A Peek At Christmas

All aboard! Santa brought Ems and Jacob new N-scale trains. They love them!! Honestly, they are just as excited about the trains as they are about the Wii! They love to send candy around to each other and their absolute favorite is to be the engineer. Christmas magic!

Two American Girl Dolls --


Jacob chugging draft style root-beer with double pearl handles close by --


Abby shoveling us out of the snow --


Abby and Fare sporting their new scarves at a family party.


Here is a shot of the kids on Christmas Eve in their jammies:
I think I said something like this: "Everybody sit here in front of the tree, let's get a picture of your new jammies! (Never mind that we've been going all day long and now you're all melting....) David, stop pulling on your brother. Jacob, it's okay -- just one picture, smile for the camera!!" :)

Here are a few shots of the kids on the Sunday before Christmas.
Froggy.


Davey-Crockett.


Abs.


Fare.


Nan.


Em-za.


And the whole bunch --











MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Photos courtesy of my Christmas present, from my sweetheart -- my very own (meaning I don't have to borrow Abby's anymore) SLR. Canon. EOS. Rebel. XSi.

--oh, yeah!

Reflections Winner

Abs received awards in 2 of the 5 areas she entered..... music and film. Way to go, Abs!

A Good Place

Jacob wanted to save his lunch for later...... He said, "this is a good place" and stuck it on the fridge. 

Missing Friends

Ems and Jacob with a few of their FAVORITE friends --- just before they moved.....  :(

We miss you guys!!

Mmm, Looks Good

This picture is a classic. It is so Farrell. He is in the background there, eye-ing that delicious looking ear of corn. I’m thinking he is already dreaming of the turkey and potatoes that will adorn his plate here in a couple of days.







Here are 9 fun facts about Farrell you should know, for he is 9 years old. (Okay, so this too, should have been posted a month ago.)

1. Farrell is a champion! Really, in baseball his team was #1. He received the “best-overall” award in soccer. And he earned the MVP award in his first year of Flag Football this fall. He LOVES sports.
2. He used to play the violin, and now plays the piano. But, of course, would much rather be outside playing catch.
3. He loves to eat.
4. He is happy and really can make anyone laugh with his silly-ness! As a matter of fact, he often resorts to trying to make his little brothers laugh when they are about to cry, “Mom!”
5. He loves riding his rip-stick.
6. Farrell can do a ‘fripple-back-flip with a front-flip-extra” on the trampoline.
7. He is really kindhearted and enjoys serving others. If he sees our neighbor out in their yard, he would much rather help her with her yard work than work in his own yard. ;)
8. He likes to draw and build things.
9. He is friendly and makes friends easily – with anyone, no matter their age. There are a handful of older people in our ward who ADORE him, 2 or 3 times a month someone will come up to me and tell me how they “just love that Farrell.”

We love you so very much Fare!!

There Is Beauty All Around

This fall Abby went to an overnight camp at Clear Creek with the girls in the 5th grade. I went with as a chaperone. They had a packed schedule full of fun and learning. One of the activities on the first day was a ‘ropes-course’ where they learned to help one another in a small group setting and rely on one another – this was one of the highlights for all the girls.



Later, on the first day we went on a hike, and I was reminded of something beautiful about Abby…. Many of the girls were chatting in small groups, not lifting their eyes from the trail. Abby, on the other hand, was looking all around and repeatedly stopped and would look up with awe at the beauty all around us, she was taking picture after picture of the fall leaves, stopping and pointing “Wow! Look at that! That’s so pretty!” She took over 100 pictures, no kidding. Anyway, I just loved it how she was able to appreciate the beauty that was all around us.







There are so many things about Abs that you should know – here are 11 (in honor of her 11th birthday,….um, which was recently – okay, not so recently.)

1. She is smart – and knows it, but doesn’t flaunt it – she appreciates it.
2. She got her ears pierced! (Yeah, she got her Dad to approve 1 year early!!)
3. She really likes to take pictures and make movies.
4. She loves to read. Yeah, yeah, old news – everyone knows that one.
5. Her favorite color is light BLUE.
6. She loves tradition. We can do something once, and if it was fun – it’s tradition and we’re locked into doing it again and again.
7. She loves to write stories.
8. When it’s movie night, she often looks for the LONGEST movie.
9. Abby is everyone's friend!
10. When one of her little brothers get hurt, she is the first one on the scene to help.
11. Game Time anyone? Abby loves to play games, card games, board games, all games!

Happy Birthday Abby!! We love you so very much!!

