Summers End

August and now September have flown by. We've been busy with trying to do as many outdoor activities as possible, and starting preschool for Maya!! We had a great visit from Uncle Chris and Nika. We went to the Devonian Fossil Gorge for an afternoon and the kids were more interested in hopping on rocks and exploring than looking at fossils. Either way, it was a good time. We've been digging in the dirt piling in the backyard a lot now that the weather has become NORMAL, watching Jumpy Squirrel bury nuts, Sneaky Gene the neighbor's cat chasing chipmunks in our backyard, and the hummingbirds fight over control of the feeder. Good outdoor activities!! Finally, Maya has really enjoyed school. So much so, that she tells me she's bored on the weekends!

Summer

It's been a fairly busy summer, and a hot one too! So we've been having to do a lot of indoor activities (which my kids hate, they'd rather play outside all day). Here are a few pictures from some of our fun time with family. Top photos are of the balloon glow here in Cedar Rapids. We didn't stay for the actual glow, too late for little ones to stay up for. We sat and ate snacks with Aunt B and Uncle Jason, and of course our Sullybear. Maya stood in line for a half an hour..to jump in a bounce house for five minutes.

Next up are pictures from The Pregitzer's anniversary party in Ames. Maya and the boys played in the playroom at the church where the party was held and were very good entertainment for the people who attended (they screamed and ran around like banshees).

Minneapolis!

Four score and several weeks ago, we went on a little vaca to Minneapolis for Ella's birthday party and a wee bit of MOMA. We went to Sea Life at MOMA and Rowie really enjoyed the stingrays and all the other "fishies." Maya's head was wrapped around "going on rides" in the mall...so she did not enjoy the aquarium. But we did go on a few kiddie rides and I'm sure she would have stayed and gone on rides all day....We also went swimming with Maisie and Ella and Uncle Aaron. And as always, my kids love staying in hotels.

Ella's party was at Edinburgh Park which was a blast for the kids. Rowie LOVED the gym with the balls and the riding toys and he just ran and ran...Maya loved the bounce house!! Who doesn't love a bounce house??

Getting Up-To-date

We've been busy little Dieters lately and I haven't had a chance to get on here and update it. Here are a few of the things we've done so far this summer. We went to Niabi Zoo in the Quad Cities.

We went to The Palisades and looked for rocks on the beach and had a walk in the woods.

We've had giggles and fun with Sully of course!! And we've played and played....

I'll publish another blog soon of our adventures in Minneapolis and Ames!!

The Empire Strikes Back And Throws A Party

We've been so busy lately that I haven't had a moment to work on photos (with digital photography I have hundreds and hundreds of photos to edit and with two children, well- maybe 20 percent gets done) So here are a few photos from Maya's Fourth Birthday Party!! What a crazy trip to have her turn four. She's obsessed with Star Wars and so her theme was Star Wars with an Empire Strikes Back cake (toy guys were generously given to us by Max...she loves these things!! And they're collectible now!!) Being the hostess, I didn't get to take as many photos as I'd have liked...boo. But I did use pinterest to come up with the party food and favor ideas. Yoda Soda, Thermal Detonators, and light sabers made out of pool noodles. It was a good time. I had planned to have the party outside, but it was hot that day and our little living room ended up being cramped with grandmas, grandpas, and great grandmas and grandpas, cousins, friends....and about five million presents.