The Dalpias Family

Snow Day

2012-01-28T13:34:00.000-07:00

We haven't really had much of a chance to get out and play in the snow this year. So this week, while the sun was shining and there was still some snow, we geared up and headed out to build a snowman.

Benson and I built this snow friend.

and Molly shoveled.

And Benson ate A LOT of snow!

It was such a wonderful day to play outside, that it didn't even matter if it took 20 minutes to get geared up and another 20 minutes to put everything away once we got done. Nevermind having to go to the storage unit and dig out our snow clothes. Every second of it was worth it!

House Progress

2012-01-26T09:59:00.000-07:00

When we left you last, we had just framed our house. Since then, we have done QUITE a bit. (When I say we, I mean mostly Casey and his Dad.)

Here is our house progress...

Roofing. Thanks to Mike, Dad, Danny, and Nick for helping.

Casey gets pretty nervous about heights, so this was a hard job for him to do. It ended up really great, though.

Here is the roof in progress.

Casey's dad and my dad are both electrictions, (along with all of my brothers), so we had a LOT of help doing electrical, and I am VERY thankful for it.

Casey wiring

Cory even came all the way from Washington to help!

Mike actually finished up the plumbing while they were wiring.

My dad

Danny

We had cement come early because winter was fast approaching. I love how the cement turned out!

Front Steps. Casey and Benson were really excited about the steps, I guess.

Then Casey and his dad started on siding.

The siding took a long time, but it was very THRILLING for me to see it coming together.

More siding

As Casey and his dad were working on the outside, insulation came.

And then sheetrock.

And then brick

More siding and brick.

Poor guys, it was FREEZING outside while they were doing siding and brick. They were battling snow and a giant windstorm trying to finish up. Then, the week after they were done, we had the most beautiful weather. It all looks so good, and I'm thankful for their hard work, and their poor cold fingers.

Once sheetrock was done, they started on finish work. They did trim and shelving.

I'm thankful for Casey putting up with me when I had crazy ideas. He has been very nice to consult with me on every little decision. On this particular day, I came to help him at the house, but was having hard contractions, so I sat in our closet and watched him measure everything out and hang shelves and rods. It has been really special for me to watch Casey work so hard on our house. He has done an AMAZING job, and I love every bit about it. I feel sad that I can't help much because of the pregnancy and the kids, but I am so glad that Casey still makes me feel like I am a part of it. I just love him!

Oh, I did help patch holes and sand and tape. Pregnant friendly jobs.

Here is the trim on the doors and the shelving in the closets. I love it!

One of my most favorite things is our railing.

After all the trim was up and sanded and ready, they started priming and painting. This is what Casey came home looking like for a few days.

Taping off baseboards and getting ready to paint some more.

Taping took a long time.

All ready to finish painting.

Oh, I did snap a picture of them painting before I was asked to leave for the safety of our unborn baby breathing paint fumes.

All in all, we have had VERY few problems with the house. I think this paint spilling has been the biggest mishap we've had. We have been very lucky and very blessed.

Casey installed our doorknobs, while Molly watched.

And then they started on tile.

Benson watching his dad. So sweet.

Grouting

Our kitchen all tiled

All of us one night working on the house together.

It has been really fun to go over some nights and just work on the house with Casey and the kids.

The first time of many times cleaning the kitchen floor.

We got a toilet!

Benson and Molly picking up tile spacers

It's hard to tell the paint color here, but this is the railing and the walls and trim all painted.

Our windows and trim

Benson took this picture of his blue room.

We are just about there!!!! We haven't wanted to put a deadline on everything since Casey has been doing most of the work himself (while working full-time and going to school full-time and taking care of his pregnant wife and two young children), but we are hoping to be ready to move in within the next 2 weeks. We pretty much only have cabinets and carpet, and then we will be ready!!!!

Thanks for sticking with us for the home tour.

Monster Trucks with Mom

2012-01-25T11:24:00.000-07:00

We have a little boy and his daddy who ABSOLUTELY love Monster Trucks. So when we were offered free tickets to see them, we were all very excited.

Unfortunately, when it was time to go to Monster Trucks, Casey was stuck at the house painting and couldn't really leave right in the middle. Since everyone (Benson) was so excited about going, we couldn't just skip it. So, Benson and Molly got to go with Mom. We were sad that Casey couldn't come, but we still had a ton of fun!!! Here are some pictures of the kids with their headphones on (thanks, Andy) at the show.

Christmas 2011

2012-01-24T09:59:00.000-07:00

I know this is late, but we thought you all might want to know how our Christmas went this year.

I think this has been, easily, the most fun we've had on Christmas. It was also, quite possibly, the most stressful Christmas we've ever had.

The kids are such good ages this year. They both seemed to grasp what was going on, especially Benson. They both got so excited over every little Christmas thing, and so it really made this year a lot of fun.

But, with Christmas being on Sunday, and trying to get to church, plus 45 different Grandma's houses in one day, we had a few meltdowns along the way. Mostly from me (Natalie), but we have seen that trend now pretty much every Christmas, so we're sure a tantrum from the mom is becoming a tradition in our home. :)

Also, this year, we have been working on getting our house finished, so pretty much all of the Christmas responsibilities fell on me while Casey was building the house. And, since we didn't have a house, we had Christmas at Grandma Jan's this year. And that was a lot of fun too.

Here are some pictures...

All the Dalpias cousins on Christmas Eve

Molly got this Shopping Cart and it became one of her favorite things.

Benson in his new PJ's from Grandma Gayle

Gunner showing Benson his new spy watch

Rylee and Molly in a giant box on Christmas Eve

Christmas morning all ready to go.

Santa got Benson this battery operated 4-wheeler on KSL and his little helper fixed it up for him.

Molly got this wagon and LOVED it. She actually loves to pull it more than ride, which is fine.

She also got a helmet, in case she rode the 4-wheeler, and she wears it all the time.

Casey got a double shot, one of his lifelong dreams.

The kids on Christmas Morning

Santa's other helper made Molly this little makeup set. You can see how {here}. She LOVED it!!!! She will sit for hours (literally) and put pretend makeup all over her face.

It was FREEZING, but the kids got to go out and play with their wagon and 4-wheeler. They were a hit.

This is why Molly loves Grandpa Wayne. When it was too cold for everyone else to go out, Grandpa took her and pulled her in the wagon.

Benson and Casey playing double shot. Also a hit.

Not many pictures of the mom. It could be because of the tantrums I've been known to throw, or it could be because I was behind the camera. But, for the record, Casey got me a Chi flat iron, all of the things I need for canning, including a GIANT pot, he got me an e-reader, which I am quite fond of, and he even picked out a maternity sweater for me.

All in all, it was a wonderful Christmas, and we are looking forward to many more wonderful Christmases in our new home.

Guess what we get to do again in a few months?

2011-12-13T13:58:00.000-07:00

Let it Snow!

2011-12-13T13:12:00.000-07:00

Benson and Molly love to shovel snow, and lucky for us, Grandpa Wayne loves to let them help him (or at least he tolerates it.)

Santa Claus is coming to town

2011-12-09T12:10:00.000-07:00

Every year, for our Italian club, we have a little Christmas get-together. This year, Casey was working on our house, so the kids and I went solo. It turned out that Casey's mom and sister were there solo too. We all had a great time together.

Here we are on the hay ride. It was windy and COLD!

After the hayride, Santa came!

The kids were a very curious and excited to meet Santa.

Until it actually came time to sit on his lap...

Molly did NOT want to sit on his lap. I can't blame her, though, because I'd probably cry like that if I had to sit on his lap too.

Santa and Molly.

Looking at these pictures now, she says, "Santa! Ho Ho Ho! Molly cry!"

Benson did VERY well meeting Santa. He climbed right up on his lap and said, "I want a dart gun." Then got right off. He didn't even pose for a photo.

We always have such a good time at the Italian parties. We are very proud to be Italian!

Let's hope Santa doesn't disappoint this year.

Building.

2011-10-18T13:40:00.000-06:00

So... We are building a house. It is going to be in Hooper, and we are SO excited about it, and it's fun to watch it progress.

Here are some pictures of the house from the beginning.

Our lot before we started building.

When they started digging our hole, the kids and I ate a picnic in the van while we watched them dig.

Digging the hole.

Our hole.

Our contractor, Brady and Casey checking out the footings.

Foundation forms.

Foundation.

Digging the trench for the water line.

Casey and his dad doing the plumbing.

Backfill.

After gravel.

Flatwork (cement in basement and garage).

Framing.

It rained for a few days before the roof was on. So Casey squeegeed all the water out of the house.

Benson helping.

Trusses.

After the roof got put on.

Our little family.

Done with framing.

We still have a LO-ONG way to go! But every time something new happens, we get really excited, and we get closer to having our dream house!!!!

Announcing...

2011-10-13T07:41:00.000-06:00

We are very excited to announce that we are expecting baby #3 in April.

Green Dragons

2011-09-19T23:46:00.000-06:00

We are so excited that Benson got to play soccer for the first time this year!

These photos are from his second game. I forgot my camera for his first game (mother of the year!) but we got some shots with Tami's camera. I'm SUPER sad that I forgot my camera too, because it was an EPIC game! Poor Benson has only been to 2 other soccer games, ever. And for one of them, he was off playing on the playground. So I don't think he knew what to expect.

He has been so excited to play soccer, and he was so thrilled when he got his soccer gear that he wore it 3 days straight before he ever played. We could tell that he was starting to get nervous on the drive over, though. We got to his game a little early, and talked to some people we knew. He started to get really clingy, which means that he was not excited. We found his field, and since the kids are so young, they do a short soccer practice and then a short game. We had to coax him on the field to practice because he was NOT having it. He got out and practiced OK, but we could tell he wasn't his usual crazy-kid self. Once they got done practicing, they started the game and Benson sat out for the first quarter. It went well, and when the coach told him to come in for the second quarter, he was NERVOUS!!! We coaxed him out on the field again, and he did alright. He ran around with the clump. Then came half-time and he sat for a few minutes. When he was called on the field for the 3rd quarter, he LOST IT!!! The poor kid did not want to play.

The 3rd quarter of his first game was one of my lowest mothering points so far. I was so bummed that he wouldn't play. We had all been so excited for soccer to start, and I knew if he got used to it a little, he'd be fine. I did not handle it well, though. I told him that we DO NOT QUIT!!! I threatened to take away all of his soccer gear (that he loves so much) and never let him come back again if he didn't get in there right now. The poor kid did not want to go out on that field! With the 4th quarter came more refusing by Benson and more threatening by me. Finally, I made Casey go out on the field with him and hold his hand while he played (against both of their wills). He stood lifeless for about 3 minutes at the end of the game and then got a treat and went home. The funniest part of all of this is that after the game, he kept saying how good he did and how fun soccer was. I got my mothering act back together and praised him for the times he did play and kept encouraging him.

As the week went on, we talked A LOT about his next soccer game. I guess the whole problem was that he didn't expect that many people to be there. He seemed OK with the other kids, but he said that he didn't like the other moms and dads, especially when they were yelling for him. He said that he liked having his family there, but not the other people. We talked a lot about what a team is, and how the other people are there to watch their kids just like we were there to watch him. We also talked about how the coach is in charge and that when he tells Benson what to do, he needs to listen. All the talking and prompting must have worked, because we had a WONDERFUL second game!!!!

Long Story.

Here are the pictures from his second game, which was great!

Practicing. He always runs with his tongue out. I love it!!!

Sweet Molly was such a good spectator. She did try to run on the field a few times, but all in all, she did great!

This is how he runs the entire time! Arms up, elbows out, and tongue flapping in the breeze.

Molly again. Her hair is getting RED!

Every once in a while, he'd look over at us like this. Just making sure everything was OK, I guess.

He even gave "thumbs up" after a while.

Another of Molly. Don't want her to be left out.

Kicking off.

A plane flew by, and Benson stopped to watch it. Notice how there aren't any kids around him? They were all chasing the ball. He stood there for a minute, just watching the plane.

The one and only time he kicked it in the whole game!!! He was usually the last one in the pack, not the kid kicking. In fact, if he got close to the front, he would run around to be in the back of the pack.

There's that tongue again.

Action Shot!!

He is a good sport. We talked about if he really wanted to play, or if he wanted to wait until he got a little older, but he always says he loves it and wants to keep playing. I'm glad he kept at it, because he did so much better the second game, and it is SO MUCH FUN for us to watch him.

Preschool

2011-09-08T22:58:00.000-06:00

Benson started preschool on August 31. Here are his "first day of school" pictures.