Thinking Ahead

The first thing Farrell said when he woke up this morning:

"When I'm in college, do you think I can play tackle football during recess?"

Happy Birthday EMERON

Here is a little post for Ems: After our family night last night, the kids were goofing around a little (surprise, huh) and Anna was trying to shut the door before Daddy got to it and Ems was right there and turned his face and…. yeah, the door handle got Ems right in the cheek, it split open. So, after a little deliberation between Geoff and I as to whether to take him into the ER, and if we should get a plastic surgeon,… Geoff, er, I mean Dr. Dean, ended up super-gluing the cut together and attaching a band-aid. And Emeron was brave through the whole ordeal.

You know this Emeron of ours, he is quite a kid. He is named after his Daddy and his Great Grandpa. And, I just have to say that whoever is Em’s friend is as lucky as can be because he is such a nice kid!! He is always, always, always so kind to others. He, of course loves to have fun and be silly – he is Geoff’s son. Emeron is turning 5, and here are FIVE things I want you to know about him:

1) He is extremely tolerant of his younger brothers of 3 years and 1 year. He helps them and shares with them and teaches them….
y’know, mostly good stuff.

2) Ems can run fast! Wooosh! If you could see him run it would make your hair blow! He also loves any sort of accolades given in this regard.

3) He is reading – and proud of it! This is always such a fun stage for me when the kids first learn to read, and they find the words they know on signs,
on mail, and in books. Emeron enjoys it for the most part, as long as he reads in small, short intervals. :)

4) Ems loves the colors DARK BLUE and RED. He is a BYU fan, after all – and loves to share that with anyone who happens to be wearing blue.
And did you know that RED is mostly a spiderman color, and not so much a UTE color?

5) Emeron is a superhero at heart! Any given day he is always the good-guy – saving the world! (If only he could help us on this Election Day.)

We love you Emeron!! You are our Very Important Person today and always. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Halloween Song

Anna's First Grade Teacher sent an email over with a link to a few of the songs they have been learning, so I copied this one to share...... SO CUTE!!
What Are You Going To Be On Halloween Night? There are some other songs in the album at this site, take a listen! :)

Ems First Day

More of my extremely organized self, this too was over 30 days ago.... But soo cute I had to post it!

David's First Birthday

Here is how organized I am..... posting a picture of David's birthday bash, just 30 days later.


He really was darling opening his presents. It makes it so fun when the kids have enthusiasm!!


Now, honestly, David has been the neatest of our children eating their First Birthday Cake. I have pictures of the others with cake all over, but David wasn't in to being that messy. :)

Out Of Control

Abby had some friends over today and one of them (who is the youngest in her family, but still, 11 years old) said to me….. “Is it hard to control little kids?.....when you have so many of them?” I stammered for a moment wondering who was out of control -- as Anna was reading a book to Ems and Jacob, and David was sitting contentedly looking at a toy in his hands. And then she said, “y’know, I just wondered, when I saw THAT!” pointing to the bright red and brown marker coloring on the carpet. I replied lamely, “…..ahem….oh,….that was….a….Jacob did that....” :)

Play Piano

So this is what Jacob meant when he said, "play piano."

Note To Abby

Anna left this note to Abby on the wall by her dresser...... after a "spirited discussion", I'm sure. :)

Scissor Ventriloquist

Some things take all our concentration! ;)

John Rowe Moyle

Recently our family had the opportunity to learn about Geoff’s Maternal Great, Great, Great Grandfather, John Rowe Moyle. On September 29th, we watched a DVD about his life and then went up to visit his home in Alpine. We had a picnic dinner and then a private tour of his homestead (Moyle Park). It was a unique experience to be in his home and hear stories about his life. It was on this tour that Geoff received inspiration for an excursion he would take with Abby and Farrell the following Friday…..

….John Rowe Moyle was a skilled stone cutter and builder, he was personally called by Brigham Young to work on the Salt Lake Temple. He lived in Alpine and every Monday morning he would rise at 2:00am walking over 22 miles to arrive at the SL Temple by 8:00am for a full days shift. He would stay with his son in Salt Lake during the week and then return, walking home to Alpine, on Fridays starting at 6:00pm, usually arriving back home by midnight. He would only have just the short weekend to do the chores and maintain his farm. He did this for many years, until an accident which caused his right leg to be amputated just below the knee. Shortly after the misfortune, he fashioned a wooden leg and was eventually well enough to once again walk to Salt Lake and back on a weekly basis so he could continue to fulfill the calling extended him by Brigham Young, as a stone cutter. He did this for years. John Rowe Moyle was the person who carved the plaque, “Holiness To The Lord, House of the Lord” on the east side of the Salt Lake Temple.

