My Hard Working Man

The break has been heavenly so far. I think I've had much more of a break than Jacob though. He's so good to me. He wakes up with Luci, makes breakfast, lunch, and dinner, shovels the snow, and he's done about 4 major projects around our house in only one week. We've eaten way too much sugar, been sledding, Christmas shopping, played with friends, and relaxed. Luci has been up to some pretty funny stuff this week too. She's mastered her colors, still begs to do letters 24/7, insists on putting on her own pants which takes forever!, builds towers with everything, talks about Christmas, Santa, and presents constantly, colors in her coloring book on the floor while standing on one leg...here are some pictures. And please check the video bar for some hilarious videos. Merry Christmas!

An Egg

jacob and Luci are on a date. Yes, and I am at home eating a hard boiled egg. I love hard boiled eggs. So many people think they are gross, but really I find them very satisfying and I always want more than one. They went to Chik-fil-a because we got a coupon in the mail. Jacob loves their food, but luci isn't so sure about how she feels about chicken nuggets, we'll see what happens.

So finals have been tough this semester. For me, and for Jacob. I know I shouldn't complain because it will all be over soon and things could be a lot worse. But still, here I am whimpering that I'm not on a date with my busy husband, and my daughter is. ***Good news! Jacob just called to say that he lined up a babysitter and I better get my dancing shoes on :) We're not really going dancing I'm sure, but we are going somewhere! What a hubby. I guess things can get better really fast sometimes, so quitcherbelliachin! (a favorite phrase of my mom's).

Here's a funny story and a cute picture to make this post worth looking at...

At the grocery store the other day Luci was being as loud as ever. Yelling for pretzels, grapes, milk, cereal, cheese, whatever she saw. We talked about being quiet in the store, and she would do a good job for a few seconds. In the check out line for some reason she thought it would be funny to start yelling "Mommy's naked! Mommy's naked!" Of course as I was shushing her she just kept yelling and laughing. This girl has seriously got a sense of humor. How did she know that would be funny? So there you have it, Luci's first joke. I'm sure there will be plenty more.

Dean Ears

I should have many many good pictures for you because Luci and I just got back from a great to trip to the homeland. But, I forgot my camera folks. For the first time ever. Okay that was a lie. I am so bummed because there were so many great opportunities for pics. Snuggling with Nana and Pop-pop, cooking with Grandma Goosey, flower girl shots, and giving kisses to aunts and uncles. She sure loves her family. She decided she loves her grandma's more than me on the trip actually. Every morning I would go to get her out of bed and she would shake her head and say either,
"Grandma, or Nana" why in the world would she want her Mamma? Now all she wants is her daddy since we've been home. That's okay though. I get most of the love anyway :) Anyway, I've been dealing with a much different Luci than usual. A sick one. She has mostly been sleeping, even on the airplane, an unconceived notion in the past. I have been the benefactor of many a snuggle, also a rare treat with Luci. Grandma dean got some lovin' too while we stayed with them for one night before heading back home. It turns out Luci has had an ear infection for about a month and a half. Another Dean headed for tubes in her ears. Sorry princess.

Really, Really, Yummy

See what we had for lunch today...

deancooking.blogspot.com

Hee=Haw

The end of October...farm, hayride, pumpkin patch, trick or treating, and more fall colors... It was a good month. We're contemplating getting out a teeny bit of Christmas music...I know, already! Aren't you excited though? I'm making peppermint bark this week too. I just can't wait okay. Oh yeah, we're having a baby boy! That makes me 21 weeks now, and feeling great :)

A little candy crazed in this pic, with only a few m&m's.

Please watch the hee-haw video in the video bar. She says it all the time now, hoping to go to the farm again.

By the way

My phone was stolen yesterday...so until then you can reach me on Jacob's phone or through e-mail.

dlparkinson@gmail.com

Love it

I love this cooking blog and they're giving away this cute apron! Check it out...

just-cook-already@blogspot.com

[dressing up for Hallzooween]

Also, I am very happy to announce that Luci is back to her normal sleeping pattern. She makes me so happy. Today we went to visit Jacob at school since he hasn't been able to see Luci much this week. We went out for pizza and the whole way home Luci kept saying, "Daddy! Fun! Pizza! Num!" Then with a concerned look on her face, "Daddy, school".

