THE DEAN'S

A NEW YEAR!!!

2012-01-18T20:01:00.001-08:00

SOOOO it has officially been over one whole year since I have posted!!! Last pictures up here are our Christmas photos from LAST year. Here are our Christmas photos from this year. Where do I start? .....Andrew sold The Valley Sign Post in October of last year and is working full time for a company called Soil Basics where he does fertilizer and pesticide consulting and sales. He loves it and loves the fact that he only works Monday through Friday and isn't stuck in an office job. I am finishing up my last semester of Nursing School at COS. I am currently working as an Intern in the ICU at Kaweah Delta Hospital in Visalia. Mitchell started Kindergarten last August and surprises me everyday with what he is learning in school. Emily and Wyatt are at pre-school and love going to school and playing with their friends everyday. We are quickly approaching all the kids birthday which is February 1st!!! Mitchell turns 6, and the twins turn 4!!! I can't believe it!!! I will post pictures following their big Birthday Bash Bonanza!

December!!!

2010-12-05T14:40:00.000-08:00

Where has this year gone? I know it has been FOREVER since my last post. Please forgive me, my life continutes to be CRAZY. Right now I have one more week of my first semester of Nursing School. Up to this point I have been going to school Monday through Thursday and working night shifts Fridays and Saturday in the ICU at Kaweah Delta. I LOVE my job, and I'm loving school right now. It has been quite challeging for us all to adjust as a family me being gone so much but we have weathered the storm and are adjusting to our busy schedule. Mitchell is loving pre-schools till and the twins have been enrolled at his school starting in January! They are very excited attend his school with him. They will be going two times a week half days. Andrew is still doing his business 6 days a week while taking care of the kids a lot while I have been gone. It is amazing no one has gotten too sick over the course of these 6 months. Knock on wood. Here are our recent family photos which will be coming out on our Christmas cards. Enjoy!!!

June!

2010-07-25T11:12:00.001-07:00

June was also a memorable month. Andrew, Gale, and I got to attend the dedication of the Cebu temple in the Philippines! Thanks to my parents and Andrew sisiter, Elizabeth, who watched our kids for us while we were gone. I decided to go three hours before leaving Visalia. I called my parents who said yes to watch the kids, I called my work and got my shifts covered, and we got a plane ticket online. It was crazy to pack and get the kids ready in such a short amount of time. For those of you who don't know, Andrew served a 2 year mission in the Philippines in 2002-2004. He speaks the native language Cebuano. It was such an amazing experience. It was life changing. The poverty level there and the lack of medical supplies and care there is astonishing. It made me value my childrens health and all the luxuries we have in the states. I realized that there are so many things that we simply do not need and it has taught me the value of a dollar. Most the of the families there could not all be together. A lot of the parents and sometimes both of the parents had to move to other countries to find work. The children would live with relatives away from their mom and dad. I will blog more about the experience when I have time...but since my time is limited right now I will just say that it was life changing...and we want to go back soon. I will post pics soon of our trip will details. Also in the month of June we celebrated out 6 year anniversary. 6 great years of marriage with a family of 5 now, 4 years of the Valley Sign Post, 3 hoodlums later, the 2 of us are having 1 great adventure. I love you Andrew!

The month of May!

2010-07-25T11:07:00.001-07:00

Here is a picture of all of Andrew's siblings and the grandkids and of course GG and Papa at his graduation party

May was a great month. I started working at my new job which is hard work but I LOVE it! Andrew also graduated from Fresno State. I couldn't be more proud of him!!!

Well, almost a quarter of a year later...

2010-07-25T10:52:00.000-07:00

I guess I need to start with the month of April since it has taken me so long to become motivated to post again. The month of April was great! Andrew surprised me with a over night stay in Pismo for my birthday and we turned it into a weekend thanks to my parents who watched all the kids. Here are a few other pictures from the month of April.

Nursing School Here I Come!!!

2010-04-27T18:14:00.000-07:00

This will be a short blog to tell you all I GOT INTO THE NURSING PROGRAM AT COS. I start this fall and am SOOOOO excited to start. I also have some more big news, no I am not pregnant. I just got a new job as an aide in the ICU at Kaweah Delta Hospital. I have officially given my notice at the bank and will start next month at the hospital. Things are changing quickly for us and we are planning for a hectic future, but then again, we already live hectic lives! :)

Long Overdue!

2010-04-18T21:29:00.001-07:00

Time to post again since I seem to be doing it quarterly instead of monthly like I promised I would. The kids are growing up!!! Mitchell still enjoys pre-school 3 times a week, and the twins are fortunate enough to do a mommie and me pre-school through Bright Start(Early intervention program due to their developmental delay) once a week. Andrew is finishing his last 5 weeks of school before he GRADUATES!!! And I am awaiting my letter from COS to find out if I got in the Nursing Program. Lots of new changes, but we look forward to the challenge. After all these last almost 6 years of being married have been nothing but a challenge. Meaning we have never taken the easy route, but have appreciated the leasons we have learned. I can't believe I will be 26 in one week! I feel like I am at least in my late 30's. My kids have aged me, in a good way! Here are their latest Easter pics plus I threw in some baby pictures of Andrew and I so you all can compare who they look more like. :) Enjoy!

Babies!!!

2010-02-13T21:15:00.000-08:00

No of course not from us!!! That would be just crazy!!! I wanted to officially say CONGRATS to all my friends who are pregnant!!! In the order they are due and what they are having if they know...Dolores(BOY), Tawni(GIRL), Heather(BOY), Michelle, & Vanessa. We are sooo happy for you guys all and can't wait to meet your beautiful babies. :)

And we added one more...

2010-02-13T21:12:00.000-08:00

Introducing out new German Shepard puppy...Sadie! 7 weeks old and growing each day!

2010-02-13T21:01:00.000-08:00

All my kids birthday's!!! As most of you know all my kids were born February 1st!!! Mitchell turned 4 and the twins turned 2!!! We opted out of a huge get together this year and did an intimate dessert with just grandparents. This is the one day out of the year I know I will cry. I have said it before and will say it again, that when you come so close to losing your children it makes you realize how much you truely have. That feeling of almost losing them will always be branded with me. I am amazed at how much they make me whole and who I am.

2010-02-13T20:56:00.000-08:00

The twins got new bunk beds. They are separated and not bunked for obvious reasons.

2010-02-13T20:49:00.000-08:00

Christmas!!! Mitchell learned how to ride with no training wheels and got a new bike! Andrew actually let go for the first time and he just went...the rest is history.

2010-02-13T20:44:00.000-08:00

One of many of our snow trips with the kids...we also took snow back home!!!

