Lil' Dean Fam

This is my 500th post on blogger!  Wow!  I am thankful for blogging because it helps me keep in touch with friends and family all over the world.  Literally.  It also helps me journal about the important things in my life.  Blogging is my hobby and it is a great outlet for all of my thoughts and photographs that I love to take.  I've really enjoyed my blurb book that I made last year and plan on making a "blog book" each year from now on.  Now if I could only get caught up on my actual scrap booking, that would be perfect.  Anyway, I also have been enjoying some crafting and fitness blogs as well.  Gotta love to BLOG! 

Today I'm thankful for Ryan's school.  Mostly because in spite of the 18 inches of snow we've had in the last 24 hours, they still held school today!  Just kidding.  But seriously, 9 days off in a row are PLENTY for any mom to want school to start back up again.  I'm so glad that Ryan has the opportunity to attend the school I was fortunate enough to be employed at for the past four years.  Sprucewood is an amazing school and Ryan has an outstanding teacher.  I'm a huge advocate for public schools.  The education children can receive for free is incredible.  Ryan has been learning so much this year already.  I'm so impressed with this math and reading skills.  He's even showing some great spelling potential.  He enjoys school so much and for that, I'm really grateful.  Here are some pictures of Ryan and his Thanksgiving crafts and pow wow projects.  Little things like this don't usually last too long in our house.  For two reasons; one,

I am thankful for my Christmas decorations.  Refer to this post .  That was pretty lame.  And late.  I know.

Today I'm thankful for my home.  I'm so grateful to have enough space for our family, a roof over our head, a warm place to sleep, and a place to make memores. 

Today I'm thankful for SHOPPING ON BLACK FRIDAY!  Jess and I decided to go Christmas shopping together on Black Friday!   The stores are opening earlier and earlier each year.  Last year there were several places open at Midnight, and this year we went to a 10:00pm Thursday sale.  I'm not real sure that I like that places make their employees work on Thursday.  I mean, let's keep Thanksgiving sacred, right?  Alas, we, being the ultimate capitalists that we are, were out there with the best of them at 9:30pm.  We waited outside of Toys R Us in the most bitter cold of nights.  It was 16 degrees out and the line was the most insane thing I've EVER seen.  And, I've been to a few Black Friday events in my life.  If you know how big a Toys R Us is, you'll know that wrapping three-fourths of the way around the building was just insane!  We figured we'd stay inside of the warm car until 10pm and then just go inside with the masses.  No.  They were only letting

I'm thankful for yummy Thanksgiving Day feast food and for the holiday which helps us take a minute (or a whole month) to tell each other that we are thankful for one another in our lives.  This year Colin and I had Thanksgiving dinner at home with our two boys.  We decided to just keep it small and simple.  I cooked everything we enjoy and we had a nice little meal together, complete with LOTS of left-overs.  Our table all dressed up and set for a Thanksgiving feast. I love my white table cloth because it is so simple.  The gold piece is actually an old curtain but I thought I was so clever layering it on the table.  Gotta love those fun leaf place mats too!  And, I do love the dinnerware set I got for my wedding.  We don't use it very often so it's pretty special when we do.     The boys were trying to be patient waiting for the food but my turkey took a little longer than expected.  Oops!  This was really the first one I've done though.  Colin and the boys re

I'm thankful for DIET COKE! 

I keep thinking it's Wednesday.  Am I thankful for this snow and the blizzard of the decade?  Um..  NO, but I was a little excited for it.  We'll see what tomorrow brings, I can't wait to get out my camera and take some great morning-after the blizzard shots so you can all see how buried we get!  ANYWAY, Today, I'm thankful for medical advancements, technology, information, and for the amazing doctors and scientists who make living in this day and age so much easier.  I often think of the advancements made in the technology and medical science of diabetes (this specifically because of my condition).  It is so incredible how much easier living with diabetes can be today.  Maybe too easy, but it really is amazing.  With simple blood tests and X-rays, doctors can detect diseases and conditions easily.  It is incredible how medicines and other procedures can save lives and help prolong them too.  Some conditions used to be a death sentence.   I guess this post is kind

I'm grateful for my camera, without whom this blog wouldn't be possible. 

