It's official!  We have a first grader and a kindergartener!  Connor and Alaina were so excited for school that they woke up at 6 A.M. in anticipation.







We looked high and low for Alaina's school shoes this year.  We started off at Payless, where I refused to buy anything with characters on them and she didn't like my choices.  Then we went to Kohl's, where the selection was picked over and once again, we couldn't agree.  When she could tell that I was getting frustrated, she would say, "Actually, I think I really do like these shoes!", but the disappointment was written all over her face.  Since we only typically buy one pair of shoes and one pair of boots per school year, I had to make sure she loved them and that they matched most of her wardrobe.  We then visited Famous Footwear (too expensive and not enough colors on the styles she liked), Target and Walmart (poor selection and quality), Gymboree (not versatile enough), and finally, the Sketchers outlet.  The clouds parted and sunbeams shone down upon these shoes that matched all the criteria:  pink/purple, light up toes, glitter, and hearts, in our price range.  Hallelujah!




Pretty excited to show off her My Little Pony backpack!




Anthony couldn't have been more proud when Connor picked out Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.







Our last family pic before baby?




Walking to the bus stop







Daddy having a hard time letting his baby girl go!




My biggest fear was that they'd be scared to get on the bus.  Luckily, they were more excited than anything, especially since they found their neighbor friend to sit by.




In my quiet time, I worked on my meal plan for the week and went grocery shopping in peace!  It was lovely!  When I picked up Alaina, she was excited to tell me everything they did that day, and when she got home, she told me that she just wanted to relax.  In the afternoon, we picked Connor up from the bus stop.  I thought he would be exhausted, but he had such a great day, he was still flying high on adrenaline!




We had a snack, then the kids played with Hailey (the neighbor) for about an hour.  Their true exhaustion hit during dinner, when they both just sat at the table and stared.  Connor asked to go take a bath and Alaina couldn't even hold out for that.  It was a big day and they were both excited to go again!

Wow, I can't believe this is my "end of summer" post.  The kids meet their teachers tomorrow and start school the next day.  This summer has been full of getting accustomed to a new house, "new" state, new routines, and waiting...and waiting...and waiting...for a new family member.


Said little man is putting on approximately an ounce a day now, thus taking up more and more space in my abdomen.  It's all about the Tums these days.  You know it's gotten bad when you're flipping through this week's coupons and get excited that Tums is now offering fruit chews!  If I had more than a few weeks to go, I'd be all over that!




A couple of weeks back, we went to the Larimer County fair.  It's the first county fair I'd been to since my 4-H days, so it was weird to walk right past the 4-H building and straight to the good stuff - the rides!  One of the sponsors had some tractors and machinery set up for people to sit in.  Connor was in heaven!




We were pleased that they also had free bouncy houses and inflatable slides.  These days, free is a rarity!







I think it's funny that when we had our awesome Lagoon membership last year, after the first few times, it was like pulling teeth to get the kids to want to go.  This year, even the generic Dumbo ride at the fair got rave reviews!







I was bummed I couldn't go on this ride.  Guess I'll just have to leave it up to the goofball dads.







More slide fun.







The kids loved the funhouse!




It was a beautiful night!




More tractor play on the way out.







I don't use pop-up flash often these days, but I couldn't resist this photo.  I have so many that look just like this from when Connor was just a tiny guy.  Countless hours were spent playing in the van with Daddy!




Ever since we've been back from Utah, I've thrown our summer schedule out the window.  It's been nice to sleep in a bit while the kids watch cartoons and build with Legos.




I am gifted lots of drawings these days.  I don't want to ever forget their little stick figures and "I <3 p="" s.="" u="">



Anthony finally got his diploma and was able to fill his dapper frame!  He hung it in his office and has received many compliments!




We celebrated Papa's birthday.




Connor took over the grilling duties that day.




This weekend was New West Fest in Fort Collins.  Old Town is basically shut down to make way for a music festival and carnival.  The concerts are free, so Anthony was able to go and see Ben Harper last night.  Nana, Papa, Anthony, and I took the kids in the morning to have some fun on their last Saturday before school.










After a couple of hours, Nana and I went back to our respective houses, and I enjoyed a day of laying in bed while dealing with some lovely Braxton Hicks, which I've been experiencing more and more frequently.  I was grateful that Anthony and Papa stayed at the carnival and showed the kids a good time while I relaxed.