Let's Rewind Shall We?

2010-02-13T20:39:00.000-08:00

Picture of the kids at Aunt Diane's cabin in their snow gear. Wyatt is wearing Emily's sleeper because he had too many pooping accidents.

I need to take some time to rewind back to Christmas and up to the kid's birthdays...so here we go...

Ringing in the New Year...well almost

2009-12-29T20:00:00.000-08:00

These photos are taken with love by my good friend Stephanie. Thanks for putting up wtih the fam for a photo op!

I thought it fitting to start out before the New Year making my blogging resolution. That is, to try and blog at least once a month. We will see....You may wonder why I chose to use a Happy Birthday background. Well , that is due to the fact that all my kids birthdays are coming up in just 33 days! Quickly approaching, and Mitchell is very excited to be 4! The twins are already fitting into their 2 year old personality, as everything comes with a tantrum and a flinging onto the ground. Mitchell got a new bike for Christmas which he can ride with no training wheels. He is very proud of himself and tells strangers in the store of his amazing bike riding skills. Emily and Wyatt have been moved to big beds! We bought bunk beds for them but have them separated until they get bigger. We had to take all furniture out of the room as they were crawling out of their cribs, scaling the drawers of the dresser and climbing on top of the dresser. We also took the door handle off the door so they can not escape naps and bedtime. Andrew and I are both on semester break. Andrew will be finishing off his degree this next Spring semester at Fresno State. He will graduate in May with a degree in Entrepreneurship. I already applied for the nursing program for COS and will find out May 2010. I'll just be taking two night classes this next semester and am still working 2 and half days at the bank. With the twins turning two right around the corner, we have reflected on how far we have come. I can't believe my babies are almost TWO! We hope you all had a great Christmas!

Another Poopie moment of stress!

2009-11-13T23:33:00.000-08:00

I thought that I would blog about this poopie moment with the twins. I have had many of these but thought if I actually write it down this time then I'm sure I will remember to write it in their baby book when they are about to get married and I'm furiously trying to throw pictures together. (Run on sentence). The other day Emily "helped" Wyatt strategically take off his diaper while I was on the phone in my room. After she pealed off his pants, they both got his diaper undone and it happened to be poopie. I turned around and they were smearing poop all over the carpet. If you know me, you know how much I freak out about the pathogens and bacteria in poop. I SCREAMED. I'm sure there will be many other moments of poopie distress but the stains on my carpet will always remind me of the day I thought I could complete a phone call successfully. I love my kids:) Never short of laughter and anxiety.

Blogging way OVERDUE!

2009-11-11T12:12:00.000-08:00

Emmy with a chicken nugget wedged in her mouth after a long day at the zoo. (Don't worry we dislodged it safely)

Wyatt ready to go home

Fun in the dryer (Parent supervision required:))

Holloween 2009-I wanted Mitchell to be Cat in The Hat, but he said it was too scary

Mitchell at the Bob the Builder Exhibit in Fresno

Mitchell asleep in his tent

Emmy asleep in her chair

Wyatt loving his yogurt!

Sunday Best

Emmy loves her Daddy

I'm back....don't worry... we have just been so busy! Here are some recent pics of the family over the past couple of weeks.

Where have we been for the last 3 MONHTHS???

2009-07-08T20:33:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I have been more than terrible at blogging for months! For good reason though, we have been BUSY. Andrew and I just finished up our 6 week summer school classes which started the Monday after our finals for Spring semester. We all got over being sick this past week, but we are on the mend and optimistic about the rest of our summer before school starts again for the fall. I just gave my notice to my work and will be leaving in August. I miss my kids like CRAZY! Mitchell started pre-school and is loving it. We have to beg him to give US a kiss and hug goodbye! Emily has been walking now for a couple of months and Wyatt just started walking this past week. Emily must be the smallest walker you have ever seen weighing in at still a mere 17 pounds. I'll try to catch you up in some of the photos we have shot these past couple of months. Other than that nothing else much new. Andrew starts coaching waterpolo here again shortly for El Diamonte, and I have just one more semester before I apply for the nursing program at COS. If I get in I still won't start till August of 2010, so I still have a while. A lot of people have asked me why become a nurse? Why now? So here it is:

The way I look at healthcare has changed. Sometimes I think there are two types of nurses: One, who really enjoys taking care of people and wants to become a nurse or Two, the person who has been directly affected by healthcare due to a life changing event and wants to be a part of it. I, of course, am the latter of the two. After everything happened to the twins, I knew this was what I wanted to do. To be able to help families during trying times, to make a difference in a patient's life is going to be remarkable. Most of us take for granted our healthcare systems and the doctors and nurses who are there. Secondly, the hours are great. I will be able to optimize my time with my children and be able to attend their various activities as they grow older. Lastly, I want to be able to be knowledgable for my family. This includes my immediate and other relatives. Those of you who have children with dissablities or slow development can understand what it is like to see doctor after doctor and specialist after specialist who give you the quick run down half in English the other half in doctor talk. I want to know that my children and family are getting the best healthcare and seeing the best doctors out there. To really understand their diagnosis and know that they are receiving the best of the best.

Ok, enough talk about that...Andrew and I also celebrated our 5 year anniversary. It has gone by so fast, and much has changed in our lives. We look forward to the next 6 weeks off for school, and hopefully I will be better at blogging!

what we have been up to....

2009-04-05T20:05:00.000-07:00

This is my son and not Bruce Lee's right?

Fun time with daddy, he knows better than to try and fight back:)

more pics....

2009-04-05T19:58:00.000-07:00

continued....

2009-04-05T19:53:00.000-07:00

AGGGHHHHH......

2009-03-19T09:33:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry it has been FOREVER since I have posted. Here is what has been going on for the Dean clan lately: Andrew is continuing to remain busy taking a full load in school, and running his business that has him now working well into dark every night. I have been busy with my 6:40 in the morning class Mon-Thurs (what was I thinking!) and working 30 plus hours lately. Mitchell is continuing to grow like a weed. He is soooo tall now. People ask me when he starts kindergarten and I say that he isn't even in pre-school yet! The twins have been keeping me busy this winter with their series of ear infections. One a month at least. Emily has a perforated ear drum which has spurred the both of them to see an ENT specialist. They will both be getting tubes within the next couple of months. We also have started having para-professionals come over once a week who are part of an early intervention progam to help the twins developmentally. They also have been scheduled to see a physical therapist on a regular basis as well as out of town optomologist appointments. I have started to feel OVERWHELMED by the sheer volume of medical visits we have had to make. Don't get me wrong I feel so very blessed to have completely healthy babies but at what point will their prematurity not be such a medical issue anymore? I guess I just get so frustrated because I want them to just grow up and develop normally without someone looking over their shoulder telling them where they should be. I feel bad for even complaining about it. I know we will get through this busy time in out lives, and be better off for it. :)

Emily's Mohawk

2009-02-12T18:55:00.000-08:00

Ok, shouldn't one of my boys have a mohawk and not Emily? Oh yeah, this is all
NAT-UR-AL.

