the allen family

Photo Catch up!

2010-11-21T14:20:00.002-07:00

September...

October...

Shae's dance class held a "fall showcase!" It was fun to see all that she has been learning, as well as the routine they have been practicing in tap. She still absolutely loves dance and is all giggles and smiles from the time we get there!

Halloween festivities...included the Pumpkin Festival; picking out the perfect pumpkins (Teegan was hilarious trying to pick up/sit on the pumpkins!), getting faces painted, and playing a few games; our Church's "Trunk-orTreat;" pumpkin carving; and of course, a bit of traditional Trick-or-Treating (with our first stop being Aunt DeAnne & Uncle Alan's!

Oh, and there's a naked bum picture of Teegan in the mix too...he had a red bum, so I let him go commando...he climbed up to the front window to give the neighborhood a show...I got a good laugh!!

time to catch up!

2010-09-01T21:50:00.017-06:00

SUMMER 2010!

JUNE:

Teegan is getting such a fun personality!

WAY fun park day at Belleview Park~ our first time, and definitely not our last...the kids played at the playground, rode the train, waded in the stream...

...and even visited the petting zoo! Teegan was cracking me up; he was absolutely fascinated with all of the animals!

lovely rainbow...

the trampoline has been so much fun for the kids!

...and of course, Danny's birthday! This cake is AH-MAzing!! (http://www.bakerella.com/got-milk-i-hope-so…/)

girls night out...haircuts! Shae went with me to Salon Foushee, her first time to a salon that wasn't geared towards kids...I thought she would get bored, but she just giggled the whole time! Her stylist was great with Shae and said it was her favorite haircut EVER!

pre-haircut I think, but a fun little shot!

and on to JULY:

AllEn FaMiLy ReUnIOn

no reunion is complete without a Costco-size bag of candy (from, guess who? none other than Grandpa Allen!)

at the ZOO

GAME night!

Jadan discovered a new favorite game thanks to Cameron...he wants to play Monopoly ALL the time now!!

Dad and Ellen, Danielle, Samantha, and Allie visited the last week in July and many priceless memories were made...

getting in the gondola at Breckenridge

fun picture before we left Breck

this one cracks me up!! the angle is funny and Teegan is making the cheesiest "cheese" face ever and Grandpa is just loving it all!

tea party fun

me and Samantha...yep that's right, I am totally on my tip-toes trying not to look so short!!

the alpine slide at Peak 7 was really fun!!

kiddos having fun at the pool with Dani, Samantha, and Allie!

again up at Breck

and more cute, random pictures!

the Smiths were awesome to take Danny and I, Danielle, Samantha, and Allie on the lake...We were very impressed by the Beckley girls' wakeboarding skills!! They all were able to get up and hang for at least a little bit...TONS of fun! (pic on let is me boarding)

and then to AUGUST...

We decided to take advantage of the summer freedom and travel to Ohio for a few weeks...We were so blessed to be able to visit with a lot of friends and family!

Here pictured with my friend Janet's kids...even though they just met, the kids had a blast playing together!

a favorite activity while staying at Grandpa's...bubble baths in the big tub in the OH state bathroom!

another fun playdate with my friend, Jami and her kids!

Cooper being, well...Cooper, catching rain in his mouth when it suddenly poured at the tractor pull...

more fun at the tractor pull!

cook out at Tara and Marshal's...what could be more FUN?!

parade at the Carey Fest...Later that night at the festival, I ran my 2nd 5K for this summer. I was a little nervous, as it was a last minute decision and I was not confident in reaching my goal (set after my 1st 5K in May), but was thrilled when I crossed the finish line at 24:20!

making "Grandma's Cinnamon Rolls"

and finally (even though this was actually our first visit upon arriving to OH) our trip to Louisville KY to visit Bryan and Tessa!

Here we are at the ZOO!

and at the zoo's waterpark...a much needed and fun cway to cool off!

WOW! That was a fabulous summer! And I know there are so many more pictures I may not have posted, AND tons more memories made that weren't even photographed (I was terrible at remembering to get my camera out!)...We spent a lot of time with my Mom (I need to get pics from her camera!!)...riding scooters in the driveway, eating pizza, going to Kings Island, etc...and of course, it was wonderful to be there to welcome our newest little cousin and niece, Macie Nicole (Tara and Marshal's beautiful baby girl)!! Hopefully I will come across some of these pictures, because this has definitely been a SUMMER TO REMEMBER!!!

busy, fUn MaY!!

2010-06-05T17:09:00.005-06:00

Yep, that's right...we are still HERE!! Where did the entire month of May GO? Crazy busy, but filled with FUN!

Early in the month, we joined some friends for an indoor playdate at a kids' center called Little Monkey Bizness. The kids all ran, jumped, swung, and climbed around on the play structures. They also enjoyed circle time dancing and lots of painting, drawing, stenciling, etc... in the art room!!

Teegan was a riot, cracking me up with all of his funny faces! He is getting such a personality and really enjoys his independence, especially climbing and sliding!!

Then, a couple of weeks ago, Jadan's school held their field day...a beautiful, sunny day perfect for a good 'ole three-legged race (Jadan's favorite!), water balloon toss, frisbee throw, and shoe-kick (among a few others) Pictured below left-right: Jadan and his classmate in the three-legged race, Jadan with one of his best friends, Caitlin, Jadan throwing the frisbee (and barely missing ME!), and Jadan with his teacher!

