Life

I have been thinking a lot lately how great life is and how I wish I could freeze these moments in time. My baby girl is almost 4 and Bennett is almost 1 and all I can say is that time is going by to fast. I want to remember ALMOST every moment I have with each of my children and make the most of everyday. I feel like I am going to blink and Emma is going to be 15 and hating me but that will never happen right??? We will always be BFF's and she will tell me everything...hahaha. I heard the song, "Your going to miss this" by Trace Atkins and it helped me keep things in perspective. Each time in life is different and there are seasons to everything but all is meant to be enjoyed. I don't know why I decided to do this post maybe it is because it is Saturday night and Devin is gone studying for a test and I am bored. I don't think I will miss that.

Devin and Alicia in High School (this is funny)

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My friend had this on her blog and I thought it was funny so here you go

Family Pictures

My friend Heidi took some family pictures for us. She is so talented. Thanks Heidi

Carving pumpkins and Halloween Dinner

On Halloween we had a pumpkin dinner where our dinner was inside of the pumpkin complete with worms, mud and dirt for dessert. Emma loved every minute of it and again Bennett was happy and content as long as he had some type of food.



A couple of weeks ago we carved some pumpkins and by we I mean Devin. Emma chose her pumpkin out. It had to be the little one which was also very hard to carve but I think Devin did a great job. While they did that I made homemade dounuts. Which has always been a halloween tradition of my family along with homemade rootbeer. Bennett supervised and was happy as long as he had some type of food on his tray to eat.

I have Been Tagged

My friend Heather Tagged me and because I never update this blog I thought I would do it. Here are 7 Random things about me that some of you may not know.

1. For starters I really don't like to blog...that is why this thing is never updated. And I am really bad at keeping a journal. I am really not an artsy person. I don't like to scrapbook, sew, paint, do crafts, decorate or anything like that. When we have a house I want to hire someone to decorate it because I am so bad at it. My mom basically decorated most of my house the times she has been out here and not me. I know what I like when I see it, but if someone ask me to describe what I like I couldn't do it.

2. I LOVE to bake and cook. It is one of my favorite things to do. Especially this time of year when it is starting to get cold out but I love to do it all of the time. I love trying new recipes and improving on the ones I already have. My dream one day is to go to culinary arts school. I love my kitchen aid mixer and can't imagine my life without it. I use it almost everyday.

3. One of my favorite movies of all time is Father of the Bride. I loved watching it when I was a kid and I still do. My dream house is the one in that movie that is all white with ivy growing all around it. I really want a house just like that someday.

4. I have a fetish for pajamas. I love getting pajamas. I love after a long day putting on a good pair of PJ's it relaxes me. Whenever I am at the mall I make a special effort to see if there are any good deals on them. I also really love shoes.

5. I would really love to go to Law School. I find it so interesting. I don't however think I would be a good lawyer because I am not aggressive or confrontational but it would be so fun for me to learn all about it. I also really love to learn about money and business. When I go back to school I think I am going to go into Business and Finance. One of my big regrets is that I didn't finish school when I was back at BYU-I, but I will go back to school someday and can't wait. Maybe in 20 years when Devin is done with his schooling....???

6. I really use to not like chocolate. I didn't like anything chocolate. I hated cookies, cakes, icecream, some candy bars, and anything with chocolate in it. I now love it. It may sound wierd but I think my taste buds changed after I had kids. The only thing I still don't like is chocolate chip cookies...I hate them but everything else I really love.

7. Last one. My favorite foods are Salmon and potatoes. I love salmon and we probaby have it for dinner almost once a week. I also really love potatoes. When I was a kid my family would call me the potato girl because whenever my mom made them I would eat a ton. Good thing I married a potato farmer from Idaho.

I tag anyone who reads this and wants to do it.

What happened at Oprah!!!

Well I didn't have my camera with me so I don't have any pictures so I will just tell everyone what happened. We started out my checking in. We had to go through security and they took our cell phones and they also took a pen from my purse. Then we went to a waiting room. While we were there they kept showing Oprah's favorite things on the big screen TV's so I was getting my hopes up that it was a sign, but it wasn't. We didn't get on the favorite things show but it was still really fun. They then called different parties to go down first, and they called ours. So we went downstairs to the studio and found out that they wanted us to sit in the front section. I think it was because we all wore a bright colored shirt. So if anyone goes to Oprah wear a bright plain shirt. I got to sit on the front row 2 feet from Oprah....and she talked to me!!! It really wasn't that big a deal but still. She asked me if I was the girl with the question and I said no she is pointing to the girl next to me. I sat on the right side of the girl that was part of the show. I wore a bright green shirt so watch for me. On to the topic. We were all a little bummed out because the topic of the show was substance abuse and they had Tatum O'Neal (sp?) on talking about being addicted to drugs so it was kind of a downer show. Half way through the show I did have to move seats because Tatum sat in my chair. When they show Oprah talking to her in the audience at the end of the show that was where I was sitting the girl right behind her was Megan the girl that got the tickets...by the way thanks Megan for getting tickets and letting me tag along...oh and thanks to Emily for inviting me. Over all it was a great experience and I had a lot of fun. The show airs on Friday.