Sunday Photo Op.....

2009-02-12T18:50:00.000-08:00

1st Annual Birthday Bash Bonanza continued...

2009-02-04T21:00:00.000-08:00

The kids had a great birthday party! They all had so much fun. Thank you to Vanessa who helped me put the party together and make the yummy cupcakes! Just think 4 more years and I'll be taking 90 cupcakes to 3 different classrooms!

Pismo Trip....

2009-02-04T20:42:00.000-08:00

We decided to take a Pismo trip a few weekends ago to celebrate our last weekend of freedom as a family. I am going to back to work at Citibank and will be working Saturdays again, so that will leave very little time on the weekends. I also started taking a class at COS in hopes of getting into the nursing program after completing 2 more courses. Andrew has started school again, and we are back into the swing of things of keeping ourselves very busy.

1st Annual Brithday Bash Bonanza....

2009-01-13T19:15:00.000-08:00

I always have wondered what the conversation is going to be like when Mitchell goes to school and he realizes that not everyone has the same exact brithday as THEIR brothers and sisters. We have already talked about it with him that he will have the same birthday each year as them and he already isn't having it. I always say, "Get used to it because it is going to be on the same day for the rest of your life." I mean, but seriously, how many people do you know that have their kids birthday all on the same day? On a more serious note, this year I have gotten more nastalgic as the kids brithdays slowly approach (February 1st). To remember where they have come from to how big they are now is amazing. My two million dollar babies, and miracles might I add, are almost one!!! And Mitchell is almost three!!! Shauna, my sister in law, says it best when people tell her that her hands must be full. She says, "Better full, then empty."

New Year's Eve

2009-01-07T00:01:00.001-08:00

Jacob, Andrew's brother, has a new year's eve birthday every year. April, his wife, and us went to Sierra Summit that day to celebrate. (Thanks to my mom and grandma, who watched the kids) We had a lot of fun, although I did spend a lot of time on my bum. So, I went to sleep at 7 pm that night.

Fun with the cousins....

2009-01-06T23:49:00.000-08:00

My parent's had the opportunity to have all their grandchildren here for Christmas. Here are some of the pics of them. There was one casualty. Mitchell, fell into the wall stucco in our backyard and grabbed the wall with his hands and his thumbnail came completely off. Root and all. Here is the picture of him shortly after. Last weekend we went to Andrew's Aunt Diane'e cabin in Wilsonia with my parents and my brother and his kids. We had a blast in the snow!!!

A Very Merry Christmas...

2009-01-06T23:36:00.000-08:00

We had a great Christmas this year. It was filled with family, fun, and food. We spent Christmas Eve with Andrew's family and Christmas day with mine. Traditionally, Gale, Andrew's mom, buys all the kids pajamas for Christmas. Look at how cute they all are, well minus 3 other grandchildren! We have much to be thankful for in 2008.

Wyatt the little shepard boy...and other recent pics

2008-12-18T18:20:00.001-08:00

Emily Michelle Dean

2008-12-18T18:18:00.000-08:00

It is very rare that I get a smile out of this girl. I actually captured one on Sunday before church!!!

Fishing with Dad...

2008-12-10T23:05:00.001-08:00

Mitchell loves anything that he can do with Andrew. Last week Blake and Andrew took Mitchell fishing. He loved it!

Christmas photo fun....

2008-12-10T23:00:00.001-08:00

Ok, taking pictures with 3 kids is just not a fun task. I thought to myself, that I just need to roll with it and no matter what try and get a picture of us all together this year. None of the kids happened to smile, but I thought, "Hey, there is always next year!"

ADDRESSES!!!

2008-12-10T22:32:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I finally am getting my act together and sending out the twins' birth announcement with our Christmas picture this year. So, send me your addresses at janessa4@clearwire.net

The Christmas Spirit...

2008-12-03T22:17:00.000-08:00

This year was a first for us. We actually got our tree the day after Thanksgiving. I am usually not very into Christmas or decorating or any of that sort, but I have found myself wanting to be. I think more for the sake of Mitchell. He is so excited about it, and we are hopeful that this years picture with Santa will not include tears.

FAT and loving it...

2008-12-03T22:08:00.000-08:00

Wyatt sure enjoyed Thanksgiving this year, from this picture you can tell he gained at least 2 pounds after Thanksgiving dinner. Emily & Wyatt enjoyed mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, and applesauce for dinner. We have lots to be Thankful for this year, and truly feel like we can count our blessings. As we turn the corner of the twins turning 1 in just 2 months and Mitchell turning 3, we are amazed of the pure joy our children bring us. They fill our home with laughs and love. We look forward to many more holidays together.

Fresno State Game...

2008-11-15T21:38:00.000-08:00

So, it is rare that we get to have alone time with just Mitchell. But today was an exception. We got to go to the Fresno State game without the twins, thanks to Gale, and just spend some quality time with Mitchell. For those of you who haven't tried it yet, two is still too young to take to a football game where you have to sit still for four long quarters. When asked by GG(Grandma Gale) how it was, all he could say was that there was a dog there. (The bulldog mascot) I tried to get a picture of Andrew with his eyes open, but I just couldn't get one successfully.

Mitchell my little helper...

2008-11-09T22:12:00.000-08:00

Ok, remember with your first kid how you thought it would be so much fun to push them around in the laundry basket? Well, with the second/third you realize, "Hey I don't have to be the one pushing anymore." So, I had Mitchell push Wyatt around and it started out innocent enough until Wyatt made this face while be turned and whirled a hundred miles an hour around and around. :) Poor Emily, I knew, wouldn't have a chance.

2008-11-09T22:05:00.000-08:00

Ok, I must have the most bald babies ever! Wyatt has stringy Asian hair and Emily just has peach fuzz which at times looks like a Mohawk! She better grow hair soon so I can put more bows in her hair:)

Holloween & more...

2008-11-09T21:48:00.000-08:00

So I only seemed to get one shot of Mitchell dressed up for Holloween. I thought that this year he would actually want to keep his custome on for more than 10 minutes, but I was proven wrong again. He had 4 outfits to choose from and after much thought he decided to be a dog. I know it is hard to see what he is in the picture because he wasn't really willing to hold still. I can't believe the twins will almost be a year and Mitchell will turn three in Feb. Here are some fun pics of the kids.

