Casey Family

Europe 2011

2011-06-06T10:46:00.000-07:00

Our two weeks in Europe could not have been any more perfect. The weather was gorgeous - in the 70's the whole time with no rain. That is almost unheard of in Europe. Maybe because of my Dutch heritage I truly felt at home there, I loved everything about it, the food, people, shopping, architecture I could go on and on but don't worry I won't. When I got home and saw the kids were okay I just wanted to get right back on the plane and go again. I have 100's of picture each with a fantastic story but unfortunately I don't have that much time to post them all so here is the cliff notes versions.

The food there truly is like no other place I have been. Above are waffles that aren't quite like ours but you can get them fancied up in so many ways. The top further most right tray with the strawberries are the poffertijes which are my most favorite. I think I had a tray of those a day - so no surprise I gained 5 pounds there.

Here we are in Volendam which is such a darling little town. We enjoyed walking around eating and shopping. Dave found some yummo fish here that he is holding in his hand. Don't worry we didn't eat any of the raw herring - not for us.

This is the water tower in Sneek which has quite a bit of history to it. We were here for the Queen's day which was quite a huge festivity for 2 days straight.

These are the flowers in koekenhof which were amazing. I have been to the buchart gardens in Canada which don't hold a candle to these. Rows and rows of colorful tulips, all different variations of tulips. Miles and miles of them, it almost didn't seem real.

Oh my favorite are the Poffertjesh's which are little pancakes with butter and powdered sugar on them. Whenever I saw a stand selling them I had to have some. Those and the cream puffs there are like no other. They have a different kind of cream which goes inside that just makes you want to have more. Thank goodness there are pastry shops on every corner so we just walked and ate all day.

Here is a guy making the poffertjes.

This is madurodam which has every major sight to see in Holland in miniature. It has moving boats, cars and planes. A definite must see in Holland.

That is me and Jana with Jeff off to the side being goofs.

This is the wall in the house of the Hiding place. They have knocked out a hole so you can see what it looked like where they would hide the jews. Probably the most fascinating tour we did while in Holland.

This is my mom and her sister. My mom stayed with her sister the whole time we were in Europe. That is my Aunt's house to the right of us. They have such tiny houses, yards, refrigerators, everything compared to what we have.

This is my Cousin Theo and his wife Cora, it was so fun getting to know our cousins that live there.

A typical dutch sandwich, the Dutch love to put eggs on everything. So dang yummy.

The cemetery where the American soliders are buried that lost their life during world war 2. This is only a tiny piece of it.

This is a very strange church - they claim they built it all with which stone and once completed the next day it turned red on it's own.

So I was craving a hot chocolate one night and we went into this fun chocolate store. We asked for Hot chocolate and girl started to scoop up ice cream, I quickly told her HOT chocolate and she said "yes of course"and continued to whip it up. It was the best hot chocolate I have ever had.

Dave, me and Jeff

The stain glass in St. chappelle

One of the typical streets in Holland, always busy with tons of stores.

This is our tour guide in Paris who we feel in love with. We did a 4 hour bike tour the day after we got there and learned so much.

Winter

2011-02-23T12:26:00.000-08:00

This month has gone by way too fast. Once again we have crammed it full of fun memories though and way too many pictures to scrapbook. Someday I will get back to my scrapbooks but for now I am just enjoying my darling family.

Dinner our for my sister's birthday. We love any excuse to get together and go out to eat.

My beautiful bouquet of flowers that Dave surprised me with on Valentine's.

Valentine's came and went too fast. Again this year we made Valentine's for the Residents of a retirement home here and went to visit them and hand them out. It is such a Valentine highlight for us.

We love Saturdays especially going to Matthew's basketball games. He is loving his team and his coach is our favorite so far. He has shown huge improvement from last year which has been so fun to see.

Our great friends the Cook's invited us for their superbowl party. I am really not into football but this party was a ton of fun. The Ottley's know how to make it fun for everyone. When we got there we had to fill out a questionnaire about the game and about every hour someone won a prize. Yes, I even won a prize which thrilled Matthew because it was a gun that shot balls.

