Surprise! It's a new post!

My poor blog has been neglected and abandoned for the last 5 months (where has the time gone?!) But I have decided that I don't want to give up blogging forever, so I have returned. You're probably asking yourself, what has the Dietz family been up to for the last 5 months? I know I would be if I were you.

Scott just started school a few weeks ago. He has one year left-yipee! I'm pretty sure I'm more excited than he is for him to graduate. He's pretty busy between school and his church calling, so we(me and the kids) are especially excited for the time when we'll get to see him for more than a few minutes at a time on a regular basis.

Bailee started preschool 3 weeks ago and she is loving it. She gets to go every day for 3 hours(mom is loving it too), and always comes home raving about how much fun she had. She is a little artsy fartsy and is constantly coming home with new art projects and then helping me and Jackson duplicate them. I'm still trying to figure out when she turned 13, because she's driving me crazy with her sassy little attitude( I have no idea where it came from ;o) )

Jackson turns 2 on Saturday and yes, the two's will be terrible. He still loves his permanent markers(and the evidence is still on my couch) but I've wised up and hidden them in a more appropriate place. Trains are the current obsession, along with basketball and getting into things.

As for me, I am still running the stay at home mom marathon, where scraping boogers off the walls and wiping bums are part of the daily routine. As my kids get a little bit older and a little more independent, I'm finding that I'm letting myself enjoy their little personalities and becoming a lot more content with staying home than I used to be. Hopefully I can make that last into the next 2 or 3 kids. I still sell on Ebay, which is kind of embarrassing to admit for some reason, but I really enjoy it and I get to meet a lot of new people, even if it is only through email.

This summers highlights include:

Family reunions

A fun trip to Bear Lake with my family

Swimming, swimming, swimming

Bailee's 4th birthday

The big 2-4 for me

The big 2-7 for Scott

Scott and I celebrating 5 years of marriage

A romantic getaway with Scott to Seattle for his friend Josh's wedding(thanks Pat for watching the kids)

I don't feel like going over every experience that we have had in the last several months, so you can catch up on our lives through the hundreds of pictures that I have selected for your viewing pleasure. Yes, they are in chronological order.

Bum cracks. We've got lots of those around here

The Zoo

American West Heritage Center in Salt Lake-it was actually pretty cool

Naughty kids out in the hall during the educational church movieWhat our family would have looked like if we had trekked across the plains with the pioneers Twinsies-I found this and it made me laugh because Scott thought he was taking a picture of us, but he had the video thing turned on instead and we're standing there like dorks. Thanks Shalyse.

Dietz Family Reunion

Playing Beauty Shop

Bear Lake

The polygamist sisters-scary The first cousin bath with Noah Bailee's 4th birthday

The Favorite Present

Parkers mission farewell

Bailee's first day of preschool-minus the shoes and backpack

I was actually really proud of myself for handling it so well. I wanted to cry but I didn't. Our trip to seattle. This is the one and only picture I got of the wedding, which was the whole reason we were there-whoops

If you ever get the chance to eat at the top of the space needle-do it. It was well worth it!

The Seattle Aquarium- it was kind of fun going without kids!

Naughty little boys that manage to be cute at the same time

Note to Self: Stop Buying Sharpies!

You would think that after Bailee got a hold of one of these babies and colored on my desk and table with it I would have learned. But they're just so darn handy! I don't even know how he found it buried in my desk drawer! Further proof that he is in fact the terror that I always suspected he was. Have I learned my lesson? Nope, I just need to find a better hiding place!

Finally Something to Blog About!

Parker got his mission call yesterday! I know, I can't believe that he's old enough to go either!

Parker was so nervous! All of his friends and family were there. And of course it wouldn't be a special occasion if we didn't somehow draw it out for as long as possible, to torture him as much as we could. So before he could open it, everyone had to write where they thought he was going on this giant map.

Then to increase the suspense, several people were fashionably late just so that he could sit on the couch nearly going into convulsions for a little bit longer.

Then the big moment arrived. We all held our breaths as he opened the plain white envelope. Where would he go? Foreign? Stateside? There was no way to tell for sure.

We all let out a cheer as he read the words "You are assigned to labor in the Mexico Monterrey West mission." He's really happy about his call, and isn't it lucky for him that he got to retake beginners spanish three times in high school? He'll be miles ahead of all the other missionaries at the MTC. And he's leaving August 27th, so he still has time to get plenty of wakeboarding in before he turns in his speedo for 2 years.

Congratulations Parker. Bailee is still hoping to go with you when you leave. She is especially excited to help you convert Dora the Explorer to the gospel.

My View Today

I just looked out the window and this is what I saw:

We woke up this morning to thunder and rain, I love thunderstorms! Now it's turned into crappy snow. Since I've been writing, the snow has doubled in size and volume. There should be no such thing as golf ball sized snow flakes, expecially in April!