Handsome Mail-man

This kid kills me. If he sees a pen and any piece of paper (even a scrap) he has to doodle on it. Some days this drives me nuts, because I feel like I am following him around picking up pieces of scribbled on paper all about the place. Then...there are the days when his doodling melts my heart and I am just so grateful for my little doodler.

On one of his last days at daycare his little girlfriend Cameron taught Gabe how to draw hearts. I could hardly stand how cute that was. In my mind I pictured the two of them sitting close together (as I often found them when I picked him up) and her teaching him how to draw hearts. SO CUTE! Anyway, since he learnt how to draw hearts he has loved writing me love notes. Today I was sitting at the computer (when I should have been packing) and he walked in all serious and said "Excuse me, is your name Natalie Maree Bentley? I have a letter to deliver." Already dying but trying not to laugh, I say as seriously as I can "Why yes I am" He then hands me an envelope with these inside before he runs out of the room grinning.

 

Look at those little hearts! So clever!

 

 

 

My handsome little mail-man. I love the pens he stuck to his shirt. Not sure where he learned to do that, but  I thought it was adorable!

Harlem Shake....Anderson/Bentley Style

A couple of months ago, we helped move my brother Jarom and it was a long day of moving and scrubbing...did I mention scrubbing and moving. Anyway, amidst all that work we needed a little play. I present the Harlem Shake....Anderson/Bentley Style.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k83zrFDMylM&feature=youtu.be

I had never actually heard of the Harlem Shake. We were all standing around for a minute taking a break and my brother Ben said "hey...when I say so, starting dancing and acting spastic and then when I say stop...stop" I figured, why not. So we obliged. I didn't realize that Ben had a Harlem Shake app on his phone and was filming us for that reason. It's ok though...I'll own it. We are dorks and we know it.

In the video is Me, Gabe, my youngest brother Blake and my Dad (the bald guy) =)

Enjoy!

Spring time soccer!

Having grown up in a family where most of our time was spent playing basketball games, watching each others basketball games, at practices, coaching teams and even reffing, watching my own little guy play a sport brings me so much joy.

There is so much to be learned about being a part of a team, winning and losing, learning how to be a good sport, cheering for your peers, working at a goal, physically working your body, having a healthy mental and physical outlet, I could go on forever. Bottom line I love sports and Gabe is just so stinking cute in his little soccer outfit and watching him run around is a thrill for this Mummy!

This season his cousin Andrew is on his team and also his good little buddy Tommy. Gabe is in  heaven. We also love our coach, we were thrilled to be able to get him for a second season.

Go Gabe No 12!!

Gabe for the kick in!!

And...they're off!

Get it Gabe!! Go go go!

 

Chilaxing at half time

 

 

Our little soccer star!

 

Cousins! Love these two crazy kidlets

 

 

Buddies!

 

 

 

Ahhh...just looking at these pictures make me giddy for tonight's game. Now we just need the weather to really warm up so I can watch him play and work on my farmers tan too. I'm so ready to ditch my winter coat!  =)

 

 

 

Our 10th Wedding Anniversary

Yesterday Brad and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary! Are we really old enough to have been married 10 years?! WOW. When I look back at 10 years ago and think about the fact that at the VERY young age of 21 I left my whole world (which also happened to be on the other side of the world), my friends, family, school and work to take a leap of faith and marry Brad it is still mind blowing to me even now. We have been through more in 10 years together than some people go through in a life time, but every time a stumbling block got thrown in our path, we'd cry, hold each other and pick ourselves back up and keep on moving. I can't imagine my world without Brad in it. I know that the Lord was preparing me even as a youth to meet and marry this incredible man and to make a life here in the U.S.

I am thankful every day for him and for the amazing husband and father that he is. He is my partner in life and in crime, he knows me better than anyone else. He knows my strengths, my weakness, my hopes, dreams, fears and all my secrets (that sounds way more interesting than it really is...lol). We are two peas in a pod. There is no one else I'd rather get old and wrinkly with. He is my other and better half, my best friend and best of all he is my eternal companion and that is something I hold sacred and cherish most.

10 years and still going strong. I love you Babe!

We started out the day in the best way cuddling with our little man, listening to him gibber jabber and telling us stories in bed and just enjoying the fact that Daddy was home and Mummy didn't have to get up and hurry to get to work. Thursday was my last day at work (OH YYEEAAHH!) and yesterday was also Brad's Friday off. Brad had bought me some gorgeous flowers (tulips...he knows are my fave) and my favorite drink Vitamin water and he made me the fluffiest pancakes he could work up. After 10 years, I still love that Brad can make and loves to make me awesome (from scratch) pancakes. Then it was time to get Gabe ready for school. We both dropped him off and used the time alone to run some errands.

Look at those bad boys....mmmmmm =)

 

My flowers

 

Once we picked Gabe  up from school we all went to Subway for lunch (Gabe's request) and then we took advantage of the nice weather and drove down to the new outlets in Lehi for a gander. We wanted Gabe to have an opportunity to pick out some outfits for his little brother on his own. It was so fun to have him walk around the store and pick out things for the baby. Of course ever outfit he picked had animals on them =).

Once home, Brad and I sat on the porch in the sun while we visited with neighbor friends and watched Gabe and the little neighbor boy play. The weather was just too nice, being inside wasn't an option.

Gabe had been begging to do some science experiments at home, so we all went and bought the supplies for  him to make his own "GOO". He had a blast making it and playing in it for a while before he went over to Nana and Papa's for a play date so Mum and Dad could go out to McGraths for an anniversary dinner.

 

Here we go....he was SO excited!

 

 

 Goo-ey!

 

 

For this kid who LOVES Spiderman, this was probably the closest thing we could get to Spiderman's ultra cool webs

 

 

Mixing all the colors together to get rainbow goo!

 

 

All in all I'd say it was a perfect day. It wasn't our planned 10 year anniversary trip to Europe, but I wouldn't change anything about the changes coming our way right now and think this anniversary will still be one we will NEVER forget. Besides...Europe will be way more fun in about 5 years when we can take the boys with us =)

New Family Pics

We were in need of some new family pics and so a couple of Sunday's ago, my dear friend Holly snapped some of us at home. I was thrilled with how our little last minute partly sunny, partly cloudy, snow showers at times photo shoot turned out.

This is hands down one of my faves =)

 

Look at my cute boys! What isn't to love about these faces?

 

Who really likes to be tickled? This little guy! He BEGS to be tickled. Honestly....I almost can't think of anything worse, but I am always happy to oblige =)

 

 

 

Ahhhh....Look at that face. I am such a lucky Mummy!