WAHOOO!!!!!

I am going to OPRAH!!!!! I can't believe it. My friend is going with some people and she called me and say they had an extra ticket if I wanted to go. I got off the phone and started jumping around and calling everyone I knew. I have been trying to get tickets ever since we moved here and it has been impossible. I am going on Tuesday Sept. 2nd. THANKS Emily I owe you big time.

Airport Blogger

Well, I'm on my way home to Chicago after 3 weeks of pest control sales in sunny Sacramento, CA. And I finally have time to tell the tale of a long fun filled 3 weeks that all started with a crazy airport experience at O'Hare and ends with me blogging it up at the, tiny-er then you would expect, Sacramento International Airport (SMF). I think SMF stands for smerf, after the size of the airport. We will get back to this at the end of the story. But right now you can see that I am pleasently listening to some new music that my cousin Bret gave me. The bands name is Fleet Foxes. I love it. (Emotion not shown in above picture). Speaking of cousins that is where my story begins. I left from my home in Gurnee, IL saturday June 28th. Arriving at "the jungle", a.k.a. O'Hare airport I left my family for 3 weeks. I know. Not the longest a family has been apart. But this was a new one for us. It was hard to say the least. Especially leaving two little ones who knew not how long a their father would be gone. And leaving a wife who knew all to well how long she would be alone with the two little ones. Hats off Alicia. It was sad but I was also thrilled only because I was going to meet up with my two cousins, one of which I had not seen in two years. I was also thrilled because Alicia was scheduled to come visit me in Sac-town after two weeks for my birthday. So back to my cousins.

Bret Baker and Brian Markham.

Those who know our family know that us three have been the best of friends for our entire lives. The list of events that we have enjoyed together is long, to name a few: '97 National Scout Jamboree; Road trip '99 (Angie wahlen Daw, Jason Duffin, me, Bret Baker) to So. Cal (Brian included in the So. Cal part). There was a cousin that made her way back with us back home (Katie baker Anderson). Anyway, the list could go on, but suffice it to say that there are few cousins in this world as close as we have been. So to make up for not being together for a long time we planned an adventure to hike Half Dome at Yosemite, CA. At O'Hare I jumped onto an earlier flight to make it into Sac earlier. My brother Cory picked me up at the airport and we went down to Yosemite to meet up with Bret, his wife Whitney, and Brian. We got side tracked by an IN-N-OUT and got a little lost but we got to the camp site exactly the same time as the others did. We talked about it later and knew that with the loss of our cell phone service, it would have been next to impossible to meet up like we did. When we first met up, I can honestly say that I have not giggled with that much joy in a long time. It was a good reunion as we waited for the camp receptionist to sign us in to camp.

Anyway, we camped that night all in one tent. It was so much fun. Here we are at our camp-site. Not to leave out Whitney of the group picture, Bret remembered her by taking this funny one of her by herself. Now that I mention it, maybe this was one of those things that was hilarious only if you were there. Sorry, you had to be there. But we laughed pretty good.

That stud with the BYU shirt, is my younger brother Cory. What a stud muffin. (Ladies he is single).

We got an early start toward the trail head. We started up the trail head in the cool shade of the mountain. Little did we know that we would be desceding from the mountain later that day with dry mouths and beaten to a pulp by an 8000+ ft. elevation and a hot Cali sun. But we started the day with cheerfull, naive hearts.

Passing up the misty trail to the top of Vernal Fall was the most beautiful part of the hike.

Close to the top we stopped for a look at what we had come for,

Half Dome.

Up to the side of half dome there are a series of switch backs. When we got past all of the hiking, precarious switchbacks and the increaseing heat, there before us, stood what looked like a wall with two parallel cables going up the height of the rock wall. Well, looks can sometimes be deceiving, but not this time.

But luckily it wasn't crowded. Here is what it could've looked like.

The top was worth the scary, gustying winds. And near 75% grade.

At the top I had a feeling of great self accomplishment. I couldn't have predicted that my body would almost shut down due to a little thing called heat stroke. Although everyone else probably thought it was just because I'm out of shape. No way man. I'm a machine. But seriously, I dry heaved almost 10 times. But a friendly hiker game me a bunch of water to through over my head and drink. My camal back was out. I quickly recouped, because I'm a machine. Out of shape. But a machine no less. Brian had the sole of his boat fall right off. And he ingeniously made a sandal out of his shoe and shoe lace.

But we made it down. Along the way I renewed my frienship with my close, but distant cousins. I also got to know my younger brother Cory a little better. Who I also hadn't seen more than a week in that last two years. Long live the Half Dome adventure.

To continue on with my 3 week adventure. I had to take boards part I July 9th. So I would study in the morning before knocking doors all day and then again in the evening. It was a hard week and a half of door to door sells and study. But the test came and went. I was able to take the exam, incidently, at a testing center just down the street from my Cousin Bret's place in Alameda, CA. I stayed with Bret and his wife Whitney the night before the exam. They were so nice to let me stay with them. They have to have the coolest apartment I have ever seen. And Alameda, CA is the best kept secret of the bay area.