…….okay, so Geoff’s inspiration was to take Abby and Farrell on the same hike/walk that his Great (III) Grandfather did. So, the 3 of them began their journey in the wee hours of the morning (literally 2:00 am) starting at John’s home and walked, and walked, and walked….. As they were moving over the top into Draper, Farrell became sick (and released the sickness) so they trekked 6 miles back to the truck, Geoff piggy-backing Farrell & Abby piggy-backing Farrell's backpack. They returned home around 5:00am….. If you were to ask Abby or Farrell, and certainly Geoff, if they’ll try again – the answer is a resounding ‘YES’ – but maybe a little later in the morning, I wonder?

Geoff came home from the priesthood session that Saturday night and said that President Uchtdorf talked about John Rowe Moyle in his talk Lift Where You Stand. That was the icing on the cake for our family. :)

BTW, if you want to see a really neat family film (only 16 minutes) watch T. C. Christensen's Only A Stonecutter.


At the cemetery, gravestone of John Rowe Moyle.

General Conference

I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I know who I am. I know God’s plan. I’ll follow him in faith. I believe in the Savior, Jesus Christ. I’ll honor his name. I’ll do what is right; I’ll follow his light. His truth I will proclaim.

How grateful I am for this wonderful weekend of listening to our beloved Prophet and Apostles. After two days of conference, Abby and I were talking and she said, "I wish we had one more day!" We enjoy the time together, we enjoy the yummy snacks, we enjoy resting our eyes for a bit ;) -- but mostly we enjoy the testimonies born which strengthen us and our relationship with our Heavenly Father.

I know President Thomas S. Monson is our living prophet today and am so grateful for that quiet witness that the Spirit gives me; that our Father in Heaven loves us and that He is mindful of each of us and our needs…….

Remember When

Remember when people had dial-up internet connections? Well, yeah, I 'remember' all to well ::::sigh:::: we still have a dial-up connection. So, in order to upload pictures onto this blog,(in a reasonable amount of time) I would have to take my ‘memory stick’ w/me whenever we visited the library and upload a whole bunch of pictures at that time. Well, it worked for a while, but now (for some reason) I can’t access blogger from the library anymore….so that means we have to figure something else out. :) So, thanks for being patient (especially Grandpa) while there are no new photos of the Darling Deans.

Our Baby Turns One

In honor of David turning ONE this month….. Here is ONE thing that you should know about him:

He is absolutely, positively, without a doubt whatsoever, the cutest, funniest darling-est baby with a funny snaggly-toothed smile who loves to hear his voice and is walking with his buff little legs and is HAPPY! All the time, happy! He constantly flashes his ear to ear smile! He is a complete JOY to our family and he is adored by all. Happy Birthday David!!! We love you to pieces! :)

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things

In honor of my 38 years – here are a few of my favorite things (in no particular order - besides the first three!!)

Geoff, my children, the gospel, harvest, good books, nap time, peaches, tire swings, scouts – I’m the bear den mother!! red fall leaves, gardening, flowers, David’s bow-legged walk, shopping, date night w/my hubby, music that makes you smart ­‑ I love the violin!! visiting new restaurants w/my mom and sister, Farrell’s happy eyes, hammocks, laughter, sunshine – love that vitamin d, Emeron’s kind voice, learning new things, Abigail’s heart of gold, pillow talk, pilates, water, holidays, checking on the kids while they are sleeping, Jacob’s happy smile, vacations, chocolate, hiking, taking pictures, being organized (maybe I’ll get there in, oh, about 18 years?!) Annalyn’s infectious laugh, being a mom and birthdays!! :)

So Long Summer

Picture of the Day

Now, what would be a good 'caption' for this photo?

Our Little Penguin

David is officially walking! He gets really excited about what he is doing and grins ear-to-ear while gasping in air with enthusiasm! Oftentimes, he will be so preoccupied with how happy he is that his little feet do a little bouncy-tappy thing. What can we say, he has happy-feet! :)

I'm Looking For Emeron

Jacob is adjusting to his siblings being at school. He is so cute when we pick them up; he greets them all with a big ‘ole smile on his face, and a friendly, happy voice that says: “Hi Emeron!” - “Hi Abby!” - “Hi Anna!” - “Hi Farrell!” --- like he hasn’t seen them for weeks. I’m not sure if it is that he is tired of me and it’s refreshing to see another face, or if he genuinely misses them. Let’s hope it is the latter. :)

Now, from my perspective; I’ve really enjoyed the one-on-one time I've had with Jacob while Ems is at preschool. He has become my sweeper, my dishwasher and my sidekick to reading his picture books. I look forward to taking him to story hour this fall. Correction: I look forward to taking him to story hour this fall, in hopes that he will sit through the stories and not run around the library like a wild animal. :)

Maybe Jakes is looking for his siblings when he was up in the treehouse looking down at our empty yard.