I'm thankful for my husband, Colin. I've been saving this one, and thinking about this post a lot. I'm so grateful to have Colin as my husband. I love him, and am grateful for him because he's so funny, he makes me laugh all the time. When we were first dating, this was something that really attracted me to him. I loved his sense of humor. I don't always get to see it now that he's such a mature and busy business man, but he really is hilarious! He's passionate, whenever he's into something, he's into it whole hearted. He loves guns, video games, and sports. He'll spend all of his free time doing the things he's most passionate about. And if you've ever had a conversation with him about any of those things, he'll gladly tell you his emphatic opinions on the matter. He's a hard worker. He has really been busting it at work lately, and doing such a great job! He's told me recently that he's been getting some very favor

I'm thankful for the gospel.  I'm a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints which means I'm a Mormon.  I think everyone who reads this blog knows that.  However, I thought I'd take a minute to share with you what that means to me personally. I'm grateful for the knowledge that Jesus lives and that he atoned for my sins and yours.  I'm grateful that I know that I'll live with him together with my family again some day.  I'm grateful for local and general leaders who receive revelation from God relevant to our time and my life specifically.  I love to read the scriptures although I should do it much more frequently.  The temple has been an amazing blessing in my life and I'm grateful for the times I'm able to attend, for myself, for my ancestors, and for others. 

Tonight, I'll be grateful for NyQuil.  Last night (and all day today) it was VERY windy.  I rearranged my patio furniture to get ready for winter yesterday and apparently I did it wrong because it was banging around all night long.  I couldn't sleep well.  Ryan came in to my room at 5:00 am!  Seriously?!  This afternoon I decided we were ALL going to take a nap.  Well, the boys were making so much noise and goofing around.  Finally Ryan fell asleep and I took Evan down stairs to watch cartoons.  Half way through Imagination Movers he was snoring.  And now I'm awake.  But, resting.  And blogging.  But this cold sucks!  I promise to be TRULY grateful for something tomorrow. 

I'm thankful for date night!  Especially when you have FREE tickets to the new Harry Potter premiere!  Yea! My little sister called me about a week ago and asked if Colin and I wanted to go see the new Harry Potter movie with she and Cole.  Hello?!  yes!  Colin wasn't sure he'd get off work in time, but he did and we got to go out to eat too.  We went to Red Robin and had a wonderful conversation before heading in to the movie.  It was awesome!  We both enjoyed it.  Thanks Dad, for watching the boys. 

I'm thankful for the sunshine.  I love summer and sun, and for that matter, surf and sand too.  Where did summer go?  And where in the world is the sun?  Daylight "saving" time means a whole lot less daylight.  I miss the sun. 

Today I'm grateful for my degree.  I attended Brigham Young University and I think I declared my major (Elementary Education) on the first day of my Freshman year.  I wanted to be a school teacher from a pretty young age.  I have always loved teaching, I find great joy in watching others learn new things.  In High School I taught swimming lessons which was a lot of fun and I just loved it when a child would learn how to swim or improve their breathing or strokes.  In the classroom, the triumphs were greater and the love of teaching was always with me.  I taught in the Jordan and Canyons school districts for seven years.  All of that time I spent teaching fifth grade.  I love the age of the kids, about 10 and 11.  The curriculum was a lot of fun to teach.  I think math was my favorite.  I feel like I've written a lot about my career lately, however, I just want to say that I'm thankful that I have my degree and that if I ever need a job, I could get one.  My grandma says t

Today I'm grateful for exercise.  I don't always love to do it, but when I get going, I really do enjoy it.  I love to swim, walk, ride my bike, and play my new Kinect.  I always feel a lot better when I'm regularly exercising. 

Today I'm grateful for my little brother Justin.  I've been thinking a lot about this post because he's been preparing to serve an LDS mission.  He reports to the Missionary Training Center on Wednesday of this week.  He's sort of been the star around here lately so naturally, I've been thinking about him a lot and how much I'm going to miss him while he's gone for two years. Follow Elder McNew's mission on this blog: http://eldermcnew.blogspot.com/   Justin is 10.5 years younger than me.  He was born while I was in fifth grade.  So, not only have I known him my whole life, but I also remember all of it.  He was a super cute baby and I was really excited to have a live doll to play with all of the time.  My mom really let me help out a lot too.  I don't remember doing any diapers but I do remember feeding him and dressing him.  Justin and I shared a room until he was about two or three.  When he was about one and a half we moved to Utah from So

