Good Times are had by all!

Getting ready for her practice/game.

What a hit!

All smiles in their Saints attire

Splish, Splash! They are having a blast!

Not just cousins, but BFFs!

I finally posted pics of Natalie at T-Ball. I apologize for taking so long to do so. Daniel was able to attend the fun and took some pictures for me while I helped coach. She was able to have two chances at bat. When playing the outfield, she even 'caught' a ball (a ground ball)! She was so proud of herself! We, of course, are proud of her as well. As you can see, the kids are happy and healthy. Ryan has two more teeth and is still as mobile as ever. I can hardly believe he will soon be 9 months old. Where does the time go? Sophia is here for the week and we couldn't be more excited! I had told Natalie that her cousin was coming and it was all she talked about for days. She loves her cousin with all of her heart and considers Sophie her best friend. We've dubbed them the Irish Twins because they share a birthday and share the same Irish blood. Sophia hasn't stopped smiling since she arrived. She was happy to see us! When she came into the house and saw the baby in my arms, she pointed to him and exclaimed "Ryan!" She isn't even two years old and can speak so clearly. She can say all of our names and pretty much tell you anything else she is thinking or wanting. Her speech is amazing. She also adores her daddy, following him and loving on him. They are so cute together. We all are taking turns watching the kids this week. Monday was my day. I had all three kids and it was a blast! I fed them all breakfast (at the same time), fed them all lunch (at the same time), dressed them, did the girls' hair, took them to the park, ran around the house, and even did all the laundry...it was a dream! The girls played so well together. Not one problem all day from them or Ryan. Heck, I even got all three kids to nap at the same time. I feel like SuperMom!

Daniel and our little family are moving...again. We are downsizing to better afford the costs of living. Hey, ya gotta do what ya gotta do. It would be stupid of us (or anyone else for that matter) to live beyond our means. There are goals we are setting for ourselves and our family, and this is a step toward those goals. These are crazy times we are living in, folks. Pray, my friends, and pray hard.

The Best of times, the Worst of times

It's been a couple of weeks and a lot has developed between then and now. I'll start with the kids first, since I know you all are more interested in them than us! LOL! Ryan is growing more everyday. I will have to agree with a good friend of mine (hey Taira!) that this is such a fun age. He learns something new everyday and is exploring everything. He can now crawl on his hands and knees, though he still prefers to do his soldier crawl on his tummy. He is much faster doing the soldier crawl and can shoot across the room in no time flat! He now has three teeth on the top and on the bottom, making for six teeth! Goodness! It is precious to see his toothy grin. He is starting to "walk", as in when he pulls himself up he will "walk" around the perimeter of what he is holding. This makes mommy nervous and sad because he is growing up way too fast! But then again, Natalie was "walking" about this time as well. When Ryan pulls himself up on his sister's chair, he will climb...yes, climb...onto the seat! Yikes! He is a monkey like Uncle Luke. My brother would get into everything as a child, and we would find him in or on the craziest things. Once as a toddler, my mother found Luke on top of the fridge! No lie! I have a feeling Ryan will be the same way. Ryan has a new sound, "mamama." When he is getting tired or hungry, he will follow me everywhere and cry "Mamamama!" He knows who I am now! That warms my heart! He knows his daddy, too, and usually says a short and simple "Da!" No actual words yet, as these are just sounds that will lead to full words soon. Ryan also has discovered that he can blow raspberries with his tongue and lips. It makes for a lot of spit, but he has the most fun doing it. We have introduced sippy cups into Ryan's feeding and he is doing quite well. I am doing both breast feeding and bottle/sippy feeding along with his foods. I am anxious for Thanksgiving because he will be old enough to try meat. He enjoys everything we have introduced to him thus far. He is still our laid back, happy boy. He is over 18 pounds.

