Farewell 2007!

I can't believe Christmas has come and gone, but as always it has been a wonderful holiday season. Since Bailee was only 3 months old last Christmas and slept through pretty much all the festivities and such, it seems like it was actually her first Christmas. As you can see from the pics, she had fun playing with some of her new things, but it wore her out pretty quick. It was fun to be able to have our own little Christmas and do our own thing. It has been sooo nice having Josh home during his break and we have enjoyed every minute spending time as a family. We had a wonderful Christmas and really the only thing that could have made it better was a little snow. Sad, but I was actually excited on Christmas morning to see frost on the car windshields ;) Anyways, as the year ends and I reflect back on Christmas and the past year, 2007 has definitely been good to me. I have been so blessed and can't think of much more to say except that LIFE IS GOOD! Hope you all have a very HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Meow = Sniffle, sniffle, sneeze

We spent a couple of days at Josh's parents house. We had a great time, and of course with any Dean get together lots of yummy food. It gets pretty crazy with all the grandkids running around, but suprisingly everyone made it through the week without any serious injuries. As for the picture with the cat, it's kind of a long story...I'll give you the shortened version. When Josh and I first got married we stayed overnight at his parents' house. In the middle of the night I woke up and could hardly breathe, I was so miserable that we ended up sleeping at someone else's house. To get to the point, Mama Dean ended up giving her cat away so that Josh and I could visit without any itching and sneezing...bless her heart. Well, from then on, it has been an ongoing joke. I have received everything from cat socks to this artificial cat that Mama Dean gave me this year. I feel bad that she sacrificed her furry little friend, but just wait, I'll get her back...someday.

True Idaho Spud!

In my opinion, no one is a true Idahoan unless you played with Mr. Potato head as a child. While we were in Rexburg Bailee played with some of my old toys that mom had kept. Bailee actually enjoyed playing with the same Mr. Potato head that I played with as a youngster. I think the picture of Kacie and I is pretty funny since Kacie has a black eye, I swear it wasn't me (or maybe it was...who knows!) and also because the pacifier I am sucking on looks more like a door knob. Okay, so they don't make toys like they used to, but the pacifier has definitely come a long way!

Home Sweet Home...it never gets old!

In the words of Dorothy "There's no place like home." Josh is lucky enough to get four weeks off for school so we took advantage and left the day after finals to head to Utah. Tristen (Miller) Brigman got married on Friday in the Mt. Timpanogos temple. She looked beautiful and I know she'll make a great wife to Dan. We enjoyed the festivities and seeing friends, and also being able to spend quality time with grandpa and grandma Peterson. Those of you who know them, know what great hosts they are and it was worth the flight just for grandmas breakfasts! A storm came through Utah so we stayed an extra night, so we didn't get to Rexburg until Saturday. Tyler came from Boise so we were able to see him as well. Josh and I had a couple of things that we definately wanted to do while in town, one of which was skiing. We went to Grand Targhee and pretty much had the mountain to ourselves (probably due to the fact that it was freezing...well colder than freezing and snowy, which equals lousy visibility). Despite the conditions, which were really only towards the end, we had a great time! We were reminded yet again, how much we love, love, love the mountains and skiing (and Josh snowboarding) :) Anyhow, we had a great time on the slopes and took advantage of the hot tub almost every night...ahhh (another thing we were reminded of loooving). Bailee was in heaven with so much room to play and run around in at her grandpa and grandmas house compared to our small apartment. Cooper and Bailee got along great and it was fun watching them play together and fake laughing when the other one laughed. Now, we've tried to be good parents and teach Bailee not to call other kid's names. However, whenever she said "Cooper" it sounded more like "Pooper" and I am worried (for Coop) that this might be a sign of what the future holds...sorry :) Well, all in all we had a great time and we're glad we were able to spend time (too short of time, of course) with family. It was great to see everyone, we love and miss you all and hope you have a great Holiday!
p.s. as if this blog isn't already long enough, there are lots of pictures below!!!

Grandpa, I mean Santa came to visit Kacie's house. Bailee clearly was not a fan and I felt bad for making her sit there while we took a picture, she was not a happy camper!! However, she was a huge fan of taking ornaments off the Christmas tree and has even been known to break a few. Oh well, at least we got her to crack a smile!

"Here comes the bride...go T-dog"! :)

Bailee's first time playing in the snow. Okay, maybe not playing, but touching the snow. Well, maybe not touching..how about the first time we tried to get Bailee to like the snow. I'd like to think we were successful.

Yep, in case you couldn't recognize my nose...that's me! Like I mentioned, it was a bitter cold day to go skiing, so I made sure nothing was exposed (I guess my nose escaped :) Also a disclaimer about the helmet. I don't usually wear it, but I wore it for a couple of reasons. First of all, my husband is what I like to call accident prone, to put it lightly. He gave me the line "I'll wear my helmet if you wear yours"...enough said. Secondly, as a safety precaution. It was the first ski trip of the season, I wasn't sure just how rusty I'd be. And simply because it was a whole lot warmer than the knit hat I brought home. There you have it.

