Class of 1997 RETURNS!!

10 years later, Newton Class of 1997 returns for their first class reunion! We had a great weekend! Friday was a tailgate before the high school football game and Saturday was a dinner and party/dance. Dave had a blast seeing all his old friends, most of his entire group of friends made it back! Out of about 350 in the class, you can see in the picture below how many returned.















Dave with 3 of his best guy friends. Chris Tate, the one in the plaid shirt has such a fun job traveling with Blake Shelton (huge country singer) and other country music stars. For several years, he worked for CMT, and since then works individually for entertainers...he has VERY fun stories and we think he has one of the coolest jobs of anyone from the class!!! Here are sevearl of his other friends also!

But of course, I was his favorite person of the night!! heehee

So the night that we thought was ending around midnight somehow continued at our house. Everyone was looking for a place to hang out after the DJ ended at the party, and our house became the place. So we had about 40-50 people out back on our deck and went to bed at 4am!! I'm thinking it is going to be a LONG weekend recovering! Dave said it was one of the best weekends he's had in a LONG time (other than bluegrass, of course!)

Our Annual Weekend in Winfeld!-- WARNING--- THIS IS LONG!

This past weekend was the Walnut Valley Bluegrass Festival in Winfield (where I grew up), ALWAYS our favorite weekend of the year! We'll now start the countdown for next year! We had a great time and have spent most of the day today recovering! Here are some pics and some stories to help tell you about our weekend!

Some of our highlights of the festival: One of the biggest ones is the FOOD!! Big ears of corn dipped in butter, indians tacos, funnel cakes, corn dogs, cherry limeades, campground chili, ribs and much more.....we definitely came home well fed and probably a couple pounds heavier (luckily no one will be able to tell much on me!)

Here we are at Stage 1 (the big grandstands). This was a tough stage to have Taylor at because we had to stay on ground level with the stroller. This is the stage that has some of the TOP night performances. We arrived in Winfield on Thursday and it was quite warm. Friday got chilly and Saturday even cooler, but all in all, the weather was PERFECT!! The feeling of fall weather at bluegrass just makes the weekend even better! Taylor stayed nice, warm and cozy in her stroller!

This picture is from the camp my parents usually camp at, with friends from Arkansas and Minnesota that we get to see every year! They always do a birthday celebration for me, complete with my favorite zucchini cake!

One afternoon we hung out on the hill at Stage 2 listening to some great performers. Taylor got to crawl around and mess with daddy while he was snoozing away! Later that day, Taylor took a nap in Gma and Gpa's camper and Dave and I went back to this hill and both ended up taking a nap in the grass while enjoying the music! It was nice and relaxing!Stage 2 got PACKED for some of the performers!Taylor in her tie-dyed dress!Family picture in our tent!! We're thinking by next year we'd like to have a camper! We'll see if it actually happens!! Taylor didn't like the tent very much the first night. Maybe that's because it doesn't really get quiet there until about 3 or 4 in the morning, so we were expecting her to sleep with the noises or people and music all around her. But hey, there were babies EVERYWHERE so we knew it could be done. I'm sure it was just b/c it was the first night. Others told us their kids had rough first nights but were okay for the rest. Well, luckily, Gma and Gpa Dippel had a camper so we put the pack and play in there and that's where she slept the other nights....this helped us all stay "happy campers"!!! The next pics are some of the interesting things you may see at Bluegrass:

Yes, there is a joke camp....if you walk through it you can't get out till you tell a joke. It's quite fun. We luckily have avoided it the past few years.

There are hundreds of camps you can walk by and hear people jamming away at any time of the day or night!

Talk about some interesting ways to camp....you will see it ALL in Winfield! Sorry this pic is blurry, I was kind of far away. We're thinking we may do something similar with Dave's truck next year!!!

Not only do people jam in their camps, but just walking along the road you can find a crowd gathered listening to people jamming in the streets!! This group was very fun to listen to!

WHOAH, I didn't even know these existed anymore!

My favorite performer at Stage 1, John McCutcheon. He is more of a folk artist than bluegrass. I grew up with lots of his kids songs! He draws one of the biggest crowds at the festival!

And yes, these die hard fans had to bring the Nebraska/USC game to bluegrass! I was quite impressed with their setup!

So goodbye to Winfield, yet another year! Next year, Sept. 17-21 we will be at it again! Our goal is to get some friends to join us...it's hard to explain, even in pictures, exactly what it is like...but so far, anyone we've known that has gone, is hooked! Even if you're not that big of fan of the music, the atmosphere is such an experience! See you next year Winfield!!!

She can wave!!!

We just got back from a super weekend in Winfield for the Walnut Valley Bluegrass Festival. It was definitely different having someone besides ourselves this year, but Taylor was SO fun!! Okay, well, the first night she was NOT so fun, we barely slept. That was the only night we tried to have her in the tent with us. Thank goodness for grandparents with a camper, the other nights she slept in there and slept good!! She loved the people and danced to the music all weekend! She also learned to wave!!! There were times when she'd start waving to anyone who walked by! Here's a video! More bluegrass blog to come!!!

FOOTBALL IS HERE!!!