I had a midwife appointment today. The nurse told me I that I gained too much weight this month...okay so I did gain 7 lbs...in one month. But she looked at me like I was crazy, like I'm eating for my whole family or something. I kept trying to count the lbs. I've gained since I've been pregnant and it was only adding up to 9lbs...I'm almost 20 weeks. I'm pretty sure that's just fine! Anyway, the midwife reassured me that 9lbs is great. Some people gain a lot in one month and hardly any in other months. We shall see! This baby makes me hungry! Also...it took the midwife almost 10 minutes to find the heartbeat today. We could hear the little stinker zooming all over the place and moving though. The baby finally sat still just long enough for her to count. She asked me if I had coffee for breakfast or something. "Nope, nope just oatmeal with some honey on it", I said. We've got another non-stop dean baby in this womb of mine.

A fussy one

This little one has been giving me quite a test the last week or so. For some reason she refuses to sleep. She just screams instead. To the point that she has lost her cute little voice several times. So she's completely overtired, bags under her eyes and all. This means days filled with, "NO!, no, No!"coming from her sweet little mouth. Distraction is a great tool. Especially reading and her baby doll. Poor girl.

Well, last night Jacob gave her a priesthood blessing and decided to put her in a different room. She still fussed for a little bit, but no screaming! I wonder if she is afraid of something in her room? Is it separation anxiety from starting nursery at church? I guess she'll be sleeping in her pack and play until we figure it out. Until then, I'm so glad it's the weekend so Jacob can help me...I was starting to go crazy. I did crazy things yesterday. I almost bought hostess donuts at the store, and I made macaroni and cheese with canned peaches for dinner. Those that know me can attest that those things are considered crazy for me. Since I really don't like packaged mac and cheese, and hostess donuts are packed with hydrogenated oil (a contraband in our home). Pray for me my friends and for my sweet little girl to get over her fears.

So Glad

Tonight I'm all by my lonesome while the baby sleeps and Jacob has meetings and basketball. Surprisingly, I have been cleaning much of the night away. I guess being in my second trimester has given me a burst of unexpected energy. We are preparing for a good, no, a great friend to come visit us this weekend; I guess that helps to motivate me too.
I put away my skinny clothes and got out my maternity clothes. I'm giving in to the comfy pants earlier than last time. I really don't care if I can fit into my normal jeans for my whole pregnancy. Don't ask me why I cared last time. I am also feeling the little kernel inside of me popping sooner than last time too. I love, love, love that feeling. It makes it so real. In all this quiet time I have thought about some things that make me glad.

So glad that I'm not a single parent.


So glad that we have good friends that let us borrow their clothes, their phone, their Mountain sports channel, their house, their time, oh and whatever else...














So glad that fall break is fast approaching.

So glad that Jacob got an internship for this summer, and a paid one at that.

So glad that I get to be a part of my family's big happenings next month (Lot's of weddings, 3 actually).

So glad for the beautiful weather that is fall.


So glad for a happy, smiley, non-stop little Luci. (Cookie Monster slippers: 2$ from goodwill)

(She is saying "cookie monster", who she used to think was Elmo)

And the list could go on, and on...

What's Cookin' Good lookin'

Check out a cooking blog that I contribute to. Okay, so I'm the only contributor as of yet. My sisters in law are supposed to contribute too :)But I made some yummy dinner last night that you should try. It's deancooking.blogspot.com

oh yeah

and don't forget to check out the new video in the video bar. it's laughy taffy for sure.

We Went

To the Oktoberfest!


Can you tell that Luci was loving it?? Well, we enjoyed ourselves. As for Luci, I think that there were too many noises and too many people for her to be able to know what to think. German food is so good! Well, at least it smelled so good. Maybe someday we'll have a little cash to throw down at things like that. Someone please enjoy a strudel for me at an Oktoberfest near you.


