Harmony Music Performance!

 Sisters singing together.  Serena would have music lessons at home for Aleeya in the bathroom. 

 Aubrey Harmon, the teacher, and the class.

The whole group performing.  Aleeya didn't want to sing for the first few songs, but then she got up there and did the actions.  Serena is always very good at focusing on the teacher and performing.

Swimming with McBrides

Serena got more brave everytime we went swimming.Carter is a pro and without his jacket he can kick and "swim" in the pool.
Aleeya and Camry had a great time jumping into Jenni's arms. Check out Serena's swimsuit, it had a serious creaping problem!
We love our Jenni. It was so nice for me to just sit in the shade and the kids played and played and played!

Year in Review

Taylor Dearden Family


YEAR IN REVIEW-2010

TAYLOR

This has been a fantastic year for Taylor. He has accomplished some major health goals by losing 70 lbs and by running three half marathons (Top of Utah, Layton and Provo Halloween Run). He is a great example of commitment and dedication to his family.

Taylor has continued to excel at work and has been asked to training new hires and assist other Fidelity departments in understanding annuities. He is often given special projects from his boss and he is a top performer on the Annuity Specialist team.

Taylor serves as the fourth Sunday Elder’s quorum instructor and he is well prepared and does a good job of teaching. He is a dedicated Home Teacher and has been a good support to the families he visits.

Taylor had the opportunity to show his family his mission field in Fresno, California during a family vacation to Disneyland.

DIANA

This has been a challenging year for Diana. In February her Dad died from Lung Cancer. The resulting sorrow impacts all aspects of life.

The majority of the year Diana continued to serve as the ward Relief Society President. In September, she was called as the Stake Young Women’s First Counselor, though she asked, they wouldn’t let her do both callings, so she was released. This has been a big transition.

Motherhood is the best! Diana keeps the family running and participates in teaching the children preschool with a neighborhood group, plans weekly field trips and playgroups and tries to keep things under control in the cleaning and laundry departments.

Diana volunteers as the choir pianist at NDPA for the after-school choir, but this has also lead to being the pianist for the Kindergarten program and school sing-along. She also assists in the classroom once a week.

CARTER

Carter started Kindergarten at the North Davis Preparatory Academy (NDPA). Their focus area of study is Spanish and it is a perfect challenge for Carter. Carter’s teacher, Mrs. Susana Aznar, is from Spain and Carter loves her. On his first report card his teacher said that he is “brilliant and understands everything.”

Carter is also participating in the after-school choir and for the Christmas Program he sang in a trio and stole the show with his hilarious actions as he sang, “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.”

Carter participated in T-ball and soccer this year. He is a natural at baseball and was one of the best on the team. He improves each year at soccer and this year was really good at staying with the ball, it must be the great teaching he gets from his coach (his mom).

Carter has discovered the wonderful world of computers and would play all day if he was allowed. He tries to sneak in Star Wars games, but quickly changes it to a learning or sports game when mom comes around.

Carter is as dramatic as ever and likes to act out Ben 10 and other super hero figures. He is always making up stories with friends and running through the house saving the day.

SERENA

Serena is mom’s little helper. She always wants to be doing what mom is doing and she is really good at going and getting things. She does her chores without being asked and it is cute to see her lugging her laundry bin up the stairs.

Serena participates in a weekly play school and loves to go on fieldtrips. She loved the vacations we took this year to Disneyland, Vegas and St. George. Whenever we are now on a longer van ride she asks if we are going to a hotel.

Serena played soccer for the first time this year, or should I say Serena stood on the soccer field and hugged her coach and talked with her friends, while wearing a soccer uniform. She loved getting ready for soccer and the snacks, but didn’t spend much time actually kicking the ball.

Serena loves dolls and Barbies’ and always has a load of toys to take with her. She plays really well with her sister and loves to dress-up.

Serena has an interesting accent and we have discovered that she has low level hearing loss. She will be getting tubes in her ears the first of 2011 and we hope that this will fix the hearing loss and help her to hear and understand better.

ALEEYA

So cute and so loving! Aleeya turned two this year, but she still is so petite that people are surprised at how well she talks and runs around.

Aleeya loves to read books and play with her sister. She is really easy going and just joins in with whatever the family is doing.

Aleeya is a star in nursery and her teachers love that she sings the songs along with them. She is taking after her brother and loves to dance and sing.

Water is Aleeya’s favorite past time. She constantly wants to have her swimsuit on, all times of the year, and she will play in the bath for hours. She has no fear and at the water parks we visited this summer she would go up and down the slides on her own.

Christmas Day with Hoppie Family

After opening presents at our house we got dressed and loaded up and went to Logan. The Christmas fun continued with yummy food and more presents.

Aleeya helping Grandma Hoppie pick up the wrapping paper.

Carter needed a bank. This one has slots for tithing, mission and fun.

Aunt Kimmie helping Aleeya open her "Wocket in My Pocket" book.