Can't believe I missed yesterday.  Then again, I can.  We've had company in town for Justin's farewell and we've been very busy cleaning, cooking, decorating, and hanging out together.  Anyway... Today I'm grateful for music.  I'm no musician, nor musically talented in any way.  Which isn't for the lack of effort.  I attended a performing arts Elementary School and was trained in violin and clarinet.  I spent probably four years learning the clarinet and still have one but haven't played it in several years.  My choir teacher told me I was a flat singer and I've pretty much been that ever since.  The music classes I took at BYU were pretty difficult for me.  I can't read music but I could lead if I absolutely needed to. However, I do love to listen to music.  I almost always have the radio turned on.  I like to play classical or some other kind of soothing music while I'm doing more productive tasks.  I like musicals and sound tracks. 

I'm not sure what it is about Friday but I'm pretty much down-to-the-wire on this post as I'm totally falling asleep.  Ahem.   Today I am grateful for technology.  I'm not sure how I ever got along without my iPhone before now.  It seems that in just the past 10 years alone technology has come so far, and very fast.  We bought a Kinect last weekend and man, that thing is one cool piece of technology.  You can talk to your XBox, really!  And, you don't need a controller, you can just wave your hand in the air and select the menu or game you'd like to play.  Laptops, document cameras, and all sorts of other devices make technology today's thankful! 

Veteran's Day.  Today I'm thankful for the country I live in.  This is something I definitely take for granted.  I love where we live, the United States is the best.  The freedoms we enjoy because of the sacrifices made by our forefathers and military are amazing.  I loved teaching US history (although I wasn't very good at it) and learning more about our past.  It's easy to be pessimistic about politics and "the economy" however, I have a positive outlook on the future of our Country.  I think things are turning around for the good and I'm excited to see where it will all lead. 

Today I am grateful for my family.  I believe that the family is the central social unit and I'm so glad to live in the family that I do.  Families are those forever friends who never go away, nor do you want them to. I'm grateful for the knowledge that families are forever.  I'm particularly close to my mother's family and I'm so glad to have each of them in my life. I have a really close relationship with my grandparents and a lot of my cousins.  They are the best!  We love to text message, facebook, and call each other all of the time. Whenever something important is going on in one another's lives, we hop in the car and drive 800 miles to be together.  Like this weekend, my brother is leaving for his mission and they're all coming up to see him speak in Church!  This is a picture of my cousins (mom's side) and I on the day Karen and Chris got married.  Minus Kirsten.  We love you Kirsten!  And, we also love getting all of the cousins together i

Wishing I had titled these posts better.  Like maybe the 1st day of Thanksgiving.  Or the top 30 things I'm thankful for or something... ah, next year I suppose.  Today, I am thankful for NAP TIME .  Do I really need to say anymore?  I didn't think so!

Today Ryan and I are taking a sick day.  I've got a lot to do this week to prepare for my little brother's farewell on Sunday and company coming into town for the event.  I have to say how much easier it is to take a sick day when you're a SAHM.  It's about 100 times easier.  When I was teaching, taking sick days involved quite a lot of preparation, decision making, and agony.  I'm so grateful for the opportunity to stay at home with my children.  It hasn't been an easy adjustment.  I'm not the greatest mother in the world, and I'm learning a lot about myself and them through the process.  They are great kids and I love them a lot.  I'm happy with some of the new routines I've put into place with them.  Ryan's doing pretty good in school (aside from talking) and Evan is doing so well with potty training.  photo by 2Gphotography

I'm not feeling in a particularly thankful mood right now, but I have so much to be thankful for.  I guess I'll just post about something fun.  I'm thankful for the TLC network.  I love all of their shows.  I like to watch Cake Boss, DC Cakes, Kate Plus 8, Little People Big World, The Little Couple, Sister Wives, Hoarders: Buried Alive... love that channel.  I'm also grateful for my DVR.  I love that while my husband is downstairs hogging the HD watching some stupid Zombie show, I can watch my Cake Boss tomorrow whenever I get the chance to.  So yeah, I like TV.  Good night!