It's hard to tell if he was excited or not, because this kid does not show a lot of emotions unless he's REALLY upset. He didn't cry or scream, so I think he liked it.

Summer Lovin'

2011-08-25T14:09:00.000-06:00

We have had such a great summer!

Here are some of the fun things we've been up to... In no particular order.

The Russ family came to visit. Benson and Zack were the best of friends.

Here they are playing their leapsters together. Both wearing "Love Stinks" shirts.

Molly fell in love with little Alex.

We have loved staying at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Their playground is the best.

4th of July. At the hospital visiting Tami after she had baby Luke.

We took the kids on a date to see Cars 2. Don't let this crappy picture fool you. They were out of control.

Alex and Molly got into lots of trouble together. Yes, that's sharpie on the counter.

We love living in Hooper. Playing in the irrigation.

Molly LOOOOVES shoes!!!!

Weber State Fireworks.

Baby Luke and his BIG cousin, Benson.

We got to be his first babysitters.

And we got to watch this little guy too. (Barrett)

Sometimes we had so much fun, we just couldn't take it anymore.

We got a pass to Discovery Gateway. The little grocery store is Molly's favorite part.

Casey's favorite part of Discovery Gateway was the water. HA!!

Grandpa Wayne made us homemade donuts.

All of the kids on the Haws side.

The toy room is the best part of living at Grandma and Grandpa's house. (Especially Grandma's hidden toys.)

Lots of swimming.

And eating at Grandma's counter.

Lots and LOTS of lawn mowing.

The kids love the tramp. Typical, Benson picking on Molly.

Trip to IKEA.

Benson got his training wheels taken off. And put back on again.

The kids like making messes at Grandma's. This is cocoa.

Discovery Gateway with our friends, the stowers.

At the real grocery store. Molly picked out exactly what she wanted.

Our Dalpias cousins at the Nature Center.

More playing on the tramp. More Benson picking on Molly.

Hanging out at the playground. This hammock was already broken when Nick sat down. SUCKA.

Crafting with the girls... And Danny.

Watching Luke.

Growing CRAZY hair!

More messes at Grandma's. This is sugar.

Benson dressing in Molly's clothes.

Trip to Bear Lake on the Hogs with the Stowers.

Splash pad with our cousins. They are all crazy about Barrett.

Benson learning the art of spray painting. He will be a good helper some day.

4 wheeling at the cabin.

Fishing at Little Creek.

Benson's first time fishing.

At Little Creek.

We found these deer at the cabin.

Is that a tree? Or Andy, the mighty hunter?

Molly sleeping at the cabin.

We even sewed a little bit here and there. Check out that ruffle skirt tutorial HERE.

Happy kids.

More fishing.

And feeding the ducks.

When they started feeding the ducks, there was ONE duck. Then all the rest of them showed up.

And someone (Nat) might have ruined Benson's fishing pole. OOPS.

Midnight Sentiments

2011-08-01T01:56:00.000-06:00

The trouble is... I took a beautiful Sunday nap. And now I can't sleep. Never mind I stayed up after everyone was asleep to watch the Bachelorette; I can't watch trash like that when the kids are awake.

Either way, I'm here now. 12:27 am, on August 1st. Sitting in my parents' basement, with a million thoughts going through my head. I tried to wake up Casey and make him talk to me, but after my attempts failed, I figured it wasn't fair to him anyway, seeing as he has to be up in 4 and a half hours to get to work by 6 am.

And so, you out there in blogland get me. Not a very good version of me, but a post-Bachelorette, middle of the night, sort of nostalgic me. And, with me, you get my midnight sentiments.

Here it is.

We have been here for over a month now. "Living" with my parents has actually been quite nice. I'm not sure exactly how Casey feels about it, but under the circumstances, I am happy here for now. We had no idea we would sell our duplex, and especially not as fast as we did. Once we actually got an offer on the duplex, we were completely out in 3 weeks. There was nothing we could do about the situation, and we have felt VERY blessed to have even sold the thing. When we got the offer on the duplex, we were still under the impression that we were going to buy a HUD home or a foreclosure somewhere. But, in the 3 weeks between selling the duplex and moving out completely, our plans changed.

I know I say this a lot, but the Lord has a plan for us. And, I can't help but think that all of these things are part of our plan. We have had some big time blessings, and some different options opened up to us, making it possible for us to build our new home. Building has always been a dream for me, but up until now, there was no way it would work for us. So, once we moved from Ogden to my parents' basement, we started figuring out what we want in our new house. Casey drew up the plans, and they are currently being engineered so we can turn them into the city and get our building permit. We have a contractor that we LOVE, and we feel super good about how everything is working out with the house, even if we haven't technically started building it yet.

I would say we are a pretty happy little family right now. Besides being homeless. We are at a really good stage of life right now, and even though we have our crazy times, we are a happy bunch. I'm still pretty in love with Casey (think he'll read this?) and I think he still likes me a little bit too. Benson and Molly are both at such great ages, and everyday they make me laugh and sometimes scream.

Benson is nearly 4 years old and is starting to be so helpful (and cute). For a while there, he was really whiny, but that seems to be fading now. He's growing up, and getting to be such a good boy. It breaks my heart to see him not need me as much, but I also love that he is getting to be independent. He will start Soccer and Preschool in the fall, which seems so funny to me, because those are things that boys do, not babies like Benson... Except, I guess he isn't my baby anymore. He is such a funny kid, and he says the funniest things sometimes. He is excited for our new house so he and Molly can have goats. He's already named them Blaster and Pokey. His goat is Blaster, although when he first named it, it's name was Blastard.... We had a good laugh and decided to drop the D. Benson is a really nice kid, except when he hits, which is kind of a lot. He doesn't spend much time around anyone other than Molly and me, so when we're around other kids, he gets frustrated easily and sometimes he hits. I'm not much help, because sometimes I want to hit other people's kids too. We are working on it, though, and he really is doing better (me too). One thing I've noticed about Benson is that he hardly ever hurts Molly; at least not on purpose. Sometimes he'll wrestle with her and play rough, but he never means to hurt her. He is very protective of her, he shares with her, and I kind of think he might like her a little. He really is a loving kid, and has some pretty deep feelings. He doesn't like feeling like he's done something wrong, especially if he knows it's made someone feel bad.

Molly is 19 months old and is so sweet. She has been a pure delight from the beginning. She is at probably my favorite stage so far. She's just learning to talk, and pretty much repeats everything I tell her; but only if she wants to. She is a stong-minded little girl and doesn't really like being told what to do. She is usually just fine playing by herself and discovering things. She loves to open cupboards and drawers and get into everything she shouldn't. She still has bright red (curly) hair, and I think it's starting to soak in. Everyone asks me if she's a fire-ball, and up until recently, she has been really mellow. But now, she's starting to be quite the little firecracker. She knows when she wants something, and when she doesn't want something, and she will squeal and scream until she gets her way. She is a mommy's girl and doesn't like it when I leave her. We are having a really hard time getting her to go to nursery, in fact. Molly is a tender-hearted little girl, and she gets her feelings hurt easily. But, she is the toughest little thing I've ever seen, too. She can climb like no kid I've ever seen. She loves to run and jump and play as hard as the big kids. She doesn't know that she's tiny, and she thinks she can do anything. She loves to play with Benson and even when he plays rough, she is usually giggling. She has started to figure out that she can get him in trouble if she cries enough, and I sense that is something that will last a while. They are really cute together, though, and I love that they are starting to be little buddies.

I have felt a lot of joy in my family lately. Many of you probably heard about my sister-in-law's 25 year old brother who was killed in a bicycle accident just over a week ago. He was a good friend to both Casey and me, and always took the time to play with little Benson. I spent the morning of my 26th birthday at his funeral, and I wouldn't rather have been doing anything else. His funeral, and his life, were so uplifting to me. We will miss him, and we mourn with his family. But, his life has touched so many in such a short time, and I feel so grateful that I was able to know him and learn from his amazing example. I am inspired to be a little more kind-hearted, adventurous, friendly, generous, and fearless. But more than anything, I have gained a greater appreciation and love for my family. It's so sad that sometimes it takes a tragedy like this to remind me how grateful and lucky I am. I want to hold my children a little tighter and kiss their little cheeks a few extra times, because every day is a precious gift.

I know that life won't always be like it is in this moment. Although the endless amount of laundry will be forever ingrained in my mind, I'm sure I will start to forget the little things that I love so much about everyday of my life right now. I hope I never forget Molly's big brown eyes, and the way they sparkle when she gets into mischief. Or the way Benson giggles when I tickle him, and how he loves it when I stop what I'm doing and give him a little of my undivided attention. I always want to remember how they trust everything I tell them, and just holding my hand makes them feel safe. I will always treasure the way my kisses have the power to heal any wound, and soothe a broken heart.

Tonight I feel really lucky. Lucky I'm in love with my best friend. Lucky to be a mom to the amazing little spirits. And lucky to have the love and support of such an amazing family. God loves me. I can feel it. And guess what? If you take the time, I bet you'll feel his love in your life too.

nat

Five Years

2011-06-30T14:00:00.000-06:00

Five years ago, this guy gave me his name.

Even though 98 % of people can't pronounce our name (including me sometimes), I'm so glad I've got it.

I love being his.

His friend.

His partner.

His accountant.

His chef.

His massage therapist.

His personal assistant.

His baby momma.

His maid.

His cheerleader.

His stylist.

His pain in the neck.

His nurse.

His personal shopper.

His ball and chain.

Believe it or not....

He is more to me than I could ever be to him.

He is....

My friend.

My supporter.

My shoulder to cry on.

My technical support.

My late night chat partner.

My hand to hold.

My yard boy.

My baby daddy.

My chauffeur.

My alarm clock.

My handyman.

My movie partner.

My genius.

My high-reacher, heavy-lifter.

My comforter.

My sole mate.

Life is, of course, never perfect for us. Just like any couple, we have our ups and downs. We have been in a particularly stressful place in life with moving and building a house... But, when all is said and done, at the end of the day, we were meant for each other. In 40 years, when it's just us and we're sitting on our back porch, I know we will be just as happy together as we were that special day 5 years ago.

Happy Anniversary, Casey Face.

Where are we???

2011-06-16T09:52:00.003-06:00

If anyone out there actually follows my blog, you may be wondering where in the world we are....

"Where" is a very good question. One that stumps Benson almost everyday. You see, we are moving. If you follow me on facebook (and you should), you may know that we have sold our duplex. We signed papers on Monday, which means we no longer own our home. We have to be out-out by next Monday, so we have been really busy moving and cleaning.

You may wonder where we are moving to. That is also a good question. Benson cannot figure out if we live at our duplex or at Grandma and Grandpa's house right now, because we are sort of in limbo. The plan is to eventually build a house in Hooper, but while we are getting that going, we are staying at my parents' house. Most of our stuff is in storage. Whatever isn't in storage, is in boxes. It's been really exciting for us, and sort of stressful.

Our original plan was to buy a HUD home or foreclosure, and we even made a few offers on some houses, but then we got some new information and help from a lot of different people, and now we are working through the process of starting to build our home. We REALLY loved the process of trying to buy a home, but building seems like a much better fit for us. (Here's a plug: If you need a realtor, please call my friend, Sharli. She is awesome! Seriously, guys, I do NOT like realtors because they are so pushy. But Sharli has been great! She is never pushy and always answers her phone. She doesn't have secretaries or people to take messages for her, SHE is who I speak to when I call. I really have loved her, and if you're looking for someone to help you buy or sell a house, you need to call her. Send me a message if you want her number.)

Since we decided to build and have sold our duplex, I have been working on cleaning my house out and getting everything moved. It's been tricky because Casey has started working 10 hour days, so he doesn't get home till later, and is really tired. Then he gets home and has to move our whole house. I have been feeling a lot of anxiety about getting everything done, and trust me, I have been praying for a lot of strength through all of this. The other day, I was home, moving and cleaning (like usual), and Tami and Nick called to say they would be over in half an hour. They came to my rescue that day!!!! In fact, they did that same thing 2 days in a row. Nick packed his truck and trailer full, then helped Casey pack our Tahoe and trailer full, while Preggo Tami played with our bored-to-death kids. She even folded my laundry for me. I have rarely had such amazing answers to prayers. Their help and friendship that day was exactly what I needed.

We have had a lot of help from a lot of different people, and it has been very much appreciated.