Natalie started T-Ball last week. She was adorable! The day before her first practice/game, we made a journey with Uncle Luke to the sports store to buy her mitt. Uncle Luke helped her pick out her first mitt. It is black and pink and lights up when a ball (or her hand) hits the pocket of the mitt. I figured I better get her something she would enjoy wearing. That night her daddy worked with her on how to wear it and catch ground balls. She was prepared for practice the next night. Because we are short on volunteer coaches, I am helping coach Natalie's team. If Daniel happens to have that day off, he will also help. She had an absolute blast! It is so funny to see all of these kids chasing after the ball. One kid hits the ball off of the tee....and a dozen other kids jump on it! Too cute! Natalie is on a team with her friend, Parker, and they really enjoyed playing together. Natalie didn't seem to mind that she didn't get the ball each time, and she cheered on her teammates. This is a positive sign that she will exhibit good sportsmanship. We are so proud of her! She is learning to write her letters and spell. Not too long ago we all were headed to my parents' house. At a stop sign, Natalie pointed out the window and said, "Look! It's an octagon!" Daniel and I were floored. We hadn't taught her that. It turns out that Papa Jerry teaches her all kinds of things when they spend time together. Good Papa! She also spells "STOP." Natalie is still our little fireball and challenges us on, well, everything. But we couldn't ask for a more precious princess!

For those who don't know, Luke has officially moved home. For the last two years he has tried to make his situation in Texas work, but to no avail. It continued to be an unhealthy environment for all involved and he made the difficult decision to move on. He is getting a divorce. We support him and are doing our best to help him during this time. Please keep him and Sophia in your thoughts and prayers. And pray for Ashleigh, too.

Picture Perfect

Natalie and her daddy took a nap and I thought this was a sweet picture

Ryan the Monkey now climbs

Natalie and her friend Parker at their first T-Ball game

Good times with daddy!

Big Boy standing in his crib

Natalie sharing her t-ball

Mom looking at a crab before we broke them open and ate the crab meat!

The Saints played the Broncos on Sunday, so the guys suited up for it. Mikey loves the Saints, dad represented both teams, and Luke was for the Broncos.

Sibling fun! She loves him...really, she does.

Jumping on daddy!

Handsome boy!

Natalie loves this dress and asks to wear it often. She is so pretty!

Dear Mr. Obama

This video is a must see. It moved me to tears (literally) and I wanted to share it with everyone, no matter what political stance you take. God bless AMERICA and all of our soldiers!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TG4fe9GlWS8

They grow up too fast

Ryan, standing for the first time!
Natalie likes to crawl through Ryan's little gym
Look at those pearly whites!

It's been another exciting week for Ryan, and it's only been a couple of days! But we had to share these new firsts. Ryan pulled himself up onto his feet for the first time! As usual, I had the camera nearby so I could capture the moment (I was able to capture Natalie's first "stand" three years ago, at about the same age). He was really proud of himself. We also have another tooth poking through to make four teeth total for this little guy. Yes, I'm still nursing. He hasn't bitten me too hard...yet. =) Natalie starts T-Ball next week and we can't wait to report on that. This is a short update for now, but check back soon. There is always something going on in the world of Dalpiaz-Neie!

more pics

Animated conversation =)
passing the time with dominoes
playing the American Idol DVD game
my MEGAN!!!
her cousins taught her Hopscotch

Stormy Weather

the girls
my nephew (an Eagles fan) and Ryan
The penguin was swimming back and forth, so Natalie followed him
Happy Boy!
Natalie chillin' with Bugsy

What a week! As most of you know, Hurricane Gustav caused approximately 2 million people to evacuate. After the devastation of Katrina, we learned that these storms are not to be treated lightly and it was best to leave for a few days. Mom, Mikey, the kids, and I left at midnight Sunday morning, headed for Dallas. Dad, Luke, Darren, and Daniel stayed behind to hold the fort. The kids were bathed and fed and in their jammies so they could sleep through the trip. Apparently, a herd of other evacuees had the same idea, so there was bumper to bumper traffic for hours...in the wee hours of the morning. The eight hour drive ended up being 11 hours and we became delirious. At one point, somewhere between five and six a.m., mom and I were laughing hysterically at the most mundane things. We had to do something to stay awake!