I hope this doesn't sound cliche but today I'm grateful for life.  I'm grateful for my life, for that of my husband, my children, and my family and friends.  It is all too often that we are reminded of the delicate balance of which our lives hang in.  Illness and tragedies can happen so quickly and claim lives which are so fragile.  Recently I've heard of four or more diagnosed with life threatening, and in one case, life claiming cancer.  Cancer is such a widespread disease, it occurs in people of all ages, and can effect every part of the body.  How lucky we are to have doctors, nurses, modern medicines, and science to help prolong lives and cure illnesses.  I've struggled with health issues but at the same time feel so healthy.  My personal conditions are very manageable and I've worked with great doctors and educators.  I'm grateful that my children are healthy and I'd much rather take the challenges that come to raising "active" aka hyper

I am thankful for Fridays!  Aren't they fun?  Good night! 

Today I am thankful for boys. I love my boys. I've said it before that I wasn't ever in my life expecting to have a boy, let alone two of them. However, I've learned that they are a lot of fun. I did a lot of yard work this week before I got totally zapped on energy about Wednesday afternoon. The boys were not only ready, but pretty willing to help me make a mess, I mean, clean up a mess that was our yard. I'm not very good at keeping a yard and I'll be the first to admit that, sorry neighbors. I wanted to get the leaves cleaned up because I've heard that it's not great to just leave them there all winter long. I borrowed a leaf blower and the boys and I had a great time trying to manage the situation; especially Evan. He would grab a pile of them and throw them into the garbage can for me. Ryan preferred to use the rake. My yard doesn't look good, but I think it looks better. If I get some more energy soon, I'll go finish. My boys are sometimes dra

Today I'm grateful for my car. I've done a lot of errand running today and I'm so glad that I have my car to take me around. It isn't anything super fancy but it's cute and I really, really love my car! I love it even more when it has had a nice car wash. One of these days SOMEONE is going to figure out that a really awesome gift for me would be a 10 pack of carwashes. I've occasionally wanted something a little bigger, or newer, or with more gadgets and gizmos; but honestly I've got all I need, and I'm really glad some times that I don't have to drive a huge car, or park one, or pay for the gas to go in it.  We all fit in the car, the trunk is huge, and it's never given me any troubles. When we went to California this summer, I loaded it up with two car seats, two boys, one Mom, one Grandma, one six man tent, four sleeping bags, four camping chairs, an umbrella, two helmets, a backpack of toys, a diaper bag, my purse, one ice chest, five suit ca

Today, I am thankful for awesome new friends.  I've taken a long time to make friends in this new neighborhood.  With time however, I feel that I've made some pretty good friends and I'm so glad that I've gotten to know some pretty awesome women.  They have such interesting perspectives on life and they each come with different experiences which make them wonderful people.  I love to talk, and to laugh, and to have great friends.  I love all of my old friends too and I'm grateful to social networking and blogging for keeping us all in contact.  Thanks for reading!  Love you all. Jen

Did you know that November is National Blog Posting Month (NaBoPoMo )? It is also National Novel Writing Month, and National Diabetes Awareness Month . So... what to blog about? Well, I'm not a Novel Writer, so that's out. I do have diabetes, but that's no fun to blog about, most days. On this blog, I'm making a goal to blog about one thing I'm grateful for each day in the month of November. On my other blog, I'm making a goal to blog each day this month about my diet and exercise. Today, I'm grateful for fall weather!  I got out and mowed my lawn today.  I also walked the kids to school.  It was wonderful weather.  Definitely a day to be outside.  Fall isn't too long in Utah, so I'm enjoying it while it lasts. 

Jess invited us all out to her house to go Trick-or-Treating this year. It was a lot of fun and we were so glad that we went. She had lots of cute Halloween things planned for us to do before we headed out trick-or-treating with our wee ones. We made Mummy pizzas and the adults had yummy stew made by my mom. We bought glow sticks for the kids to wear out in the dark. Rain was fore casted for the evening and, as fore casted, it was pretty rainy that evening. We were brave and bundled up anyway. Soon the rain stopped and we kept pretty warm in our costumes. The kids were so cute trick-or-treating. They knocked on lots of doors and tried to remember to say "Thank you". Emry's cute little "treet" at each door was as adorable as her costume. Evan knew all the right phrases, "Trick-or-Treat", "Happy Halloween", and "Thank You"; but he couldn't quite get the order of them down right. Ryan is for sure old-hat at the ripe old age of 5 an