Happy New Year!

I am awaiting the New Year as I type this post! Another 30 minutes and it will be 2008! Where did the year go? We have so much to be thankful for. This past year was full of blessings. I am looking forward to many more blessings this new year. I have many pictures to post in a slide show that will be coming very soon. We have enjoyed visiting with Robert's parents this Christmas. They are leaving rather early in the morning. As much fun as we had it is always hard to see them go. Time with family is very precious to Robert and I. We are looking forward to my parents coming in June. I hope this finds all of you doing well and starting the new year off wonderfully! Bye for now. I will post again soon!

Ballet Christmas Show

Well, Satruday morning was Audrey's Ballet Christmas Show. We were worried she wasn't going to make it because she was feeling really sick the night before. We gave her some childrens nyquil and she seemed much better in the morning but still not herself. She still did not want to miss her show for anything. We were a little worried that she would not perform once on stage but she surprised us and did really well. (Although we did several pep talks about getting up there and doing a good job) At first she did not realize her teacher was up there helping them. Once she saw her teacher she did everything she was supposed to do and loved every minute of it. Daddy presented her with a rose afterwards and that rose is her pride and joy. She wanted to hold it all day long. She finally gave it up to sit in water so it would stay pretty. Her cousin Alena takes ballet with her and they always stand together in class as well as on stage. Alena's grandma has become Audrey's grandma as well. She had been in Hawaii and got back just in time to see the girls perform. Audrey was delighted to see her again. Afterwards both families went to IHOP to celebrate a job well done! We are so proud of Audrey. She is coming out of her shell when in front of people which is a big step for her. She will resume ballet mid January. They are done til then. Have a blessed weekend.

Just What Meemaw ordered!

Papa and Meemaw Dean are coming up here for Christmas. Meemaw was so wanting there to be lots of snow so she could see the true Alaska. Well Meemaw, your order has been fulfilled!!! Lets all pray it stays till you come. All these pics were taken today. We didn't have a bit of snow, then Tuesday morning it started coming down. This is all since then. It definitely makes it a prettier place around here. I never thought I would say it is nice to have a little snow but it really is. Enjoy!

Audrey Loves Animals

I went to a friends from church to practice my flute for offeratory. They have 2 dogs and a bird. Audrey was ready to take them all home with her. Maybe someday she will get a puppy. Secretly mom wants one too!
Audrey had a big lip in the pics from bumping on the seat. It looks much better now!

Big Brother Protection

Gregory is our very sweet hearted child. He has another side to him as well that we won't mention for now. But when it comes to his family he loves us all dearly. In fact the following is a dialog between him and Eric.
Greg: Eric
Eric: What
Greg: I love you!
Eric: Oh yeah. I love you too.
Greg: You know what?
Eric: What
Greg: I love everyone in our family. Dad, mom, you and Audrey. I just love all you.
Eric: That's good.
It was funny to listen to then here comes Gregory to me.
Greg: Mom
Mom: Yes Greg
Greg: I love you!
Mom: I love you too
Greg: I love everyone in our family. I just love all you.
His heart must have been bursting with love! So, Audrey is our girly girl. It is all about frills and pretty to her. Until her brothers want her to play with them. She can be really tough when the situation calls for it. Eric had wanted Greg to play football with him but Greg didn't want to. So Eric was content to ask Audrey to play. Her response was yeah sure! Greg immediately interjected, "Eric, be easy on her!"
Eric: I will!
The football started and Eric made the play go in his favor even though he really did nothing. Gregory immediately came and tackled Eric to the ground and said, "You were supposed to be easy on her!" I then had to jump in and resolve the issue. I reminded Greg that we don't settle things that way. I also praised him for looking out for his sister. It sort of melted my heart to see his protetiveness for his sister come out. Even though my kids may fight and argue I know there is a great deal of love for each other. When it matters they show it.

Life is Busy

I don't have much to say right now other than life is extremely busy for Robert and I. I absolutely love this time of year but it is the busiest time for us. I am longing for some rest and relaxation and a little slower pace. Since I know that is not happening anytime soon I am just trying to catch my breath while I can. The boys are doing well in school and are anticipating Christmas break. They are anxious to see their Papa and Meemaw Dean. They arrive here in Alaska on Christmas Eve. Robert and I are excited for their arrival as well.
Currently I am thanking the Lord for a mild winter. Right now we really don't have any snow. It puts a smile on my face, especially since everyone else is saying they have 3-7 inches of snow.
Robert has been working quite a bit of overtime of late again. He is doing a project that is due on Monday. The rest of the week we will hardly see him. He even has to work this Sunday to do the inventory count with his boss. We praise the Lord for his job and such a wonderful boss. There is more exciting news about his job but I want to wait until the facts are final before sharing all the details. Please pray all the details work out wonderfully. Well, I am tired and exhausted so I will say good bye for now but take care.

