A Few of My Favorite Holiday Things

Girl dolls in mouths of Nutcrackers found here,
Wondering if they will survive another year,

Boy growing up whose smile delights me,
These are a few of my favorite holiday things.

Festive sugar cookies we make for our neighbors,
Girl who thinks playing with dough is a favor,

Lining up cracker men with spoons she did bring,
These are a few of my favorite holiday things.

The holding of a strange holiday visitor's hand,

Wondering and hoping he will not misunderstand,

Big Boys who still love the magic Christmas brings,
These are a few of my favorite holiday things.

Bright shining lights that peak through a green Christmas tree,

I wish my little ones could just let the ornaments be,

Family parties we can attend with no strings,
These are a few of my favorite holiday things.

Hope you had a Wonderful Christmas and
Wish you a Fabulous New Year!!

Love,
The Deans

I can still be THANKFUL in December

I am very Thankful...
that when I put up a very large piece of brown parchment paper on the wall and asked the family to write down all the things they are thankful for, they complied. And I really enjoyed reading everything that they wrote.



I am very Thankful...
that we had the opportunity to eat our Thanksgiving meal with the Dean extended family and am grateful they didn't mind when we had to then scurry off to St. George to allow our son to play in a thanksgiving weekend soccer tournament.



I am very Thankful...
that my kids can enjoy different activities and have the privilege of excelling in them as well. Mr. P was very thrilled to win 1st place for his division at this tournament. And it was exciting and fun to watch him and his teammates play.



I am very Thankful...
that Miss M found her girlfriend, aka her cousin, and could enjoy a little girl play time with her.



I am very Thankful...
that we had a get together with my side of the family, since a lot of them live in St. George this worked out pretty nice. We got the chance to play games, visit, enjoy a nice meal, and hoop it up (with the 3 teenage boys). Then, we had a special reading of Elf on the Shelf for all the kiddies given by the eldest of my siblings. It was a great night.

I am just Thankful...
for family all around. My family. The family I grew up in. The family I married into. The memories. The laughs. The good times. Keep them coming!

Halloween 2011

Halloween was disappointing for me this year.

Usually, I really enjoy HALLOWEEN but due to some unforeseen circumstances my Halloween didn't go according to plan.

I have certain expectations for Halloween day or the days leading up to it. Things like carving pumpkins (we even grew our own pumpkins this year), getting a good and/or fun dinner in their tummies before tricks or treats, and getting a group picture and pictures done before dark.

Needless to say NONE of these things happened on Halloween night and it was disappointing, to me. The kids still enjoyed Halloween, just as it came and went. In fact, this year the older three all went out with friends and really enjoyed their time trick-or-treating. So with that in mind I will share with you what pictures I did get.

Garmadon (a character from Ninjago)


Savage Opress (some Star Wars character)


A Princess


and Napoleon Dynamite (my personal favorite).

And missing from this group is the Nerd, who I didn't even get a picture of. Maybe next year I will do a better job organizing my time, or not have so many unexpected things happening or maybe I will just lower my expectations!

Young Men

Yesterday was a celebration of sorts.

We celebrated these two boys, or maybe I should say Young Men, because that is what they are now. How did I become a mother to two young men? When did they transform into young men from boys. How can I keep them from getting so old that they leave my home and begin their own journey in life?

These are the questions to which I have NO answers. I only know that time goes by much faster than I anticipated it would. Especially in these last few years.

One is now officially old enough to attend youth dances ( a fave of mine at that age) and is in well control of his own future by the wise choices he is making and goals he is accomplishing.

The other is now officially old enough to hold the priesthood. A big responsibility and honorable calling in and of itself. He still seems to be in his own world most of the time but I do see him starting to blossom out of it from time to time and I am grateful for the different perspective of living in this world that he shows me.

They are both very different from each other. They share a fondness of LEGOS and a last name but that is about where the similarities end. I am trying to enjoy what is unique about each of them and trying to show my love for them in the way they are most likely to hear it. Which of course is a completely different style for each too.

I love my boys, I mean young men, and was priviledged to honor their request of Ice Cream Cakes (another fave of mine) for this celebration. YUM.

Happy Birthday!