Mardi Gras Birthday!

I wanted to share with everyone what a REAL parade looked like!

What a great day! Twas Mardi Gras in these parts, and the entire day was full of parades and festivities. Most businesses are closed for this local holiday so that everyone may partake in the fun. Every year on this day I take Natalie and Mikey to the Covington parade. The parade wasn't very good. The bead tossers were stingy. I called it the Snob Parade. They only seemed to throw things to people they knew instead of sharing the love with everyone. Oh well. The kids had a good time and Daniel even came. Later on at my folks' house, I baked a home-made carrot cake (complete with cream cheese frosting) for my mother since today was also her birthday! Woohoo! She is an amazing woman and I'm proud to call her my mother. She is gracious and giving and we would be nothing without her. She has done more for me and Daniel and our kids than anyone and I don't know how we will ever be able to repay all her love and kindness. She is strong and radiant with a little crazy mixed in, which makes for a great combination!

A little update: Ryan has decided that walking is the way to go. He is everywhere! Practically running already, it is so cute! He gets this proud look on his face when walking from room to room or up to someone. He also repeats words at times. The cutest thing so far was when Sophia was here. She was calling for Natalie to sit down and play with her. She was pointing to the chair and saying "sit down" repeatedly. After a few moments of hearing her, Ryan yelled "SIT DOWN" and everything got quiet. Natalie piped up, "Mom, he talked!" It was a cute moment. He also sits down with his books and "reads". He will babble on and on, but only he knows what he is saying. Natalie, of course, is our little princess and enjoys life. We have been spending more time outside being really active, which has helped her mood. She is pleasant and polite and just a joy. She is getting so big! I'm so proud to be her mom! She wasn't able to be in her parade this year. The individual with the wagon didn't show up, so she stayed and caught beads instead of being able to throw them. She was a little bummed, but I assured her that next year she could be in the parade. It all worked out since it was one of our cooler nights. Anywho, love and hugs to all!

Sophia's Visit and other Fun!

Agent Orange! (at the Monkey Parade at the Primate Research Center)

Big Girl on her bike!

Ryan loves to swing!

Hungry, hungry...giraffe!

Feeding the Llamas.

All you need is Love

Story Time with Natalie

Dancing at the Orpheus Parade

I managed to catch a moment that they ALL were getting along!

Fun times for the Dalpiaz-Neie families! Sophia was here all week and what a wonderful visit! This has been the best visit yet. I want to keep her all the time. In fact, I practically did! While Luke was at work, I would come over early in the morning and spend the day with all three kids. I reveled in it. It reaffirmed my belief that Daniel and I are meant to have more children someday. Natalie and Sophia adore each other. Every morning my heart melted to see their faces light up at the sight of each other. They, of course, would squeal and laugh and embrace each other. So precious! Ryan, we have discovered, is a little firecracker. We have another strong willed child on our hands! Natalie was our good girl this week while Ryan and Sophia fought like siblings. So funny and so cute! Ryan just had to be in the middle of everything the girls were doing. Natalie wasn't bothered by his presence, but Sophia wouldn't have any of it and you would hear her yelling, "No, Ryan, no!" all day. She would push him, he would try to hit her, and back and forth. After the first day I decided to keep them separated or else a Royal Rumble would surely have erupted by the week's end. LOL! This week was so much fun. A friend of mine (Beth) invited us to the Global Wildlife Center again since Sophia was visiting. It is quite a treat to be able to be that close to nature. The kids, even Ryan, were fascinated, their eyes wide with excitement. Beth came over the next day and we had crafts in the front yard. We set up a table and the kids painted and ran amok. The day after that, we had a picnic at the local park where everyone dug around in the sand, played on the swings, and raced down the slides. A couple of times I even drove around for a little while with the kids in the car to put them down for their nap. I am not ashamed and all you parents out there know you have done the same thing at least once in your parenting days! LOL! (When she would wake from her naps, she would call for me, "Zia! Come here, Zia!") On Friday, mom and I took Mikey and the kids to the 'Monkey Parade,' which is a special parade put on by the employees and volunteers of the Primate Research Center for the workers of St. Tammany Association of Retarded Citizens (STARC). They decorate golf carts in different themes, dress up in hilarious and gaudy costumes, and drive around about four times throwing beads and stuffed animals. That night we took Sophia to her first real Mardi Gras parade, the Krewe of Orpheus. She was mesmerized! The lights, the sounds, the excitement! She sat atop her daddy's shoulders for the full affect. The girls' sweet faces were good for getting tons of things thrown our way. Ryan fell asleep halfway through, tired boy. All in all, it was a busy and fulfilling week for all of us. My cup runneth over! I am already making plans for her next visit.