It's a good thing her daddy is going to be a Dentist, cause as long as there is a grandma around there is going to be way too much sugar on those little teeth. Bailee ate the whole piece of licorice (minus what she left on her face and the high chair, which I think actually equals about a half a piece.)

Crazy Bailee...she was playing in some bandanas (long story as to why I have a bandana in every color) so I tied one on her head. I thought she would rip it off, but she kept it on, and I think she thought she was pretty cool.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

Josh and I celebrated our Anniversary this weekend and it's just crazy how the time flies! I am one lucky girl to have such a wonderful husband and for Bailee to have an amazing dad! I look forward to many more exciting, crazy, wonderful years together...Happy Anniversary! xoxoxo
~"In the enriching of marriage the big things are the little things. It is a constant appreciation for each other and a thoughtful demonstration of gratitude. It is the encouraging and the helping of each other to grow. Marriage is a joint quest for the good, the beautiful, and the divine." James E. Faust

You'll shoot your eye out...

So, Josh and I decided we wanted to go to Cleveland this weekend. We looked on the internet to see if anything fun was going on. Well to our sheer delight, the first anual "A Christmas Story" Convention would be taking place. We had been wanting to see the house anyways, so we got a great packaged deal through the hotel and had a great time. We were able to go to the "meet and greet" with some of the cast. Miss Shields, was really nice as well as Flick (tongue stuck on the flag pole boy...by the way, hate to burst your bubble, but it wasn't actually stuck. There was a hole in the pole and a vaccum/suction that made his tongue look like it was being stretched. I know, I was disapponted too ;) The head elves were extremely nice and sang us a Happy Anniversary song and gave us a free autographed pic (everyone else sold them for $20). Anyhow, I was acutally quite disappointed because I didn't think that I was going to be able to see Farkus and Randy. We were one of the first ones in line and after 40 min past the opening time they still weren't there. Well, I know you are all going to be upset when I tell you this, but I think...no, I know they were hung over. You could tell that Farkus was kind of a bad boy, and Randy looked like he rolled out of bed and had zero personality. It kind of burst my bubble, but oh well. We were also able to tour the house and museum, but my personal favorite was shooting the "Red Ryder" BB Guns in the backyard. All in all, we had a great time and what better way to kick off the perfect Christmas season with a classic! Oh, and don't forget to drink your Ovaltine.

This is an OSU helmet...

and this is my husband's head!!!! (on the right)

I don't even know where to begin! Okay, so Josh has been an OSU fan since birth. He finally admitted to choosing OSU Dental School so he could get season tickets to the football games (I knew it all along :) We have had fun going to the games and cheering on the buckeyes (that's right...their mascot is a nut...literally). However, Josh also has a pure and utter dislike for the University of Michigan. He thinks that we should just "give Michigan to Canada" (can't take credit for that one, I got it off Josh's t-shirt). Anyhow, him and three of his friends won the "lottery" for the showdown and got tickets to the OSU vs. U of M...in Michigan. I was a little nervous about him going into this hostile territory, but he assured me he would be okay. So, Josh calls me Saturday (game day) and tells me that some lady at the hotel told him to go back to Ohio. "That's rude I thought", then later he tells me that an old lady wanted her picture taken with Josh. Well, it wasn't until he got home that these phone calls all made sense. If I saw some punk kid Michigan fan with a mohawk, I probably wouldn't tell him to go home, but I can't deny thinking it. And the old lady was on OSU fan who thought their OSU helmet mohawks were...oh I don't know...neato. I'd like to think that his friends peer pressured him into it, but something tells me it was all his idea. So, there you have it, Josh helped bless his sisters baby the next day, so luckily the mohawk had to go. My husband is what I like to call a FANatic, but he definitely lives life to the fullest and is so much fun!

TAGGED...

For those of you who tagged me...here are 6 things that you may not know about 'Yours Truly':
Hmmm lets see...
1) I am allergic to the cold. Yup, I grew up in the "land of the frozen chosen" (Rexburg) and survived. Actually I self diagnosed myself with cold urticaria last week. If I am exposed to cold temperatures for a while, I get really bad hives. Crazy, I know since two of my favorite things just happen to be skiing and running (which seems to be the worse after I run.) I have now made good friends with the antihistamine Benadryl, so it's all good.

2) I can say the alphabet backwards. I'm not quite sure why or how I know this, but Iearned it years ago...zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcba.

3) I'm not a night person (and usually fall asleep during every movie I watch..unless it is "Troop Beverly Hills"). I am not a morning person either, so Josh says that I am an afternoon person, and I couldn't agree more!