Ballet Progress

Well, this past Tuesday was a really fun day at ballet. The girls were all working on a little routine with another girl in the class. The teacher was having so much fun with it that she asked the moms to come in and do it with their daughter. So I came in and went to Audrey and she said "No, I don't want to." She said it so sweetly and kindly. She was having too much fun with her friend Jocelyn. So I stood to the side and took the pics. I was actually rather relieved to not have to do it. She is really loving her ballet class and is thrilled about the Christmas show coming up. I will post pics of her Christmas show afterwards.

Your Opinions Please

We need everyones opinion please. Audrey would like to grow out her bangs. They are grown out to the point where we can put them all back now. I am not sure what I think yet. What do you all think???

Our Thanksgiving Weekend

Here are some pics of our Thanksgiving weekend. We had a really relaxing time and so ejoyed just being together as a family. The weekend has just went by too fast though. Friday we were part of black Friday and were up and out of the house before the sun to hit the great deals. We almost made it home before the sun came up. We came home and took a long nap and spent the evening decorating for Christmas. Christmas is the families favorite holiday. The kids really enjoyed decorating the tree. Eric really got into the decorating. He really wanted to the house lit up and wanted color lights and not white. I so enjoyed him giving his input. I didn't realize he had an opinion about it all yet. We got an artificial tree this year since the real trees up here are so exspensive and hard to keep alive. It is just too dry here. We had trouble finding one that looked full. In the end we got a really good deal and ended up loving it. Tomorrow is back to the regular schedule unfortunately. We are looking forward to Robert's parents coming up for Christmas. The whole family is counting the days til they arrive. We are used to having Thanksgiving with them so we dearly missed them this past weekend. Anyway, we hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving yourself. Take care!

Fishy Day

Today the boys had someone come into the school and do a fish disection with them. They knew ahead of time about it and were really looking forward to the fish excitement.
Eric jumped in the car and said, "Oh the fish were discusting! It was kings!" Then I heard about it all the way home from both the boys. Come to find out Eric's fish was the only female one. She had plenty of eggs I hear. Gregory told me he saw the fish brains. Eric explained that each fish had a heart and each was a different size. He seems amazed how small it's heart was. Apparently they pulled the gills out with their hands. When they are done with the disection they take the fish to the sled dogs and feed them to them. I think it was very educational for me as well. The really seemed to learn alot.
I suggested that now they are ready to help their Uncle Tim clean the fish in the summer. Eric piped in and said, "Yeah, only I will wear gloves."
We are very busy tonight getting prepared for tomorrow's Thanksgiving feast! The boys are excited about sleeping in and having lots of homecooked food. Daddy is looking forward to all the yummy food too!
Happy Thanksgiving to you all! May the Lord bless you on this wonderful holiday.

Lots of snow this weekend

Boy did we get dumped with snow this weekend! The kids have just had a blast with the snow. They would stay out in it all day. They even play out there when it is dark. We just turn on the back porch light and they play to their hearts content. I have some pics from Saturday night that I will post later. We had a bon fire. Will post more about it later. Bye for now and take care.

Bible Characters

Our church had the kids dress up as a Bible Characters as an alternative to Halloween. Here are some pics of the kids in their costumes. Can you guess who they are? I will tell you at the end of this post.
There is a picture of Audrey's friend Lydia. She is a very special handicap little 3yr old girl. What really melts my heart is to see Audrey's patience and compassion toward Lydia. Lydia will touch and bother Audrey and Audrey will just put her arm around her and love her. Lydia responds to her well. In fact, Audrey let Lydia where her headband from her costume. Lydia had to go tap everyone and show off the headband. Lydia was just grinning from ear to ear. I thank the Lord for the softness of Audrey's heart. The 2 girls just love each other.

Well now for the characters:

Eric- Noah(so he says, I think it could have been almost any male character)

Gregory- David (when king Saul was putting his armor him to go fight Goliath)We made sure he understood that is not what David went to battle in though.

Audrey- The obvious angel (our neighbor said, "she didn't need to dress up, she's already an angel!")

Anyway, the last pic is of a new baby in our church, Emma. Audrey adores her and wants to hold her all the time. We went to her house one day to sit and fellowship with her mommy.
That is all for now. Will post again soon.