And Cooper's preschool also had field day...with a Hawaiian twist! Very cute and lots of fun!! Pictured below clockwise from top left: Cooper and one of his best friends, Ben (Cooper went to Ben's birthday party a few weeks ago and was so excited to report to Danny and I that "Ben beat all the levels on Super Mario Brothers! His dad is really good at Super Marios and he helped him!); the entire preschool class, Cooper and one of his teachers, and Hawaiian Cooper, right after the dress-up relay!!

And, of course... PRESCHOOL graduation! WooHOO- Way to go, Cooper! We are SO proud of our little graduate :) He had a great year, making lots of new friends and learning new things! During the graduation ceremony, each of the kids had a turn standing on the podium, while their teachers read a quote about what they wanted to do when they grow up. Cooper's response was "to go to kindergarten like Jadan. I will go to kindergarten everyday and I will walk there all by myself." Really?! Pictured below clockwise left to right: Cooper with his proud teachers (they are constantly telling me how impressed they are, especially with his artistic skills...for a thank-you gift, Cooper decorated the mats for framed pictures for them), Cooper holding his "when I grow up" picture, singing songs, with Mom, and walking into graduation!

Another fun event was Jadan's kindergarten performance! It was too cute, seeing all the kids singing and being silly. I know they worked really hard on all of their songs and they did a great job! It was so exciting for Jadan and we were so proud of him!

...and last, but not least...we can't leave the little ones out! Even though they didn't have field days or graduation, Shae and Teegan have been grwoing and having fun, too! Below, Teegan is doing his "SO nice!" pose, hanging out at field day, and throwing a ball (his absolute most favorite thing to do these days!!)

Below, Shae rides her scooter to field day, poses with her new flower hat, and loves on her baby brother! She is really growing up fast and just cuter than ever!

We are SO grateful for these sweet children that Heavenly Father has sent us! It is so exciting to see them learn, grow, have fun, and love one another! Indeed we are so proud of each of them and SO blessed!

Photoshop FUN

2010-05-13T12:03:00.003-06:00

So, I realize this isn't one of my children, but I HAD to post it, because it is just SO adorable! I have been having fun learning some new techniques in photoshop and wanted to share this sweet picture of my friend's little girl. Click HERE to see all of Sammie's pictures as well as my recent work. Or click HERE to visit my website! I am just loving this!!

our weekend

2010-05-03T15:42:00.005-06:00

Well, we didn't get the month of May off to a very good start! We had great intentions, though...a great t-ball game, lots of yard work, good old family fun! But then, while I was out having a little Mommy time (shopping!), Danny called me and said "where are you? you need to come home." What happened, I asked. Just tell me, I said, after he repeated "Just come home." This must be bad. "Teegan got hurt. The rake fell on him." I zoomed home to find Teegan with a swollen, bloody eye and Danny with 3 bloody punctures on his forehead. Danny felt awful; he had been holding Teegan and hanging up a shovel in the garage. The shovel hit the rake, knocking the rake down, prongs first, into Danny's head and Teegan's eye. If you look at the picture below, you can pretty much see exactly how the rake landed...

Well, after much deliberation and worry, I took Teegan to a really good friend's house. She has neighbors who are ER nurses and they took a look at Teegan's eye. I just didn't feel good about doing nothing, but I wasn't sure if it was bad enough to go to the ER...a second opinion was all I needed...They both agreed it best to take him to the ER. We couldn't tell if his eyelid was completely punctured or if the eyeball itself was damaged. We headed to the ER. The doctor said it could use stitches, but may heal fine on its own too, probably with just a little more scar tissue than with stitches. I had no desire to put him through even more pain so opted out of the stitches. The doctor also did a test to check the eyeball and found that the bottom part (luckily not the cornea) was bruised. So, after they cleaned it thoroughly and gave us some antibiotic eye drops, we were on our way home...what an adventure! Teegan was completely wiped out, but really such a trooper through it all!!

Today, Teegan's eye is looking okay...scabbing a bit, which is probably a good sign. He doesn't seem to be bothered by it, either, so that's good news too. I will take him to his pediatrician tomorrow for a follow up and just keep watching it to make sure it's healing and not getting infected. We are so grateful that it wasn't any worse and only minor injuries were sustained...I certainly have two tough guys!!!

play ball!

2010-04-10T17:58:00.003-06:00

Today was a beautiful day, perfect for Jadan and Cooper's first t-ball game! It was very exciting (not to mention hilarious at times)!! They played 3 innings in an hour and a half, so they got to bat three times each. In the field, they rotated positions and collectively played left-center, right-center, short stop, and rover. I'm pretty sure fielding was not quite as fun as batting...but Cooper did get one ground ball to him as rover! After stopping the ball, everyone yelled "good job, throw it to first!!" After looking around frantically in all directions, he then opted to run the ball directly to first base himself, but stopped a few steps from the base and THEN threw the ball. Oh well. Exciting nonetheless. When we asked them what they liked best, the boys both agreed hitting the ball was the best...then Cooper added, "my favorite part was when I got out and didn't EVEN cry!!"

my two favorite little Yankees!!