Later that week the highlight of my 3 weeks came on Saturday July 12th. I was visited by my beautiful wife, Alicia. No, not in a dream. She flew out for my birthday. She and the kids had been staying with the family in Kaysville, UT. I should mention how thankful I am for Alicia's parents, Dave and Joann, for taking our kids for the weekend. I am the luckiest son-in-law. After picking up Alicia from SMF(smurf airport) on Saturday morning, I worked the morning. Alicia stayed at the apartments and made me a delicious lazagna, my favorite. She also made pastachio salad. A birthday must. After work on Saturday we went to a little town just outside of Sacramento called Folsom. Despite being know for housing the state of Californias criminals at the local state pen, we stayed at a cool hotel near history old town Folsom. We had so much fun shopping, eating in-n-out, and just being together after being apart for two weeks. The best birthday ever. But I will say I missed my little Emma and my stout little Bennett. Alicia stayed with me through monday morning and then left. But while we were here, we developed a roll of film that had been in our old camera for over 4 1/2 years. Alicia was sure that we would find pictures of me and old girlfriends. But she was pleased, as was I, to see that the roll of film started at our honeymoon. There was no way we could have remembered that we had taken those pictures as we started on our way to Las Vegas.

I love her so much. We have become closer over the last 4 1/2 years. She is the best thing that has ever happened to me. Well, I had better go. I have had the last 4 hrs to write this blog because I missed my flight this morning. I guess I should have got some more sleep instead of staying up with my brother Cory last night and watched Star Wars Episode III.

Here is a pic of Cory with oreos on his teeth.

It was fun CA. Here I come Chicago.

Happy Birthday Devin!!!

Sunday was Devin's Birthday. He turned the big 27. I am not currently on our computer so I don't have any pictures of him, but I thought I would give a little shout out to my baby. Devin is such a fun guy and can make friends with anyone. He brings such a fun spirit to our house. He is a hard worker and will do anything for his family. He is kind and considerate and I feel lucky to be his wife. I love you babe!!!

Fun at the Beach

The other day we decided to go to the beach. It was so much fun. Emma got to fly the kite she got from Grandma Wahlen and see what see calls "the ocean."

¡3!

As Emma's Father, I want to tell all young men that she is not available until she is 21! Or something like that. She is getting so old, way too fast.

Snow on Easter Day

To bad the snow storm didn't "Pass Over". We got hit pretty bad a couple of days before Easter Day. But we had fun with an indoor egg hunt.

Emma had fun decorating the eggs and the next day the Easter Bunny hid them all over the family room. But as soon as Emma turned her back on her basket her daddy would hide them again. She found what must have been 30 eggs with only 11 hidden in the first place. Your only 3 once.

First Family Pic-more to come

I decided to confiscate the blog for a second just to post this family pic. I love this photo mainly because of both Alicia and Emma's smiles. Bennett was flashing gang signs. I was just happy to be in Idaho. Taken on the stage of my home ward building. We were able to bless Bennett in Idaho during my spring break. It was so much fun to see the family again. Being in the mid-(stinky)-west it sure is nice to see family from time to time. But hey, someday we will all be together forever. Yeah! On that note, I love my little family and am truly blessed to have such an amazing wife and such cute kids. There could never be a more happy man. (post by Devin)

New Hair Cut

Emma woke up the other day and I thought it would be a good idea to get her hair cut. So we went to great clips down the street. I think it turned out pretty good!! Here is a before and after.

Our New Addition

Well I know it has been awhile since we have updated our blog....as usual. We have been very busy with our new little baby. He was born on Dec. 29th. 2 days late. On the night of the 28th I was getting very tired of being pregnant and my mom had been in town for 3 days and I just needed to get the baby out. So I had heard that if you drink castor oil it would put you in to labor. We went and got some at the store. It was the odorless, tasteless kind, but still very gross. I mixed it with some juice and drank it very quickly. That was at about 8:00 pm. At about 10:00 pm I started with regular contractions 3-4 min apart. They didn't really hurt so I decided to go to bed and get some sleep. At about 3:00 am I woke up and the contractions were still regular and getting a little more painful but nothing unbearable. I woke Devin up and told him what was going on. We decided to wait until 5:00 am to go to the hospital. When we got there they checked me and I was only at a 1....needless to say I was surprised and disappointed but they didn't send me home because I was overdue. At about 7:30 am I was at a 3 and then at 10:30 am I was still at a 3. That is very annoying. The doctor came in and broke my water and started me on the pitocin drip to help speed things up. As soon as my water broke I wanted the epidural....bad. So I got one and was waiting for it to start working, however, my left side went numb, but my right side did not. It was really weird. So it only worked on one side. At 12:15 pm I was in a lot of pain the babies heart rate started to drop and so did mine so Devin called in the nurse. She came in to check everything and was shocked when she saw the babies head. He was here and ready to come. The doctor rushed in and I pushed for 4 min and then Bennett David Wahlen was born at 8 pounds and 20 inches long. He has lots of brown hair...who would have thought. He is a great baby and we love having him here.