We also went to a theme park nearby that is pretty much a state fair that never ends. Luci got to ride some of the smaller rides with some friends from our ward. Thanks for the tickets you guys! Again Luci looks like she is having so much fun! Well, I think she liked it. She especially liked the airplane one that she rode all by herself. But I couldn't get a very good picture of that one. This one on the other hand is priceless. These girls love Luci by the way. One time the younger one was talking to her dad about going to the museum with Luci. She said, "I love Luci dad". Her dad replied, "really?" and she said, " I love her so much, I want to marry her." Thank goodness for good friends!

Last Week

I made some muffins last week. They have a ridiculously long ingredient list and I'm not sure what to call them. We'll just say they were Pear, zucchini, flax, banana muffins. Yummy, healthy snacks are a must have around our house. Mostly for me, since I am constantly hungry. Well, okay so is Luci. So if I don't make healthy snacks then we end up eating pretzel sticks and cheese everyday. Okay! We still eat those everyday too. Anyway. On with the story. So I put Luci on the back porch to eat her muffin while I cleaned up a little. I could hear Luci saying, "Mmm, Nummy, muffins, mmm, nummy, (pause for chewing), Mmm! Nummy, muffins." Literally the whole time she was eating. You could say I felt pretty good about my muffins. It's so fun to have a child that appreciates my cooking. A husband too.

Speaking of the husband. What a charmer he is. I'm glad that now you all know why I like him so much.

Mia Principessa

Dear Danielle,

Don't worry, no one has hacked into your blog; it's me, Jacob.

Do you remember when we were kids? We used to stay up late, spend every free second together, and do crazy stuff like spend money.

Things have changed.They aren't better or worse, they are just different. We have a beautiful little daughter with another child on the way, we go to bed around 10:00 every night, and we get excited to go to the store to buy laundry detergent because it means we can spend money.

One of the big changes the past couple of years is that I don't get to see you as much as I used to or as much as I would like to. Just because I am not around as much doesn't mean I don't think about you. I do think about you. I think about the future, about our hopes and dreams. I think about now, how lucky I am to have such a wonderful wife. Thank you for being so selfless, loving, and patient. You truly bring make me want to be a better person. I love you, and I know that Luci loves you too. She's already trying to follow in your shoes.Thank you for taking care of our daughter. Thank you for your willingness to stay home with her. Thank you for doing the laundry every week even though you hate it. Thank you for helping us to live on a budget. Thank you for not spending money we don't have. Thank you for making delicious food (really, everyone I know is jealous that I get to live in our home). Thank you for having dinner on the table every night.Thank you for being so beautiful. Thank you for your smile. Thank you for laughing at my jokes. Thank you for supporting me in school, and being understanding when I have to stay late. Thank you.

I know we have different love languages, so I'm sorry for not doing more girly things for you. I really do love you, though it may not always be expressed in the medium you desire. When I woke up at 5:30 this morning, it was so I could come home tonight and not have anything else to do except be with you. I read my scriptures in the morning, and not at night, because I want to be the best husband and father throughout the day that I can be. When I work at school and apply for jobs, it's because I want to take care of you. When I do the dishes at night, it's so you can have a clean kitchen to create your masterpieces in. When I mow the grass, it's so you can have a pretty yard to look at.

I have been thinking recently about my childhood. I am sure that there are some bad memories that I am suppressing, but as far as I can remember, it was idyllic. I remember the sights of smells of fall in small-town Ohio, sledding down Sparr Ln. on a rickety old flex flyer with my dad (remember, he got school off too),and swimming at Christmas Run park where I always bought Now & Laters during the rest break.During all that time, my life had one great constant -- my mom. She was always there. Whenever I needed her, she was there, and she still is.

I'm confident that our kids will look back on their childhood's the same way I have because of what you do. I know that life may seem a little hectic right now, but I love you. Luci loves you. We love you and I don't want you to ever forget it.Love,

Jacob

Guess What??