Another prayer was answered yesterday. Casey's mom rescued me by watching the kids for a few hours. I was able to check a lot of things off my cleaning list. And, best of all, my poor kids didn't have to play all day in a nearly empty house with a busy mother who barely pays any attention to them. This moving stuff has been exciting, but at times, it has been less than wonderful for my kids. Not only are all of their things packed up in a storage unit, they haven't seen much of a fun mom lately. To have a day away at Grandma's house made all the difference in their little worlds. And they came home to a much happier mom.

While Gayle had the kids, I was able to get all of our bedrooms and the bathroom all emptied and clean. We are so excited to get a new house, and to live in Hooper, but I would be lying if I said I was happy to leave our home. This little duplex has been very good for us. We have been so blessed to have wonderful renters, which made it possible for us to even own a home; some who have been such dear friends to us. We've loved our neighbors. I have felt so blessed to be able to send my kids next door, or to have our neighbor kids come play at our house, and feel like my kids had good friends. Not to mention the sweet friendship we have shared as well.

As I was cleaning the house, I was washing off fingerprints from the walls where the kids would sit to eat, I washed off crayon where Benson learned how to write his name, I mowed the lawn where they spent countless hours running and playing, and I vacuumed the floors where they learned to walk. All the while, wiping my own tears from my eyes. I feel like this home is really where I learned to be a mom, and where I truly fell in love with my little family. I have so many treasured memories of that home, and boy-oh-boy, am I sad to turn off the lights and close the doors behind me.

I am glad to move on. Casey and I both really feel like building a home in Hooper is what we are supposed to do. I'm looking forward to being close to family and sad to be not-so-close to some. We have made so many memories in this little house in 3 years, but I cannot imagine how many memories we will have in our new house. The best part is I will never have to leave.

slumber PAR-TAY!!!!!!

2011-05-20T15:37:00.000-06:00

A couple of weeks ago, we were lucky enough to have all of Benson and Molly's Dalpias cousins (minus baby Kayla) sleepover at our house. It was a little crazy with a 7 year old, 2- 5 year olds, 2- 3 year olds, and 1- 1 year old.... But we had a lot of fun!

A big favor!

2011-05-01T04:00:00.003-06:00

Hello, Friends!!!

I've entered this little old contest for an Epic Room Makeover from one of my favorite bloggers, Vintage Revivals, and I need your help to win it!

Here's what I need you guys to do for me:

Go over to Vintage Revivals {HERE} and vote for me, #62.

You can vote 5 times per IP address, but only once per entry. {So, that means you need to vote for me, and not one else!} And make sure you vote at each Internet location you can find.

So, vote for me at home, at work, at school, and from your data-enabled phone.

Then, call your mom, your aunt, your sister in Connecticut (that's you, Em), and tell them to do the same thing!

Technically, you have until midnight on Tuesday, the 3rd, to vote. But just do it now before you forget.

Seriously friends, I'm a little desperate!!!!

I need all of your votes!

So go. {HERE} is the link again.

I'm number 62.

Gracias!

Easter

2011-04-25T10:01:00.000-06:00

Hope your Easter was as wonderful as ours was!

Duplex

2011-04-21T12:04:00.002-06:00

I've had some questions about our duplex that we are selling. If you, or someone you know, is interested, you can check out our KSL ad {HERE}

And, FYI:

We listed it for $170,000.... But we are flexible on the price.

Duplex for Sale

2011-04-17T20:35:00.001-06:00

We are selling our duplex in Ogden

This is a great income property.

If you know anyone interested, please send us an email and we will schedule a showing.

NatDalpias@gmail.com

Workin' Hard

2011-03-30T01:32:00.000-06:00

I've been thinking up a lot of projects lately, and so far, it's been really fun to watch Casey get them all done. With a little help from Benson and me, of course.

Ready for Church

2011-03-27T01:28:00.000-06:00

Benson and Molly, all gussied up for Church

Yeah, Molly's getting a fro!

Monster....

2011-03-25T01:12:00.000-06:00

Someone loves Monster Trucks.... A lot.

He can rarely be seen without one in each hand.

Notice how he's got the cars lined up and the Monster Trucks ready to drive over top of them? Yeah, he's a pro!

Then and Now

2011-03-22T01:09:00.000-06:00

Remember how I said Casey had been home from his mission for 5 years? Well, we went on a date to celebrate and had a great time. Benson took this picture of us. We've changed a lot in 5 years, eh?

Surprise!

2011-03-20T01:06:00.000-06:00

The other day, Casey surprised me by bringing home flowers and taking all of us on a date.

He also brought flowers to Molly. She was SUPER excited!

She couldn't stop grinning! What a good daddy. We love him!

How about the Weather?

2011-03-18T01:16:00.000-06:00

We have had some really beautiful days, and it's been nice to be able to play outside again.

Benson loves to ride his bike.

Molly just runs around and around and around

Benson's getting back on top of his golf game. What a stud!

A Leprechaun Trap

2011-03-16T22:19:00.001-06:00

For those of you who haven't realized it until now, tomorrow is that "lucky" day. I knew it was coming up, but I hadn't really planned anything super amazing, which I wanted to, but never seem to do.

But, I want to share with you what I did do, very last minute. So, if you are reading this now, at 11:00 on St. Patty's Day Eve, you can still do some fun stuff for your kids in the morning. If not, file these ideas away for next year.

Before my kiddos headed to bed, Benson and Casey made a leprechaun trap. It was very exciting, and hard for this little boy to keep his hands off.

We thought the leprechaun might like "Lucky Charms", so we set a few in our trap to lure them in. It lured someone else in too.

After we set the trap, we made sure the kids were wearing green pajamas (so I couldn't pinch them in the morning.) and got them to bed. Benson had to check the trap a few times to make sure nothing had set it off yet.

Once the kiddos were in bed. The leprechauns visited our house. They left green footprints all over the house!!! Thankfully, they only left their dirty green footprints on things that weren't permanent.

Like our preschool schedule

Our calendar. (which is ooo-gly, I know.)

Molly's oatmeal.

And look, they even left some on this paper that led toward the leprechaun trap....

Oh my goodness! They seemed to set off the trap!

And what did they leave for us? (Sorry, it's late and dark. Bad pictures, I know.)

Some gold coins and some St. Patrick's Day Potion.

This St. Patrick's Day Potion is THE BEST idea! It came from my sister, Tami. She teaches kindergarten, and I am convinced that she is the best teacher ever, because she has awesome ideas like this:

You take a packet of green koolaid and mix it with the sugar it calls for. Then put it in a bag and leave this note with it. Then, when you add water, the "potion" turns green. That, in itself will amaze young kids. But here's where the leprechaun plays it's trick.... A grown up needs to drink some of the "potion". Of course the kids will object, but because it smells so yummy and looks so good, someone like myself just couldn't resist! All goes well for a few minutes until... "Oh, no. My legs are getting itchy. Oh, golly, I'm feeling a little weird. Oh, these legs are so itchy." And guess what? When I pull up my pant leg, I've got GREEN SPOTS all over my legs. (just washable marker put on earlier).

The kids go ABSOLUTELY nuts for this. It is such a fun trick and something they'll remember for a long time! Thanks, Tami. I'm sure it will be awesome. And happy birthday too. You're the best sister ever, except for you, Emily, you're great too.

Also, tomorrow will consist of everything green. Green waffles, green milk, green salad, green cake, green EVERYTHING! Lucky for me, I've got some green food coloring handy. Unlucky for me, I'll be changing green diapers for a few days. Remember how I did everything RED for Valentine's Day? (HERE).... Yeah.

Good luck! And may the luck of the Irish be with you!

Growing

2011-03-16T01:57:00.000-06:00

Yup, they're getting big!

Smartie Pants

2011-03-15T01:44:00.002-06:00

The other day, I came in Benson's room, and he had his blocks arranged this way.

Once I told him they were backwards, he fixed it all by himself.

Then, a few days ago, he wrote his name on the driveway all by himself.

What a smartie pants

Antelope Island

2011-03-14T12:57:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, we took a wonderful ride out to Antelope Island. It was so fun to be together and go on a drive together. We saw some bison (not to be confused with buffalo), deer, and antelope. The kids had fun throwing rocks into the water, and we all loved listening to Benson's non-stop chatter the whole ride.

Even though it was such a beautiful day, and we had so much fun together, don't let these pictures fool you. Antelope Island really isn't too exciting or much fun in itself.

It was so nice to be together and go on a long, Sunday drive, though. I sure love these little people and that guy I have.

SCORE!

2011-02-27T09:28:00.000-07:00

Almost 2 years ago, we bought this little beauty for $88

Yesterday we sold it for $100.

And got these AMAZING black, solid wood bunk beds for...

FREE!!!!

We love KSL!

And the best part? No one even fell off in the middle of the night! Woo Hoo.

30 Day Shred

2011-02-17T13:42:00.000-07:00

Long time, no posts...

I have been busy with my new blog, which I LOVE doing. It's been fun for me to have a reason to craft. It pretty much takes up all of my blogging energy, so this blog gets a little neglected.

I started doing Jillian Michael's "30 day shred", which I am LOVING! I actually really don't like her, but her workout is awesome! I can really feel it working, which is good, cause I need it! Casey does it with me every once in a while, and it's always nice when he does, cause then I try a little harder. It doesn't matter how hard I try, though, I CANNOT do push ups. I guess I'm pretty weak. Last night, Benson asked to do "exercises" with us, so he and Molly joined Casey and I in our workout, and it was really fun! Here is a video of Benson making fun of my push ups.

5 years post mission

2011-02-08T14:32:00.000-07:00

Can you believe Casey got home from his mission 5 years ago today?

Man, that was an awkward day!

Forever and Ever, Babe...

All things in moderation

2011-01-28T00:15:00.001-07:00

Today has just been one of those days.... The kind of day you don't want to see again for a long time.

I started the day with a vow not to turn on the computer. (I didn't ban myself from my iPhone because, let's face it, I need to be connected and I'm not trying to make myself CRAZY here.) Sometimes when I turn on the computer, I find the time passing, and my will to turn it off dwindling. The other day, I was blogging (of course) and I thought the kids were acting a little grouchy, so I figured it must be lunch time and then time for Molly's nap. When I looked at the clock, it was after 2 pm. I had been on the computer nearly all day! Where does the day go when I'm stuck in cyberspace? I'm not going to lie, once in a while I like it when the day slips away and I'm just tap tap tapping away blissfully. But those are the days when I ignore my housework and my children. Those are very selfish days.

Today wasn't going to be like that! I wanted to get a lot done today, I had big plans for myself. The day started out just fine. Breakfast, clean up breakfast, start a load of laundry, make beds, make a chore chart for Benson, make a chore chart for me, fold a load of laundry, take out the garbages, straighten our bedroom, play "memory" with Benson, pick up all of the memory cards Molly threw on the floor, Pull the sheets off the bed to be washed, take the valances off the windows to be washed, help Benson with his bubbles, pick up the living room, snacks for the kids, switch laundry from washer to dryer, put sheets in the washer, cleaned out all of the clothes that don't fit them anymore from their drawers, picked up their toys, switch laundry.... And after ALL of that, I thought it must be time for lunch, then Molly's nap. When I looked at the clock, it was only 10:30. (Jeesh!) The rest of the day continued on. We blew bubbles in our socks in the freezing cold, had purple waffles for dinner and ended up with poop in the tub, using my bare hands to get it out, and gagging. This was an unselfish day.

Now it's 11:48 pm. Although I feel completely EXHAUSTED, I can't sleep. I'm thinking about my day. I didn't stop. It was go, go, go all day! This was a better day, but I hope I don't have to have a day like today for a long time.

P.S. Molly has stolen my heart. Benson gives the best hugs. Casey is my everything.

Thanks for reading. I know this was a lame post. I can't get my thoughts together!

Corduroy Dreams

2011-01-21T12:10:00.002-07:00

Does anyone really read this blog anymore?

Well, as you know, I love to craft and create cute things for our house. I love to share the things I've done, but I don't want to take up our whole family's blog with all of my crafts. So, I've started a new blog where I can share all of those things. Please "follow" me on that blog and feel free to share my link on your blog or with your friends.

Here are some ideas I've share on my blog, Corduroy Dreams:

Crepe Paper Rose Wreath

Ribbon-wrapped candles

Mod-Podged lamp

TV table redo

For your birthday: A walk down memory lane.

2011-01-18T09:59:00.000-07:00

Warning! This is pretty mushy stuff!

Today is Casey's 26th birthday. It's hard to believe that the first time I ever hung out with Casey, he was barely 16. 10 years ago tomorrow, Casey and I hung out together for the first time. Please join me as I take a little walk down memory lane.