Ladies and....

Audrey was playing today and said, "Ladies and Jugglemen! Listen up!" I couldn't help but laugh. The things kids say! I am really enjoying my time with her while her brothers are in school. I treasure every moment with each of my children. I am richly blessed.

The Joy has left me!

Here I was getting so excited because all the snow had finally melted away yesterday. I was beginning to think that I would have a brief moment of no snow before it started to fall again. Boy, was I ever wrong. I woke this morning to find a dusting of snow covering the yard. But it hadn't stopped snowing yet. It has been snowing all day! The joy I had was but for a brief moment. I do enjoy the beauty of it but what makes me not want it is that I know it will be here for quite some time. It won't all be gone til the end of April or so. So for now I am trying to settle myself in for the long winter. When everyone in the lower 48 has colder weather it won't be so difficult.
Yesterday was tough for our son Eric. He had to go back to the dentist and have a root canal and crown done. It was a tooth that the dentist tried to fix in Oregon but he gave up b/c Eric was so upset. He was only 4 at the time. Due to it being left alone it got really bad. The weird thing is that he said it never hurt him. He did really well considering what he had done. Daddy took the time off to take him. Mommy was too stressed after Gregory's last appt at the dentist. Daddy is so great for doing this. In fact, I think he rather enjoyed it. He finally had some time off. He has been working 6 days a week for about a month and a half now. Too bad he had to go back to work today as well as tomorrow.
I will post again soon.

Fall Fun Fling!

This was the Fall Fun Fling at Tim and Jessi's church. The kids all had a blast playing the games and getting plenty of candy.

Our 3rd snowfall of the season

This morning we were covered with snow. This is our 3rd time to get a snowfall. The kids were thrilled. We had to make a trip to Wal-mart for some gloves. By the time we got out in the snow to play there was not as much as when we first got up but was still enough for the kids to have a blast. Boy, I sure forgot how much work it is to help 3 little munchkins get all bundled up and out the door to enjoy the snow. Anyway, hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Much better morning!

Praise the Lord! Eric woke up this morning feeling perfectly fine. No throwing up in the night. I think it might have been what he ate last night. Gregory seems much better as well. He still has a headache but no fever at all. I feel it may have been from being out in the cold yesterday.
We awoke to another dusting of snow this morning. In fact, I awoke to "Mommy, we got snow!!!!" It was not the least bit quiet when spoken either. I laughed and got up to look so not to dampen the excitement. I thank the Lord for the day with all 3 of my children.

Rough night with bedtime

Tonight was a rough night at bedtime. Gregory started with a fever around 6pm. The rest of night he was a little fussy since his head was hurting. Then right b/f bed Eric was crying with a stomach ache. OH KNOW, was my initial reaction. He didn't want Greg near him. He was afraid his movement would make him throw up. Then Greg was sad with not feeling well then his brother not wanting him anywhere near him. On top of the 2 boys crying Audrey felt bad for them so she started to cry too. YIKES! Eric was fine once he got in bed, he just wouldn't move. Gregory was not to be consoled so we moved him to the couch. (He was closer to mommy and daddy then) Since the crying ceased Audrey then went to bed without any qualms. Gregory very quickly fell asleep and it made me happy to see him sleeping so peaceful. It was a sweet moment.
The boys had a field trip and were outside most of the day. I am not sure if the cold started it all or what. I am hoping they all wake up feeling just fine in the morning. They could be overly tired too. We let them stay up tonight since they don't have school tomorrow. By 9:15pm we had an emmotional chaos! Not fun! I was supposed to clean tomorrow but I rescheduled since the boys were feeling ill. Besides I don't get days with them much so we will try to enjoy our time together. Sounds like we may be having to do more snuggling tomorrow if I have sickies. That is all they want to do when they are sick. Mommy enjoys it though. I feel needed then. I am praying for a healthy day tomorrow and I would covet your prayers for the same as well. I trust you all are staying healthy as well.

