Haven's photo shoot

Haven had a photo shoot with our good friend, Kristen Mayes. Kristen is such a good photographer! And what a cute subject, no? Haven was teething and had a runny nose, but she was so cooperative anyway. I just can't get over how blue her eyes look in these pics!

And Haven is really pushing to be able to walk, even though she's just 10 months old now. She would be our earliest walker if she pulls it off! She LOVES standing up all by herself with nothing to hold on to, and she kind of challenges herself every evening to see how long she can stand there. The longer she stands, the louder we praise her! So fun. And she broke her 4th tooth, yeesha. The kids are mucho good with her and generally love babying her. What a wonderful addition she is to our family!

Bria's Birthday

Bria is our big 4-year-old now! Saturday, March 14th she turned 4 and had a little princess pool party here. It turned out to be a blast. Mike made a waterslide out of the slide on the swingset out back, and the girls had a riot sliding down into the pool. We played a waterballoon game that turned into a waterballoon fight, made visors, tried karaoke (not such a big hit with these youngins), had cake and icecream and opened presents. It was a beautiful day to be outside and Bria was literally counting down the days.

She loved all her gifts and has really been playing with them all, which, any of you who have small kids will know, is a nice change from the 1-and-2-year-old stage where the wrapping is cooler than the gift.

Birthdays are such a nice time to sit and recognize just how much someone has grown over the last year. Bria has really become such a little lady. She is articulate, studious with her books and letters and words, patient, and exceptionally loving. We feel lucky that she is our child and we love her.

Isaac's 2nd Birthday

Even with a temperature of 101, this kid had a great attitude and a happy birthday! We went to the pet store in the morning to pick out our first pet -- a blue betta fish. The kids are loving having a pet fish, and Bria claims she's ready for a cat now (we'll see what Mike has to say about that!). We had a basketball theme since Isaac LOVES basketball. It was a riot! We played balloon basketball and some other simple games that were in line with a 2-year-old attention span. It was pretty funny trying to play a little balloon baseball, though, since the kids really weren't grasping the "bases" idea. They basically were running wherever they wanted to run...but it made it even more fun, really.

We had pizza and "basketballs"(oranges) for dinner, then a basketball cake. But Isaac was wiped out by 7pm, so we had to work fast to get him to open a couple presents before he passed out. Overall, it was a wonderful day! Grandma and Grandpa Omer sent a really neat turtle puppet, and Grandma and Grandpa Dean helped buy the fish and fishbowl and sent a card. Daddy bought him a little Lightning McQueen desk, and Bria gave him a bunch of construction paper. Overall, it was a really fun and special day. We sure love our spunky lil' Isaac!

Where did the year go?? Wow, 2008 was waaay too busy for us! But we have been blessed, and we'll tell you why...

• Isaac turned one in January, learned to run and climb and hasn't quit since. He is a magnet for basketballs, soccerballs, beachballs -- you name it and he'll catch it or kick it. He's our little leftie, too, and loves to learn from his big sister. They're working on counting to 20 these days and cutting with scissors -- big stuff!
  
  


• Mel thought she'd surprise Mike with a motorcycle for Valentines day, and it was a big hit! As much fun as he's had on it, it has also been a fix-it project, just in need of enough repairs to make Mike into an expert.
  
  


• Bria turned three in March and has grown into quite the little lady! She can concentrate for hours at a time on her drawings and writing. She also has the unique talent of being able to write words upside-down and backwards (and we have no clue as to how she developed this one -- we can't claim to have taught her!). Her questions grow evermore insightful and difficult to answer. It is fun to see her inquisitiveness and thirst for knowledge. She also took a dance class this year and loved every minute of that experience.
  
  


• We bought a beautiful home in April, and Mike spent some long nights and weekends remodeling the place before we moved in in May. We had a lot of help from family and neighbors to get new flooring and paint put in and some landscaping done, and we greatly appreciated that help! It is a beautiful home with a perfect yard for the kids, and we were so very fortunate to stay in the same ward we moved in to originally (such good neighbors!).
  
  


• Haven Hart Dean came to us on June 6th, a planned c-section and a beautiful baby girl! 6 lbs. 11 oz., 19 1/2 inches, and she got a weeks' worth of love in the NICU at Dixie Regional Hospital. It was a little intense and emotional to see her with all the tubes and wires, but she's a strong little girl and is thriving now at 16 lbs. and all cheeks! Her latest accomplishment is sitting up -- just last week! And eating the rice cereal, of course. Yum.

• And if that wasn't enough, Mike has had some major twists and turns with employment, too. Vector Engineers had to let everyone go in September, and Mike was fortunate enough to get on with Mesa Engineers in St. George in October. He feels that, even though the benefits are not as nice, his actual work is a step in the right direction. He went from engineering all residential projects by himself to engineering commercial buildings and structures on a team. Mike also used the time inbetween jobs to start up some online businesses, and is building an outdoor store online right now! More on that as it develops. What a brilliant and resourceful husband. We feel blessed to be working at all, the way the economy is right now, and pray things will improve for everyone.

This Christmas finds us reeling from the eventful, action-packed year we've had. We finally feel at home in Saint George and are loving the friends we've made here. The Lord has richly blessed us this year, and we enjoy the chance to celebrate His life this season. We cherish the visits from family and friends and hope you'll come often and more and always feel welcome in our home. Much Love, The Dean Family

Finally Blogging!

We're finally blogging! Give us a minute to figure this thing out and we'll have you entertained with pics and stories. Gracias.