From my journal that night (Jan. 19, 2001):

"Casey is cute!!! He is hot! But he's also a player, I could be interested, but mmmm-I don't know. He is funny and he does fun stuff, no matter who's there. He can do a very weird thing with his tongue and he has perfect teeth!!! He also plays the piano! WoW! But who knows...."

Isn't it funny what our first impressions are? I had a little "crush" on him right from the get-go, and it never went away. I remember the first time I saw Casey. I remember the first time we hung out. I remember dating other guys and still really liking Casey. He was my best friend all through high school and when I had dating problems or questions, I talked to Casey about it, and he talked to me. We would call each other in the middle of the night, just to talk. We would sit in the parking lot after school with our friends, just talking. And we would hang out every weekend. We had a big party when he left on his mission, and I shook his hand when we said goodbye, then I cried in the car all the way home. We wrote each other on his mission and just got closer and closer. I realized that when I was dating other guys, I wanted to be dating Casey. Writing him on his mission was awesome. He was 2000 miles away, and still made me feel so happy. As we wrote, we grew closer and closer.

From an email Elder Dalpias wrote to me March 16, 2005:

"It is going to be fun when we can actually all hang out together! I am pretty stinkin excited for stuff like that. In fact, I am excited about a lot of things in the future. There isn't anything that could make things better right now. I am where I am supposed to be, trying to grow up a little so that I'm not a goofup in life, and I have the best friend ever back at home supporting me being awesome. I really do love you Natalie. You are the part oft he future that I look forward to the most. Us hanging out, being best friends, calling you at all hours of the night, and maybe one day.... even holding your hand or something like that. We have got some really great things ahead of us! It is going to be awesome! It is awesome! I just love ya, a whole stinkin lot!"

When Casey got home from his mission, we did all of the things we had talked about. We stayed up late talking to each other, we went on some dates, and we even held hands! There is nothing better than falling in love with your best friend. Everything was as wonderful as we thought it would be.

Now we're living real life. Work, kids, and even a minivan.... It's not a dream we're just talking about anymore. We're living the life we wanted. Of course everything isn't perfect all the time, but we are happy together. I'm so glad I met Casey 10 years ago. He is all I could have ever hoped for. I'm so grateful every day that I haven't stopped falling in love with my best friend.

Happy birthday, Casey Michael Dalpias. I love you with all of my heart.

Christmas 2010

2011-01-05T12:12:00.000-07:00

We had such an awesome Christmas! This year was a lot of fun because it was Molly's first Christmas, and Benson was old enough this year to know what was going on.

We spent a lot of time with our families, which was wonderful! Being with family is the best part of Christmas. We had a great party at Casey's parents' house on Christmas Eve, and then went to my parents' house and had a very late party. My mom made all of us girls the cutest aprons in the world. And she made some for the kids too. Molly's is TINY. After all of the fun, the kids didn't get to bed until just before midnight.

We dragged the kids out of bed at 7 on Christmas morning. We had to get them up early so we could open our presents before all of the other festivities of the day. We had breakfast at Casey's parents' house, then we spent the evening at my parents' house. The kids were SUPER tired by about 10:00, so it made for a very long and emotional day for everyone. After some naps, everyone was happier, and we had a wonderful day!

Casey got an xbox 360 and a kinect. The kinect is so much fun! We have had a lot of fun playing it. He got me a cricut and all of the things I needed for it. I love it!

Molly got this play kitchen. It's a little big for her, but hopefully it will be a fun thing for her for years to come.

Benson had written a letter to Santa saying he wanted a truck with a trailer and a 4-wheeler, so when he walked in on Christmas morning and saw this sitting on the couch, he said, "He got me just what I wanted!" Benson also got a leapster, which was supposed to be his big gift, but after he saw this truck, nothing else in the world mattered.

We have been really blessed this year. Even though our Christmas wasn't extravagant, it was a good year for us and we are very grateful for all that we have. Christmas is so magical for the kids and having them makes it all a hundred times more fun!

Introducing....

2010-12-30T14:39:00.000-07:00

Our new 2007 Honda Odyssey.

Told you I wanted one.

I'll let you drive it sometime, you'll want one too!

My favorite feature: Automatic doors!

A very Late Christmas Card

2010-12-22T12:02:00.000-07:00

Merry Christmas!

If you haven't gotten one in the mail, we just FINALLY mailed them today (3 days before Christmas), so they may not arrive in your mailbox until after Christmas, or here is a digital version if we forgot about you.

Let it Snow!

2010-12-18T23:48:00.000-07:00

This morning it snowed a lot. It was the good kind of snow, too. Perfect for sledding and building snowmen. We invited ourselves over to our neighbor's house to sled down their PERFECT sledding hill. It was a blast! We had so much fun with them. They are the best neighbors and we really adore them. Benson especially loves playing with them. Here are their 3 cute kids:

Boston

Tyton

Season

Benson was not shy at all. He went up and down the hill all by himself a ton of times! Molly, on the other hand, was not so sure about all of her snow clothes. She couldn't really move, so most of the time she just sat in the snow, although once in a while she bummed a ride down the hill. Thanks for letting us come over, you guys! It was so much fun!

He's the luckiest!

2010-12-14T20:42:00.000-07:00

Casey is SUPER lucky!!!! Besides the fact that he's married to me, he is constantly winning prizes on the radio and such. Today he won an AMAZING prize from google. (Casey loves google. It pretty much runs his life). A while ago he applied to win a logitech review with google tv, worth $300. Wellp, today google gave away 10,000 of those babies to mostly current google web developers and a few android developers. And guess who was one of the few android developers to win? You bet it was Mr. Dalpias himself, the luckiest duck I've ever known. Good thing too, cause you know Casey would have had buy it eventually (since it's google).

About Molly

2010-12-14T11:17:00.000-07:00

Last year at this time, we were eagerly awaiting the arrival of this little girl.

In just 2 weeks, she will turn one. It is amazing to me that she is already one! When Benson turned one, it seemed like it was about time. But Molly seems like our baby still, although she is obviously getting bigger. The time has flown by! I can't believe it's almost been a year since she came to join our family.

Here are some things about Molly:

She is the happiest little girl ever. Really. It is very rare to see her without a big smile! She hardly ever cries, and usually when she does, it's because Benson is squishing her or I have left her.

She loves people. She will let anyone who will, hold her. She isn't afraid of strangers and she get really excited whenever anyone pays attention to her.

She is starting to be very curious. She's starting to get into things and make messes. She understands NO, though. So far she has yet to really touch our Christmas Tee. Benson can't keep his hands off of the ornaments, and although she's curious about the tree, if we say "no", Molly won't touch it.

Molly is VERY sensitive. If she ever gets in trouble, her face melts into a big frown. She hardly ever gets in trouble, but once in a while she will, and it's always a tradgedy.

She loves Benson. He is getting better not to squish her, but sometimes he'll try to wrestle with her, and even then, she still loves him.

She's got her Daddy wrapped around her finger. All she has to do is flash her sweet smile, and he'll do whatever she wants. It's REALLY cute!

We all really adore this sweet girl. I love her red hair, bigs mile, and sweet giggle. She is the most precious little girl, but even precious girls love to get MESSY!

Here are her birthday invitations I made.

Am I "mom" enough?

2010-12-08T15:27:00.001-07:00

I need some advice:

I have been thinking lately about maybe looking into a minivan. I have ALWAYS said that I would never, ever, ever in my life drive a minivan. But the more I think about getting one, the more I think I would love one.

Right now we have our Tahoe and our Malibu (classic). I LOOOVE my Tahoe. It is super roomy, and can fit 3 car seats in the back easy. Plus a stroller, groceries, coats, blankets, etc. without any problem. It's a little big to drive around town, but I really don't mind it that much. I love the 4-wheel drive and that we can go to the cabin or pull a trailer anytime we want without having to borrow a truck. Basically, our Tahoe is like a truck. And it gets super bad gas mileage, which is why Casey mostly drives it to and from work while I drive our car. So the whole point of our "family vehicle" is thrown out the window because anytime we go anywhere, we either pay a fortune for gas, or we have to drive the car and there goes any roominess or comfort we ever thought we might have.

The car is fine, but it's so squishy. I hate to take it to the grocery store because if I have the stroller in the back, which I usually do, I cannot fit many groceries. It gets cluttered so easily because with 2 car seats in the back, even just putting your coat in the back seat feels like claustrophobia (never mind 4 coats). Plus if I ever have to get in the back to referee or give Molly a bottle or anything, there is no way I can fit between the car seats, let alone ever thinking of putting another car seat or child in there.

But a minivan? Seems so mom-ish. I guess I am a mom, though, so maybe that's why I feel like I would love it. I think I would love that we could have enough room for all of us (and for future children), but we wouldn't be spending our live savings on gas. I need to know what you other moms think. Do you have a minivan? Do you love it? Which minivan do you have? What should I be looking for in a minivan?

Thanks for your help!

Sew, Sew, Suck My Toe

2010-12-07T12:54:00.000-07:00

I love to sew. It is one of my favorite things to do. When we were first married, I made our tree skirt and stockings for Casey and I that match. Then, for Benson's first Christmas, I made his stocking. So now it is Molly's first Christmas, I made her a stocking too. Casey and my stockings match each other and the tree skirt, but the kids' are their very own. I loved making these stockings for our little family.

Don't tell Molly, but here is her birthday present. She is getting a doll for Christmas and then she'll get all of the things to go with it for her birthday. I sewed her a few burp cloths, a baby blanket, and a baby sleeping bag. It was really fun to make tiny doll things. Benson helped decide what to do, and he was WAY excited. I think he might end up playing with these things as much as Molly.

Oh, and notice behind Benson's head, there are about 75 boxes sitting in our living room. I've fallen completely in love with Amazon Prime, and have pretty much ordered almost all of our Christmas gifts and Molly's birthday gifts from there. Also, Casey has been building some computers for people, so we have seen a lot of FedEx and UPS. And, yes, the boxes just sit in our living room because if I don't open the boxes, then I don't have to hide Christmas gifts. The kids aren't too curious about brown boxes since we have a million of them.... And, there are more to come!

Black Friday 2010

2010-12-02T19:54:00.000-07:00

Black Friday this year ROCKED!

Thanks Dan and Shan for braving the cold with us.

Here's what I learned:

1. Walmart at midnight = MADNESS.

2. You can sell your seat at the front of the Target line for $60 a pop.

3. Enlisting the help of cousins is a good idea.

4. McDonald's does NOT taste good at 3 am, no matter what everyone says.

5. Crocheting on the floor of Walmart helps time go faster.

6. The walmart lady watching the leapster crowd WILL yell at you. LOUDLY!

7. "I'll get you this, if you get me that" goes a LONG way!

8. Target is the BEST for getting people through the checkout.

9. People get pretty ticked when someone cuts in line.

10. No matter what time it is or how sleep deprived he is, Casey is ALWAYS pleasant

For the Mommas

2010-11-29T16:11:00.000-07:00

Here's a good deal...

Have you ever heard of Amazon Mom? You can sign up here, but basically it's for all moms or dads or grandmas, etc. It doesn't cost a thing, but it provides its' members with free 2-day shipping for 3 months, and for every $25 you spend, you'll get an additional month of free shipping. Read all about it here. (Free shipping on anything, not just diapers and stuff).

Free shipping is pretty great, but the really awesome thing about Amazon Mom is that you can sign up for "subscribe and save". Which is where you sign up to have diapers or wipes or other such things sent to you automatically. I just signed up to have 2 boxes of diapers shipped to my house each month. The good thing about subscibe and save is that it saves you 30% on top of the already good amazon prices. And of course, you don't have to go to the store and all of that junk. My diapers (Huggies Little Movers, size 3, 76 count) cost 17 cents a piece, which isn't as great as an awesome coupon/sale deal, but it's much better than Costco's price of 25 cents a piece and Wal-mart's price of 27 cents a piece.

I just wanted to let all of you other moms know about this good deal on diapers, wipes, and other items you most likely fork over a ton of money for each month. No, Amazon did not compensate me for this post, but they should have.

Happy diapering!

The deals of Black Friday Past

2010-11-25T01:19:00.000-07:00

Black Friday...

It's about the most ridiculous thing in the world! But, for some reason, I love it!

2007- Circuit City at 2:30. We got a laptop!

2009- Target at 10 pm (Thanksgiving Night). Got some hard drives and DVD players for the car. Chunk & Muck got a TV. Read about it here.