Precious Times

With the cold weather now here it makes me very sleepy and just want to ball up under warm blankets. Apparently this is happening with Audrey as well. We got home from taking the boys to school and she said "I am cold" I suggested that she get her warm "blanky" and curl up on the couch in front of the fireplace. She said, "OK!" Then she replied with, "How about we snuggle together and read books" I was really wanting to get some things done around the house. Then I thought OK just for a few minutes. I agreed to read her 2 books then I had to get busy. After finishing the 2 books she then suggested that we go to my comfy bed and snuggle to watch Dora. Again another battle within myself about all that needs to be done. Just then the phone rang and it was my husband. I voiced my mental battle with him and immediately he replied, "You don't have too many moments like this left. You better take advantage of them while you can." I thought, "What about the mess in my home. Then reality hit me. The mess will always be here but my children won't!" God has given my children to me for only a short while and before I know it they will be gone. So, my daughter and I are off to my nice comfy bed to snuggle and watch Dora. This was just one of those moments again that I just want to freeze in time. All moms reading this please stop what you are doing and go do something fun with your child, even if for only 5 minutes. You won't regret it. Hope everyone is having a great day. I sure am! I mean what could be better than your child wanting to spend precious time with you? Nothing!(that is my personal opinion)

Cookies Anyone?

Actually they are all gone already. We made them Saturday and by Sunday night they had vanished. It was a project we did while daddy was working overtime Saturday. He got home at the tail end and was able to help finish up. The kids were delighted that daddy got home in time to help. We just didn't get a picture of it because mommy was exhausted and not feeling well. The last thing on my mind was taking a picture of daddy making cookies. I was just ready to get done and clean up. Don't get me wrong. I thoroughly enjoyed it and had a blast with the kids. It is just one of those things that when you are almost done you are ready to be done for good. I feel like that was a bunch of rambling. Anyway, it is Monday morning and I feel like a scatter brain. Enjoy the pics.

Our First Snow!!!

This morning we woke up to the ground covered in a dust of snow. The kids were beyond excited. They were already talking about going sledding. We had to let them know that there was not enough snow for that yet. It started to rain and the snow began to dissapear. By early evening the snow was gone but the mountains still had plenty on them. I absolutely enjoyed seeing the kids reaction to the morning surprise. I was as equally pleased to see the rain melt it away. I do know that it won't be long til the ground is fully covered with many inches of snow and will be around to stay for quite some time. It does make everything very beautiful. I have another slide show to post but will have to wait til tomorrow to get it posted so check back then.

The cold weather is here!

We just cleaned out the garage so that we can get both our cars in it. The weather is cold and in the morning we have frost on the windows. Thankfully we have a nice size garage so we don't have to deal with that anymore. The kids thought it was so neat to be able to put both cars in the garage. They even had to get in the cars as daddy drove them in. Seems silly to us but they had a blast. I am so glad that little things like that make for a fun time. Doesn't cost a penny and we all have fun seeing the kids enjoy it so much. We have even broke out the winter coats. The house has been staying nice and warm with the wood burning stove. It keeps it nice and cozy. Everyone runs out to the living room first thing in the morning to warm themselves by the fire. The boys have even gotten dressed out there. There is no snow yet and that is perfectly fine with me. The kids wake up each morning hoping to see at least a little white on the ground. Part of me wishes there was a little white on the ground just to see their happy faces. Then I think, Not yet please.
I was just telling my husband that we are blessed to have so much beauty up here. He agreed. Even though it gets really cold and dark and snow is here for a long time at least it isn't ugly to boot! What has been really fun and neat for me is to see the kids notice the difference on the mountains each day as we are driving to school. Seeing the season change has been fascinating to us all. I have had friends and family tell me how they are still in the 80's and 90's as I am putting wood in my fire to keep us warm. Kind of funny when you think of it. I would love to be in the heat right now but I will be content with the fact that we don't have snow yet. Hope everyone is enjoying the fall beauty as much as I am. I will write again soon.

Joy Given From My Sweet Daughter

There are sometimes moments that I would like to just freeze in time. The other day I had one of those moments. I was on the phone talking with a friend who had just had her gallbladder removed. The kids were with me and had heard my conversation. As soon as I hung up the questions began to fly out of their mouths. Who was that? What is wrong with her? Is she in the hospital? Will she get better? etc... Then out of the blue in the sweetest and most caring voice Audrey asked, "Can we pray for her?" I almost started to cry at her tenderness toward this person. At the same time it thrilled my soul for her to realize she can turn to God at anytime for anything. I assured her we most certainly could pray for her and we did just that.
Her and Gregory were also inquiring about going to Heaven. Gregory has been discussing this for a long time. He has the head knowledge but we aren't sure that he has it in his heart just yet. He will tell you that he can't go to heaven yet. He will also tell you what he needs to do in order for this to be possible. He is starting to move closer yet but we are waiting for him to ask to do this. Robert and I want our children to fully understand what it is they are doing. We don't want them to grow up with a false hope. We continue to pray that they will come to know the Lord as their personal Savior at a young age. Eric always reminds us that he already has done that and will recall all the details to us. What a joy to know he truly has accepted Christ.
PS~ Aunt Andrea, do you recognize the dress???