Shae wan't feeling up[ to par, but had a great seat, bundled up with Daddy!

spring break

2010-04-10T17:02:00.004-06:00

For Jadan's spring break, we visited lots of family! We left right after school that Friday and, just as we were getting comfortable in our travels (about 2 hours into the drive) we were forced to exit I-70 due to multiple accidents and severe weather. We weren't sure how long the road would be closed, but someone told us it would be "several hours." With that in mind and considering the weather, we decided to stay the night at a hotel in Vail. Though unexpected, this little detour turned out to be quite fun...the kids are always thrilled to stay in hotels, especially when it means swimming! After eating dinner, checking in, and a minor bed-jumping incident (think of the movie "Rat Race!"), we went for a swim and just relaxed! In the morning we headed for Bunkerville after breakfast and, of course, another swim! We were spoiled by Grandpa and Grandma (M&Ms, Butterfingers, movies, Los Lupes, etc, etc...) and got to see Jimmy & Meagan and Todd & Heather before heading to Flowell to visit Grandpa Deano & Grandma Squirrely! Of course, many a card game (back alley) were played (Danny & I beat Jimmy & Meagan, and Grandma & I beat Danny & Grandpa...notice a pattern?!!) Then, off to Spanish Fork to visit Chris & Tammy and their family...a little trip to Logan to hang out with Dustin & Cassidy and Rylee (what a CUTIE!!)...then all of the family (minus Meagan) met at Tammy's for General Conference, so we had a ton of fun visiting cousins and playing games and shopping at JoAnn's and Rod Works (well, the girls anyways!)...Tammy was awesome to organize some Easter activities for the kids, and the girls got to do a little sewing (with lots of help from Mops!!)...and one night the hubby's all made their wives ice cream sundaes (YUM!) before playing their traditional boys' game, Cities and Knights (BOO!) It was a fantastic trip overflowing with great food, loads of fun, and memories to last forever! We are so grateful for our family!!

I didn't take many pictures at all, but a few VERY random shots...

I call this one..."Silly Screen Faces!" I was laughing hysterically when Teegan did this at Danny's parents' house!!

Jadan lost his first tooth at Grandma & Grandpa's house! It was quite exciting since he had been waiting, rather impatiently, for about a week, for it to fall out! In addition to putting his tooth under his pillow, he also left the tooth fairy a snack (a teeny-tiny piece of PopTart...must think the fairy is tiny, I guess)...how thoughtful! Since then, he has lost the tooth next to it!!

Bryan and Tessa came to visit us when we returned from our traveling, which was awesome, because that made it seem like our spring break was extended a week!! We had lots of fun playing games (ah-hem...once again, Tessa and I beat Danny & Bryan, not one, not two, but THREE times in back alley!!) and visiting a few places! Bryan was SO wonderful to help me with a few projects, too...Thanks, Bro!!

Let's just say I got some much needed motivation to decorate a little after seeing a couple of my sisters-in-law's cute houses (um...we have been here almost 2 years and I don't even have curtains up!). This may not seem like much, but it's a start (and HUGE for me!)...

in the kitchen (hung courtesy of Bryan)

banner in the kitchen (courtesy of my good friend Melissa)...I've actually had this up for a while, but notice in the background, the curio cabinet in the dining room...no longer invaded by kids craft supplies, box of figurines, etc..opened with items displayed...

in our bedroom, the landing (not sure if that's what it's called?) above our closets...I have been wanting to find a special place to display our Temple Quilt (hand made by Danny's mom) and I love it here! Also, note the ceiling fan Danny installed...YAY!

and finally...our "mud room" entry from the garage...custom coat hangers courtesy of Bryan and a new shoe shelf. If you had the unfortunate opportunity to see how this space was "organized" previously, you can appreciate the new look. Aaahhh...it's the little things!!

St. Patty's Day Magic

2010-03-17T20:57:00.002-06:00

Jadan's class must be talking about St. Patrick's Day a lot. Yesterday he came home from school with a lot of information about leprechauns in particular... "Caitlin caught a leprechaun last year. She said it unrolled a whole roll of toilet paper in her house...for like 2 miles! I'm gonna make a leprechaun trap!!" he told me excitedly. Yipee, who is gonna clean up all the toilet paper, I ask? Pictured is Jadan's leprechaun trap (he actually drew a design of it before starting the construction process!). And, YES, those are real gold nuggets outside the box to lure him in. Little does the poor leprechaun know that they are merely rocks from our backyard painted yellow...

Well, the visit from the magical leprechaun was imminent. Luckily, he spared our toilet paper and instead found some streamers in the craft cabinet downstairs. An entire roll of streamers I might add. Inevitably, someone had to wake up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night (go figure?); actually2 somebodies...Jadan was one of them and he came into our bedroom to tell us about the "mess the leprechaun left!" Even though it was somewhere in the neighborhood of 2AM, he was bright eyed and so excited he could NOT get back to sleep so woke me up again an hour later!!

And the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow? A letter from Lucky the Leprechaun, along with rainbow Twizzlers and a shamrock necklace for each of the kids. Also, the last box of Lucky Charms Wal*Mart had in stock...ya know, so the kids won't just eat Twizzlers for breakfast :)

100th day of school and WacKY Wednesday

2010-03-07T15:09:00.002-07:00

Jadan's class celebrated Dr. Suess's birthday last week and Wednesday was "Wacky Wednesday!" Jadan and I brainstormed together and came up with this "outfit:"

Jadan was very proud of his outfit and just excited beyond words to have a wacky day!! I think every Wednesday should be "Wacky Wednesday," it was just FUN!

