Hello!!

Ok I realize its been, well forever since I last posted so I am writing to give you a little change of scenery when you visit:) 

  So I kind of have an excuse.  Tony and I are so happy to let everyone know we are expecting Baby #2 October 1st!  Some of you may know by now but we have been telling slowly but surely, just for precaution I guess.  Thia ultrasound was at 8 weeks.  I'm 14 right now.  I know you can't see anything but he/she looked like a gummy bear.

   As for foster care, we found out I was pregnant a week before we got our official license to foster/adopt.  God really knows how to mix things up!  We decided to obviously put things on hold but are thinking about doing a little respit care.  Which is basically babysitting foster children for other foster parents while they are gone or if they may need a little break for a day or so.  This means it wouldn't be an indefinite or permanent placement.  We are thinking of doing this only in the 2nd trimester, which we are beginning now.  So pray for us in making all of the different adjustments.

  Dean has been great.  Although he is well into the terrible twos as they call it.  Man, this is crazy stuff.  No wonder people are driven to addiction.  ok I'm only joking but its tough stuff.  He is really trying to figure himself and us out.  Luckily it seems to only become full blown out right scream sessions in the privacy of our own home.  In public (most of the time) he is satisfied with chatting with people and eating fruit snacks all day.  

  Which brings me to another issue.  Fruit snacks!!  Who invented fruit snacks anyway, yes- they are yummy, yes- they are non messy, yes- they are delightful for all ages but why are they like crack for my son??!!??  He can't get enough, he will finish one and be ready for the next.  It's insanity people.  The good thing is that I always know when he's asking for them.  His voice gets really sweet and quiet..."Mama? pease, 'root nacks' pease mama? pease?" .... then, big smile... another big smile,  "pease?"  

  Yeah no wonder all of the suckers that babysit him hand them over one by one to him:)  I love you all, but you're all enablers!

   Well as you can see we have been busy with planning for a new baby and getting through the two's, (its not all bad, this is what we signed up for... again)  so please forgive me for my lack of motivation in my blogging.  I try:)  These pictures were from my Mom's 60th birthday lunch.  She loved the surprise scrapbooks, thanks for writing everyone!!!!!!

Cousin Miriam
Aunt Da:)
Look at her surprised face... I love it:)

Snow Days

So we all bundled up and played in the snow this week.  Dean loved it!  Last year he was not impressed with it but this year he loved  the  'noballs' and sledding!  We went sledding with our neighbor Zach aka 'Yak' to Dean.  We actually just went to the drainage easment in our backyard.  I know, pretty awsome huh?:)  Anyway it was a big enough hill for us to have fun on. 

 p.s.  Don't all of you Arizona people feel like you're missing out on such fun... haha:)

He was throwing snowballs at Tony.

This was earlier that day, Tony went out to shovel the back steps off for the dogs and Dean saw me get the camera out smf posed for a pic with daddy.

He just liked to sit in the snow and watch Zach throw snowballs at Tony.
It looks like they are going so fast down the hill.

We got a family pass to the Cincinnati Children's Museum with Dean's birthday money and we've gone several times already and he loves it there.  There is a huge netted area that they play with thousands of balls, making them go into tubes and throwing them into buckets and shooting them out of pipes.  It's fun.

This part is the water area.  He is usually here for a while.   I have learned to pack a second whole outfit for him to change into after this area.  There are many other areas for him to play in and also other museums to walk through.  It's really a cool place to go, especially when the weather is so cold.

Well I hope you all stay warm and safe.

The New Year

Well,  I can't believe we're two weeks into 2009.  I hope this year brings lots of happy times for everyone.  It sure has brought a whole lot of frigid weather for us so far and more to come!  Oh well,  what can we do?!  

  So i'll begin by saying Dean is now officially 2 years old, I can't believe how times flies yet I can feel every bit of his two years added onto my life:)  I know it's only going to get crazier though... this is a shout out to all of my friends and family with multiple kids!  Hooray for you!!  Seriously.  

  Anyway,  here are a few pics of the last few weeks...

