin (I promise to get one soon where you can actually see him), but this is Dustin and Allen (in the background). We went to visit him the weekend before his birthday to celebrate. The boys are playing frisbee or catch with their dad in this picture. We had a great day together and Dustin got lots of presents!

First Day of School

Wednesday, August 20th had two very special events this year. Allen started his Sophomore year in high school and Dustin turned 15!! Here is Allen, just before heading off to school. Just in case you're wondering, he's about 6' 3" now, and still growing!! It's been almost a week since the first day now, and he's loving it! He's got a heavy course load this year, but he's up for the challenge. He's also planning on joining the Key Club this year, and may even try out for basketball and/or track. I'll keep you posted!

Back to School Time!

I apologize for being away for so long! Time just gets away from me sometimes! You all know how that can be! It's back to school time in our house! Dustin starts school this Wednesday (the 13th) and Allen starts next Wednesday. We've been doing the back to school shopping and are officially finished! Yeah! I made a point this year to spread things out, so I've been picking up things for the last month. I know you guys up in Michigan don't have to start until after Labor Day! Lucky you! Enjoy it while you can! Time flies when you're having fun!!!

PS: I'll post more soon! I promise!

More Vacation Photos

Here are more pics from our vacation. These were all taken at Ripley's Aquarium in Myrtle Beach, as is the one in the previous post of Allen holding a horseshoe crab. Here we have a chameleon, and a few deep sea creatures that I bet you can name! On the beach below are Allen and John playing catch football, and that's me with one of my closest friends from NC, and her 3 month old son! (Click on a picture to enlarge it.)