YES on Prop 3!

2008-11-03T22:40:00.000-08:00

I urge those of you who are voting to vote YES on Prop 3. It will directly benefit Valley Children's Hospital Central California. Those of you who read this blog know that our family has directly benefited from what this hospital has to offer. If it wasn't for continual growth and funding for this hospital my children may have never been able to directly receive everything possible to save their lives. Please make it possible for this hospital and other Childnren's hopsitals to continue to grow to service our children in time of need.

Wyatt my butterball & chunk-a-monk

2008-10-27T14:16:00.000-07:00

Then...

and now...

Pumpkin Carving with Cousins!!!

2008-10-27T14:04:00.000-07:00

Mitchell got to carve pumpkins with his cousins, Ashton, Payton, and Reed this past Saturday! He LOVED it!

FALL!!!

2008-10-27T13:54:00.000-07:00

Ok, I think this year I am really liking Holloween. Maybe because it is starting to actually mean something to my kids and to me. We took Mitchell to the pumpkin patch with Ben & Stephanie and did the corn maze. We enjoyed hanging out with our friends that we haven't see in a while. He loved it, then past out in the car about 2 minutes after heading home. :)

More pics...

2008-10-16T14:39:00.000-07:00

October Fest...not the one you are thinking of..

2008-10-16T14:31:00.000-07:00

So far October has been FUN. We took Mitchell to the zoo this past weekend and he loved it! Here are some other pictures of the kids...ENJOY:)

Home for the Holidays...

2008-10-16T14:17:00.000-07:00

Home for the holidays has a whole new meaning to us this year...we bought our first home and are finally moved in. It has almost been a month since we have been here and I can't believe that this place actually feels like home already. The kids have adjusted to it great and Mitchell LOVES his new room. Here are some pics of each room...but you have got to come check it our in person! Mitchell's room is the blue one and the green one is the twins' room.

More pics...

2008-09-25T13:07:00.000-07:00

The rest of September

2008-09-25T12:59:00.000-07:00

Ok, I have been awful at updating this past month. We have good reason though. We FINALLY got our new house!!! We have been painting and packing like crazy and are set to move in this Saturday if all goes well. We took some pictures of the rooms before we painted and once we finish I'll post our after pics. The kids are doing well, Wyatt went in for his asthma again today and he weighed in at 16 pounds 3 ounces!!! What a chunk-a-monk. Emily always wants to be in a standing position with her legs straight at all times. Mitchell loves being a big brother and is still enjoying his gymnastics class that he takes once a week. Andrew is staying busy with his business, coaching, going to school, and doing homework in his spare time. As for me, I'm just glad I still have hair left on me head.

7 months old!!!

2008-09-04T23:01:00.000-07:00

Ok, I just had to take these naked bottom pictures of the twins. Emily is rolling over and Wyatt, well, lets just say he can't really lift his head all the way off the ground. He just started on rice cereal. He is liking the change in food. Both of them enjoy listening to their older brother sing them songs.

Wyatt the cuddle bug

2008-08-30T21:16:00.000-07:00

Ok, I have been awful at posting lately. I have been really busy with the kids because Andrew started school again at Fresno State, he coaches JV waterpolo for El Diamonte, and his business is continuing to grow. Not to mention that we close escrow on September 19th so we are busy thinking about how we are going to have time to do all the renovations that need to be done to it before we can move in. I have been awful at taking pictures lately but I will soon. I did have this picture of Wyatt who just loves to cuddle. Andrew laid him next to him in bed one morning and he just rolled over and snuggled into his arm. It was so cute. Wyatt weighs 15 and a half pounds and Emily weighs in at only 10 and half pounds.

Tag You're It!

2008-08-18T16:23:00.000-07:00

So I got tagged by a blogging tagging game from my sister-in-law Jana. Once tagged you are suppose to reveal 6 of your own personal quirks for all to see, so here it goes...

1)I am border line obsessive compulsive. Ok, I can't believe I am about to reveal this but...I flush the toilet with my foot. I know your thinking, "Yeah, I do that too in public restrooms." But no, I am talking about at my own house and even close family and friends' houses. I have this weird thing about germs on the toilet handle but Andrew says I'm only adding foot fungus to our handle. The worst was when I was pregnant with the twins in the hospital and I was a cow and had to stretch my foot up real high to reach the handle in the bathroom.

2)I eat 4 full meals a day. Andrew looks at me real funny every night at about 10PM after I put the kids to sleep because I eat another full fledged meal. He says it is pretty unhealthy. But I say, "You try eating for 3!!!"

3)Have you ever heard the saying "Book smart, but not street smart?" That is completely me. I don't even want to reveal the things I have just found out this year from Andrew that I didn't know before. But really don't try to give me directions using north, south, east, and west, because I have literally no idea which way to turn when you say that. Most of the time I just nod my head and say I know where I am going and then I call Andrew and have him give me directions.

4) I wear stretch pants on a regular basis. If you catch me at home during the day watching my rug rats then you will see me in one of my various everyday stretch pants. Most of them are stretched out from this past pregnancy but I am all about being comfortable at home.

5)I love talking to the twins in my munchkin voice. I don't know why but I feel every mother magically receives this munchkin voice when they have a baby. It just comes out one day and doesn't go away. I sing all these funny songs to the twins and they just love it. I just have to convince others that it is just as fun and not annoying.

6) Last but not least I go pee a lot!!! I am going through at least a roll of toilet paper a day and it drives Andrew crazy. It is really annoying that I always have to go but I think that I was made with the smallest bladder in the world. Plus after having kids it is just not the same. Sneezing is the worst if you know what I mean, plus I don't even try to jump on trampolines anymore.

I now have decided to tag: April & Michelle

Blessing the twins

2008-08-12T23:59:00.000-07:00

We blessed the twins a couple of Sundays ago. How emotional it was for me to finally be at that point. I had imagined it time and time again since they were born and wasn't sure if would ever happen. It was a great day for our family.

My little Rascals

2008-08-12T23:52:00.000-07:00

Emily is now weighing in at about 10 pounds and Wyatt at 14 pounds! They are getting to be so big and Emily is rolling over from her stomach to her back now. Wyatt's head is hard for him to sustain as you can tell from the pictures, so when I put him on his stomach he only eats the ground. :) Wyatt still is very attached to me and Emily remains my easy going one. All is continuing to go well, and on my super hard days with the kids I just stop and think how grateful I am for all my kids.