Our family continues to do well. Natalie loves to ride her bike and dance. She looks forward to those two things most of all (unless Sophia is here, then it is all about Sophia!) We've been introducing her to math and though she loses her interest after a while, she seems to be getting it. She is learning to spell her name. Her favorite colors are purple and pink. She doesn't sleep in her bed anymore but prefers to sleep in her kitty house, a pop up house given to her on her birthday from a good friend of mine. Silly girl! Ryan is getting more and more feisty. He loves to pick on his sister now and she is quick to tattle. Hooray for siblings! It is actually quite humorous and I find myself trying to picture myself and Luke, or Daniel and his sis, and our parents watching us as wee ones. As frustrating as it can be at times, I love being a mom and couldn't think of anything better to have in life than my husband and children. The Lord has abundantly blessed me and I am so grateful! I hope this finds everyone well. Love and hugs to all!

Info and Prayers

It's been good times lately in the Neie life. Ryan is walking and Natalie is getting better at riding her new bicycle. Sophia is here this week so there is much more fun to be had! It's Mardi Gras season around here, which the locals also call Carnival, and we have already attended one parade thus far. The Krewe of Eve rolled this past Friday and was amazing. I put Natalie up on my shoulders and she waved and cheered and caught many things thrown from the elaborate floats. Ryan was mesmerized by the lights and sounds and really enjoyed himself. He was in awe the entire time. We can't wait for the other parades that we will attend later this week and on actual Mardi Gras, February 24th (which is also my mother's b-day).

Remember my dear friend, also named Natalie, that I had asked you to pray for in blogs past? She has been on bed rest for 20 weeks (wow!) and delivered her baby girl yesterday on Valentine's Day. Though a rough and frustrating pregnancy, her daughter (Eve) is here and as healthy as can be! Continue to pray for my sister, Denise (Daniel's sis). She and her husband recently found out they are having another boy to make for three sons. His name will be Alexander, which I think is a wonderful, handsome name for our new nephew! Denise is due around the end of May. Her pregnancy has gone well so far, so keep the prayers coming! As always, keep my brothers in your prayers. And on a sadder note, one of my teen employees confessed that they are pregnant and want an abortion. Please pray hard!

America's Cutest Home Videos!

Ch-ch-ch-changes!

It's been a while since I've updated our blog. We have been living and enjoying life. The weather is getting warmer and we were even able to enjoy an afternoon on the Lakefront, as we call it. Daniel and I took the kids to see Lake Pontchartrain. There is an area up and down the lake with a playground, some sand, and paths to walk or bike. There was even a nice older gentleman who played some nursery rhymes for the kids on his violin.

Natalie is as feisty as ever. There are days when we think we need an intervention, and then there are days when she is as precious as a flower. She is a bossy little thing and it's a daily struggle. But strong-willed children run on both sides of the family so we are preparing ourselves for years of her independent attitude. Natalie continues to love her dance class. This year, because of dance, she will be able to participate in a Mardi Gras parade! We are so excited for her! On February 20, Natalie will join her fellow dancers in the Krewe of Orpheus parade in Mandeville, LA. She is super excited to be able to throw beads!

Ryan is almost walking on his own. He is still getting up the nerve to just take off. He will let go and walk to you, but is still hesitant to just up and walk around. No new words, just lots of smiling and laughing. He attempts to repeat words and then just smiles. He is able to get on and off of the rocking horse all by himself, and he tries to ride Natalie's tricycle. He can get on, but can't quite reach the peddles. Too cute!

Daniel and I made a decision recently and we are still waiting to see if it works out for better or worse. I stopped working nights at the YMCA as their member service representative. It was becoming a strain to work so late and we decided that I should be home in the evenings. I am still the Coordinator of the childcare facilities. Working at the YMCA has opened my eyes to the world of fitness. I've always been active and danced for over half of my life, but I'm talking about real fitness. I've learned about nutrition and how to really read the nutrition facts. I've learned about weight training and how important it is for bone density, especially for women who are prone to osteoporosis and brittle bones. I want my kids to learn a healthy lifestyle. So I decided since I love fitness so much and I want to continue with this new healthy living that I should pursue a career in fitness. As of this last weekend, I am now a Certified Zumba Instructor! Woohoo! Zumba is an amazing aerobics class that incorporates Latin styles of dancing with fitness (such as lunges and squats, etc.) It is a wonderful way to have fun while working out. Plus, you burn more calories during a one hour class than you would in two hours on a treadmill or elliptical! Wow! Can you tell how pumped I am? I am finally back doing my one passion, dance, and I get to help others learn the joys of dancing...while getting fit! Daniel is very supportive of this adventure and I should start teaching by next month. Now I can yell, "everybody mambo" and really mean it! LOL!