A few weeks ago was the 100th day of school and Jadan had a lot of fun that day too. The weekend before, we got to work together on this fun project!!

It was great to spend time with Jadan on this project; he picked out a picture, we printed it really big, I cut it into 100 equal pieces, we both taped them to the board, we brainstormed 100 things he has learned and/or likes about school, and he cut/glued them under the squares! Kind of time consuming, but FUN quality time together!!

go LOGAN!!!

2010-03-07T14:54:00.003-07:00

Our family had a fabulous time supporting (Danny's cousin) Logan's basketball team this year! We made it to a handful of games and weren't let down a bit on the entertainment factor as a few (TOO many!) of the games kept us on the edge of our seats in double-overtime and/or game-winning last-second shots, etc... Quite exciting!! We are so proud of the successful season the team had and especially Logan's contributions to that!!

We also discovered one of Shae's passions...dancing/cheerleading! During half-time, she would watch the Pom Squad with intensity; jumping, twisting, and turning to mimic their moves as best as she could! Then, one game, the assistant principal must have noticed her performance and, following half-time, invited Shae to meet the Pom Squad. Shae didn't hesitate or even look back as she was led to the other side of the gym where she got to meet the girls and then actually cheer with them most of the second half (until she had to go potty! LOL!!) The pure excitement on her face as one of the girls let her use her pom-poms was just priceless...she had the time of her life! Needless to say, she was even MORE excited to go to the next game, exclaiming, "I get to dance with the cheerleaders!!"

2010-03-03T21:53:00.004-07:00

What a momentous and FUN day for our family...Teegan's first birthday! Exactly one year ago today, we truly were blessed when his special sweet spirit came into our family. My heart changed forever and felt a new depth of love when he was born. He has been an incredible baby...such a joy to our family!

Lately, his little personality certainly has been shining, in the form of silly noises and faces. He makes raspberries, clicks his tongue, babbles and tries to say words, especially dadda, ball, hi, night-night, etc... and who can describe the silly faces?! One of my favorites is when he scrunches his nose until his eyes are just slits and, with a big, ear-to-ear grin, blows air in and out of his nostrils as loudly as he can (you know that one!)!!! Makes me smile just thinking of it!!

Teegan also can stand up without a wall or table or something to pull himself up with and is very close to walking. However, his favorite thing to do is climb up the stairs...he is a pro by now and despite falling down a few times (don't worry grandmas, only a few steps!), he still finds it incredibly fun to see how far he can get up before mom or dad realize what he is up to.

I have been so lucky to have Teegan sleep through the night more often than not, especially when he is able to take just one nap through the day(and 3-4 hours at that!!). His weight at 11 months was much better and he is starting to follow a curve again(though significantly below 0%). He has his check up tomorrow, so I will have to report back with his other "official" stats. But as far as I can tell, he is just an all-around wonderful, healthy baby growing much to fast into toddler-hood!!

To celebrate this milestone, we had our traditional birthday breakfast (however, choco-chip pancakes substituted the forgotten cinnamon rolls...what can I say, I goofed!)

I also took lots of pictures, including a little session we will call "birthday cake demolition!" It took Teegan a little while to figure out how to get past the fondant (Cooper and I were delighted to teach him though!) but once he did, he was scarfing...it was TOO funny!

After that, we had a fabulous dinner...the kids said that Teegan wanted hotdogs for his birthday dinner, and Danny was more than happy to fire up the grill on such a gorgeous day! It was perfected with cake and ice cream for dessert followed by opening a few presents. five stars for a fun birthday filled with great memories and the little boy, our sweet Teegan who we celebrated...WE LOVE YOU TEEGAN!!

Our Family TEAM!

2010-02-28T22:23:00.004-07:00

I have been reading a fantastic book that has seriously renewed my hope in my efforts as a mother. I am less than 100 pages in and have felt such motivation- a fresh perspective on what it means to be a family team, working, unified, toward one common goal. (The book is also full of great object lessons and projects, etc... to reinforce concepts, which is SO helpful for me in teaching these wonderful principles to the kids! The book is called "The [Potentially] Sane Mother's Guide to Raising Young Children" by Tamara A. Fackrell. The title says it all!)

Playing big brother for the Allen Family is our team captain, Jadan. He continues to excel in his education, with a great love of reading that helps our family continue to learn. He also holds the record for chore percentages, completing his chores without complaint 100% this last week. In addition, he strives to maintain his position by showing his family great unconditional love. Last week he finished another marshmallow creation, in honor of Mom...

...spent quality time with his littlest brother, teaching him how to roll the ball back and forth...

...made our family a favorite snack, Rice Krispie treats ALL by himself (well, almost)!!

The next Allen star in our line up is Cooper, who plays a variety of positions, including defensive coordinator (we all know how good he is with a sword!) and sometimes even officiator (a stickler for the rules, except for when he is the one breaking them...LOL!!) He brings a creative edge to our team, with tremendous skill in pretending, drawing, and coloring, leading the team stats with most pictures colored and stacked on Mommy's desk to date. Here he is pictured with an award-winning drawing of two of his favorite subjects, rainbows and our family.