I think we'll do it again this year. Call us crazy, but it's actually a lot of fun!!!

My Ramblings....

2010-11-23T12:49:00.000-07:00

*****WARNING*****

When you get about half way through this (if you make it that far), you may be wondering if there is a point to all of this rambling. Please be assured that there is no point.

I have only seen my husband's chin, cleanly shaven, once in person. He could have a huge mole or wart on his chin, and I would not know it. The day he got home from his mission was the only time I've seen his bare chin (I'm sure his bare chin was the last thing on my mind). He was cleanly shaven after his mission for the amount of time that it took him to grow his goatee back, which is not long. I met him when I was 15, and even then, he had a big-ole goatee.

Casey was the kind of kid in high school (and Jr high) that could grow a beard faster than any of his teachers. His hairiness has grown on me (grown on me! ha ha ha). It's one of those things that I wasn't so sure about in the beginning, but now, I'm quite fond of it. Like Molly's red hair; at first I didn't know what to think about it. I didn't expect a red-headed child, and so when I got one, I had to get used to it. Now I freaking LOVE her red hair. It is so beautiful and unique, but it had to grow on me. And Benson's glasses; they have grown on me. Having a child with glasses seemed like a tragedy to me at first, but the more he wears them, the more I love them on him.

Maybe I love Molly's red hair and Benson's glasses because that's the duty of a mother. I'm sure my mother did not love everything about each of her seven children, but if she didn't love us, we didn't know it. Sometimes I think that I would love to turn into my mother. She is the sweetest lady I've ever known. When I hear myself saying something she would say or doing something she would do, I secretly thank my mother for teaching me the way to be a wonderful woman.

I'm turning out to be a lot like good ole Jan. When I was little she used to wash the dishes in boiling HOT water. I thought she was a nut! Who could stand water being so hot? Well, now I love HOT showers. Like almost to the point of scalding. I'm not sure why, it just feels so good. I don't care if my shower is long, but I do prefer it hot.

I also like me some good smellin' product in the shower. I love shampoo that smells like coconuts or soap that smells like raspberries. I do not, however, like to eat raspberries. I don't like to eat things with seeds. My sister in law made some really yummy pomegranate salad for Thanksgiving dinner, and even though it tasted so good, I couldn't eat it because I couldn't handle the pomegranate seeds. It was the highlight of Nick's Thanksgiving dinner, but I just couldn't do it, no matter how wonderful it tasted.

Everything is soooo super good on Thanksgiving, especially the potatoes. I always volunteer to bring the mashed potatoes to Thanksgiving dinner because I really love potatoes. I don't care how they're cooked, I just love potatoes. I like them baked, fried, mashed, whipped, scalloped, in soup, in salad, twice baked, and french fried.

I probably had more french fries by the time I was 20 than more people have in their whole lives. I started working at the Burger Bar when I was 14, and worked there off and on (mostly on) until I was 21. My favorite job to do there was fry (make the french fries and other fried food). I loved that job because it was the most complicated and hardest job of all. I used to love to push myself, and being in the middle of all the action was awesome. There were days when we'd be so busy I could hardly stop to think.

Where has all my ambition gone? Now I never volunteer to do the hardest jobs. I don't want to be caught up in all the action and business. I don't really want to ever have a real job again. I love being home with the kids and teaching them and helping them learn new things. I love when I see the kids grasp a new concept. Like Benson just figured out that there is a capital and a lowercase of each letter, and it has been really thrilling for me to see him recognize the differences. Joy school has been really fun for us because other moms teach 7 out of 8 times, and so Benson has been able to learn new things that I wouldn't have thought to teach him and then he gets to show me. Like today, he wanted to say the Pledge of Allegiance, so we started saying it and I went completely blank in the middle. But Benson just reminded me what came next.

Can you believe I forgot the Pledge of Allegiance. I know, right? You would think I'm completely un-American. I will assure you, however, that I am proud to be an American. In fact, the other day there was an awesome deal online where you could get a free pair of glasses, just pay shipping. So I ordered a pair of glasses for Benson and one for myself and they were called "Sarah Palin". So there, I'm pretty much as American as I could get.

Sarah Palin is an interesting character. Sometimes I think she says the dumbest things, yet, I still think she's just nice and sweet as can be. I'm not sure how I feel about her being the President or Vice President, but I don't mind seeing her sitting on the sidelines of Dancing With the Stars. Yes, I watch Dancing With the Stars. In fact, I really like Bristol Palin, I'm not sure why. She isn't that good of a dancer, but that's because she's NEVER danced, unlike miss cocky Jeniffer Grey who has been on a little show called "DIRTY DANCING", and complains every single week about being so old and having so many injuries. I really hope she doesn't win. Yeah, she's the best dancer, but Kyle is so funny and Bristol is so nice and pleasant. I'm pretty much addicted to that show. Casey doesn't mind it too much, he's just glad it's not the Bachelor, which starts in January. Let the train wreck begin.

Dancing With the Stars is on tonight. It's the final show of the season, so you can be assured that I will be here tonight, watching. It's not like I can go anywhere anyways. The weather people are predicting a HUGE BLIZZARD to come tonight, so we're not supposed to leave our house. It's supposed to be so bad that Casey got sent home a little early from work today so he could beat the storm home. They say to keep your porch lights on so they can tell where the power is out, and UDOT has already decided that they aren't going to be able to keep the roads clear, so we are not supposed to go anywhere. I cancelled my hair appointment tonight, and so here I'll be. I think I'll make some soup and hot chocolate and we'll wait out the storm while we boo Jennifer Grey. I'm really excited for the storm, so let's hope the weather people are right about it or my high hopes will be crushed.

The End.

Did you get anything out of this? Yeah, me neither.

The best thing I ever did.

2010-11-19T17:59:00.000-07:00

The best thing I ever did was to give benson a wipe and let him go. He wipes all of the places he normally touches. Goodbye tiny fingerprints.

Ok. The best thing I ever did was marry Casey. Giving benson a wipe was pretty good, though.

The boy with glasses

2010-11-18T08:49:00.000-07:00

Here is the story of how Benson got his glasses:

Last week I noticed Benson was closing one eye a lot. He was doing it so often, that I even took a picture. I didn't think much of it because I thought he was "aiming" at things, like he usually does with a gun.

Then on Saturday, he started to cross his eyes a lot. Actually, just crossing one eye, his right. Then once he would cross it, he would sometimes close it right after. We kept getting after him for it, but a lot of the times he would say that he wasn't crossing his eyes... So we weren't sure if he was doing it on purpose or not. On Sunday, we decided to ignore it and see if he was doing it just for attention or not. Well, he kept doing it and he wasn't making a big deal out of it either, so we were pretty sure he wasn't doing it on purpose. Casey gave him a blessing. We decided that it would be best to have his eye seen. I called my pediatrician and they said to bring him in on Monday. So we went to see Dr. Zane, who confirmed that it wasn't something he was doing on purpose. He said that he thought he had something called strabismus. Basically his eyes were aligned most of the time, but every once in a while they would get out of alignment. So he sent us to the opthomologist on Tuesday. He confirmed that Benson did have strabismus, but we had caught it early enough that he didn't have to have surgery or wear an eye patch. Basically, the remedy would be for Benson to wear glasses. We aren't sure how long he will have to wear glasses, maybe for the rest of his life. Tuesday, we went and picked out some glasses, which were obviously too big for his face, so we switched them yesterday for some that fit him better. We will pick them up today and see how he does with them.

Here's how I feel about it. Since I know you are all dying for my opinion... I am so grateful that we caught it before it was a big deal. Wearing glasses is minimal compared to wearing a patch or having surgery. It will take some getting used to for me. Benson is such a cutie, that it kills me to see glasses on his face. Also, he has the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen (next to Molly), so I hate to cover them up with glasses. I do, however, think he still looks really cute with his glasses on and I know that once we all get used to them, they will be just fine. I also think that we have been really blessed to have found it this early and to have such good doctors who can take care of us. We are just going to be really positive with Benson. For now, he still thinks his glasses are pretty cool, and I hope it stays that way.

Photography Mini Sessions

2010-11-09T10:04:00.000-07:00

My camera is sick of being stuck in the closet, it needs to get out and take some fabulous pictures!

For the holiday season, I am offering mini sessions. I've never done this before, but I think it would be a great {and inexpensive} way to get some family pictures for your Christmas Cards...

This is only for families, up to 6 people. I will not be doing individual pictures during these sessions, like I usually do.

Here's what you'll get:

*1/2 hour session

*3 to 4 poses

*about 25 images edited on a disc

*I'll design your Christmas Cards. (4x6 or 5x7) You get them printed.

All for $40.

I have set aside about 12 sessions in November. Once I book those sessions, I won't be offering any more. Please call if you would like to schedule an appointment.

{I do have some Saturdays}

801-710-4204

Tree Climbing

2010-11-08T13:49:00.000-07:00

I just randomly came across this picture on my computer and I laughed... Cory was climbing this tree to get the hundred dollar bill that Dad had hidden up there. So funny. We miss you, Cory.

About Our House

2010-11-04T13:44:00.000-06:00

You may remember a few weeks ago when we thought we might have accidentally sold our house... Well, we did not. The people were very interested, but they couldn't get financing.

Since then, we have gone back and forth over and over again. Should we really sell it? Do we really want to move? Can we really afford a new house? Trust me, we've been totally gung-ho about selling it and then the next day we aren't so sure.

After a lot of discussion and praying, we have decided that we are going to pursue selling it. We aren't going to hire a realtor or go crazy trying to sell it, but we will show it and have it listed "for sale by owner" and if we get some interest in it, good. If not, then we will stay here for a while. So, if you or anyone you know is interested in buying a duplex, we are selling ours and we'd love to show it to anyone interested.

We're Ready

2010-10-29T14:35:00.000-06:00

Introducing Princess Molly and Prince Charming Benson....

I made Benson's costume, from scratch-without a pattern, using this tutorial from Make it and Love it. And we borrowed Molly's costume from her cousin, Abby.

Sears is offering a free 8x10 collage, using this coupon (expires 10/31). So I took the kids in and got their pictures done, this one was my favorite, but the girl didn't show it to me, so I ordered a different one... Oh well.

I tried to snap some of the kids real fast and they did not turn out well... We'll have to try again when I have an assistant.

Here's something silly:

Whenever I take pictures of my kids, I get REALLY upset. I feel like Benson is old enough that he should be able to stand or sit still for 3 seconds and smile, or at least LOOK at the camera. And Molly, she is so so so smiley that I feel like I should get a great picture every time I point the camera her way, but nope.

Anyway, when I took these pictures of the kids, I was showing them to Benson and he said "where's the one of you yelling?" Guess I need to be less vocal next time.

First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes a deer in the Rhino's carriage...

2010-10-27T12:08:00.000-06:00

Yes, I have been notified it is my wifely duty to participate in the deer hunt.

I have also been notified that I am, in fact, a "fun sponge".

Here is Casey with his deer. It's actually a really big 2-point (or so they tell me). You may remember last year, when Casey got this baby deer. Luckily this year it was a little bigger than that. We all laughed when they brought it back to the camp riding in the back of the rhino like this.

Oh, and I forgot to mention my other wifely duty: Hold the deer's head while the mighty hunter husband saws it's head off it's body. Then don't freak out when you're standing there holding a severed deer's head while blood and guts are dripping all over the garage floor. Apparently squealing is not attractive to the mighty hunter.

Just realized...

2010-10-26T04:16:00.000-06:00

Just realized that my last post was a little rude to Casey. I am terribly sorry if I portrayed him as a helpless husband. He really is the best, you know. He is always so willing to do anything I need him to do. He is such a fun husband and dad. Sometimes I can't help wondering how such a crotchety old woman like me snagged such a sweetheart. He is a good man. He does so much for us. He even let's me put my cold feet in his knee-pits at night. If that's not love, I don't know what is.

And she's off....

2010-10-24T22:11:00.000-06:00

Here is a video of sweet Molly walking. These aren't her first steps. She unexpectedly took her first steps at Casey's parents' house on Benson's birthday (Sept. 16, she wasn't even 9 months old!) while everybody was watching Benson open presents. But here she is the other day at my parents' house. For some reason, she will walk and walk and walk for Grandpa Wayne.

And here's another gem for you. My sister sent home a bunch of clothes for our little peach. Turns out the suitcase was pretty exciting! I love hearing both of them giggling at the same time. Usually it's more like this: Benson giggling cause he's squishing Molly, Molly screaming cause she's getting squished, and me yelling at the squisher.... where is Casey when all of this is happening?

