The Dearden Family Visits the Dentist

This last week we all went to the dentist, our friend, Matt Young.

Carter let him look at his teeth, but that is about it. Everything looked good.

Serena let him do a bit more and it looks like she is cavity free. I attribute this to her deep love of toothbrushes.

Taylor and I also got cleanings and I am the only one with a cavity. Bummer!

Both of the kids are excited to go back, most likely for the toothbrushes and toys.

Nine Wonderful Years of Marriage

Taylor and I celebrated our ninth wedding anniversary on 05/12/09. I am still really glad we got married in the year 2000, so it is easy to remember how long we have been married. It feels like the time has gone fast and many things have happened. I am grateful that Taylor and I found each other (Thanks Steph and Staci) and I am looking forward to many more years together.

To celebrate we went to eat at Tepanyaki, a Japanese Steak House. We had never been there and it was a fun and delicious night, but definitely a special occasion place. Taylor commented that it would be fun to go there with a group of friends, but only if we and our friends were rich! :)

Preschool Goes to the Zoo!

During our neighborhood preschool we have interspersed field trips and this month we went to the Hogle Zoo. I was surprised at how long the kids would look at each animal exhibit. Serena really liked the monkeys and told Taylor about seeing them. She also makes a great monkey noise!

We still are not getting a pet!

This is the ONLY type of dog we will ever have!
Best dog food ever-croutons and water!

Carter and Serena continue to pretend that they are animals. They insisted that the food they have out is for a "real" dog!

Serena...do you think she needs a naptime?

This is dinner time even though she is eating pancakes!
How can she sleep with her legs up like that!

Serena doesn't take a nap during the day, but sometimes it is just too much for her to stay awake. I think it is funny to take pictures of her when she is asleep in non-traditional places!

Aleeya is seven months old!

I love it when babies throw their hands up in the air to sleep!

Sitting in the flowers in front of our house.

Aleeya is an amazing seven month old! She has conquered the army crawl and gets to where she wants to go fast. She is eating well and continues to be the easiest baby to put to sleep. She sits well and plays with toys.

Her social side is starting to blossom and she doesn't like to be alone in a room. I don't think it is separation anxiety from the mom, just from people, because she is fine as long as someone is with her.

We continue to get tons of comments about how beautiful Aleeya is and what gorgeous skin she has, especially now that it is tan from going to the park. I agree that she is so fun to look at, but I think part of it is that she has a really strong Spirit. Sometimes I just hold her and get the most powerful feeling about how special she is. When other people hold her at church, they also comment about how happy they feel when they look at her. What a blessing she is to our family!

The Garden is FINALLY planted!

Basically, all you can see is the forks labeling the rows!

In case you don't believe me about the weeds that have to be conquered, this is a shot of how most of the flower beds and garden looked!

So I have been meeting with a garden group and trying to get inspired, but I still am WAY behind in getting seeds in the ground for "cold" crops. I think I put it off because it is a lot of work to get the garden ready and then I also like projects that can be done and checked off my list and gardening is not that type of process. (There was a peak at my psychological hang-ups about learning new things!)

Stephanie, my friend and former mission companion, came and helped me get things going! Anyway, it does look cool to have forks planted and if I am lucky some actual vegetables will grow!