Fall Family Football

Last night the family went out in the crisp fall air to throw the football around. It was a rather fun time even though we did get cold. It was the boys highlight of the night. I know I am prejudice but the boys are really GOOD at football. Eric caught several of daddy's throws! He wasn't really into football at first. Who knows maybe his big build will be put to use after all. We will see. Gregory can't play without getting all the gear on!!! haha The jerseys the boys are wearing were their Uncle Ron's from his high school days. They are perfect Raider colors!!! I know he will just love that since he is a Denver Bronco fan!!! Anyway fall is in full swing here and on the verge of winter. It has really cooled down more and more. We are about to get out our winter coats already! Anyway, hope you all enjoy the pics.

Fall Festival

This past Saturday we were able to go to the Fall Festival with the kids and their cousins and Aunt Jessi. We had a really fun time. We love the fall beauty here. The kids got face paintings and played several games and went on wagon rides. The kids really enjoyed the extra time with daddy too!

Eric's Birthday Party

I know this is a little overdue but at least I finally posted it. We really had a lot of fun at Chuck E Cheese! He wants to go back for next b-day!

Snow Is A Comin!

The snow is beginning to show itself on the mountains here. It is absolutely beautiful but at the same I am not ready for it yet. I was amazed Sunday morning to find the mountains looking like this when the day before there wasn't a trace of snow. It sure comes so suddenly. I am told not to worry until it shows itself on the lower mountains. The bottom picture was taken on the way to school this morning at about 8:15 am. Notice how dark it is yet. The kids are anxious to play in the snow again, especially Gregory. I don't think Audrey cares either way. In the middle of winter they are all white. I will post more pics at that point to see the difference. We certainly do have beautiful land up here though. We thank the Lord for the beauty here, even if it gets cold. :) I haven't heard from many of you lately. Email me or leave a comment please!

Family Pictures From Dean Reunion

These are the pictures we had taken when the whole Dean clan was here. They turned out nice. Our individual family picture could have been better. We like the pose just not the looks on the kids faces. It has been a while since we had our family pictures taken so we thought we better get them. Who knows when we will get them taken again. Anyway, thought you all would enjoy them. Take care.

Happy Birthday Big Buddy!

Today is Eric's 7th Birthday!!! Yikes! My boy is getting so big. He told me today that he is catching up to me because he is growing tall. The sad thing is he is absolutely right. Today I took him McDonalds for lunch as well as cupcakes and a balloon. It was cute to see him get all red and embarrassed when the teacher had the class sing "Happy Birthday" to him. Here are a couple pictures from his classroom. Tonight will be a big night for him. He was allowed to invite one friend to go to Chuck E Cheese with him. Of course Uncle Tim and Aunt Jessi, Robert, & Alena will be coming too. He was bouncing with excitement this morning. Let's just hope he focused at school with all this excitement going on. We are so proud of him. Happy Birthday Eric! Daddy and Mommy love you with all our heart!!!

Just Rambling

Things have been really busy for us all. Robert has been put in charge of a big project at work and has been granted permission to work overtime. So lately he has been working overtime on Saturdays. It has been a added blessing financially.
Both the boys are busy with school and enjoying it very much so. Gregory is so funny to listen to. He will start telling you all about his day, even about those who get their stick moved.(form of classroom discipline) Then he is sure to let me know he did not get HIS stick moved.
Audrey has went to 3 ballet classes and is very excited for the next one. She is starting to do some of it at home while playing. It definitely suits her well.
Mom, on the other hand has been very busy with cleaning houses. Lately I have done a few move out cleans. I hate doing them but they are a one time thing and pay very well. Between it all I am taking the boys to school and picking them up. It is hard to believe are finishing up their 3rd week of school already. My day absolutely flies by so quickly. The school year will come to end so soon at this rate.
Not much more to update on just a bunch of rambling about everyday life. Hope everyone reading this is doing well. Be sure to let us know how you are doing as well.

Alaska State Fair

Tuesday night we were able to attend the Alaska State Fair. It is only about 20 minutes from our house. The kids had a blast riding the rides, seeing the animals, and enjoying the fair junk food. Dad and mom had as much fun as they did. We even rode a few rides with them. We love it when we get to spend time together just as a family. We were all very tired at the end of the evening but it was a good tired!