Rounding out the female portion of the Allen team is our cheerleader, Shae. She is responsible for keeping up much of the family "spirit" of our team, with all of the energy of her little 3-year-old self. This week, she made unprecedented strides in attitude points, cheerfully completing her chores, often with a big smile or even giggles penetrating the opponent. Alongside Cooper, she is great at coloring and has the fastest fit time, overcoming the onset of a full tantrum in less than 0.5 seconds! This record was achieved after one of (Danny's cousin) Logan's basketball games. After sustaining a severe (though quite recurring) "bonk-on-the-head" injury, her violent sobs did a complete 180 turn into smiles and laughing virtually instantaneously (making everyone laugh hysterically!)

Finally, our rookie, Teegan...He is definitely learning all of the skills his brothers and sister strive to teach him. In addition, he has received bonus points for resilience (after all, he is the fourth child!) and leads the team in new noises and silly faces discovered. He holds the record for longest nap (almost 4 hours...oh wait, I think Head Coach Daddy has that record!!) and most poopy diapers in one day. Way to go, bud!!
So, here they are...the Allen family AllStars!! I am so grateful for the opportunities and blessings that motherhood has provided me with. I cannot think of any other "degree" or "job" that could come close to offering all of the growth and happiness and true joy that motherhood has. I love all of my little Allenstars (and their Head Coach!) more than can be described...(pictured below, we all got very excited to support Logan at his play-off game)

more everyday fun!

2010-02-10T12:18:00.002-07:00

So, I've been bad at blogging lately, but we are still here and doing lots of great things!

Here is an update through pictures...

1) Shae has discovered my foot bath...and LOVES it! Already pampering herself at 3...what are we in for?! 2) Teegan is super curious...we had a fun time playing peek-a-boo in this cupboard! 3) Shae is getting very good at coloring!

We had a very cold, snowy Sunday and Monday, but Jadan and Cooper still had fun playing outside, all bundled up! Always a great excuse for hot cocoa, too!! Shae's tea set is the perfect size for little hands and tiny sips!

Jadan participated in his school's science fair! After pondering a list of topics, he decided "What can a helium balloon lift?" would be fun. And it was! We borrowed a few books from the library and he learned the basic science of helium; he thought of different objects to "test" what a helium balloon could lift and Danny helped him complete this little experiment. Overall it was a great experience and I know Jadan had fun...he just loves learning!

We love when we get to go and watch Danny's cousin, Logan's basketball games; for this one, we painted the kids' faces...what good cheerleaders!!

Every Friday, Jadan's class has a "Mystery Reader" come in and read their favorite book to the class. I signed up for a Friday in January and was thrilled when DeAnne said she could do it; I knew Jadan would LOVE that surprise...and HE DID! When DeAnne walked in, the class turned around and Jadan gasped a huge wide smile and gave Aunt Doodoo a big hug! The class loved DeAnne's story, Edgar the Dolphin, and had a fun time learning a little more about one of Jadan's favorite people! Thanks again, Aunt Doodoo!!

everyday fun!

2010-01-30T21:45:00.003-07:00

I am so grateful for my kids! Challenging times are a-plenty but I have been doing a lot of reading that has really strengthened my hope in this journey called motherhood. I have resolved to be the best that I can be; if I can do nothing but show them how loved and special they are each day, then I have succeeded! I have rediscovered the joy that comes in simple things...playing games, coloring, cooking, reading, listening, etc...and I know that these are the things the kids love the most. And may be they don't just love the "things" but the feelings that this quality time brings.

Teegan is really growing! He's such a happy boy, content just hangin' out and smiling that irresistible smile! He loves to stand and get around into everything...his favorite is the pots&pans cupboard!

making homemade pizza...the kids especially liked rolling out their own dough to make their OWN individual pizzas!

Jadan's class made marshmallow "snowflakes" this week! I loved the idea and the kids have been very busy creating their own masterpieces...who would've thought mini-marshmallows and toothpicks could be SO much fun?!

We made these (no-sew) aprons a couple of weeks ago...fun project!

cutest-most-adorable-kids-EVER!

2010-01-17T21:32:00.003-07:00

whenever the kids are actually willing to get their pictures taken, I jump on the opportunity! Not only were they willing, but EXCITED and I was very happy with how these turned out- I needed some updated photos!! Here are just a few...

All of my favorites can be viewed at:

Photobucket Slideshow

SO DaRN fUNnY!!

2010-01-17T20:20:00.003-07:00

Cooper has been cracking us up lately with his expletive (noun; an exclamation; an oath or a sound expressing an emotional reaction rather than any particular meaning) "CRAT!!" He seriously uses it as described...to convey any and all emotion and inserts it whenever opportunity permits!! What a funny boy!

Sometimes Jadan likes to write down the recipe after making something. Friday night, after the kids and I made homemade pizza, Jadan handed me a paper that had a drawing of the pizza and the instructions (translation in parenthesis):

Peza Sos (pizza sauce)

Peprones (pepperoni)

Ches (cheese)

Dow (dough)

Rlle the Dow (roll the dough)

Then you Eyt it (then you eat it!)

haPpY biRthDAy, COoPeR!

2010-01-10T21:50:00.003-07:00

Cooper turned 5 on Saturday!! I can't believe how grown up he is getting...well, hold that thought...sometimes I think he is still in his terrible two's!!

We started the morning off with brunch at IHOP! Then off to the zoo! It was a gorgeous day and the fresh crisp air was much needed! After a long day at the zoo, we had a fun-filled family movie night, complete with pah-corn and lick-or-lish (Shaenglish for popcorn and licorice)!!