Who knows what the next few weeks will look like?  It would be nice to get the kids into a bit of a school routine before we have any baby action, but I reach term on Thursday (woo hoo for not needing any interventions to get here!), so after that, baby boy is welcome to make his debut!  I wonder how many more blog posts between now and the big day!

We were thrilled to be able to spend last week in Utah!  It was so nice to have a change of scenery and be surrounded by familiar people and sights!  We pulled in Monday evening and spent a nice night with Grandma and Grandpa.  On Tuesday morning, I took Alaina to play with her best friend back at Pages Place.  I was nervous about reopening the wound - she asked to play with her every day for a month after we moved, but I think it was good closure for her (and me!).  I noticed that I had forgotten my camera as we pulled out of Mom and Dad's neighborhood, but Alaina was in such a hurry to get there that she told me to forget about it.  I didn't turn around and I completely regret it.  Anyway, Alaina played with her friends, Connor spent the day with Grandma and Grandpa, I picked up some baby clothes from Theresa, then we all went to bed!


Wednesday we went up to Bear Lake. It was kind of a weird year in that we missed the Eyrings, spent two days with the Whites, and half a day with the Broadheads. The first thing on the agenda was heading down to the lake.  It sure was nice to have lots of beach this year!
















Watch out, now!







Everyone needs an aunt that will come and feed you candy every so often!




A Grandma whose lap is always open for naps doesn't hurt, either!




You know you're at Bear Lake when your hair looks like this!




That night, we tried Lakeside Pizza & Pantry.  It was really good!







After dinner, Marinda suggested that we walk a few blocks to the library to take a picture on a bench with cute carved bears.  I guess I was so distracted by the ice cream in my hand that I completely forgot the purpose of the picture and chopped the bears off in all of them!




At least Dad got the memo!  The Dietrichs sure know how to class things up!




On the walk back, we decided to try out the new go-kart course!  (Marinda, all the pics are up on Flickr...I took a lot, so I'm only posting a few here).  Alaina loved being chauffered by Grandpa and Connor took his driving VERY seriously.













The next day, on the way back up from the lake, Mike found a tiny frog that he let Alton catch!  He was so happy that he even willingly smiled for a picture! :)  These freckles are just precious.







Early Friday morning, the Broadheads made it up to the house.  Alaina had been just biding her time since we arrived, just waiting to play with Elle and Ava.  Poor girl came down with a stomach bug (VERY rare for her), so she could only play at the beach with them for a few minutes.  I was so sad for her!




34 week belly photo




Mom, Dad, and I were exhausted when we arrived back in Kaysville that night, but as usual, the kids were ready to get on to the next thing!  Dad played trains with Connor until bedtime.  Pictures like this tug at my heartstrings because I wouldn't be able to tally up the hours that Dad spent in the train room with him while we lived there for 20 months.




Saturday morning was spent at Mom and Dad's.  Grandpa and Connor planted this plum tree together two days before we moved. Yes, that does mean that any fruit it will bear in the future belongs solely to us. ;)




Grandpa's improvements to the tireswing did not go unappreciated!










Alaina was very serious about her job helping Grandma water her pots.




We loaded up and were on our way down to see the Eyrings, but not before the kids could ask Grandma for a bag of treats for the ride!




On the way down to Pleasant Grove, I saw a billboard for Macey's Kong Cones.  I haven't had one in over a decade, and at 8 1/2 months pregnant, DON'T MIND IF I DO!  No, I didn't eat the whole thing, but in all honesty, if I didn't feel self-conscious that I was out-eating Wes, I totally could have!







After a Cafe Rio dinner, the Eyrings made a campfire where we enjoyed a yummy dessert of fire-roasted candy!







All it took was an adorable, "Yours looks delicious, Tis!" for him to hand over his spoils! :)




Some night games and a tent-sleepover in the family room wrapped up the evening.







We awoke to a decadent breakfast prepared by Janet and Sean, then were on our way home!



Thanks to everyone who made time to see us!  We had a great visit, and I'm so glad that we were able to have a real summer vacation with those we love!  See you all in November, with one more little person in tow!