We are huge Brian Regan fans in this house so when we found out he was coming to Logan we about died. Our good friends the Johnson's are also huge fans so we got tickets for our kids and surprised them for Chrismtas with them. Brian did not disappoint, we laughed our heads off the whole time and wished he would have gone on for another 24 hours. Just what we needed after another dump of snow and cold.

So this is our cultural month with 3 plays, and one comedian night. Lexie and I went with our friends to see the Music Man which was fantastic. There is such amazing talent up here in Logan. My sister came up and we went to see the High School's Wizard of Oz which was also amazing.

Cold is cold

2011-01-23T17:14:00.001-08:00

So as many of you who know me know that I hate to be cold. Moving to Logan was a stretch for me since EVERYONE had to remind me how much colder it is in Logan. Even my mom would call about every other day during the winter months to tell me how much colder it is up here than down in Ogden. Honestly to me, cold is cold wether it is a difference of 5 to 10 degrees. So Dave who is always so worried about me has planned trips to somewhere warm the last 3 years to help me get through the winters. Well here it is the middle of January and we have no trip planned because we have been so crazy busy this year. THAT has made all the difference, staying busy and not thinking about how cold it is but enjoying the beauty that the cold brings. It has given me a new appreciation for snow. This is the first year I remember in a long time that I have LOVED January and am actually sad to see it come to an end. Thank goodness there will be another January next year.

2011-01-09T20:19:00.000-08:00

New Year's Eve - such great friends and food. It would not have been complete without the Amsdens (we were sad Rob had to work) and the Johnson's. Dave really was here - someone had to take the picture. We all ate, talked, played games, ate and had way too much fun until around 1:00a.m.

Once again the holidays have come and gone way too fast. All the decorations are put down except for the Christmas cards which I have hanging on in my entry hall and leave up for another month. I love passing by there and glancing at all the wonderful friends we have made throughout the years.

Of course we had to hit the lights on temple square which are amazing as always. This year we went with our darling neighbors the Johnson's and ate at Spaghetti Factory first. We just can't seem to get enough of that place.
For Christmas we got Just Dance 2 and have been loving it ever since. Jeff, Jana and kids came up so of course we had to have a dance-a-thon. Not only is it fun to do it but to watch the people doing it was well.
I love Christmas dinner and especially when family comes. I got pictures of the table all set but forgot to take them while we were eating oops.
Nothing says the holidays like Christmas plays, here we are with the other Johnson's to see "Elves" by Pickleville playhouse which was a Christmas highlight.
Every year we make out our wishlists for everyone to see. Matthew doesn't want to get anything wrong so he still includes pictures as does Dave's (his are on the back). It is a fun thing to see what the kids hope for each year.
One other musical - The Forgotten Carols which started us off on the Holiday Season. It was just what we all needed to be in the right spirit for Christmas.

Excuse me I wasn't finished with Summer yet.

2010-10-04T07:29:00.001-07:00

We had such a great summer this year and crammed so much into it. Here is a small glimpse of some of the things we did. A family triathlon which was a blast.
Our yard looked so gorgeous this summer. Hard work really does pay off.
Flew up to Denver with my sweet Indiana friend Joan and her daughter to be there for our friend Keri who had lost her daughter.
Love driving by seeing Dave on the billboard.

My 20 year highschool reunion was a blast.
Dave did the spudman so we all went up to Idaho to visit our darling friends the Pedersen's.

So Dave did a couple of Triathlons this summer with his brothers, I don't think I have enough room to post even half the pictures from them. But they all improved this year and had a lot of fun doing them.
I think I am getting old because I could only do the roller coaster twice this year at Lagoon. Luckily the kids are old enough they can go on it by themselves.

Love, love, love hanging out at Cherry Hill with the Dodenbier's. (Lexie wouldn't get out of the Lazy River to be in the picture)
We hosted couples bunko again this year which is such a great tradition.
We love hanging out with the Miller's in Park City
My sister, Mom and us cheering Dave on at the Ogden Marathon.
Matthew had another great soccer team this year and scored more goals than ever.
Threw a fun surprise party for Lexie's 13th birthday party. She had no idea.
We spent the 4th of July weekend in Kaysville having so much fun with family.
Love going on early morning runs with my sister. Wish she lived closer by so we could go everyday.
Sisters and Mom weekend - making christmas gifts. We love spending time together.