Oh, that reminds me!

Remember how our poop and vomit scores were a little off-balance? With me leading by quite a ways. Well, now the scores are now even. Is there a story to go with this change of events, you ask... Why yes, I might be able to dig up a story for you.

You might remember 2 weeks ago, something hit our family hard. First Benson and Molly were sick, then I was sick, and Casey brought up the rear being sick. Well, on this particular day, it was Monday, I made Casey come home from work to take care of us because I felt terrible. He brought us Arctic Circle for lunch and took care of the kids for me while I moaned and groaned. Lucky for Casey, I was the only one sick that day...... But, sick or not, babies still poop, and we all know the score for changing diapers USED TO BE: Natalie: 15,834, Casey: 4.

So Molly pooped, and an itsty-bitsy bit leaked out of her diaper onto the carpet. We told Benson to watch out so he didn't step on the poop. Bad idea, cause as soon as Benson sees, smells, thinks about or hears of poop, he starts gagging, and in this instance, puking. So now we have Molly with a leaky poopy diaper, Benson puking, me trying to catch the puke in a bowl while gagging, and Casey sitting helpless and in shock.

Long story for me to say that Casey cleaned up Benson's puke. Of course I changed the messy diaper and bathed the poopy baby and the puking kid. But, none of that matters because CASEY CLEANED UP PUKE, my friends.

Now the score is even.

Halloween Fun

2010-10-14T17:41:00.000-06:00

Stole this idea from our friends blog

A Child's Prayer

2010-10-12T22:23:00.001-06:00

Every night I sit on the end of Benson's bed before he goes to sleep. I feed Molly and do the bedtime routine with Benson. It works out nicely because I get to cuddle with sweet Molly and I get to hear Benson's take on the day. Usually we'll talk for a bit and then I'll tell a story and sing a few songs by the time both of them have fallen asleep.

Tonight, after we talked about firemen and policemen and who we can trust in emergencies, (oh and of course some talk about who gets to have guns) Benson asked me to sing him some songs. I started singing some of my favorite primary songs. Benson fell asleep after the first line of the first song, and Molly was pretty much asleep instantly, enjoying her bottle. I secretly love singing out loud, even though I am no good at it, so I kept singing. Casey probably thought it was taking a long time to get the kids to sleep, but I wasn't singing for their souls anymore, I was singing for mine.

I started singing one of my all-time favorite songs, A Child's Prayer. As I sat there, in our dark and quiet home, I closed my eyes and really felt the spirit as I sang. "Heavenly Father, are you really there? And do you hear and answer every child's prayer?" Something stirred in my soul and I was reminded of the simple truth that I've known since my primary days. Heavenly Father is there, he does hear us, and he loves us.

Puking at the empty nester's

2010-10-08T04:00:00.000-06:00

Just in case you didn't think my blog had enough talk of vomit, here is some more.

Tonight we had a photobooth till really late in slc. So the kids stayed at my mom's and then I just slept here cause they were already sound asleep by the time I got back. Now it's 4:06 am and my poor parents who thought they were empty nesters have now opened their nest to a group of pukers.

Poor Molly got whatever Benson had and has been up puking. The sad thing is that she is still so happy. Between vomit attacks, she is just as peachy as a peach. She must get it from Jan because while I was freaking out a little bit, mom was hustling about changing the sheets and conjuring up some more PJ's for the peachy baby. Molly was so happy, in fact, and Jan was so bustly while I was freaky, that we almost missed the puking noises coming from the other room. So Jan just bustled some more to get Benson some new sheets and PJ's. Benson was just like Molly and seemed oddly happy after puking too.

Now I'm rocking the peach. Jan is doing more laundry. The boy went back to sleep like nothing happened (he got to have grandma lay by him for a while.). And poor grandpa Wayne is in his office working. He won't be able to go back to sleep. Oh, and Casey? He is having the best night's sleep at home with nobody puking to disturb him. I cannot believe how he has really avoided all of this vomit.

I'm sure this is not the end of the vomiting. I will keep you posted on when we have infected the empty nesters with our germs.

I was planning some good posts, so this sucks for you having to read about puke. You can look forward to hearing about how we might have accidentally sold our house coming up soon.

Oh and p.s. I love my mom for taking care of us. If I turn out to be any bit as good as Jan, we should all sing songs of rejoicing.

I feel like throw up!

2010-10-06T07:44:00.000-06:00

4:52 am: Not a creature was stirring, not even Molly Mouse.

4:53 am: (Benson) "Mom, I feel like throw up."

4:53 1/2: I grab Benson out of his bed as he starts throwing up. We trail puke from his bed to the bathroom.

4:55: Since there is puke on his sheets and I don't want to change them and wake up Molly, I told Benson he could stay in our bed. Casey is leaving for work in an hour anyway. Benson says "sweet!" and we all lay in our bed together.

5:02: (Benson) "I hear my daddy snoring"

5:08 am: (Benson) "I feel like throw up!"

5:43 am: (Benson) "I feel like throw up!"

6:09 am: Casey gets up and gets ready to go to work.

6:12 am: (Benson) "I feel like throw up!"

6:55 am: Casey leaves for work.

7:10 am: (Benson) "I feel like throw up!"

7:11 am: (Benson) "I want my DADDY!!!!"

Now I want Benson's daddy too, because when I was pregnant with Benson, Casey and I came to an agreement about puke. I promised to take care of every single wet, dirty, stinky diaper if Casey took care of the puke. So far our count is this:

Dirty Diapers:

Natalie- 15,834

Casey- 4

Puke:

Natalie- every puke so far

Casey- 0

Makes me feel like throw up! (not literally)

Here is Benson with his puke bowl. When I gave him this bowl to puke in, he said: "That's the bowl we put the tomatoes from the garden in. I don't want to throw up in it!"

And it is the bowl we put our tomatoes in. But I am willing to sacrifice it.

Stuck

2010-10-05T11:55:00.000-06:00

The other day, Molly got stuck in this little boat in the bathtub. She was quite thrilled by it!

A few of my favorite {cleaning} things

2010-09-20T09:37:00.000-06:00

My house is in shambles. Does your house ever get that way? It just seems like no matter how much I clean and clean, I am never done. I feel like I am in a rut here. So I'm going to post a few of my favorite {cleaning} things to remind myself how easy I really have it. And how nice my contraptions are. So I should use them and get to work!

Squeegee. I have HUGE windows and I cannot reach them to wash the outsides, so I got this squeegee and put it on my broomstick and now I can wash my outside windows. It's really nice.

Scentsy. I have a really cute warmer, but I want this cherry blossom one, isn't it cute! I love turning on my scentsy after I clean. It makes the house seem {and smell} cleaner. I also love the pumpkin roll scent. It is my favorite of all times!

Lint roller. We have microfiber couches and sometimes it's hard to get all of the little crumbs and little threads and stuff off. The lint roller is perfect to make my couches look WAY better.

Kaboom. Casey used this on his mission and made me buy this when we were first married to clean our tub and shower. I used it until it was gone and then I tried using something else to clean my shower and turns out Kaboom is the best. It seriously MELTS away soap scum. Perfect!

Clorox wipes. I have been out of these for a while and I haven't been able to clean my toilet because there's no way I'm using a washcloth, I'd have to throw it away after. I love that I can wipe the toilet down with these and it disinfects and then I can throw them away.

Pledge Muli-surface. I came across this by accident because I had a coupon for it. But I really do love it because I can use it on my wood, glass, electronics, etc. It is nice to be able to wipe everything down without having to switch rags and spray bottles. So convenient.

My dishwasher is not this nice, but I still love it! I never knew how much a dishwasher could improve my life until I got one, and I could never go back. If I don't have time {or energy} to do anything else, doing the dishes makes all the difference in the world. Our kitchen seems a lot cleaner when the sink isn't overflowing.

Roomba. Oh how I love my roomba. It is a robot vacuum. I push the button and it wanders around my house to vacuum for me. It goes from my carpet to my hardwood to my tile without any problem and it doesn't just flip stuff around, it actually works! And we got it for way cheap, brand new, on KSL.com.

Shark steam mop. I just got this {brand new, and cheap on KSL.com, of course} and I have only used it once, but I love it. It is so nice to use on the stuck on stuff on my hardwood and tile. I love that it doesn't use any chemicals so I am not putting my children in danger when they crawl all over my clean floors. I've also used it to steam clean my messy, fingerprinted, walls.

Ok, I better get using all of these things that make my life a lot easier. Now if they would just invent a contraption that went around and picked up toys and socks and put them where they go!

What are your favorite cleaning products or devices?

We would be sleeping...

2010-09-15T02:33:00.000-06:00

It is 2:35 a.m. As I write this. I am up feeding Molly because despite popular belief that my children do not wake up in the night, here we are. I think she is teething and needs some special love in the middle of the night. As I sit here feeding her and typing on my iPhone, I cannot help but think about the millions of moms (or dads) that will be up tonight with their babies. Rocking them to sleep, soothing their hurt tummies, or trying some strange bouncing and walking acts to get the kiddo back to sleep (Krystal).

When I think of it like that, I don't feel that bad to be up right now. I am part of an elite team of "special forces" like many others across the world. We are called in when the going gets tough. Because we are the only ones skillful enough to be so effective on so little sleep.

Yeah, I'll think of it that way. That will help. Nope. It won't. I'm still really tired, special forces or not.

About to Lose it!

2010-09-12T23:26:00.000-06:00

I lost it tonight. I Yelled. I did not talk forcefully, I yelled. At Benson. Then at Casey. I think I scared them both. I probably scared the neighbors, who most likely heard every word. There really wasn't good cause for yelling, besides that I lost it. I lost control. Control of my temper, control of the situation, control of this household, control of me. Sometimes I lose it, and I don't like it when I'm like that. In the moment, I knew that I was out of control, but for some reason, I could not figure out how to regain control once I had lost it. I hated myself for losing it. I hated that I was yelling and I hated the way Benson and Casey both looked at me while I was losing it.

I took a time out and I gathered myself together. I sat at the end of Benson's bed and I talked to him. Nicely. I explained to him that I feel really bad that he couldn't have a good mom. I told him that I wish he could have a nicer mom than me; who knew endless bedtime stories, could control everything going on, could think up fun activities and would never feel tired or angry, who would be a friend for her children and not some sort of monster. I told him how sorry I felt for losing it. And then he said "You are a naughty mommy."

And I am.

There is no taking back tonight. I wish I could. What even happened? How did I let myself get to the point where I think that it's OK to yell at my sweet little boy and my oh-so wonderful husband? I'm not sure where my breaking point is anymore, but it is far too soon than it aught to be. Sitting there, on the end of his bed, singing primary songs to him and rocking Molly to sleep, I kept thinking that I wondered what could make me better. How could I never get to this point again. I don't want to ever feel like I felt tonight when I looked into those huge, sad, blue eyes of my little boy. This isn't how I am supposed to be. I need to do better and the only way I can do better is by changing myself.

I thought about this video I had seen last week and how it made me feel so good then, but how I really needed it now. I know what I need to do. I need to be a better mom (and wife), and the only way I can do that is with the help of my Heavenly Father. I keep feeling like I should be able to do everything by myself, and then I feel disappointed when I can't. But it shouldn't be that way. I should rely whole-heartedly on the Lord. Along with Casey, He should be my partner in this. There is no reason to feel like I'm losing it. The Lord will help me. I know he will. I just need to let him. In this video, Elder Holland says "The very fact that you've been given such a responsibility is everlasting evidence of the trust your Father in Heaven has in you."

So I guess I can't lose it anymore. I've got a big responsibility here, I've got two little spirits relying on me and a Heavenly Father that trusts me. I can't blow it. I've got to do better. No, I've got to BE better. I can't be a naughty mommy anymore.

Head Wound

2010-09-08T08:32:00.000-06:00

Here's another story...

Our Tahoe has been in repair since our last post here. Nothing Casey can't fix (with the help of his dad), so we are happy. Casey took the car yesterday and left me home with no way of transportation besides my bike. Since I've had kids, I've never been without a car and it's never really mattered before, so we figured it would be fine.

I decided I was going to take the kids for a ride in the trailer on my bike. I let them play on the grass while I got it all hooked up. While I was doing that, I saw Benson pick Molly up. I guess she had started to crawl on the cement, so he picked her up so she wouldn't get hurt (and carried her across the cement). I told him to put her down on the grass so she wouldn't fall on the cement and get hurt. I started walking over to them when he put her down. On the grass, but also right on the corner of the wooden ladder to the slide. Head first.