Mitchell's EEG

2008-08-12T23:38:00.000-07:00

Mitchell had his EEG done last Friday. We opted to have it done at Valley Children's this time. We had to sleep deprive which consisted of putting him to sleep two hours later and waking him up two hours early. I think it hurt us more than it hurt him. I was exhasted before we even got there. He barely made it to Madera, which is about and hour away from us, without falling asleep. I became emotional as I approached Children's exit, and my palms started to sweat. Who would have thought less than 6 months later we would be seeking testing for Mitchell and not the twins. It went fairly well. He started to cry and than began to try to make himself throw up. Those of you who know Mitchell know that it is not unusual for him when he gets upset. Then we got into the testing room and the technician was very nice and I asked Mitchell to take a nap with me up on the testing table and surprisingly he did as I asked. He quickly fell asleep and she glued on 27 probes and wrapped his head with gauze. The actual procedure took an hour and a half. It was a success! Then as soon as we left the hospital we got a call from our realtor who told us our offer for a house got accepted! We were very excited. We now await Mitch's results with hopefulness in our hearts. P.S. Mitchell is going to kill us for taking this picture of him when he gets older!

Mitchell's Seizure

2008-07-23T00:19:00.001-07:00

Mitchell, our oldest son, suffered from a seizure this past Monday. He awoke from his nap at around 2:30 in the afternoon and felt warm to me. He only had a slight runny nose in the morning but was eating and drinking fine. I thought nothing of it and he cried for an hour. I thought he was just tired and needed to go back to sleep. Finally, I gave him motrin around 3pm made a quick phone call and thought he had gone back to sleep because it was quiet in his room. I walked in to find him vomiting out of his nose and mouth, stiff, eyes to one side, and unresponsive. I picked him up, stripped him of his clothes, and tried to get him to look at me and respond. Nothing happened so I immediately called 911 seeing Emily's seizure playing back in my mind. The ambulance arrived and they suctioned his mouth and opened his airway again. He didn't start to come to and ask for me for about 10 minutes. I immediately thought to myself, "Why did I ignore his crying for so long?" They took his temp and it was only 101. When we got to the hospital it had gone down even more and the doctor there was sure it was only a Febrile seizure, a seizure caused by an elevated temperature. The same type of seizure Emily had suffered from. They took chest x-ray's and it showed he had some kind of virus going on but no fluid in the lungs. We took Emily and Mitchell in today for a follow up with their pediatrician. Emily has a sinus infection and is now on a nebulator to help her breath and after talking to the doctor about Mitchell, she says it is not a classic case of a Febrile Seizure. He did not display convulsions or a high fever and it came on so quickly with no real sick symptons preceeding it. She says there is a chance it could be epileptic(sp?) so we are going to take him to Valley Children's Hospital for an EEG. I almost lost it today when she said that, because the very thought of that hospital makes me cringe and brings tears to my eyes. To think we have to go back for Mitchell makes it even harder. He is still sick and she found some spots in the back of his throat that looks like it might be strep which could have caused the seizure but she wanted to rule out everything. Please keep Mitchell in your prayers, as we attempt to be strong for him and run the tests needed to find out what is going on.

Sissy & WyWy

2008-07-21T09:17:00.000-07:00

Wyatt & Emily are doing very well. They are both very easy going. The pic of Wyatt with the white substance around his mouth is from Mitchell. He shared his ice cream cone with him:)

Emily's Results

2008-07-13T23:02:00.000-07:00

I spoke with the doctor last week about Emily's EEG, and after many weeks of waiting for the results they were inconclusive. Which means the 3 and half hours of taping 27 probes on her head showed nothing. I knew there was going to be a huge chance of this outcome since it was the first time for the guy who did it. I'm trying to remain positive though because our doctor says that 10 percent of the results of these tests show irregular activity in people who have no seizure problems whatsoever. She said it is not a good gage of problematic issues that could be happening neurologically. She is not worried about Emily's condition because she was very sick when the incident did occur. I trust her conclusions and am hopeful that we won't have to go through that again. It is funny how you take for granted your children's health when your first one is born completely healthy. How blessed we are to have them with us today. 5 months ago I wasn't sure they would make it. They have come so far.

Mitchell- 2 years 5 months old!

2008-07-09T21:32:00.000-07:00

5 months old!

2008-07-09T21:25:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that the twins are 5 months old!!! Both the kids are finally filling out. Wyatt more than Emily, but she is growing. Wyatt is growing at enormous speeds! I know it has been a while since I have posted pics, so I'm sure you can see a difference in their growth. I can't forget about Mitchell, he is such a good big brother!

Juan & Michelle's Happily Ever After

2008-07-09T21:18:00.001-07:00

Andrew & I had the privledge to be in both of our good friends weddings on June 14th. It was a beautiful wedding and we had a blast! How fun it was to see our friends get married and to be in the wedding together was a great experience for us. After all, these are the two people who got us together. We knew the summer of 2003 if we wanted to hang out with our best friends Juan & Michelle then we had better start getting to like each other. Congrats to them, we love them both very much!!!

Our Family Photos

2008-06-10T21:39:00.003-07:00

Thanks to Erin Davis from Studio 317 who took our wonderful family photos!

First there was Andrew & I

Then we were blessed with 3 beautiful children

Check out the post below to see all the pics

Check out my Slide Show!

2008-06-10T21:37:00.001-07:00

Our little scare

2008-06-06T16:03:00.000-07:00

For those of you who didn't hear, Emily and Wyatt have suffered from a head cold since last Sunday. Emily got really bad so I took her to the doctor Tuesday afternoon. The doctor said she had an ear infection, but she was real lathargic and spacy eyed and quit really eating. about 7PM I came back into the living room to find that she was seizuring. I don't know for how long it had been going on before I caught it but her whole left side of her face, arm, and leg was convulsing. We immediatly called 911 and she was rushed to the hospital where she was admitting later on that night. She had numerous tests done, CAT scan, chest x-ray, urine culture, and spinal tap to name a few. Thank goodness there was nothing unusual for I feared the worse like a brain tumor or a brain bleed. I took Wyatt to the hospital with me to stay as they continued to monitor Emily after she was admitted. Then later on that night Wyatt started to get worse as well. I took him down to the ER to get checked and they began to run the same tests on him. Two kids each getting a spinal tap in one night was very hard to cope with. Wyatt was not admitted because we knew he would be observed anyway with Emily the next couple of days. The next day they did a EEG on Emily where they placed 27 probes on her head and tested her brain activity. The results we won't get till next week. The doctors seem to think that it was a one time occurance because her sodium levels were so low and she was so dehydrated. We just got home today, Friday, and their test results for their spinal tap showed nothing so they let us come home. The twins are still sick with a head cold and Emily is super sensitive to being touched right now. We hope the results to her EEG come back normal, but know that we are all finally back home and doing well. Thanks to all who continue to pray for us and for those who are continuing to bring us dinners. Your love for us is overwhelming. We will try to keep everyone posted.