Memorial Day - Matthew's Birthday

2010-06-01T14:36:00.001-07:00

Memorial day was a day full of fun family tradition. Since we moved back to Utah 3 years ago it has been so fun starting new traditions. For Memorial Day we love getting together. We go down the night before and stay and my sister's house then get up way early and go run a 5K. This year Lexie walked it with my mom who is 81 which was perfect. I have to say that I have the best family ever! Thank goodness we were able to move back so we can do all these fun things together.
After wards they provide a breakfast which is always so yummy!. My niece said it perfectly "I love that no one has to clean up afterwards." Well said Chris. It is just fun to sit down and talk about what everyone is up to. They always do a nice program along with bag pipers playing while we eat. I love the little home town feeling that my kids get to experience.
My darling sister is always such an inspiration to me. She is so positive and always pushes me to try new things. I seriously want to be her when I grow up.
We all went to the cemetery where my Dad and brother are buried. My mom had a fun surprise for all of us. She had written a story about her being in the war and submitted it to a dutch newspaper which got published! We all got a copy of it.
Since it was Matthew's birthday we went to Bookdock's for a fun filled afternoon. What a great place! Dave described it as a kid's Las Vegas.

The mini golf was a ton of fun. Of course Matthew won.
We all loved the go-carts. It makes me want to go and buy one and drive it all around the neighborhood all day.
I opt'd out of the water boats because everyone was getting soaked and that did not really thrill me.
As we were leaving Matthew told us it was the best birthday ever. I guess we can just bag the party then on Wednesday. Matthew won so many tickets that he bought a little pool table with it.
We ended the night at AppleBee's with of course Jeff, Jana and kids. One of these days I need to put together a collage of us and all the places we have eaten with them. We love hanging out with them and their kids!

Dave's Birthday

2010-05-29T11:59:00.001-07:00

I totally surprised Dave this year for his birthday. We made him a nice breakfast then blindfolded him and drove all over Logan. We ended up at the Logan airport where I had arranged for a flying lesson. He was totally shocked and so excited. The kids got to fly in the back and Dave did the lift off and flew all around Logan. It couldn't have been more perfect.Dave, the kids and instructor walking to the plane.
We ended the day with a fancy dinner at Elements. The kids actually loved their food, it was such a fun way to celebrate Dave's birthday.

Are You Kidding Me?

2010-05-24T17:41:00.000-07:00

Dave continues to amaze me. He just ran the Ogden Marathon and did fabulously! He was a little sore after but other than that he accomplished an amazing goal and made us all so proud to call Dad. Matthew also ran a Kid's K which he loved and did well at. I think he has running in his gene's too.
I kid you not there were around 500 kids that ran this kid's K. Thank goodness he did not wear his green shirt so I could tell where he was.
My darling sister and Mom came to support Dave as he crossed the finish line. What inspiration it is to see all those people coming in. My sweet family all met at my mom's home afterward for a congratulatory lunch in Dave's honor. After all this is a HUGE accomplishment. (Lexie was at a YW pre-camp overnighter so she was not with us)

Mother's Day was sweet!

2010-05-09T18:41:00.001-07:00

Dave had to work on Mother's day so we celebrated on Saturday. Jeff, Jana and kids all came up for the weekend. It was so fun being with them and all going to Hamilton's for their Mother's Day breakfast. It would have all been totally perfect if Matthew wasn't being a pill as you can see from the picture. He did not want to eat anything. We all loved the crepes, bacon, fruit, omlettes - okay you get the picture. Jana and I went shopping afterwards and then Dave made a yummo ribs and potato dinner for all of us. How did I get so lucky? Everyday I am truly thankful and humbled for all I have and especially for the blessing of being a wife and mother to two of the greatest kids ever.
I don't know what got into Matthew but it better not happen again next year.

What we have been up to.