I got to her before she started crying and she didn't cry too bad until I started freaking out because of the gash on her head and the blood spewing from it. I took her in and got her cleaned up. Benson followed me WAILING!!! I thought he was upset because he had just hurt his sister so badly, but no... he was going nuts because he had gotten some of her blood on his leg. Oh, what a poor child.

I called Casey. Oh yeah, his phone is broken. So I called his work phone, no answer. Texted, no answer. Emailed, no answer. Called again, no answer. I took inventory of my neighbors that I trust and neither of them were home. Took inventory of our family close by... then Casey called. He didn't have service, so he couldn't get my calls, but he got my email. He was having a bit of a work emergency because some printers weren't working, so he couldn't come to attend to OUR emergency at the moment.

I wasn't sure if she needed stitches or not. I called my pediatrician and he said to bring her in and they would look at her. If she needed medical attention, they would check her in to his office, if not, they would send us home with no cost or anything. So when Casey got home, we took her in and they said it needed to be glued. So she got her head glued shut.

Besides the initial crying for about 3 minutes, Molly hasn't seemed to upset about the whole thing. And besides the initial crying for about 3 minutes about blood on his leg, Benson hasn't seemed upset either.

Hopefully nothing happens today because once again, I am home without a car. It is raining, though, and I need to take Benson to Joy School in 2 hours. I guess we will ride my bike, rain or shine.

Please excuse the cell phone picture. It's hard to see. Right on her hair line above her forehead.

Count Your Blessings!

2010-09-05T19:02:00.000-06:00

So here's a long story for your pleasure:

Saturday night, Casey and I left the kids at his parents' house so we could go to Idaho Falls to do our photobooth at a wedding there. We charged our "clients" an arm and a leg to travel there, and we were going to stay the night since we wouldn't be done until about 11:00 p.m. We planned on leaving pretty early so we could check into the hotel before the wedding. We got ready way early, so we dropped the kids off at Casey's parents house much earlier than we had planned.

We've been doing this photobooth thing now for almost a year, so we think we have it figured out by now, which is wrong. It seems like every time we do a photobooth, we have some problem and we barely get it set up by the time the wedding starts. We always joke that if we leave an hour early, we'll have a problem that takes an hour to fix; if we leave 2 hours early, we'll have a 2 hour problem. (Makes you want to hire us, huh?) But, it hasn't failed yet that we have been able to fix every problem we have had and are able to provide wonderful service to our photobooth customers.

So... we were drivin' along, listening to the 3rd book of the Hunger Games, when I saw smoke coming out of the engine of our Tahoe. Crap. Casey pulled over and we were litterally in the middle of nowhere. A highway patrol car pulled up behind us and asked if we needed help. Since our plates were expired by 4 days, we told him no, but asked if there was somewhere closeby. Nope. Great.

So I called some tow trucks and it was going to be at least an hour and a couple hundred bucks to get us off the freeway and into a town. We were two hours away from Idaho Falls and had to be there in no later than 3 1/2 hours, not to mention checking into the hotel. Since it was Saturday and Labor Day weekend, the chances of getting towed to a town and getting fixed were slim.

So back up to Thursday night... Our registration on the Tahoe was due. Our side mirror was broken (thanks to Benson and a golf ball). I took it in and got the mirror replaced and was literally on my way to the inspection place when our check engine light went on. So I took it in and they told me that it wouldn't pass because of the check engine light, which said that either the coolant temperature censor wasn't working properly, we were low on coolant, or the code was faulty. Also, our back brakes were bad and we needed a new light bulb somewhere. I promise, we try to take care of our cars.... So Casey decided he would take care of the problems on Friday after work. After a trip to Auto Zone, Casey came home with this information: We were low on coolant, and so he filled it up and they told him that he had to drive it for a while to get it to register, then if it didn't, we needed a new censor. He also tried to get brakes, but they weren't sure which ones he needed, and since the whole censor thing was going to take a while, the brakes weren't a priority. We decided that since we were pulling a trailer and there was no way we were going to get the Tahoe registered prior to leaving on Saturday, that we would just drive it and hope we didn't get a ticket.

So the smoke coming from the engine was the coolant thing. It broke off and sprayed antifreeze everywhere. Casey googled it while we were sitting on the freeway, and to replace the censor would have been $30. But no, instead of paying $30 and taking 15 minutes to replace it, we were sitting on the side of the freeway with our photobooth on a trailer, in a panic. My parents were out of town and so Casey called his parents. His dad was at their cabin, but should be on his way home soon, and had his truck. Crap. We sat there for a minute saying silent prayers. Casey told me to call the bride and tell her that we would not be there. I refused. If it cost all of the money we were going to make, we would figure out a way to be there with our photobooth.

And then Casey's dad called. This is where our blessings start pouring in. He had made it home from the cabin and was getting his flatbed trailer hooked up to come and rescue us. Casey's grandpa Lloyd was already on his way in his truck and would give us his truck to pull the trailer with the photobooth to Idaho Falls. Then he would sit with our Tahoe until Casey's dad got there with his truck and get our Tahoe on the flatbed and towed home.

The plan worked flawlessly. Grandpa Lloyd arrived much faster than we had anticipated. He pulled up and got the photobooth trailer hooked to his truck and then we left him sitting on the side of the freeway with our Tahoe. Casey's dad got there and got the Tahoe on his trailer and pulled home. We got to the wedding and set up with about 15 minutes to spare. The photobooth ran flawlessly the entire night, and they paid us a bundle of money for it. We had a wonderful stay at the Marriott and drove home without any problems (except for Casey's phone has bit the dust, but that's a whole other post).

During the whole trip, we kept saying "Wow, that was lucky!", but after about 30 times of being lucky, I decided that we are blessed!!! Let me count our blessings:

We just happened to leave 3 hours earlier than we actually needed to leave, which NEVER happens. We are never early to anything.
We didn't have the kids with us sitting on the side of the freeway. They were in the very loving and capable hands of Casey's mom, whom we LOVE!
The Highway Patrol man didn't give us a ticket. Even after we saw him look directly at our licence plate, he didn't give us a ticket. Amazing.
The problem with our Tahoe really is a small one. We made more than enough doing that wedding to pay for it.
I forgot to mention this, but after we got on our way in Grandpa's truck, one of our straps on the trailer broke on the way, and so Casey pulled off the freeway and guess what we saw RIGHT THERE.... Harbor Freight. So we got new straps. Perfect.
Casey's dad got home from the cabin just in time to rescue us. Had he been at the cabin, there would be no way to reach him. And he just happened to have a trailer that he could pull our Tahoe home on.
Casey's grandpa was able and willing to let us borrow his truck for a while.
And the biggest blessing of all is that we have wonderful families who are willing to help us. No offense Emily, but we are really blessed to have so many family members close by that we can trust. We kept thinking that if we were living somewhere else, we wouldn't have had all that help.

About Benson.

2010-09-02T15:17:00.001-06:00

I was just going to do a post about Molly because I feel like she gets left out sometimes, but then I felt like I was leaving Benson out, so here you go...

Benson is a little stubborn. He likes to do things by himself. If I carry him up the stairs and he wanted to do it himself, he will go back downstairs just so he can come up on his own.

Benson really, truly is a good kid. Sometimes he has a moment or two, but usually, if he's not provoked, he is a good kid with good intentions. He is really good about helping me or getting me things I need.

Benson is a spaz. Actually, it's really weird because for us, he's a spaz, but for people he doesn't know, he is completely quiet and reserved. We just started "joy school" with our neighborhood, and I am so surprised because Benson is the quietest kid. That's probably because we don't know any of the other kids. I bet when he gets to know them, our problem won't be quiet anymore. (Did that sound like I was referring to Benson as "our problem"? hah, that's funny. I'm leaving it.)

Benson is SUPER smart. Probably every mom thinks that about her kids, and I think Benson is too. After I tell him things once, he usually remembers them FOREVER. He talks so well and most of the time says words right and uses them correctly too. We have been working on teaching him to say things the right way and so now if he says something wrong, he'll stop and correct himself, and go on. He also knows how to use every gadget we have, which is many. When I got my iPhone, he showed me a few neat features that I didn't know about. It's hard to trick a kid so smart, though, cause he remembers what I say and then uses it against me.

Benson is not the world's nicest brother. Although, most of the time his intentions are good, he usually ends up hurting Molly whenever he touches her. If it weren't for Molly, he'd probably never get in trouble. If Molly ever gets into something she shouldn't, he is more than happy to rip it out of her clutches, usually pretty forcefully, but with good intentions. He watches out for her, which is nice. Sometimes he's watching out for a moment to kick her in the ribs when we're not watching, though. Also, he doesn't like when she gets attention. It's been hard for him that she's crawling and standing up and doing more things now, because she gets a lot of praise. Usually when we praise Molly for doing something, Benson knocks her down or sits on top of her until we stop praising Molly and start yelling at Benson.

Benson doesn't like to be alone. He is always within 5 feet of where I am in the house. If I send him outside to play, he comes in 20 times to ask me to come out and play with him. It's strange, though, because he just likes to play with adults. If other kids are around, he usually doesn't play with them at all, but loves when he gets to play with an aunt or uncle or grandparent.

He never stops talking. (other than at preschool, apparently). This is probably because we have just sat around talking to each other for almost 3 years. Driving is the worst because I can never listen to a book on tape or focus on anything besides the jabberbox in the back seat. I love this, though, because he usually says really funny things. He is also a bit of a commentator. He gives us the play-by-play for everything. Here is a simulation:

"Now I'm putting on my shoes. Oops wrong foot. Better switch. That's better. Hey, these match. Blue shorts, blue shoes. That's silly. I love my running shoes, they make me run so FAST. Faster than Lyking Ukeen. I mean Light-ning Muh-queen. That's better. Mater is the best backwards driver. I can't drive cause I don't have a driver's licence. I can ride my mo-cycle, I mean motorcycle, though. I am the fastest motorcycle pedaler. I bet I could beat dad in a race. He rides wheelies on his bike. But I can't ride wheelies cause I might tip over. I better where a helmet cause if I tip over then it could keep my head safe...." and on and on.

there is hope

2010-08-26T15:02:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was a good day.

I felt like a good wife and mother.

Which seems like a rare thing lately.

I...

Scrubbed.

Washed.

Folded.

Vacuumed (the roomba did).

Loaded.

Unloaded.

Read stories.

Played games.

Baked cupcakes with Benson.

Let Casey golf.

Road my bike 10 miles.

Got heat exhaustion from riding.

Went to a church activity.

Rocked the babies to sleep.

Didn't complain about Casey playing soccer in the wee hours of the night.

I love days like yesterday.

They give me hope that, maybe after all, I could be a good wife and mother.

And I think it gave Casey that same hope, which he could probably use a lot of.

About Molly.

2010-08-24T08:13:00.000-06:00

I want to write some things about Molly so we never forget how very special she is right now.

She has red hair. I never knew that I could have a baby with red hair. But apparently, Casey's mom has red hair, but it's always been blonde to me. His grandpa had red hair, but now is white, and his other grandma had red hair but is white now too. So, that's where she gets it. It is always the first thing people point out about her, and then they usually call her a boy if she doesn't have a bow in her hair... and sometimes she still gets called a boy with a bow. Having a red-head has taken some getting used to for me, I'm not going to lie, but I really love her red hair. I think she is beautiful!

She is the happiest baby. Ever. Benson was content, but she is happy. She always has her mouth wide open in a huge grin. She laughs and giggles and coos. She makes the cutest noises and even in the wee hours of the morning, I love to listen to her jabber.

She is curious. She crawls like a champ all around the house and loves to get into things. She loves to push buttons and play with all of the things she's not supposed to. She put everything straight into her mouth, which always makes her smile more.

She is sweet. Whenever Benson gets in trouble, Molly starts to fuss a little bit. She doesn't like yelling or fighting. She is always the happiest when everyone around her is happy. It is a rare thing to hear her cry. Usually if she cries, we know that Benson has gotten to her and is sitting on top of her, but as soon as he moves, she is fine. Sometimes it seems like we neglect her or forget to feed her because she just NEVER cries and so we forget that she might be needing something.

She loves to watch people. Usually she watches what Benson is doing and is content to sit for a while and watch before she tries to get into whatever he's doing. She has the BIGGEST eyes. They are a little hazel/ brownish. They are beautiful.