This morning, I had to do my famous cinnamon-roll-birthday-cake for breakfast since we'd IHOP'd the day before and thus couldn't do it Saturday.

...and finally (later, after dinner, not after cinnamon rolls!!), we celebrated with birthday cake and a couple of presents!

Cooper had requested a StarWars cake...Jadan was thrilled to help me come up with some ideas and THIS is what we came up with (after several messy hours in the kitchen WAY too late the night before!!)

Cooper the Frog (what can I say, my kids love their costumes any day of the year!) loved every minute of his birthday! In fact, he can be quoted not once, but twice this weekend with saying "This is the BEST DAY of my LIFE!!" (First when we rode the train at the zoo and second when he saw his birthday cake)

5 things I love about Cooper...

1) his huge, genuine, contagious, fun-loving smile,

2) his endless energy

3) his sense of humor (especially when he cracks HIMSELF up!)

4) his ever-so-passionate spirit, and...

5) the way he makes my heart smile when I need it the most!!

Happy Birthday, Cooper...We love YOU!!

Teegan

2010-01-10T21:24:00.003-07:00

so, THIS...

...is what I have been doing the past few days. My smile in this picture was completely for Jadan's benefit (humoring a photo-happy 6-year old is something I've gotten good at since Christmas!) because my heart was SO heavy with worry about Teegan. He has been one sad little boy since about Wednesday. I thought that maybe it was just teething, but his fever and temperament were consistent (and then I realized he was due back to the doctor for a follow-up weight check anyways) so I took him in on Thursday. He has a double ear infection and has gained a whooping 3 ounces (making him just 15 lbs, 3 oz at 10 months) since his 9-month check-up. Needless to say, the DR has gotten increasingly concerned as Teegan's below-the-curve weight percentage IS no longer a curve, but a plateau. In the last month, I tried supplementing with little success and then with his ear infection he has been nursing less and less. Thursday, the DR encouraged me to continue nursing and supplementing with a concentrated formula, PediaSure, even whole milk, ANYthing to get some calories into this boy!! And back in a month to check his weight again. Friday I tried all of the above at different times with little success (I even tried to syringe formula into his little mouth)...I was at my wits end with worry; he began dry-heaving and throwing up after he ate his baby food and I could tell he was getting dehydrated and weak and fussy- totally not my little guy! I felt slightly better when Danny was able to get a few ounces of formula in him through the night. Then, on Saturday, we had made plans to celebrate Cooper's birthday by going to the zoo. I felt reluctant to take Teegan out, but it was a gorgeous day and I really couldn't stand another day of walking around the house trying to soothe him, trying to feed him, and just going crazy with worry. The fresh air did us both good...and I made the decision to try to feed him bottles exclusively (maybe I was trying too much and confusing him with both the breast and bottle)...again, worth a shot?! I am relieved to report (after this lengthy story) that Teegan is much better today (and I am much less of a bundle of nerves and worry). He has kept down a few bottles and his appetite is returning...I am keeping my fingers crossed that we can keep this up and get some weight on him for his next follow-up!!

little laughs...

2010-01-10T14:44:00.003-07:00

While enjoying Cooper's Birthday Brunch at IHOP yesterday, Danny and I got a good chuckle when Cooper said he wanted to try the "butter King Kong" syrup...more commonly known as butter pecan!!

December Festivities (longest post EVER!)

2010-01-01T20:54:00.012-07:00

in no particular order...

We were so stinkin excited to have Grammy and Bobby visit us this past week!! The kids had an incredible time, making fun memories every second!! We were so sad to see them leave today and miss them tons already...

Here, Grammy and Bobby at the "I Spy House" as we have nicknamed this legendary house of lights...This family has won awards for the past I-don't-know-how-many years with their elaborate Christmas display. Last year, we made a list of specific items to search for and played a little game of it this year. Had to get a shot of these two in front of the Harley display (complete with Santa on a Harley!)

Jadan (our Christmas kid!) was thrilled beyond works to show Grammy around!

Our little family when we went bowling (the first time!) HAHA!!

The kiddos

Grammy and Teegan

Grammy and Jadan (by the way, lots of these pictures were taken with Jadan's NEW digital camera he got from Grammy...he is rarely without it these past few days and takes it wherever we go, capturing life according to Jadan!!

side note...the fox(es?) have returned! We saw this quite unique black fox the other morning!

We played lots of new games that Santa brought...including Tumblin' Monkeys!

...and Pass the Pickle!

We went to the mall and rode the carousel

Jadan took this picture of Grammy and Bobby by the Christmas tree

Shae adored having Grammy spend lots of girl time with her, painting her finger(and toe)nails!

...in addition to many a TEA PARTY!

Can't resist this little sweetie!! I love her smile in this one!

...and again...Shae is getting SO big!

Santa brought the kids each a couple of costumes; here is Cooper as MegaTron!! Danny and I have decided this WILL be a tradition for sure...costumes for sale (90% off!) after Halloween ended up being $2 or less and were a TOTAL hit! The kids had a blast changing into different characters throughout the day!

No worries about Shae's lack of girlie-ness after this Christmas! Santa brought her a tutu with poofy headband (she wants to take a dance class), new fingernail polish and lip gloss, and this adorable tea set! As if it's not evident in her ear-to-ear smile in this picture, Shae is on cloud nine when she has tea parties! Definitely one of her new favorite activities! I LOVE it!!