Dean Look-alike Meter

2008-05-30T19:08:00.001-07:00

MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Free family history - Roots

Dean Look-alike Meter

2008-05-30T19:03:00.001-07:00

MyHeritage: Family tree - Genealogy - Celebrity - Collage - Morph

Dean Look-alike Meter

2008-05-29T20:04:00.001-07:00

MyHeritage: Family tree - Genealogy - Celebrity - Collage - Morph

My Loves

2008-05-27T14:28:00.000-07:00

The twins are doing well. Thriving and getting bigger as the days go by. I don't know exactly how much they weigh right now but I suspect Wyatt is a little over 9 pounds and Emily around 8 pounds. The last picture is of the ice chest of breast milk that I donated to the San Jose Breast Milk Bank. I donated about 2000 ounces of breast milk. Crazy huh?

Mother's Day!!!

2008-05-15T15:35:00.000-07:00

Wow, I have not felt more like a mother than I have this year. If that makes any sense. I felt like I have fought hard to become a mother of three. How grateful I am to have all three of my kids under my wing. I got thrown a baby shower the day before Mother's Day and got lots of diapers and wipes which were greatly needed. I go through 20 diapers a day with just the twins not to mention Mitch is still in diapers as well. I had a great mother's day and spent time with both Andrew's family and mine. We also got a new car a couple weeks ago. It is a 2003 toyota sequoia, and we love it. I can finally fit all three car seats into the second row and still have one more row for extra passengers. The twins are doing well, Wyatt went to the doctor on Monday and weighed 7 pounds 6 ounces. Mitchell's birth weight! Emily was not taken that day but I am sure she weighs at least 6 and half pounds. She continues to be my mello one and petite one. Wyatt is a momma's boy and loves to be held, he is becoming quite chunky. I will have to post some more upclose pics of the two in the near future.

Mitchell!!!

2008-04-30T17:07:00.000-07:00

Here are some pics of Mitchell. He is wearing Andrew's beanie, and it fits!!! This kid has a big head! There is also a pic of his new swing set we bought. The roof is the only thing still not on. The last one he is deep in thought.

more pics...

2008-04-30T17:03:00.000-07:00

My three little piggies

2008-04-30T08:35:00.000-07:00

The twins are ajusting well to being at home with us. They love being with their brother(except when he is jumping like it is a trampoline in their crib, while they are in it). They are good babies, eating and sleeping well. I took them to the doctors last week and Wyatt weighed 5 pounds 5 ounces and Emily weighed 4 pounds 14 ounces. Each about 19 inches long. They are completely nursing eating every 2-3 hours. Nights are hard with only getting 2 hours of sleep in between my 1 hour feedings but I love the time I get to spend with them. Wyatt looks just like Mitchell when he was a baby, and Emily we call our "little white girl" because she looks nothing like me. I mean you just don't think to yourself, "wow, her mom must be Korean." They will be three months tomorrow.

The Twins Homecoming!

2008-04-17T15:12:00.000-07:00

The twins are home!!! They came home yesterday, Wednesday, in the afternoon on day 75 in the NICU. It came as a shock for me because on Sunday the doctor told me they would be going home early the following week. This was great news since all they kept saying was wait till their due date. The doctor shared with me that it is very rare that they are going home so early and doing so well. They came home almost 3 and a half weeks early. She also said that it is very rare that they are both healthy enough to go home at the same time. As I am writing this e-mail all three of my kids are sleeping. Phew, I'm exhasted. I just wanted to also take the time to thank my mom and Gale for helping out so much with Mitchell and other things. Thanks also to everyone else who had a hand, prayer, and thought for our kids. I tear up thinking that this could have not come at all. Emily came home weighing 4 pounds 10 ounces and Wyatt weighed 5 pounds 2 ounces. Here are some pics. I guess the updates will slow down now that they are home, but I'll keep our blog updates with photos. Thanks again for all the love for our family.

10 weeks old

2008-04-11T12:30:00.001-07:00

Today they are 10 weeks old and have spent 70 days in the NICU. They are doing very well. Both are off of oxygen totally and are nursing 5 out of 8 of their feedings in 24 hours. Needless to say I am TIRED. Our contact list for the e-mails has grown and grown, and we are just so thankful there are so many people who care for us and are pulling for our babies. 10 weeks I ago I wasn't even sure if they were going to make it. They have given me so much strength in watching them endure so much. They are truly amazing, and I'm so thankful to be able to have them in my life. Still don't know when they are coming home but only 4 more weeks till their due date, I am hopeful. Everyone's love and support has kept me going. I hope you enjoy the pics for this week. :)

65 days in the NICU

2008-04-05T14:18:00.000-07:00

Well, we have wrapped up with week 9, and I am about ready to really lose my mind. I guess in some ways it is even harder having them in Visalia because they are so close to home but not HOME HOME. The move has overall been a lot better for our family. Mitchell gets to spend more time with me and stay in his daily routine. I feel like I live at the hospital, and when I'm not there I'm thinking about when I'm going to be able to get there again. They are both doing well. Still on low oxygen, but now in a crib and maintaining their own temperatures. Wyatt weighs 4 and a half pounds and nurses 3 times a day. The rest of his feedings he is fed through his tube. Emily weighs 4 pounds 2 ounces and nurses every other feeding, so I am there late every night and early every morning. I love being with them. :) 5 more weeks till thier homecoming. Pray that it comes sooner than later:) Thanks again to all, we love you very much. And Congrats to my cousin, Chrissy, who had baby Callie on April 1st!!!

8 weeks old!

2008-03-28T22:13:00.001-07:00

We made it to the 2 month mark!!! A lot has happened since the last time I sent out an e-mail. The twins got moved to Visalia!!! They were moved on Wednesday from Valley Childrens to Kaweah Delta because two babies needed to be transported to Children's Hospital from Visalia. They are doing well. They finally co-bedded them and are doing well together. Emily now weighs 3 pounds 15 ounces and is taking in 34 ML's. Wyatt weighs 4 pounds 5 ounces and is taking 38 ML's. They are both very low on their oxygen settings and I'm hopeful they will be off completely by the end of next week. I have also started breastfeeding them twice a day and bottle feeding twice a day. They are both doing very well at both of those things but get tired after each feeding very quickly. I think within the next week they will both be in a crib. The doctors say they are moving along quite well. It feels good to finally have the STABLE babies in the NICU. Doctors still say to not expect any less than 6 more weeks, because that is their due date. I am hopeful. These last 8 weeks have tested me as a mother, wife, and person, but I can see that light at the end of the tunnel. Thanks for all the encouragement and thoughts for our family. Hope you enjoy the pics for this week.