She loves Benson. It doesn't matter what he does to her, she is always smiling at him. He could whack her over the head and as soon as she stops crying about it, she gives him the hugest grin. Whenever he tries to play with her or give her attention, she gets so happy. He can make her laugh faster than anyone else and it never fails that when she's around him, she's happy.

She loves her dad too. She will sit and stare at him for what seems like forever, and as soon as he looks back at her, she smiles and looks away like she's shy. Casey told me last night that Molly can melt his heart faster than anything. I don't blame him for being smitten by her. She is beautiful.

Oh What do you do in the Summer-time?

2010-08-12T08:27:00.000-06:00

Benson and Molly have been enjoying the summer so far. Benson thinks he has to wear his sunglasses whenever the sun is out. And he FORCES Molly to wear her's too.

We've had a lot of projects and we frequent the Home Depot. The kids love their "funny carts".

We have been doing a lot of photobooths. Did I ever mention that we own a photobooth company? One day, Casey decided to build it, so now we go around renting our photobooth.

Parades. Molly loves her aunt Shawnee. They had a rocky beginning, but they are good pals now. We can't wait for Brady and Shawnee's new baby to come.

During the entire parade, Benson sat there and waved to all the parade people. He wouldn't stop.

Molly has become very mobile, so she spends a lot of time in her jumperoo to keep her out of trouble while I'm busy. Luckily, she LOVES it!

Benson and Casey made my birthday cake.

(Ok, I baked it, Casey frosted it, and Benson licked the mixers)

These are the bright eyes I wake up to every morning. No, they do not sleep in my bed. Ever. I was trying to make them sleep for a few minutes longer here.

Bad picture, but look how stinkin' cute Molly's little shoes are. Thanks, Brady & Shawnee.

Benson helped (hindered) Casey mow the lawn so he could earn a dollar to buy popcorn at the movie. We saw "How to train your dragon". Benson sat through the whole thing and fell asleep for the last 10 minutes. If you ask him, he'll say he didn't like the movie.

Another photobooth. We have to sit there for the whole time, usually 3 or 4 hours. It's loads of fun... Not

The neighbor's chicken came inside our house again and pooped all over my kitchen.

I was doing laundry downstairs and Benson must have left the back door open. When I came upstairs there was a chicken sitting on my counter. I did what any rational human being would do, and I got the kids' baseball bat and chased the chicken around screaming (I was screaming, not the chicken). We went around and around the kitchen, the chicken tried to fly out the window, it's knocking things off the counters. Finally I got it to the back door and it decides to go downstairs instead. At this point I realize that I could have just picked it up and taken it outside, but touch a chicken? Won't I get bird flu? So the chicken is running/ flying around our basement while I'm chasing it with a bat. It finds a hiding spot behind the filing cabinet and stays put. I poke it with the bat over and over, but it won't move. So I get a box and after many tries, I trap that DANG chicken in the box and take him back over to the neighbors. Casey told me I should have just used the pellet gun or the blow dart gun in the basement, but then there would have been blood instead of poop to clean up. We would have had a good dinner, though.

We went to the splash pad with Casey's mom and our nephews. Turns out we went on a day that it was closed for maintainance. So we played on the swings instead. I thought it would be fun to let the kids swing together. Until Bens figured out it was a perfect time to squish Molly. Poor girl.

Molly has been VERY mobile lately. She's quite the quick little crawler.

She can pull herself up to standing by something.

She is such a happy baby. We really lucked out with her. Benson was happy too, but Molly is such a good girl. If you ever even look at her, she'll return your look with this giant smile.

I rode my bike 14 miles last night. From our house in Ogden to my parents' house in Hooper. Just over an hour. It was sooo fun. I could see myself getting into this bike riding thing.

Typical

2010-08-05T11:30:00.001-06:00

See Nat Ride

2010-07-29T14:54:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I ordered this...

... in Silver.

I also borrowed my mom's bike and we went on a ride with the kids in this...

... Casey did all the work, pulling the kids.

8 miles. Way better than running. At least for me.

Felt GREAT!!!! I felt like I could have done 8 more. That's cause we didn't do any hills.

Can't wait to get my bike next week.

We are split!

2010-07-22T12:22:00.000-06:00

We are now a part member family.

Me with the Apple iPhone 3G.

Casey with an android, the "Google Phone".

So the question is, which is the true religion?

Of course our first concern is the children. How will they grow up? Will they prefer Apple or Android? Although Android joined our family first, Benson seems to be resilient and still prefers the iPhone. It's too early to tell with Molly, though. Let's just pray that the children will be able to decipher the truth in all things.

Popcorn Fireworks

2010-07-08T14:34:00.000-06:00

The 4th of July is my very favorite day of the year. Or is it the 3rd? Either way, I love this time of the year... Sometimes I feel disappointed after it's over because it didn't feel like something very special. But I told Casey that I think this has been the best 4th of July I've had. And that says a lot.

We always have a family "reunion" on the 3rd with my Haws cousins. All but 3 of us grew up on the same street and now most everyone lives far away. Getting together with them is fun. But it's being with my brothers and sisters that I love most. When we get together like this, it feels like we are complete again. It almost never feels like we are complete, so feeling that way is really special to me.

Since the 4th was on Sunday, we moved the celebration to the 2nd and 3rd. On the 2nd, we got family pictures (below) taken by Dana Willis, which turned out amazing! I love that we have everyone in this picture. What a precious keepsake. My sweet sister-in-law also took seperate family pictures for everyone. I love the one she took of us, click here to see it.

The festivities of the weekend included: playing softball, doing fireworks, sleeping in our tent in my parents' backyard, renting out the Roy Aquatic Center for about 70 people, having a slide contest at the pool, going to the parade, eating cream-filled chololate donuts, having a cookout, playing bocci ball and "horse balls", and watching fireworks again... Together.

The Hooper fireworks might have been my favorite part. We always go to my parents' church to watch them. My dad rigged something to make all the church parking lot lights go off while the fireworks were going. Benson and Casey pretended the fireworks were popcorn popping, and they reached out for handfulls of the firework popcorn, pretending to eat it, while sweet Molly snuggled with me, which is rare, eventually falling asleep during the fireworks.

Then, on a whim, Casey and I decided to go to his parents' cabin for Sunday and Monday. We packed everything up and left Sunday afternoon. The drive was beautiful, as always. We listened to the "Hunger Games" on my iPhone while the kiddos slept for the entire drive. The cabin is quickly becoming one of my favorite places on earth. It is so quiet and peaceful. Every once in a while we see a deer or a moose and the beauty of the whole thing helps me remember that our Heavenly Father loves us.

Casey's parents came up Sunday night and his grandparents came up for lunch on Monday. It was good to spend time with them and I felt the same way about being together with them as I did about being together with my family. It's my favorite thing. I am so lucky to have great in-laws.

We rode the Rhino, relaxed, had a campfire, and enjoyed the cabin while Casey and his dad did some work. I am so glad we went.

We got home Monday night and the kids were tired, so they went to bed early. I told Casey that he could go to bed while I watched the bachelorette, and he did. But only for a minute before he came out and snuggled with me on the couch while we watched the train wreck. I could tell that he was trying hard not to snicker at the whole show, and his trying made me love him more for watching it with me. And guess what? I didn't even have to coax him into saying nice things to me. He is much sweeter than any of the guys on that show.

Every minute of this whole weekend was perfect. It was perfect because I got to spend my time with all of the people I love most in this whole entire world. I can't help but thinking that maybe that's how it's supposed to be. I think Heavenly Father wanted us to be happy together and maybe how I felt this weekend is just a glimmer of what our Heavenly Father feels. Good thing this family stuff is forever. I hope every day in Heaven is like the 4th of July.

Something Sentimental

2010-06-30T22:01:00.000-06:00

Warning: Picture OVERLOAD... (and "..." overload)

4 years ago...

We were here...

And even after everything...

It still feels like we are...

Here are some pictures... mostly of us... mostly in no particular order...

(I told you I used "..." a lot... I secretly love dot dot dots...)

So after all of that, I feel a little self-centered, or at least a little Casey-&-Natalie-centered...

On our previous anniversaries, I have tried to remember our wedding day and everything we did and said and how much we loved each other that day. But today I have felt a little differently. I am starting to think that anniversaries aren't so much about your wedding DAY as they are about your life together...

So in thinking about our 4 years together, I want to say that I have loved the time we've spent together, the memories we've made, and the life that we are building. I'm glad that our relationship has turned into so much more than it was on that day. We've gone from friends, to admirers, then sweethearts, and partners, to roommates, and everything in between. But whatever you are, Casey, you are my everything. I love you.

Oh, and Case, thanks for letting me check-out of any responsibility every Monday when the Bachelorette is on. I know it's like a train wreck that I just can't stop watching, but I love that you tease me about it and still let me stay up late and come to bed all giddy. Then I try to make you say "something sentimental" like those guys say to her and you get mad cause you're sleeping... I know it's silly, but I'm glad you let me have my own little things. I love it. And I love you for it.

Nat

kids say the darndest things

2010-06-09T17:30:00.000-06:00

Bens: I have a boob on my leg.

Nat: You have a WHAT?

Bens: A boob on my leg.

Nat: A boo-boo?

Bens: No, a BOOB!

Nat: Do you have one anywhere else?

Bens: Yep, on my tummy.

Nat: Let's see.

Bens: (Lifts up his shirt) Right here. (pointing to "you know what")

It was a mosquito bite. Kinda looked like his teeny-tiny nipples.

Yup.

Grandpa

2010-06-04T15:09:00.000-06:00

Today is June 4, 2010.

Grandpa Dalpias died today. He has had Alzheimer's for longer than my 4 years as a Dalpias. I never really got to know him, but I loved him. He was a sweet man. He couldn't remember much, but he remembered that I was a "Hooper-ite", the sworn enemy of those West Weber Italians. When he couldn't remember most things, he remembered me and would always ask "How's that Hooper-ite". Well, Ernie, I feel a little sad today. Although it is a wonderful day for you, it is such a sad one for us. We will miss you, and Grandma Dalpias will miss you... But what a blessing for you to be released from a failing body and such pain. I'm sure he is in Heaven doing the chicken dance with all of those Italians.

Also, 26 years ago today, my Grandpa Haws died. He died before I was born, so I never knew him. He has missed so much. I feel sad to have never known him. My poor grandma has been so lonesome for him for so long. I cannot imagine living so long, so lonely, without your companion.

This could all be such sadness, and although we are sad, we have hope. I know that we can all be together again. I know that families are forever and that one day, we will see those we love again and be together. I am so grateful to know that we aren't lost. I cannot imagine living without the person you love for so long and not knowing that you will be together again. What a blessing the gospel is in our lives. Heavenly Father has given us hope of an eternity together and I am so grateful for that. Now we go on. Doing the best we can. Someday... Someday... we will see you again. And we will have the chance we never got here. To know each other.

Brother and Sister

2010-06-01T21:05:00.000-06:00

These two love each other. It amazes me that even when he isn't the softest or nicest, she still smiles and laughs at him more than anyone else. They both look so much alike and have the same mellow temperament. I love their big eyes and their cute little faces. These kids are the best. I love them. I am thankful every day that we are an eternal family.

Love them!

Done and done

2010-05-23T11:12:00.000-06:00

We did it!!!! We had our 5k yesterday and we did it!

Casey: 29 minutes

Natalie: 46 minutes

It was actually really fun. We had a lot of friends do it and it was so fun to see all of them and to cheer each other on. Casey said he was going to stay with me, even though I knew he could do it much faster than I could. Then when we started out running with all of our friends, Casey asked if he could leave me and run with those guys. I was so glad that he reached his goal of 30 minutes. And he RAN the whole thing without even walking. I walked some and ran some, and even though I came in one minute above my goal, I am really happy that I finished it.

We have already scoped out our next race and are planning on running another one in July.

Here are some things I will do differently for our next one:

Wear a watch. I had no idea how long I had been going. Casey had his phone, so he could tell on that, but I didn't know. If I had a watch, I think that would have motivated me to go a little faster.

Train earlier. Or train at all.

Stretch. I'm not too sore, but Casey really is. We need to do better at stretching.

Push myself. Casey pushed himself hard and didn't even stop running the entire time (probably why he is sore and I'm not). While I was running, I would think that maybe I should pick up the pace a little bit, but then I'd just be like "meh" and keep walking. I just wanted to finish and not be last. So next time I will try to push myself harder.

Thanks for all of your motivating comments. It was nice to hear all of your suggestions and support. We are really excited to keep going and training and do the next one faster and better!