Teegan wasn't sure what all the fuss was over, but had a great time tasting all of the wrapping on his Christmas gifts! Cute kid!

Here is our army dude excavating a triceratops! We kept pretty busy on Christmas day!

Teegan is all smiles...too bad he didn't get his two front teeth for Christmas!!

Cooper had a great time with his "Bend-a-what, Bend-a-who, BEND-A-ROO's" as he calls them!!

To Jadan's pure delight, Santa brought him the Marble Run he asked for!

CHEEZ in front of the Christmas tree!

my favorite gifts for giving (well, and for receiving, too!) are homemade...I got this idea last minute from a friend and ran with it. The kids each got a You Are Special jar with coupons to redeem throughout the year for dates with Mom or Dad, game nights, trips to the library, free bedroom cleaning (Cooper's favorite, he's already tried to use it on more than one occasion), ice cream night, etc...

Jadan watching Polar Express with his Christmas Reindeer

We also started a new tradition for celebrating Jesus' birth with a birthday party! I thought this would be a more concrete way the kids could understand the meaning of Christmas, since they obviously understand what a birthday party is for! We read a little poem and constructed a star Christmas cake (the kids idea), sang Happy Birthday and each gave Jesus a special gift (something we wanted to strive to do better for Him to show our love for Him, which we wrote- or illustrated- on paper and tucked into paper mache boxes).

a couple quick shots of Grammy! This little one adores her Grammy!!

Jadan was excited to print pictures he took with his new camera. He worked on cutting them out and wants to make a book with all of his pictures!

As mentioned above, I love homemade gifts and this year I had a lot of fun making candles to give lots of my family and friends. I wasn't too sure how everyone would feel about receiving a candle that was a baby food jar in its previous life! But, I think they turned out really nice after spray-painting the lids and adding a label with a explanatory story attached. The story really embodied why I wanted to give candles and how I felt my love for each of them as I made them. The label reads, "where there is light, there is warmth; where there is warmth, there is love."

Another gift I worked on was an album we (with all of Danny's siblings' families) gave Danny's parents. It is a Storybook Album of "The Family: A Proclamation to the World" using pictures of all of Danny's family. It was truly magical designing this and then printing it and mounting each print to complete the album. I felt the Spirit touching my heart as I read and reread that divine document...I definitely left a piece of my heart in there too! The entire album layout can be viewed at http://s971.photobucket.com/albums/ae194/echoimages/?albumview=slideshow

And last, but not least...Shae got her ears pierced! She did awesome! She sat on Grammy's lap and held my hands while they did one ear at a time. She didn't so much as flinch or gasp, let alone cry! I can't believe how tough this girl is! Just had to top off her girlie-ness...she has been loving them, too!

Happy New Year!!

2009-12-22T13:43:00.002-07:00

had to post this, because you may never see this again...if this sweatshirt isn't in the trash after Danny sees it (no offense cougar fans!), then it will be forbidden for Teegan to wear...just kidding!!!

in other news...

we have been getting daily visits from our elf friends. They travel via the "magic mailbox" and hide special Christmas prizes-- among our favorites, a gingerbread house to decorate together, notepads, slinkys, glittery foam ornament stickers, stampers, Santa straws, and nutcrackers. The kids are always reminded that the elves are watching and they love waking up in the morning and checking the magic mailbox to see if the elves have come!

...Teegan is SO proud of his latest trick, standing! The second he mastered actual crawling (as opposed to his former army crawl), he was getting everywhere really fast and pulling himself up on everything, too.

...and, although he is smiling in this picture (too stinkin' cute!!), Teegan has been, as his shirt states, TEETHING!!He has had a really rough time, too...his two bottom teeth are all but cutting through, and try as he might, chewing and gnawing on everything he gets his little hands on, they refuse to present themselves...so still toothless at almost 10 months!

'Tis the Season!

2009-12-06T22:13:00.004-07:00

We have decided that Jadan is our Christmas kid. Not that ALL kids don't just adore Christmas, but there are some kids that live for it...

December 1st came and Jadan told me he was going to be in his room looking for letters from the elves... You see, last year around this time, we had some very special visitors; we never had the fortune of actually seeing the elves, but we know they definitely exist because every day 12 days before Christmas, they left letters for the kids with a clue inside to find a small toy, candy, etc... to remind them that Christmas was coming. They were so diligent (and magical, I might add) that they visited us through our traveling...in a hotel, at Grammy's, etc...

I was thrilled that Jadan remembered and was excited...well, at least the first 52 times he asked about them that same day. Then, I came up with a plan...we should ask the elves when they are coming; we could make them a little elf hotel for them to make their visits more comfortable; we could make them their favorite elf treats...SO, to find out more about these little guys (Jadan says they are probably about Cooper's size!!) we have constructed our very own magic mailbox to communicate with them. We made a fancy mailbox pole out of a wrapping paper tube and then, to our surprise, Santa himself mailed us a tin Christmas mailbox and some magic dust to activate it! HOORAY!!! So far, the kids have sent letters to Santa to

let him know what they would like for Christmas. We haven't heard back yet, but I understand that the elves are very busy!! I'm sure we will find out many more interesting things!!!

