Congratulations Pyles!

http://apieceofthepyles.wordpress.com/
Check out my cousin Lauren's sweet new baby boys...Lane and Cullen.
We can't wait to meet them in person!

Oh Kansas...

So, this is where we've been for the past few days...good ole' Kansas. And when I say Kansas I mean Kansas (we visited quite thoroughly). During our trip to Grams and Dog (Grandpa and Grandma Dirks) territory we toured through Wichita, Manhattan, Kansas City, Dodge City and Garden City and that was just where we stayed overnight. We drove through countless other cities throughout the sunflower state as we headed to our overnight destinations. We caught up with Aunts, Uncles, Great Grandpa Nietfeld, and Great Grandma Nietfeld, Great Grandma Dirks and Kansan friend folk. (When we go to Kansas we mean business). We spent most of our time with Grams, Dog and Aunt Roomie (Melodee) and when we left we kidnapped Aunt Roomie and brought her back to NC. She is now our Nanny slave until next tuesday when we shall release her (perhaps). So, the following pics are of our time in the midwest. The order is a little jumbled, but I think you'll get the picture.

This is us in Garden City, dressed in our Kansas State best. Purple is the color of choice in the Dirk's family, even Titus (the dog) wears a little scarf around his neck to show his wildcat pride.
We spent some time at the Garden City zoo and afterwards enjoyed a picnic lunch in the shade.
Posing inside the zoo.
Petting the baby giraffe's nose.
I think in this picture Maggie spotted "Dumbo" (the name Maggie dubbed the zoo's elephant). He is one of our favorite disney characters and to see him in person at the zoo is pretty amazing.
Dog converted his hot tub into a giant baby swimming pool.
It was a little chilly so Henry kept trying to climb out.
We spent a good deal of time in the Dirks' van so Maggie found countless ways to keep herself entertained.
We met up with Aunt Susan and Uncle Arlan in Kansas City.
Henry also got to meet his Great Grandparents for the first time. This is his Great Grandma Dirks.
Maggie and Henry loved spending time with their Dog. He made sure they were always decked out in Kansas State apparel. So much in fact that when we got home Maggie, unprompted, asked if Dog gave her the Kansas State socks I put on her one morning. She was right he had.
Maggie and Henry formed a band in Kansas City.
Maggie with Great Grandpa Nietfeld in Manhattan.
Henry enjoying some milk with Frank, an old family friend, in Manhattan.
And finally we said goodbye in Wichita. We had a great time in Kansas and can't wait to go back again real soon. Thanks for having us!

busy bees

Well, once again I am apologizing for my lack of blogging. We have been going going going and it doesn't look like we're anywhere close to slowing down. Last week we headed to Chapin SC while Tyler headed to Orlando for General Assembly (which is a gathering of PCA pastors). Our good buddies Sam and Ms. Melissa came with us while their daddy headed to Florida too. We adopted Sam and Melissa into our family and did lots of fun "Zaepfel" activities like going to the zoo, playing in the lake, riding the boat and even celebrating a birthday. We even got to hang out with the Brodster. We've also been celebrating our father thanks to a good ole' American holiday we like to call Father's Day. And, we are currently attending vacation Bible school at our church this week. So, as you can see we have and are staying pretty busy. The following pics are a little jumbled, but cuteness really needs no order...don't you agree?

Sam was adopted right into cousin bath time. He didn't even mind when Maggie and Brody crowded him to the side while they layed length wise in the tub.
Grandma Linda enjoyed her twentieth birthday while we were there. Happy birthday Grandma. Grandma Dot was there to celebrate too.
We enjoyed lots of quality time in the back yard at my parent's house. Maggie and Sam would take turns in the swing when they weren't swimming in the lake or playing with the dogs.
We went to the zoo one morning. We heard about the gorilla escaping from his cage after the fact. This didn't happen while we were there, but it had happened a few days earlier. Ignorance is bliss.
My little cub attempting to eat whatever he can find on the ground.
Riding the carousel at the zoo.
Back at Grandma Linda's house, Sam was very helpful in showing Henry how to play with the cars.
We made a fun pot for Grandma Linda's birthday.
When we headed back to Charlotte we tried capturing some pictures of Maggie and Henry since they were being so cuddly. This is one of the good ones where they are both somewhat looking in the same direction of the camera.
And, of course last Sunday we celebrated our Father. And what a good one we have...he plays tea party, he wrestles, reads, gives great hugs....
Shows us how to slip n' slide and anything else we need him to do as our Dad. And, we love him!

