Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day Babe! I wanted to find a way to honor you and let you know what a great dad I think you are to our babies. So here are some of the things I think make you an extra special daddy.


1. You laugh at the kid's jokes even when they aren't funny.

2. You strive to make our daughter feel like a real princess.

3. You let Ben ride on the mower with you even though it would probably be faster and easier without him.

4. You can make even things that aren't fun like brushing teeth and going to bed an adventure.

5. You say I love you all the time.

6. The kids feel like they can talk to you because of your grace and kindness with them.

7. You always make sure to give them hugs and kisses before you leave each day.

8. You leave them little notes even though they can't read.

9. You give in to their silly wants like blue and pink cups after you have already poured milk in a red one, an entire glass of milk with cereal (which is totally unnecessary), sitting in the number two chair, or doing it over because that isn't the way Mommy does it (as Grace would say.)

10. You can be a kid with them and find the true joy in being a parent even though being a parent can be exhausting.

I see in you the heart of our Father, you have a deep desire to really know our kids, not just to raise them to be good people that make a difffernce in this world, but to really truly know them. To know their passions, their weaknesses, their loves, likes, and dislikes. To know their true heart and soul and to guide them and direct them according to that, not according to what job will make them most successful or what school will make them the smartest. I love the way that you love them. No we don't always get it perfect, shoot sometimes we can make a real mess of a situation, but I know and believe with my whole heart that our children know already at their young age and will grow to understand even more that their father loves them with the heart of the Father and that love will transcend all things both small and big. I love to watch you love our children and when I hear you call Ben "daddy's boy" or Grace your "little princess", or see you take the time to let Ben ride in the red car, or spend time with Grace when you are tired after a day's work just because she needs her dad I am so thankful that you are the father to our children. They are blessed to have you as their daddy and I am blessed to be your wife. Thank you for loving us the way only you can. You are our hero!

Love your Wife

The Year in Review and a Look Ahead

This year has been full and fast. It seems that the years fly by so fast, especially with the kids. Grace turned 4 this year and Ben turned 2. It is so strange not to have any more babies. I started the year with a "baby", Ben was only 15 months, but now he is 2 years old and talking up a storm. It is amazing what 10 months does in the life of a little one. Grace is blossoming into a beautiful little girl. She isn't a toddler anymore that is for sure. She is a social butterfly and a great big sister.

Peter and I had a big year, I started my jewelry business in Febuary which has been a great success and has been alot of fun. I have really enjoyed finding something that I can excel at and that has provided great blessings for our family. Peter left his job at St. Joseph's Hospital and started a counseling center with a business partner in October and I know that God is going to do great things through Life Builders. Peter and Robbie are challenging the way counseling centers have been done in the past and forging a new path that will impact our community with healing.

Our marriage is stronger today than ever before I believe. We had a rocky couple of months this year, but in the end God spoke words of wisdom into our hearts and years of healing was done in Peter's in one divine conversation. We are truly in pursuit of partnering together and experiencing intimacy in our marriage like never before. I so look forward to a deepening of our relationship.

Being a mom is the toughest role I have for sure. As the kids get older and more of their personality unfolds, it is a constant changing of how to deal with the every day things. Like where does a 4 year old learn to roll her eyes? Or how does Ben know how to be "huffy" with the folded arms and pouty face? They are both very funny and make me laugh all the time, sometimes when I shouldn't. Benjamin has become enamored with burping and saying excuse me, so he likes to make a "burp noise" (it sounds more like a tractor to me) and then say "excuse me" which sounds like "moo me." He also likes to say "Oh Man!" all the time before everything. Grace takes after her mom and has become a proficient hand talker. She is super expressive with her face, you probably have never experienced the excitement she can muster over something as simple as a piece of pink string she found while riding her bike (now coined her "magic ribbon"). She is doing so well in school. She is learning her letters, numbers, she loves to retell stories, and is proud to be able to write her own name. I find myself totally wiped by the end of the day more times than not, they just have so much energy. I am reading a book called, Grace Based Parenting, which I hope will help me as we get into tougher parenting years. As discipline becomes character building versus just trying to keep them safe. I now realize that disciplining a 12 month old so she doesn't stick her finger in the light socket easier than disciplining her now at 4 year olds when she just said "whatever" with more attitude than I would like or figuring out how to explain to my 2 year old that he doesn't always get what he wants despite the fit he is pitching. Anyway, I look forward to what the year brings and I am so blessed to be a mom to these two special and unique little ones.

What's to come for the Dell's:

Well this year Ben will be a ring bearer in a wedding in January. We got his a little 5 piece suit (For $30 can you believe it). We tried the suit on him and he looks SOOOOO adorable, as soon as we put it on he said, "Benny go to work" since Daddy wears dress shirt and pants to work.

I am working hard in my jewelry business to promote to builder and designer by sponsoring other jewelers and hope that I can go to Rally this year in July.

Peter is working hard to help make his business successful. We hope the counseling center will have a great presence in the community and God will direct them to the right places to spend money, resources, and time.

Grace will finish 4's and start kindergarten this year, I can't believe my baby is going to be in school not just preschool.

Ben will be eligible to be in young 3's, but we are not sure if we are going to send him just yet, we will see how the year goes.

Peter and I are both going to start exercising (I know how cliche') but I would really like to run a 5K in March, but I am not sure if I can do it.

We want to connect with people more. We feel like we have had our nose to the grindstone the past couple of years and I don't think we have come up for air, and we miss spending time with people we know, and we really would like to cultivate friendships with new people. We miss having friends to call and relationships with other couples.

Most of all we look forward to spending time together as a family. Deepening our relationships with each other, learning more about our kids and each other, and just living life together. We want our house to be a place where the fragrance of Christ is evident, that our kids call home in the truest sense, and that people feel welcome.

Looking ahead with anticipation and recalling the past with fond memories.

The Holidays

So the Christmas holidays have come and gone and they were pretty amazing. The kids loved all their things they got. Grace got her Leapster, some games, and My Little Pony. Ben got Thomas the Train sets, Mickey Mouse Clock, and cars, cars, cars. My parents brought us into the 21st century (as my mom called it) by buying us a flat screen tv, which is pretty awesome.

We as a family (from my mom) got a Wii. I know like everyone in the world already has one, but we got one this year and Grace loves it. She is better at the bowling than I am. It is so funny to watch her get strikes and jump up and down like she just won the state lotto. She also has become a bit of a trash talker when you play with her, which is so funny to listen to. She told Pete (after a strike), "beat that big boy!" And told me, "oh yeah, that's a stripe (which is a strike)!" She's got a competetive streak in her that is for sure. I have a feeling the Wii is going to afford some good sportsmanship lessons, and that you aren't always the best everytime, which she hasn't experienced too much seeing her usual competition is her 2 year old brother. So unless we are talking about who eats more (Ben), she is usually "the best" right now.

My dad got the kids little ipod shuffles, which they love, it is hilarious to watch them walk around with their head phones "singing." It is amazing how techno savvy kids are these days. I got a cassette player when I was 7 or 8, now my babies have ipod shuffles at 4 and 2.

Looking forward to New Year's and then the year is off and running again. Soon to say hello to 2009!