I'm Pregnant! And the little cutie is the size of a lime today.
Dean Baby number two is due March 11, 2010.
We are as excited as can be.
Although it hasn't really hit for Jacob yet. Well, only when I'm hunched over the throne making lovely noises and hoping that I'm not peeing my pants too. Some gooey details for you. Now you see how this relationship of pregnant blogging is going to be.
It really hasn't been that bad. It's been very easy actually. Just a few bad days, 4 to be exact.
Luci is excited, she has learned to point to people's stomachs and say "baby". If you can call that excited?

Here we have a photo of our picnic tonight. We had delicious tin foil dinners and rolls. Luci had just smashed the jam filled pillow of bread into her face, smearing stickiness all over, when she fell over face first in the dirt/grass. We had a good laugh. Of course we said, "don't laugh, don't laugh" but how do you not laugh at your children at such times??

My 2L

To Jacob my 2L.

Mostly cheesy love songs are coming into my head as I think of what to write to you right now. I would write them except their cheesy so I won't. Anyway, like I've said before, you are the reason, you are the reason I wake up everyday. Okay! I couldn't help it I guess. That's a Celine Dion one. Seriously though thank you for being so amazing. I couldn't do it, couldn't exist without you. I can't exist without your handsomeness. Can't even sleep without a light on when you're gone, to be honest. The days of fall have come, leaving behind our fresh veggies and bringing with them endless amounts of reading. Whatever will I do.

Your daughter thinks the world of you too, asking, "daddy where are you" in her slurred toddler voice. All the while knocking on the front door and saying "bus" and "walking". She knows your whole routine. walking, bus, school, walking, bus, home, luci!!! Every time she sees a bus she says, "DADDY! YAY!" It's different having you gone more, we both miss you. Thanks for taking care of us even though you're a busy 2L.

Love always,
Your Daniella

P.S. Everyone! Check out the video bar I added for the most recent videos of the Luci. Just uploaded a tea party tonight:)

Today

I read a quote today,

President David O. McKay said that the principal reason the Church was organized is "to make life sweet today, to give contentment to the heart today, to bring salvation today... Some of us look forward to a time in the future--salvation and exaltation in the world to come--but today is a part of eternity."

--From the September Ensign, p. 8

Home Sweet Home

There's no place like home right?!

We are so glad to be home, but it's so hard to leave our family behind! We had a great time at the Dean family Reunion and with everyone in Utah. Luci talks double what she did before we left for three weeks. It's crazy! Of course it makes for very proud parents...we keep reminding ourselves though that it will only make for sooner why, why, why's from our little chatter box. She is going to be a non stop talker, that is for sure.

So, everyone in my family thinks that Luci looks just like me! Well, I had the bald thing going on, and the talking too...so she is following in those footsteps. Of course my dad still calls her 'Jacob junior'. Grand-doc insisted that she was a boy. What, with that kind of haircut (in his words) who would take her for anything else? In grandmothers words though, "David, you know nothing about babies". To which he bowed his head and said sheepishly, "that's true".

The Dean family reunion was great. We were so glad especially to spend time with Jared and Jody before they took their family away for the next three years. Jacob, disgustingly cut his hair into a mullet right before family pictures. Of course he cut it all the way after everyone got a good kick out of it. I seriously couldn't even look at him for fear of puking. Luci and Abram, who are both 1, are so cute together as you will see in their matching red hair (although Luci's is much more red so far). Thanks for planning all the fun Bekah, Mom, and Dad.

Anyway, we played in the water lots. So much that when Luci saw a swim diaper today she tried to put it on while saying "go-go"! We ate lots of food at the Restaurant (as usual). Luci started saying POP-POP as soon as she saw the Restaurant. It's fun to see her put things together. Luci had her first bought with the stomach flu. What is it about vacation that makes children get sick anyway? Jacob ran in his first half marathon and loved it, which is surprising since after the Turkey trot last year he said he hated running and never wanted to do it again. We did some catering and made some extra cash, Jacob did research at the BYU law library. It was a very fun yet productive last couple of weeks. Oh and Jacob is in the process of painting our friends' house (the outside). He's bringin' home the bacon friends, which I am so grateful for. Thanks for taking care of us babe.

Luci is still yelling NANA, POP-POP, MA MA (grandma), and POTS (pops). She's thinkin about you guys. We love you! Thanks for playing with us :)