These photos were taken in the treehouse, summer 2008.

Sleep Over Time Again

I received a phone call from my sis-in-law inviting our children over for a sleep-over Friday night. We both felt that our kids could use a fun break from all the newness of school and the adjustments they have made at new schools, new teachers, new friends, etc. Needless to say, they were ecstatic! I picked them up from school (with their stuff already packed) and took them straight to the party.

Through the night and next day, there was only 1 minor casualty – Farrell flying through the air after attempting a trick on a scooter and landing on the asphalt, giving himself a nice road rash on his arm and side. And only 2 of my children had very little sleep – apparently, whenever Jacob saw Abby trying to sleep would say, “no, Abby-sit up!” Other than that, they were all spoiled and had a riot.

One thing that I couldn’t help but think Saturday morning was how grateful I am for good family! What a blessing to have others in our lives that love us and always have our family’s best interest in mind. :-> We love you Taggs!

The Helpful One

With 3 of my children in school, I had the younger 3 with me in the car. We were driving on the freeway and they were all quiet - the only thing making noise was Dr. Laura (imagine that, and they were not even asleep!) Anyway, I was listening to the radio program and then suddenly, without warning, I felt a clunk on my head :::ouch::: -- Emeron saw that David was done with his bottle and thought that I should have that empty bottle, and so he threw it up to me. Needless to say, he has a strong arm and a good aim! :) He was helping me, after all.

In this photo, Jacob wanted to open Anna's presents at her b-day party and kind, helpful Emeron was reminding Jacob that it was not his birthday. Jacob didn't so much appreciate this instruction from his older brother, and so Jacob made sure he knew it. :::yikes!:::



Time after time, Ems continues to show patience and kindness and is always helpful to give his little bro direction and instruction, and be the helpful one to his Mom. :)

The Best School Ever

It doesn't take Nan long to change her mind..... today when I picked her up from her school she said, "This is the Best School Ever!!" I'm glad to hear that from her. She was the one who BAWLED the night before school started and now is doing fine. :)

As a matter of fact, they all are doing fine. It is cute to hear them talk together about all the newness and bond with the different experiences they are having.

First Day of School

School started this week. Anna in 1st Grade.


Farrell in 3rd Grade.

Abby in 5th Grade.

In anticipation for school to start, we have all been a little nervous and excited at the same time. Today, as we pulled up to their new school, Abby said, “I feel like I just swallowed a bunch of butterflies.” I looked back at Farrell and he was white as a ghost, then Anna said, “There is something in my throat, I can’t swallow!”

The first day of school – at a new school - where everything is new......

Happy Birthday ANNALYN

Just a few days after Jacob's celebrations, we had Anna’s birthday celebrations. She turned 7!! We had a fun swim and splash party with a bunch of her friends and a family party for her as well.

Anna at her Friends Party.

Ems hanging out at the girly party.


Anna blowing out the candles (as they were being lit) to her Pony cake. (The finger smudges were compliments of Jacob.)


In honor of Princess Annalyn, here are 7 things you should know about her:

1. We know our girls were royal in heaven, but Anna has not forgotten this trait and she expects to be treated the same.
2. Anna likes all things girly!
3. She loves to sing! At any given time, you’ll find her humming or singing a song she has made up, or one of her favorite primary songs.
4. Anna likes to take her time doing things and not be rushed.
5. She likes to have the last word when tucking her in to bed at night, ie: She will say “I love you, goodnight” and then I’ll say, “I love you too, goodnight” to which she says “I love you three, goodnight” and then, of course, it continues “I love you four,….five,…..infinity,….. goodnight”. Yeah, she usually ends up asleep by around 1:30 in the morning. ;)
6. Anna is very talented in many ways, one of which is her creativity with art. She likes to color and create and decorate.

7. Anna is very friendly and easily makes friends.

Happy Birthday Annalyn!! You are a shining star in our eyes! We love you so much and are so happy you are part of our family!!