Welcome baby Andrew!

Precious Andrew Curtis Dyer was born on 6/14/09 at 8:43 am. He weighted 7 lb. 4 oz. and was 20.75 inches long. Congratulations Dyers! Any newborn Dyer is a friend of ours.

Sidenote: On our way to visit Andrew today at the hospital (just Maggie and me) we had a funny conversation with a man on the elevator. She was in full pretend mode as we entered the elevator...so keep that in mind...the girl loves babies. So, the man says to Maggie after he's said his hellos to us both, a friendly fellow, "so what's your name little girl ?" Maggie immediately responded "I'm a mommy." She was in full pretend mode, on her way to see baby Andrew, and was most certainly not a little girl in her imagination...she was a mommy. The door opened to our floor and with a little smirk she tucked her duck under her arms and smugly stepped out. And no she never gave him her name, after all he was a stranger.

We probably spent about 30 minutes staring at the newborn babies in the nursery after our visit. The girl didn't want to leave this heavenly place.

P.S. Check out what my dear friend Lindsay was doing while she was in labor with the previously mentioned sweet addition....Andrew. click here

P.S.S to view last weeks Maggie, Henry and Sam adventure click here

Maggie Henry Movie

Summer Lovin'

We are enjoying summer very much at our new place. Our days are full of gardening, playing dress up around the house, baby dolls or taking walks and playing at the park. Maggie even got a summer haircut in the spirit of the season. We also had a fun visit from Christine, John and cousin Brody last weekend and we'd like to encourage all family and friends to follow their example. Take full advantage of summer break and come visit us!

Maggie is really into role play these days. Underneath this apron is a tutu for when she plays ballerina, but right now (in this pic) she is a mommy. I know what she is pretending to be right away because she likes to announce "I'm a _____" whenever she switches characters. Just like the carebear video. But, she also likes to pretend to be a mommy, Grandma, baby, ballerina, Henry and sometimes she is just Maggie...which is a lot of fun too. She occasionally assigns the role of Daddy to Henry, which he plays quite well for an 8 month old.
Here is a shot of Maggie's new summer do. I chopped quite a bit off. Last time I cut her hair I said I'd never do it again, but here I am doing it again. I guess I'm just super cheap and would rather do it myself and then I figure she's so cute I can't really mess up.
Here's our little crawler and climber. The other day Tyler spotted him as he climbed the stairs. Tyler had to steady him just once, but he actually climbed to the top pretty much all by himself.
And, the picture you've all been waiting for...our garden is finally finished. Now all we have to do is water and wait for some yummy vegetables. I know it looks pretty small but it was quite a project.
And, I couldn't resist posting a few more pics of Henry.
This is his confused/concerned face...

At the Beach

2009 Zaepfel family beach trip! School is out...
We went to IOP South Carolina for a week, and we got to work right away building sand fancies! It was a lot of fun hanging out with our brother and sister's families along with Grandma and Poppa for some fun in the sun. We also celebrated my parent's 35th wedding anniversary which is actually today. Thanks for getting married mom and dad...we love you guys.
Maggie pondered the meaning of the ocean.
Henry having a bottle with Daddy.
Grandma was pretty busy this week, she is quite popular with the kiddies. If she's not holding one of them then she's reading to one of them or changing a diaper or making food..etc. She's pretty awesome. This particular book quickly became one of Henry's favorites. It's full of things that go like trucks, tractors and cars. Henry has been so inspired by it that he has started crawling. He would move all the way across the floor just to see the pictures. He is growing up so quickly he crawls and is now standing up in his crib when I go and get him in the mornings.
One day cousin Brody & Henry decided to wear the matching outfits Grandma got for them.
Maggie & Brody were unstoppable in the tide pools. We usually tried to wear "beach suits" as Maggie refers to her bathing suit, but somedays you just have to go for it especially if the tide is low and there are fun pools to play in.
But playing in dem tide pools makes you hungry for ice cream. Maggie ordered "Pink" flavored ice cream.
By the end of the week Henry and Poppa were exhausted!