I have a wonderful sister-in-law, Christine, who offered her home to us. What was supposed to be a stressful time turned into a wonderful hurricane holiday! Her home is warm and inviting and full of love and God. We were also excited to see my nieces and nephew again, and I was able to meet their Uncle Joe and Aunt Celeste. As soon as we arrived, Uncle Joe unpacked the van while we took the kids and Mikey inside. Christine told mom and I to take a nap and the rest of the clan would watch the kids and Mikey...so we did just that! And boy, we needed that rest. The visit was full of laughter and good times. I am a very proud aunt of smart, beautiful, and talented kids. Natalie just adores her cousins and Ryan thoroughly enjoyed his quality time with them. Ryan seemed to favor Uncle Joe, who was very good at putting him down for his naps. Cute! Mom made dinner a couple of nights for our family. We introduced Uncle Joe and Aunt Celeste to red beans and rice, as well as jambalaya. They loved it! Good ol' southern food. Every so often mom and I would venture to the television for an update on the weather, as well as call our men to check up on them. All ended up being well. My home was spared damage and only some cleanup in the yard is necessary, which Daniel did today. My parents lost only two trees, and that happened because one tree fell over and broke another tree in half. Yikes! Their home went without electricity until Thursday evening, which is when we drove back home. I have to give the guys in my family some serious props for choosing to stay and sleep in the heat and humidity. Yuck!

I was blessed to be able to see my BFF, Megan, who was just an hour away from where we were staying. I haven't seen her since she was my Maid of Honor at my wedding. I took the kids with me and the four of us ventured to the zoo. Good times! She also came to see me before we left to come back home. We talk on the phone several times a week, so seeing her again was like we had never been apart. Natalie even calls her "Aunt Megan". Another friend of mine also stopped by to see me. Her name is Sheila and we graduated together from college. She had called me before we had decided to evacuate to check on me and my family. When I informed her that I was going to Dallas, she scheduled time to see me and my family. What a sweetheart!

Ryan had a big week while we were away. He now can pick things up with his thumb and forefinger, so "finger foods" are in the near future. His first top tooth broke through, thank goodness. He was miserable. His gums were (and still are) so swollen and he was a bit cranky. The other top tooth is trying to push it's way through now. Ryan learned to clap, thanks to Uncle Joe. It was so cute! And he also discovered how to cluck his tongue on the roof of his mouth. Ryan is still doing his commando crawl, and boy does he fly across the floor! He still hasn't figured out how to move on all fours but we aren't worried. He'll learn in his own time. He seems to have started a little bit of Separation Anxiety. If we leave the room, he follows us. Sometimes he whines, sometimes he doesn't, but he is right behind us if we walk away. Silly boy! He flaps his arms up and down when excited, and I bet if he could he would fly. His new sound is "oh" and he is also working on the "nana" sound. He is growing so quickly, turning 8 months old next week. I want my babies to stay babies!

Natalie is as feisty as ever. She is the most precious little girl in the whole world! When mom and I were driving home this past Thursday, we stopped to eat. Natalie was having a moment, which we quickly got under control, but a waitress walked by and said "That is why boys are better. Girls are too much drama." Her comment has been festering in my mind and I find myself upset by her words. I cherish my daughter even more now because of that silly comment. My Natalie is amazing, though challenging. I find her strong will to be a positive in her life if nurtured the right way. She is our first born and (for now) our only daughter, so she will always be our princess. Yes, Ryan is an easier baby than she was, but that doesn't mean he is better than her...it just means they are different. And different is good!

Prayer Requests: for my brothers, they are making changes in their lives (for the better) and need all the support they can get; for the remainder of hurricane season, that these storms weaken and cause as little damage (and death) as possible.