This past weekend Dave and I went to KState's opening game of the season in Manhattan! Taylor stayed at home with Grandma and Grandpa just because it was going to be such a long day. We met up with our friends from Winfield and enjoyed some yummy tailgating food! It was an evening game and although the afternoon had gotten quite hot, the weather was great once we were in the shade! KState won 34-10 (I think) but didn't look the greatest! This was the first time for both of us to see Coach Prince in action!! Definitely much more emotions than Coach Snyder! We had lots of fun!To give you an update on Taylor we'll just tell you about some of her favorite things right now:
#1. A blanket, not just this yellow blanket, any blanket will do. She sleeps with it, plays with it and won't lay down without one usually!

#2. Crawling around and getting stuck in random places. Here she is stuck in the magazine basket. I did not see her do it, I just looked up and saw her INSIDE it!! It is lots of fun watching her problem solve to get herself out of situations.

#3. Playing with her friend Ollie. Ollie (Oliver) belongs to our friends Joel and Kendall (Kendall is who I job share with). We watch each other's kids on Mondays. They don't really get to play much together in the afternoons because when Taylor is up, Ollie is napping, and when Ollie wakes up, Taylor is napping. I did catch a few pictures the last couple of weeks during the short time they do play!

Taylor loves books and is trying to show Ollie her favorite one!
#4. She loves the word "dog". In fact, that's the only word she has distinctively said so far. I would bet she says this word 30 times a day!

#5. Taylor also loves to dance, maybe we can get this on video soon. The second she hears any kind of music she starts to bounce up and down and back and forth!

#6. People food....this is all she will eat anymore. No more baby food! It's interesting trying to come up with things she can eat now, but it's much easier putting food on her tray and letting her feed herself. Strawberries, mandarin oranges, carrots and American cheese are among her favorites!

Well, that's all for now! We are headed to Winfield for the Walnut Vally Bluegrass Festival this weekend...our fav. weekend of the year! Taylor is joining us for her first camping adventure! We'll be there enjoying the awesome weather, food, people and music from Thursday till Sunday!

Number 2!!!!

We just wanted to let you all know that we are expecting BABY #2!!!!! WooooHoooo!! We had planned to have our kids less than 2 years apart. The way it is panning out, they will be about 17 months apart! We went to the doctor today and he did a sono in order to determine a due date. Our prediction was that I was 9-10 weeks along, but the baby was measuring 13 weeks! YIPPEE! That means this sickness might be over much sooner than I thought!! With Taylor it was over after the 1st trimester. The doctor did not give us an exact due date yet. He wants to wait till the 18 week apt. (Oct. 4th) and compare measurements then and come up with an exact date after that! We will also plan to find out if it's a boy or a girl on that day too! Unless, we decide for some crazy reason not to! So as of now, it is early-mid March! Perfect timing to take the rest of the school year off! We will keep you updated as we find out more. Have a great Labor Day weekend!

Back to School!

Summer is over. I started back to school last Monday, the 13th. The students started on Thursday. For those of you who don't know, I am job sharing this year with a very good friend of mine. We have been teaching 3rd grade next door to each other for the last 2 years. Last year, we both had a baby, so life for both of us has changed! We are so fortunate to be given to opportunity to teach part time together. I teach in the morning and will always teach math, writing and word study. I get to leave every day at 11:30!!! She comes in and teaches reading, science and social studies in the afternoon. I am loving this new change!
It is so much fun having more time to be with Taylor at home. She has been going to grandma's house a couple times a week and Dave's Aunt Barb also. Dave is off on Fridays so he gets to be home with her those mornings. Between all of her different "babysitters" she is being passed around and spoiled quite a bit!

Newton Pool Dog Swim!!!

So, to those of you who SWORE, after having Taylor that our little princess Anni would take a backseat in the family....we'd like to let you know that she is STILL getting PLENTY of attention! This past Sat. was Newton City Pool's Annual Dog Swim! Yes, that's right....take your dog to the swimming pool day! It is the last day before it is drained for the year. We saw an ad for it in the paper and put the date on the calendar immediately! Anni could hardly wait for her chance to let loose with all the other dogs in Newton at the city pool!

She and Dave had quite the time! And this was a family affair too...both Taylor and I went to watch and Grandpa joined the fun also! I would have to say, out of all the dogs, she was the BEST swimmer! You'll probably wonder, looking at the pictures, where the other dogs were. Well, due to the fact that Anni is an advanced swimmer, we spent most of the time in the deep end. The other dogs were in the shallow end and the baby pool. And yes, the dogs were even allowed to go down the slide and off the diving board. Dave had to give Anni a push down the slide to get her to go. When she hit the first curve she stopped and tried to climb back up, so Dave had to join her and go down with her! She wasn't a big fan. None of the dogs really liked it...but it sure was fun for their owners!
So yes, now you have seen it all! Dog's taking over the swimming pool! We will plan to make this an annual event...so anyone who would like to join us with their dogs next year, are welcome!

Recap of 1/2 the summer

The last month or so has completely gotten away from us and I realize I have not done a good job at all of this blog! Oh well! Here's a recap of most of the month of July....