4) I have been accused of being a neat freak and like to organize. I can't leave my house or go to sleep without everything being in order. Josh used to tell me to just do it in the morning, but he has since realized that I'm stubborn and lets me do my thing. Bless his soul :)

5) I love to read. I am a big fan of WWII and other war books. I particularly enjoy historical fiction and non fiction books. What can I say, I'm a sucker when it comes to a good book. However, I am a little nervous about starting a new book because I might neglect my daughter...once I start one, nothing can stop me from finishing.

6) My biggest fear? You guessed it, WORMS! I hate worms with a passion, I think I was traumatized as a child. Granted I am not a big fan of spiders and such. But I hate it when it rains and all the worms come out. Literally when I walk I try to avoid stepping on one. They're just plain ol' nasty!!!

Well, there you have it, I am even more weird than you thought (sad, I am even weirder than I thought) ;) Oh well...For all those of you who haven't been tagged...YOU'RE IT!! hehehe

A Few Family Fotos

We've been pretty busy this past month, and this included getting our first (I know...sad, but true) family pictures! Josh has been pretty busy with school and Bailee and I manage to keep busy as well. The latest with Bailee is saying prayers. I know, you're thinking that's great. However, as of yesterday she learned to fold her arms when we say "prayer". Well, after the dinner prayer yesterday, Bailee kept folding her arms (we're talking 8-10 times) and would look at us so seriously and wait until we folded our arms and said a prayer. She'd wait a few minutes and then fold them again and wait until a prayer was said to resume eating. It was pretty cute and even though dinner took a while to finish she has literally taught us what it means to "pray always".

Cute as a bug!

So, Bailee also dressed up as a lady bug for Halloween (Josh says you can only dress up as a turkey so many times before you start to lose your dignity;) The lady bug just happens to be the Ohio State bug (which has nothing to do with why she was a lady bug this year...thanks Krista for the costume.) I should have taken more pics but this will have to do...

What a Turkey!!

Okay, so Josh bought this turkey costume, but the only way I could get him to wear it to the party was to somehow come up with a family theme. I already had the indian costume, so I made Bailee's pilgrim outfit (which I know is a boy pilgrim, but the girl pilgrim looked like a pioneer and I didn't want any confusion :) and there you have it Happy Thanksgiving and Halloween all rolled into one!

Idaho meets Ohio

Finally, mom, Kacie and Cooper made it to Ohio. They were here for a week and we had lots of fun! Bailee especially enjoyed having a little buddy to play with and follow around...we know when it got quite that they were both up to no good:) I tried to keep them busy and we did some fun things. We of course did a little...okay, who am I kidding, a lot of shopping, went to the zoo, a chocolate factory, huge play land (nets, slides, ball pit, you know, the nasty, germy play places that kids seem to love), an Amish Restaurant, the park, Bellefontaine (where Mama and Papa Dean live), a little pumpkin patch, and just had so much fun laughing and being with the girls! Oh yeah, we also attemted (key word) to have Bailee and Coop's pictures taken together. It went a little something like this. Bailee is woken up from her nap. We get to the portrait studio and the guy wants Cooper to hold Bailee. Well, no sooner had we set Bailee in Cooper's lap he kicked her off. So, the guy decided to break out the Elmo puppet. The puppet scares Bailee and the rest is history. We took her back in the room, and she didn't hardly smile, still trying to figure this guy out. Anyhow, They left today and I already miss having them around. I guess we have to go back to reality (Josh is pretty excited cause he gets his bed back)...

Smile?!

Fun at the park

Pumpkin Patch

AIR SHOW

Air Show

We got free tickets to "The Gathering of Legends and Mustangs" Air Show in Columbus, so we decided it would be a fun thing to do this weekend. Bailee has been pointing to planes in the sky lately so I thought she'd like it as well. It was really cool to see all the old planes and the military air craft. There were a lot of legends (military pilots) from different wars who told their stories and signed autographs. The coolest part of the show was watching the Air Force Thunderbirds. They are the planes that do formations and crazy things in the air. The first time Bailee saw the planes fly by she looked at me and said, "WOW"! It was so funny! Then as the planes flew closer over head it was REALLY loud and even though we covered Bailee's ears, she wasn't liking it so much after a while. All in all it was a beautiful fall day with clear skies, perfect day for flying (or watching people fly:).

Happy...Sad...Happy!

Bailee's Birthday

I can't believe that Baileee is already a year old. She's only one and got her first car and a house (thanks g-ma) for her b-day. We gave her cake, but she just grabbed it, threw it, and started crying. She still doesn't have any teeth and we think she might be teething. Aunt Rebekah brought over a little walker that pushes around and loves it, she'll be walking in no time. Josh got out of school early so we had fun playing with Bailee most of the day. She has the biggest gummy smile and she just makes us laugh, silly as can be...Well, that's the latest with us Deans, hope you all keep in touch. Luv YA