My Hero

Years ago, when Dan and I were newly married, we attended my sister Natalie's High School Graduation. My mom was to be remarried in August and a new life for my siblings and especially my youngest sister Devanee was about to begin. Following the Graduation, my Mom and Todd wanted to visit with friends and family, but my little sister (almost 5 yr.) was not in favor of the idea and just wanted to be home. I think the realization not only of a "new dad", but the first "male figure" in our home since the death of our dad, had finally set in for her. She was starting to through a fit, so Dan and I agreed to walk her home, since our house was not too far from the High School. Well, she pitched the biggest fit and started screaming, so Dan gently with a little firmness picked her up and carried her home kicking and screaming (which lasted the entire way)! I was so embarrassed and wanted to spank her, but Dan never said a word. When we arrived home, Devanee finally calmed down, but I was now crying and went outside to collect my thoughts. I remember Dan coming to comfort me and I knew then that I not only married an amazing man, but would some day be an incredible father!

Well, 5 years later I got to witness first hand the reality of him becoming a father. As each of our children have been born, the magnitude of his role as a father has quadrupled! He is one of the most selfless people I know and rarely makes time for himself. Since neither my mom or mother In-law are able to come until later dates, Dan was able to take 2 full weeks off from work. I have loved watching him cook dinner, help Braxton with homework, spend one-on-one time with Blaze, chase Berlyn, read stories, and sing to her at night, letting all the kids take turns driving our car around our house, ride bikes, hold and kiss his new precious son, take care of all the fix-it projects around the house and still manage to take care of me!

I have fallen in love with him all over again and think of him as my Hero! Dan is a great example of how a parent should be. I love him more with each passing day and I feel like the luckiest girl in the world!

A very SPECIAL Delivery!!

Finally after I decided to be patient, BRIGGS ALEXANDER DEAN came 2 weeks early! He was born on September 17, 2011 @ 2:11 p.m. He weighed 7lb. 8oz. and was 21 inches long. We are all adjusting fine and are so IN LOVE with this sweet little boy.

Ready to Pop!!

This has definitely been the hardest pregnancy both physically and emotionally. I just haven't enjoyed it this time around and I haven't been the nicest wife or mother these past 9 months! Lately my prayers have been more about asking for forgiveness than thanking Heavenly Father for my blessings. However, I am getting excited to meet this baby boy and start enjoying him from outside my womb. I am 37 weeks today, so anytime would be wonderful! The anxiety of labor has returned and with Dan working from 3:30pm-1:00am...you could say I am more nervous. The hospital I will be delivering at is 1 hour away and Berlyn came in two hours! I did not have medication with her and actually loved my experience, but the more I remember the pain...the better an epidural sounds! Wish me luck!

A Nice Transition!

I was not going to attempt potty-training Berlyn until after the baby was born, but she showed some interest at the beginning of July while we were in California. It was a great idea in the beginning, but she was having so many accidents. I decided to give up and put her back in diapers, but she was determined to keep trying! After a hard month, she was trained by the time we arrived back in Deming on August 13th. She has only had 4 accidents since we have been back, but has done really well during nap and bed time! She loves her new panties and if you ask her mother, her little bum looks adorable in them! Also with the baby coming, I knew it was time for her to transition to a toddler bed. Dan made Blaze a darling toddler bed when he turned 2yr., so naturally I was excited for the time when Berlyn could use it. I was a little apprehensive about making the switch, because she has loved her crib so much. Luckily, she was so excited when we put her "new bed" in her room! We also just purchased a new dresser for her, so she loves the new ensemble of a dresser and bed. Nap's are more difficult because it takes her longer to fall asleep, but night time is a breeze! I can't believe my little girl is so grown up?!

Boy Scouts

Braxton entered the scouting program while we were Roswell and loved it, so I thought he would enjoy the program in Deming. However, I was wrong. It is awesome that our community provides this service for everyone, but Braxton was discouraged with the morale of the non-member kids and was not enjoying himself. We were only in Deming from March-May before finding out we were headed to California for 3 months. He only participated in one activity in our ward in California, but really enjoyed it! So I thought it might be hard for him to get involved in Deming again, but his good buddy Carter turned 8 yr. in May and so he was more motivated knowing his best friend would be there. 2 weeks ago, the scouts were given wooden sail boats to make at home. Since Dan was still in California, I was a little discouraged. Luckily, my friend Marlena (Carter's mom) invited us over so we could make the boats together. Carter and Braxton had a great time making them and were excited to show them off. Last Tuesday, all of the scouts were able to show off there boats and race them against one another. They used rain gutter's full of water and had to blow on their sail without the use of their hands. It was actually really entertaining to watch! Braxton did very well and won two out of four races. Each scout was awarded a ribbon. Braxton had a great time and for the present is motivated to stay in scouts.