2010-04-27T16:27:00.000-07:00

Now that winter is finally over it seems like time has flown by. We survived another long, cold Logan winter. Every year Dave and I say "Let's move to St. George." One thing is for sure, we definitely would not want to retire up here.

To kick off Spring I went to St. George for a girl's weekend. We had so much fun eating, talking, getting pedi's, shopping and eating some more. It just wasn't long enough. What I would'nt give to be neighbors with these darling girls again.

For Spring break we took the kids to Maui. Since were flying out on Sunday I talked Dave into the Little America Easter Brunch. We had to tell the kids this was a once in a life time opportunity since it was on Sunday - but man did we love it.

So we went from this to.......

This

Fall is really here

2009-09-29T09:28:00.000-07:00

Fall is already off to a great start! I usually don't love the Fall because I know winter is right behind it but this year I am actually enjoying it. We just got back from the Aspen Grove marriage retreat which is always so fun. The speaker this year was just exceptional - I don't think I have cried and laughed so hard in a long time. This is our 3rd year doing it and I said to Dave "We can't afford NOT to do this." We love hanging out with Jeff/Jana and Colter and Jen. We do the extended night and all of us bring our kids up for that. It is definitely a tradition we all love. The mountain was simply gorgeous with all it's color as you can see. Of course the picture does not do it justice.

Dave, 5 of this brothers and one nephew all did the OLYMPIC Bear Lake Brawl. I was so proud of him since he has trained really hard for this. They all had a great time as did the rest of us.

SUMMER _ NEVER a dull moment

2009-07-26T20:33:00.001-07:00

Summer just flies by way too fast. Since our yard was all put in this year we were finally able to just go have fun and enjoy the warm weather. Here is what we have been up to. We had two family weddings, and 3 baby blessings this summer. Lexie was able to go to girls camp this year but got a little homesick and soaked. It rained the whole time. Lexie wanted her birthday party at the Aquatic Center again this year which was a lot of fun. We finally gave in and got her a dog for her birthday. Her name is Bella and she is 1/2 Westie and 1/2 Toy Poodle. We celebrated the 4th of July with my sister and her family in Layton. On our way to St. George and Las Vegas we stopped to see the Oquirah Temple which was so such a treat to do with our kids. We had a blast in St. George visiting with friends and family. Las Vegas was fun too but maybe not with kid next time. Dave, 5 brothers and one sister-in-law did the Logan triatholon again this year. It was so fun having them all come to our home after for breakfast. We went to Lagoon with some family and Dave, Matthew and Uncle Mark did the Sky Coaster. I finally got the kids on the Colossus this year which was very exciting for me. (I love that ride) The kids did a Kid's camp this summer to make money to buy Rock Band. They earned their goal and had a lot of fun doing it.

Catching Up

2009-06-09T18:10:00.000-07:00

It seems like Spring just hit us with a bang. One day I am looking out my kitchen window at all the snow wondering if Spring will ever get here and the next day I am out mowing it. We have been loving Spring here in Logan. For Memorial day we all went to Woods Cross for a fun 5k walk/run with my sister and her husband. I was so proud of Lexie and Matthew for both participating. You probably can't tell from this picture but Lexie wasn't very excited about it.

Matthew's soccer team was undefeated this year. He had a great coach and a great time. He even scored a goal which got me off my chair and yelled so loud I think the people in the town next to us heard me.

For Matthew's 9th birthday we had a Lego party. The boys all made Lego cars and raced them. It was a huge hit.

To start summer vacation off right the day the kids got out of school we headed to Park City with my brothers family for a couple of days. We always love going there and getting our Alpine Slide and Coaster fix. It was so much fun we were just not ready to leave.

Mother's Day

2009-05-10T19:24:00.000-07:00

This was the best Mother's Day ever. Since Dave had to work on Sunday he treated us to Hamilton's Mother's day buffet/brunch on Saturday. It was amazing. The owner treated Matthew like it was HIS birthday, I am not kidding he went all out for him. Lexie just loved the grilling station, we had to stop her after her 3rd steaks. Our kids were in heaven which made it that much more pleasant for us. We were seated right by the dessert bar so I was in my own bit of heaven. To top it off Matthew scored his first goal in soccer. I don't think I have ever jumped out of my seat and yelled so loudly. I was so proud I almost started to cry. It was all to perfect. I am so grateful for the privilege of being a mother there truly is nothing more rewarding.