7 weeks or 51 days old!

2008-03-22T09:59:00.000-07:00

Slowly but surely I think they are getting there. Wyatt & Emily have been taking 1 bottle feeding per shift for a week now. They have been having a hard time sucking, swallowing, and breathing so they called in a specialist to work with them 3-5 times a week. I am hopeful. Wyatt weighs 4 pounds!!! He will be moved to a crib in just a few days and is taking in 33 ML's of breast milk every three hours. He still is breathing on the nasal canula, and I think he looks just like Mitchell! Emily weighs 3 pounds 9 ounces and is eating 30 MLs. She is the fiesty one of the two. They attempted to take her off the canula today so we will see how it goes. I got to dress her for the first time yesterday. So they are both maintaining their own temps. She has fair skin and looks like Andrew, I think. Both have moved down to the final level where they will stay till they go home. We have a TV, bed, and restroom facilities in our own room, but are not allowed to stay till a week before they come home. I have attached several pics for this week. Emily is in the pink, Wyatt in the doggie outfit. Also, there is a pic of how much milk I produce in just 1 week(the bags in the back are the equivalent of 3 of those bottles) and a cute pic of Mitch. Thanks to all who have helped keep us going, pray now that their homecoming will be soon. :) We love you all lots!

6 weeks old

2008-03-15T15:58:00.000-07:00

This has been the longest 6 weeks of my life, but we made it this far. They have done so well this past week. They have been stepped down to the family care room where they put more stable babies. Emily got taken off the nasal canula today and is breathing on her own, when I left the hospital she looked like she was having a hard time breathing so she may have to be put back on it. She weighs in at 3 pounds 4 ounces and is taking in 23 ML's of breast milk every 3 hours. She has a major widows peak like Andrew, with dark black hair and brown eyes. Her skin color is fair. Wyatt is still breathing on low settings on the nasal canula. He weighs 3 pounds 12 ounces and is taking in 30 ML's every three hours ( 1 ounce). He has no widows peak, light brown hair, and appears to be blue eyed. He has dark skin. He is at air temperature in his isolete which means that that he is maintaining his own temperature well. He will be moved to a crib when he reaches 4 pounds. He also gets to wear clothes now that he is not getting humidity in his isolete. He also started taking two bottles in 24 hours. The rest of the feedings will be done through his feeding tube. I gave him his bottle this afternoon and it was so hard to see him struggle to suck, swallow, and breath at the same time. His heart rate kept dropping and eventually he had to be fed the rest through his tube. It was a start and he will continue to learn how to do it as the days go by. I have got to do more with them holding them, changing their diapers, taking their temperature, and bottle feeding Wyatt. Andrew is staying busy with going to school full time, working 36 hours, and running his own business. We just celebrated Mitchell's 2nd birthday almost a month and half later, and he really enjoyed it. I am hanging in there, getting tired of the drive, gas prices, and continuing to not have my whole family together. Things will get better I know. Attached are pics of Wyatt in his clothes and Emily breathing on her own. Thanks again to all who keep us in their thoughts and prayers. We love you all.

5 weeks old!

2008-03-07T16:16:00.000-08:00

5 weeks old today! I can't believe it. They have come so far in just one week. They have both done so well breathing wise since after their vessel surgeries. Wyatt weighs in at 3 and half pounds and as of yesterday was taken off the nasal canula completely and breathing on his own! He only lasted 3 hours then they put him back on it last night, but the nurse today assured me that it was only because he needs just the extra stimulation. He isn't really using the canula to breathe. He is mostly doing it on his own, so they are confident he will ween himself off it anytime. He has got orders to be stepped down into the family care room. Where he will stay till he comes home. They want to keep him with his sister as long as possible though. Emily is not too far behind. She weighs 3 pounds finally! She got excabated yesterday and is on the nasal canula as well. She is breathing at 3 Liters with it and he is breathing at 2 liters. So not too far behind him. She is taking in 9 ML's of breathmilk and he is taking in 15 ML's. I got to hold not only Emily for the first time today but both at the same time!!! It was so exciting. It feels like for the first time since they were born that things are moving forward. The nurses tell me that when they reach 4 pounds that they will be put into a crib and hopefully they will be put into one together. Here are some attached pics. Check out our blogspot to see more. Thanks again to everyone! We love you guys so much!

Wyatt Andrew Dean

2008-03-04T21:46:00.000-08:00

Everyone's thoughts and prayers have carried us through today. Emily had her PDA ligation surgery today, and all is well. She was sleeping easily as we left the hospital today. Andrew and I also got to hold Wyatt for the first time today. What a huge thing this was for us. Almost five weeks later and we finally got to hold our baby boy. Wyatt is doing well after recovering from his surgery and he is still completely off the ventilator on the nasal canula on the lowest settings that he has ever been on. Here are some pics from today. Thanks to all again for your love and support.

Juicing Oranges

2008-03-02T22:10:00.000-08:00

I thought I should start to include some pics of Mitchell. We got home from the hospital on Saturday night and Andrew had brought home some oranges from his parents house and decided to do some juicing right before bedtime for Mitchell. Mitchell is wearing his Thomas the train pajamas and is doing the juicing all by himself. He kept saying, "No I do it!" Which is his phrase of the month might I add.

Week Four

2008-03-01T20:47:00.000-08:00

Wow, I don't really know what to say about week 4. It has been a rough one for me. I had shown Mitchell one of the pictures of Wyatt from the last e-mail sent out and he said "Ouchies on MY babies?" And all I could do was hold him close and through tears say, "Yes honey, ouchies on our babies." Four weeks has felt like four years but we made it through month one. Most of you know already that Wyatt had his surgery yesterday. Everything went well, I guess you just don't think after four weeks that you would have to watch them prep and wheel your baby into an operating room. He spent today recovering and is back on the ventilator. He will be set back a couple of days. We saw him today and he still looked pretty out of it and pretty swollen, but the nurses assured me that he was comfortable after his doses of morphine. Wyatt is still weighing in at about 3 pounds 1 once and Emily is at 2 pounds 13 onces. Emily is doing well, she looked good today. She has failed to come off the ventilator for the fourth time now and the doctor just wants to give her more time. She no longer has to be fed lipids and fats anymore so that is 4 more machines that are no longer hooked up to her. The nurse today told me that if all goes well I should be able to hold at least one of them by their 8 week old mark. Here are some pictures of them that we took today. Emily is on her stomach and Wyatt on his side. We got a new camera yesterday so hopefully we will be better in the weeks to come on posting pics. Thanks again for all your hope, prayers, and thoughts for our family.