We stayed over night in Logan and went to church with mom the next day. Carter wasn't feeling well in Sacrament meeting so Taylor took him back to Grandma's. By the time we finished church he was burning up, so we packed up and headed home.

Serena and Aleeya and I also got sick the following day. So the week after Christmas we all stayed home and watched movies. Thankfully, Kim and Kody had given the kids each a DVD, so we were set!

Christmas Morning at our house

Christmas morning the kids woke up and were as excited as we could have hoped. Aunt Staci spent the night, so it was fun to have her join us. We haven't gotten too technical about the whole Santa thing, so at this point the presents are all just under the tree. Carter and Serena had bought gifts for each other and Aleeya, but the rest were a mixture of gifts from Mom and Dad and the jolly guy.

Serena said, "Thank you, Swoopie!" Swoopie is the elf that has been in our home all of December. Carter named him because he swoopes home every night to tell Santa if the kids are being good. Each day he hides in a different place, so it has been a morning ritual to look for him. Christmas morning he was on top of the piano so that he could see how happy the kids were.

Carter wanted a Nintendo DS, but we had convinced him that he was too young. All of his friends that had them are at least eight. The look on his face was awesome and he said "I knew I would get one!" I guess we hadn't convinced him.

See the speed and skill in un-wrapping presents!

Christmas Eve Party with Dearden's

We were lucky to have the extended Dearden family come and share Christmas Eve with us. We enjoyed time talking and eating. The kids played and Warren brought his Wii so the men were entertained (and Carter).

Aunt Crystal playing with the kids. It is always fun to have cousins over.
Everyone enjoying the loot.
Carter loving his "Ben 10" toys

Grandpa Dearden received a Nook from all of his children.
Aleeya showing off her new tutu. Aunt Crystal made these for Serena and Aleeya. She made a hooded towel with his name on it for Carter.

Ogden Christmas Villages

We went to the Tree House Museum to play today. When we pulled into the parking lot and started to unload I realized that Serena did not have on shoes and socks. So we went to a nearby Dollar Tree and bought her new ones. I figured that was better than driving back home.

On our way to the store we passed by the Ogden Christmas displays and the kids wanted to stop. After the museum we stopped for a few minutes, but since I hadn't brought coats (great day for preparedness) we didn't stay long.

Dearden Christmas Party

We had a nice Christmas Party with the extended Dearden Family. Uncle John and Aunt Dorothy hosted and Crystal spearheaded the organizing. We had lasagna and salad and Carter's favorite treat was strawberries dipped in chocolate.

The kids had a nice time playing with cousins. Santa himself didn't visit this year, but Grandma Dear and her helpers provided wonderful gifts for the great grandchildren. I am always so impressed with what they give. Carter got a fabulous activity book, Serena got a magnetic doll book and Aleeya got a Mother Goose board book.

The last few years we have exchanged small gifts among families and I had made a heart shaped plate with vinyl lettering that said ENJOY and gave a cake mix and mints with the directions for Chocolate Mint cookies.

Play School- Winter Crafts

Today for Play School we made winter crafts and marshmallow snowman treats.

After-School Choir Popcorn Party

Carter participated in an After-School choir at NDPA. I was the choir pianist and I swapped babysitting with Lynette Curtin so that the girls played with her while I was gone on Monday afternoons.

After the Christmas performance the kids had a popcorn and movie party.

Ute Black Out Game!

Carter is very serious about the Ute Black out game, from the second we got the tickets it was made known that Carter would go with Taylor to the Black Out game. He picked his outfit out days before and this is the only game that we put on make up for.

This year the Black Out game was against TCU and it was a blow out. Carter asked Taylor what TCU stood for and Taylor said "They Crushed Us."

Megan's Birthday Night Out

Getting wild and crazy at Chili's!

Fun with Friends!

For Megan's birthday, she and Jamie were organizing and labeling the toys at her house. I had the kids playing at our house. The kids ate, sang, dressd-up and watched a movie.

Trick-or-Treating

We lasted for two houses before it starting pouring freezing rain. We went and got a Red Box and ate the candy at our house.

Enchanted Forest at the Tree House

The Tree House Museum has an Enchanted Forest that you went through and helped Fairy Tale Characters and then at each place they received a toy or treat. At the start they got coloring books as they waited for the group to form. Grandma Hoppie came to go through with us.

Words from Julie

This is an old picture, but it is cute of Julie and Aleeya

It warms a mom's heart when she hears good things about her children. Julie McBride sent me an email with this poem about Aleeya.

just a note to say to aleeya

you are a cute little girl
you have a beautiful soul
you have inner beauty no matter what
you love everybody
and i hope you believe this all
julie

I love that I will be able to show this to Aleeya as she gets older and I hope that she will always know that the things Julie said are true.

Showing off Halloween Costumes!

Showing off our costumes for Grandma Hoppie. Aleeya in her "froggie" pajamas.

Birthday Celebration!

Birthday party in Logan for Kody, Jessica and Aleeya.

Carter playing Soccer!

Grandma Hoppie took these sweet action shots of Carter. This year he has gotten really good at going for the ball and staying with it.