BRANSON

The first weekend of July we went to Branson with our good friends Joel and Kendall and their baby Oliver. We went to Dixie Stampede and spent a day on Table Rock Lake. It was a VERY enjoyable weekend. Taylor stayed with Gma and Gpa D. that weekend, but met us at the lake.

She also got her first visit of the fire station where Grandpa is the fire chief!

RALLY

The 2nd weekend in July, I spent 4 days in Ft. Worth, TX for Premier's National Rally! It was my first year as a "Designer" (leadership). It was fun to learn that being in leadership means I am in the top few percent of the company! I got to attend special leadership only sessions, as well as a semi-formal leadership dinner! Such a fun weekend with the girls and always one of the highlights of my summer! This is a pic of me and one of my newest Premier "daughters"....it was her first time at rally!

JILL'S WEDDING

The 3rd weekend in July, we went to Kansas City for one of my college sorority sister's wedding. It was SO much fun seeing all my college girlfriends! Taylor had SO much fun when the music started at the reception. She sat on the edge of the dance floor just breaking it down!

THE ZOO

One of Dave's good friends from college came to visit us with her husband and little boy in July. We went to the zoo, it was Taylor's first time! We saw a very NEW baby giraffe and baby rhino! We also got a VERY good close up of the lion!

FLOAT TRIP

The first weekend in August, Dave and I went on a float trip with 2 other couples. We floated on the Elk River in Noel, MO. Oh my, was it hot! We floated for 6 hours, camped and took turns making several yummy meals! Our friends borrowed a pop-up camper from a relative, so 4 of us slept in that. It was a spitting image of the pop-up my family had when I was growing up. No AC, but at least we could plug in fans! It was lots of fun and we hope to make it a annual tradition! Sorry, no pics! I wasn't going to risk taking the nice camera on a canoe!

POOL TIME

Another highlight of the summer for Taylor, was getting her very own pool! She loves the water! She learned quickly that she was going to have to share though!

COUSINS

Our summer ended with a visit from Dave's brother and sister-in-law, Jason and Stacy, and our nephew and neice, Jeremy and Sydney.

And now, the end. Our summer is officially over tonight. Tomorrow I start back to school. The kids start on Thursday! I had a blast this summer being home with Taylor and am looking forward to only having to work part time so I can spend more time with her! Hopefully, as we get into a routine when I go back to work, I'll do better at keeping up with our blog! Hopefully everyone hasn't given up on us and decided not to even check this anymore! Happy back to school for anyone that pertains to!

Trying to catch up!

I'm sure most of you who check this often are quite bored with our blog! So I decided to make a new post. Right now, it's 11:05pm, I'm in bed with my laptop...only the 2nd time I've ever done this. Dave is sound asleep next to me...for some reason I just can't sleep! So I figured it's a good time to do things on the computer that I never have time for during the day! And of course, one of those things is to post a new blog.

This month has been crazy so far! We took a trip to Branson with a couple friend of ours (Joel and Kendall and their 3month old, Oliver). We had a an awesome time...hopefully I'll post some pics of our trip soon! I was back for a day after Branson and then left for Premier's National Rally in Ft. Worth! It was amazing as usual but I was exhausted when I got home! I'll hopefully get some pictures of that up soon too! All these pictures I would like to post have not been downloaded from the camera yet and I don't think I will try to do that in the dark. So you'll have to settle for some random pictures of........who else.....but Taylor!

Bath time in the sink....if only she really knew what we did to her hair! She thinks we're just taking a picture of her cute self!


This next picture is taken after her escape from a diaper change! She not only got away, but also turned to me and stuck her little tongue out! Her personality is getting to be much more fun lately! Hopefully this picture is legal to post.Have we mentioned that she is already reading at a kindergarten reading level! What can we say, we have a braniac child! She is trying to hide her pride a little bit in this picture...she doesn't want others her age to feel bad they are not as excelled....but it's just so hard to hide such greatness!


Taylor will be 9 months this Friday...so hard to believe! We're taking her to the zoo for the first time with one of Dave's best friends from college who will be visiting us with her 1 year old son! Saturday we're headed to KC for another Pi Phi wedding (one of my sorority sisters from college). Like I said....things have been crazy and will continue to be that way. Maybe I AM ready for school to start....it seems like summer is always this way!

Fall, already?

69 degrees, sweatshirts, hanging out by our fire pit....my favorite time of year....fall! Oh wait, it's July! Well, at least we got a taste of fall these past few evenings! Last night, after we put Taylor to bed, we decided it was the perfect night to try out our new fire pit. It's not exactly new, we bought it last fall right after Dave finished building the deck in the backyard. But seeing as Taylor came along shortly after the purchase, we couldn't seem to find the time, energy, or the right weather to enjoy it.

We also are very excited about our new lights that we hung over the deck. We've been looking for this certain kind of light ever since seeing them hung in Macaroni Grill! We finally found them at Target a couple of weeks ago. So we hung the lights, made a fire and had a nice and relaxing night on the deck. There are lots of other plans we have for the deck, but of course everything always require $$$$. So we'll have to add things one at a time. We'll keep you posted on any new additions (of the deck that is).