Love,

Pictures of the Twins

2008-02-26T08:26:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures of the twins that I took on February 25th. Wyatt is the one on his back. Emily is laying on her stomach. Wyatt has a mask over his eyes because he was under the light treatment for his jaundice that comes and goes on the both of them.

3 weeks old

2008-02-22T21:04:00.000-08:00

To all family and friends:

We made it to 3 weeks! With each week, I grow more and more hopeful. Sadly, we still can have no promises from the nurses or doctors. I have no new pictures to update, I am absolutely horrible at that and we need to get a new camera. Things are going along as they should be right now. At least I think they are. Wyatt is doing well off the ventilator still but is having problems digesting the food. They have turned him down to 2 ML's of breastmilk every 3 hours. He weighs 2 pounds 11 onces. While Emily is progressing well with her feedings at 18 ML's of breastmilk every 3 hours. She is not doing as well on her respiratory end of things. She has failed for the 3rd time to be taken off the ventilator and will try again in another week. ( That is the tub down her esphagus that is placed into her lungs) She is weighing in at 2 pounds 10 onces. They both have their strengths right now. The doctor is not concerned on either one of their vessels attached to their heart. Wyatt's is closed and Emily is only opened a little as of now. We paid to have blood directly donated by a friend in the case of surgery or blood transfusions. (Which they both have had) We appreciate all the continual thoughts and prayers as we still have a road ahead of us. I will post updated pics as soon as possible. Thanks again.

Love,
Janessa

2 weeks old

2008-02-17T08:12:00.001-08:00

I don't have a new picture to post of the twins but I wanted to give a little update on them since they just hit their two week mark. Emily now weighs in at 2.1 pounds and Wyatt weighs 2.6 pounds. She has gone over her birth weight and he has not yet reached his initial weight. She is back on the ventilator which is pushed down in her throat and chest to aid her in breathing. She has failed two time in coming off of that machine. She takes about 8 cc of milk every three hours and her vessel attached to her heart is still opening and closing. The doctor is hopeful that it will close on its own, and if not surgery is upon her. Wyatt is doing well off the ventilator but is not tolerating his feedings and is all the way down to only 2 cc every 3 hours. His vessel has closed but still has the capability of re-opening. They are still in the same room together and are stable at this point. Both have undergone blood transfusions in their first two weeks of life. I am continuing to recover from my c-section and Andrew and I are dealing with the separation of our kids a little better now. We know they are getting the best care they could get there. Mitchell keeps us smiling and hopeful. Thanks again for all your thoughts and prayers.

Love,
Janessa

Emily & Wyatt Dean

2008-02-09T20:17:00.000-08:00

To our Family & Friends:

Andrew & I wanted to let you all know how much we have appreciated your thoughts, prayers, cards, & meals. Emily & Wyatt were born on Friday, February 1, 2008 @ 5:49 and 5:50pm. They were born 14 weeks early at 26 weeks. Emily came first weighing in at 1.13oz and Wyatt weighed in at 2.1oz. Here are some photos of them taken at the hospital and while they look like babies they are so so small and fragile in real life. Emily is on top and Wyatt is on the bottom. They are spending there time at Valley Children's Hospital. Please forgive us if we don't return your calls or e-mails. With each day we hold our breath for our little ones and know there is a long road ahead of us. Each day is an uphill climb. We find strength in our Heavenly Father, and remember that each day is a gift as we hug and kiss Mitchell a little tighter. Although, he has not yet met them he shares a special bond which is his birthday with them. If you would like to get on weekly updates please e-mail my mom at lovetoso@yahoo.com as she will be updating and fielding calls for us. Thanks again for thinking of us during this trying time in our lives.

Much love,
Janessa

Bed rest, bed rest, bed rest!!!

2008-01-24T09:16:00.000-08:00

Wow! It has been a while since I have done a post. I am going on my 10th week of best rest! Going a little bit crazy! I wanted to give everyone a little update on myself and the twins. I spent Monday, January 14th, through Saturday in the hospital. I initially went in because I felt some pressure and ended up staying a week after days of many contractions. I had a test done called Fetal Fibronectin which measures the protein that is found in the amniotic sac and fetal membranes and if present after 22 weeks means pre-term labor is pretty much certain. So after hearing I tested positive and finding out I had dilated a centimeter already I was very concerned. The doctor let me go home because I was going to go 5150 (mentally insane). Since then I have been put on even stricter bed rest and can only get up to go to the bathroom and take a shower. Thanks to my mom and mother-in-law( and other family and friends) I have been able to do just that. I will try to post a picture of my fat self when I muster the will to actually have my picture taken. Mitchell, has stayed busy with his artistic side and got bored one night. We walked into his play room and he had moved all his chairs from the kitchen and strategically stacked each one on top of each other in a matter of minutes! I can't believe he will be 2 February 1st!

Christmas Eve with The Dean Family

2008-01-03T12:54:00.000-08:00

We spent Christmas Eve with all of Andrew's immediate family and their kids. We had so much fun and so did all the 14 grandkids. There are 12 grandsons and only 2 grandaughters. Mitchell is at the very top standing on top of the couch. I have also included pics of the twins. One is of the girl and the other is a blurry pic of the boy and his big feet!

Mitchell Dennis

2007-12-18T22:31:00.000-08:00

I thought that it would be nice to put another picture of Mitchell up because let's be realistic here, you really want to see more pics of him, not us. We don't change looks too much. This picture was taken back in July before we cut his hair shorter. I have been really bad at keeping any photo documentation of his second year of life. I hope I will be inspired to be better at it. Mitchell loves trains, blues clues, and spending time with both his GGs(Grandma's) and Papas(Grandpa's).

Our Family

2007-12-13T19:01:00.000-08:00

And so our very own family blog begins...We have been told time and time again that we need to catch up with the internet technology out there and start a blog of our own. After almost 4 years of being married, one kid, and 3 weeks of pregnancy bedrest later, I have finally been motivated. Here is the most recent picture of us. Mitchell is going to be 2 in February and our family is continuing to grow. You can't tell too much from this picture but I am 5 months along carrying twins! A boy and a girl! Our lives are in for a change but we are excited for the new challenge.