He is enjoying his very own kalotchy cookie. If some of you don't know, this is our family cookie. Its been a tradition in my dad's family for years. We like to pass on those traditions, especially if they're sweet:)

This is before church on Christmas Sunday. He is so handsome in a sweater vest:)

So, yes we did take him to see the real Santa and not just the Chic-fil-a cow Santa.  He actually told him he wanted a 'choo-choo'.

And guess what he got, a choo choo:)  He loves it.  He actually had a terrible time sleeping after all of the Christmas activites and traveling that one night he was up and upset and a little drousy that I could hear him muttering '...choo choo, mama, choo choo'.  Its really cute now but it was not too much fun at 3am.  Thank goodness he has for the most part overcome the sleeping troubles!

Here we are visiting Daddy on Christmas Day!  We had dinner at the firehouse with him.  Dean loves the wee-oows.  Another cute story was last night we Dean and I were ready to pray at dinner and Tony was working, Dean grabbed both of my hands, as usual, and started praying  " mi, mi, mi, mi... dada wee-ow wee-ow. Mamen!"  Translation:  "Thank you Jesus for this food.  Bless it to the good of our bodies, and be with daddy at work.  Amen!"  His first Prayer all on his own!!  It was so sweet because I always say the prayer and add to be with Daddy at work and he might add the wee-ow wee-ow but he said it all and he was praying just for Daddy.  It just makes my heart swell:)  Daddy was happy:)

Christmas Celebrations with the Families...
Dean got so many gifts from Nanny Pappy and Maw Maw, not to mention all of the Uncles and Aunts!!!  He is so blessed to have family like he does!
Nanny and Dean in the tent he got for Christmas!  It's been one of his very favorite gifts.
Uncle Danny and Aunt Jenny
Uncle Dray
Opening gifts at Maw Maw's house.

He got a shaving kit for Christmas and Daddy is showing him how to use it.
Here is Dean on his 2nd Birthday!
Yay!
Opening presents at his party!

Digging in to the cake... yummy, thanks Ginny!  He just couldn't help himself.
I just thought this was cute.  Olivia and Dean in the beloved tent.
Finally able to relax and watch a little Handy Manny.  :)

I probably should've just used a slideshow but too late now:)  

Awww, don't tell me you're sick of being sick of Thomas the Train:)

Ok Ok so its been a while, maybe a very long while.  I apologize, we got extremely busy, as we all do, and I just didn't have the energy to post.  I know, believe it or not I may not be the super mom you all thought I was... ha!  So here  I am at almost 1:30 am thinking to myself  'hmm... maybe I should update the blog'.  So if any of this sounds a little off or odd to you nevermind it.  I will try to be better, maybe I'll even make it a New Years resolution.  No I better not, I don't think anyone has good luck with those.  

   Ok so here it is, Dean is doing great.  He is growing big and tall just like he is supposed to.  He has been getting colds lately but I guess its the season for those.  He has caught on quick to who Santa is (basically anyone with a red hat on), he likes the O-H...I-O chant and then ends with "Go Butt-eyes!"  I love it!  Its so funny!  He is talking much more and we have our own language as most parents have with thier toddlers I suppose.  He also has to hold our hands during the mealtime prayers and at bedtime he folds his hands and bows his head but his eyes are looking upward.  It is so precious.  

     As some of you may know, Tony and I have felt led to be foster parents.  We have gone through training and are in the homestudy part of the process right now.  We could really use your prayers to help guide us and support us.  This is something new for us and our whole families.  We are really excited and believe God has a great plan for our family.

  Now, on to the pictures...

When we went home for Thanksgiving, Dean found Drayton's ear protection.  

Hanging with Pappy, watchin' some football.
I love Uncle Ty
Snuggle time in the chaise lounge.
Unfortunatly, this is the only Santa Dean has seen this year.  I know its pathetic but we are going ot try to go with in the next day or so.  Its the Chick-fil-a cow.
Tony and I took Dean to an inflatable indoor place called Bananas.  It was a blast!  There were about 8 or 9 huge inflatables that he could we could just run and jump and have fun on.  I think we all had a great time.
Weee!
He was posing really cute at dinner onw night last week and I caught a couple poses.
Love it!
Dean is learning how to play the piano with cousin Bella.
Using Uncle Rick as a personal recliner as he watches Polar Express for the 5th time in a row... for real.
Great Grandpa and Maryann with the little ones.