Spring is finally here

2009-03-18T17:37:00.001-07:00

So I love spring for many reasons but one is that I take down all my red stuff and put up my blue/green stuff. I change it out every 6 months which is perfect. Just when I start getting sick of the one color it is time to switch. Do I have too much time on my hands? Maybe.

2009-03-09T08:35:00.000-07:00

If there is one thing I love it is getting together with old friends. This past weekend 3 of my bestest girlfriends drove all the way to my house for a "girls weekend." We had a blast catching up and even got some shopping in (thanks Blake for watching the kids). Times like this I will treasure forever.

The loves of my life

2009-02-22T14:37:00.000-08:00

So while setting up my face book page I had to put these fun pictures on it. Our darling and talented neighbor Trevor took them for us. We love them!

Thawing out in California

2009-02-18T10:57:00.000-08:00

So we were all complaining how stinking cold it is up here in Logan. I think Dave got tired of it so he rented a beach house in San Diego for the week. It was just the thing we all needed. We had a blast, we went to Lego Land, San Diego Zoo, The Children's Museum and rode bikes along the beach front to Mission Bay. The Robertson's had us over for a fabulous dinner, it was so fun catching up with them. We wish we lived just a little bit closer. Now we are hoping that Spring is just around the corner for us.

The perfect ending to a perfect year

2009-01-15T15:11:00.000-08:00

So I have to share my perfect ending to 2008. When we lived in Missouri I was the Young Women's president which was a very hard calling for me since Dave was in school, Lexie was 5 and Matthew was 2 and our ward building was 25 minutes away. So many times I had to haul my kids there for mutual nights or shuffle them around between friends for firesides and so on. There was one particular young women I just loved and connected with. We moved away and from time to time I would hear from here and there what she was up to. Low and behold in December I get a wedding announcement from her. I quickly skim where she is getting married and about cried when I read the Salt Lake Temple. I could not have been any prouder. Second, I found out that she is going to school here and lives basically 5 minutes from my home. So as Dave and I are driving to the wedding I was hoping that she would remember me. As we walked through the door I see her across the room and she comes running to me with her arms out saying "Sister Casey!" She was absolutely gorgeous and just glowed! As I hugged her I was overwhelmed with love. I was reminded again that this is where true happiness comes from and this is really what our life here on earth is really about. Seeing when those we love make it. I have been on cloud 9 ever since. This truly was an unforgettable memory I will cherish forever. I can't believe I am still receiving blessings from serving the Lord that many years ago.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-13T08:52:00.000-08:00

Thanks to our friends and family for your darling Christmas cards. It was so fun getting caught up on what everyone is doing. We could not believe how big everyones kids are getting.

We definitely had a white Christmas this year. The kids have loved playing outside in it and sledding in the pit (water runoff bowl). Dave and Lexie have also enjoyed skiing this year.

Hawaii - We miss you!!

2008-12-18T13:40:00.001-08:00

So 2 months ago Dave and I were in Hawaii. We were enjoying beautiful hot days and warm sand on our feet. Now we are freezing our butts off and wishing we could go back. Yea that is the view from our hotel room. Dave had classes in the morning so I would go down to the beach and read and swim. It was quite the life. However, I missed our kids like crazy. I kept thinking how they would love everything we were doing. Next time we will have to take them. For those of you who have never been to Hawaii - start saving now! It is best to go when your young!!

You have to go all out too, stay in a hotel off the beach, rent a convertible and try all the great restaurants. That is what I love about vacationing with Dave. We take it all in and live it up.

We finally blogged it!

2008-12-15T08:01:00.000-08:00

So my darling friend started this blog for me so I can finally get with it. (Thanks Rachelle) Things here are great. We just got snow on Saturday so it finally feels like Christmas has got to be around the corner. The kids have only 5 more days of school this year and can't wait to have some time off. I honestly can't wait either because I love having them home.

Happy Holidays!