So Are You Sick of Thomas The Train Yet???

I know, I know it's been a long time!  So I'm here to fill everyone in.  It'll try to be short and sweet, no promises.  So, in order...
Dean picked out a pumpkin and this is what he chose, he likes to try to pick up very heavy things for some reason. And he grunts while trying, it's pretty funny.
Dean also got his first haircut.  We went to a place called Big League Cuts.  All of the chairs had t.v.'s and they turned cartoons on and he was an angel.  I don't even think he knew what was going on until we got up and paid and were walking out the door and I asked if he got his haircut and he smiled (with a sucker in his mouth) and pointed at his hair and said 'yea'.

  And now for the trauma of the century....  Dean got his first stitches.  Yes, as if any of us are surprised but still I was hoping for a little older.  

  Dean and I were at my Grandma Kitty's house waiting to meet my mom when Dean tripped and hit his head on the corner of her display cabinet.  It bled and he cried for what seemed like 5 minutes and then we got him calmed down so I could look at the cut, I decided it was too bad and he would probably need stitches.  I think I handled myself pretty good for my first 'situation'.  So we were off to the ER where we met Mom and Teresa.  Dean, believe it or not, had a great time, he was playing and waving at the nurses and other patients... until the shot and stitches, of course 3 hours later.      Poor Dean, it was so sad to see him held down screaming for me and I couldn't do anything for him.  But as soon as he was finished he immediately stopped crying and wanted some juice.  Needless to say he got anything his little heart desired for the next few days.

  I just want to point out that only when Tony is at work do these situations seem to occur.  So the one person I know can handle stressful times is of course working, yes he may be 'saving lives elsewhere' but non the less not with me.  I will however spare you the before picture you know I had to take to show Tony how bad and yucky it was:)

See he is peacefully watching his personal tv with his goldfish and bear at his side.

This was after the whole event as we waited to be discharged.  This was at about 9:15pm and is way past his bedtime of 8pm.  I know you all are cringing with this next picture but I had to post it.  There are 4 stitches..  poor, poor Dean.  He's a trooper.

So since last Thursday when this all happened he has had them taken out at his pediatricians office which wasn't even a glimpse of how bad it was getting those bad boys in. So I think its all over... for now. Ugh.

So now we have Halloween. Dean loves trains so we decided to dress him like a train conductor and our friends had a costumes for it so we were in luck. Dean wasn't crazy about the hat so he wouldn't wear that but in his defense he did still have the stitches in. So I snuck it on a couple times to get a picture or two and then let it go.  We went to our church's Harvest Fest which was fun, mostly because we didn't have to be out in the cold and walk around to get candy.  The parents and grandparents sit in a huge circle and the kids go around and get candy.  And they have snacks and activity's for all the kids.

yea thats a box of raisins in his hand not candy.  I was so proud he chose them over candy... for a second until he saw what good stuff he got from all of those nice people.

This was Trick or Treat night as we handed out candy.  Dean loved watching the kids walk up and get candy.  He kept giggling as each kid came up and then when they left he would say 'byyye' and wave... even when they were across the street.  It was so funny.  I even had to feed him his supper outside because he wouldn't come in to eat.
Ok so now I will try to keep up with everything.  Sorry it took so long.

Thomas the Train

A day out with Thomas.   Dean just kept saying  "choo choo".  We went with some friends of ours and their daughter.  We rode on Thomas for a 25 minute train ride and then they had entertainment like live music, a mini corn maze and a huge Lego Thomas the Train along with other trains to watch and play with.  Dean isn't a huge fan of Thomas per say but the trains he loves.  I think I am thankful because their merchandise is crazy expensive.  Although we did buy him the balloon.

Pete and Olivia

We were all sweating to death.  See Dean's rosy cheeks.  We had his Ohio State jersey on him but had to take it off.

The big Lego train.  It was pretty neat.

The big caboose that sits stationary, it might have been his favorite.