The other question Jadan kept asking was "When are we going to get our Christmas tree?!" We wanted to start a family tradition of cutting one down at a tree farm, but it has been hard to coordinate with Danny's busy schedule of work and wrestling practices and meets. So I have heard this poor child ask now for over a week, every day, several times a day, sometimes multiple times in the same conversation!! So, to appease him until we can get our real tree...

I let the kids each decorate one of my little fake trees. They were SO thrilled and did a great job!

Poor Danny!

2009-12-06T22:07:00.003-07:00

Danny was all too pleased with himself when he came home from wrestling practice with THIS...

My first thought was, Our boys are definitely NOT wrestling, then I thought...YOU did this on PURPOSE- we were going to do family pictures this weekend!!! I didn't know he dreaded family pictures that much...oh well, there's always next weekend! HAHA!!!

fuNNy eXtrAs!

2009-11-23T23:45:00.004-07:00

In case you might be wondering...Shae DID get a haircut. Unplanned, YES! The other day, to my complete shock, I heard her behind me (as I was working on my computer) in the sweetest voice bursting with excitement, "Mommy, I got a haircut!!" After extensive interrogation, Cooper admitted that he and Shae "wanted to cut eachother's hair...Shae went first, and it looked like it hurt, so I changed my mind!" I was surprised by how calm I was; in fact, I almost had to hold back laughter, because I just KNEW this day HAD to be coming! And, really, Cooper did OK. He didn't massacre her hair or cut it down to the scalp...she just has some bangs now (which I actually ADORE!) in addition to a few extra shorter pieces we will have to tie back until it grows out.

AND in other news...

THUMBody found a NEW friend!!!

I have to admit, I think this is just adorable!! But I probably will change my mind if he's still attached heading off to kindergarten. We'll see...for now, it works!!

haPpY biRthDAy, sHae!

2009-11-23T21:48:00.006-07:00

I canNOT believe it has been 3 years since we welcomed our baby girl into this world! Shae has been such a joy to our family and I am so grateful for the "balance" she brings to our home! I must admit, I was NOT prepared for all of the DRAMA (thought that would come later? NOPE. girls must be born with it!) but I am SO in LOVE with this girl! And I am thrilled to be her Momma and for

all the exciting years ahead...

3 things I LOVE about Shae...

1.) Her bright, smiling, curious, big blue eyes.

2.) Her constant laughter. (well, mostly constant!)

3.) Her nurturing nature...she loves to be a little mommy and is a sweet sister as well.

baby Shae, proud Daddy and thrilled big brothers!

in 2007...

in 2008...

in 2009 (yes, she is "nursing" her baby here...little mommy!)...

and Sunday, my big 3 year old girl!!

On Friday, we surprised Shae by going to Red Robin (YUUMMmmm!) to celebrate. She opened gifts from each of the boys and Mommy & Daddy.

...then went home to enjoy ice cream cones and a slumber party! Danny set up the projector in Shae's room!!

Sunday, we started her birthday off with our new traditional cinnamon roll birthday breakfast!

...followed by opening up gifts and cards from family. She is one lucky little girl!!

Shae requested a "Sandlot" birthday cake, after her favorite movie of all time (well, 3 years, anyway!) I was stumped for a long time, but came up with this...Jadan totally gave me the idea to use popsicle sticks for a fence! Smart kid! Shae couldNOT take her eyes off of it!!

Happy Birthday, sweet little love! We are so grateful you are a part of our family!!

haPpY biRthDAy, JAdaN!

2009-11-15T22:07:00.008-07:00

six years ago today, I became a mother thanks to my amazing little Jadan! It is incredible to reflect on these past years; picturing him as a tiny baby, remembering his milestones, and seeing how he is growing into a wonderful young boy. My life changed forever the day he came into our world; I remember so vividly staring deep into those little brown eyes as I held him for the first time, truly feeling his sweet, tender spirit. He has filled my life with

so much joy and love. I am so very thankful to be his Mom!

six things I LOVE about Jadan:

1.) His genuine, innocent smile.

2.) His curiosity and desire to learn.

3.) His sensitivity to others.

4.) His yearning to do what is right.

5.) His sense of humor.

6.) His ability to love and forgive unconditionally.

Jadan at about 16 months

Jadan's 2nd birthday

Jadan's 3rd birthday

Jadan one year ago

In August, starting kindergarten!

and, finally...this weekend to celebrate, Jadan had a few friends over and Danny took them swimming at the Rec Center. The boys had a really FUN time! After they came back, we all had pizza and birthday cupcakes, and Jadan opened gifts. His little friends we so sweet to get him some really fun toys and games, which all of the kids had a great time playing afterwards! Jadan also got some cool walkie-talkies and a new blanket from us!

Then, today, the celebration continued when we sang "Happy Birthday" to Jadan over his cinnamon roll birthday breakfast!

He was excited to get some really neat gifts from Grammy and Aunt Tara, Uncle Marshal, and Taylor, too!

The day was filled with lots of special phone calls (complete with birthday singing!!) from family, which really meant a lot...and we finished off the day with a visit, new movie (UP!), and wonderful dinner from Aunt DooDoo, Uncle Alan, and Logan! Jadan's 6th birthday was certainly filled with some great memories! We are so incredibly thankful that he is a part of our family; he has touched our lives in so many ways great and small and we are so proud of the wonderful young boy he is growing up to be!! Happy Birthday, Jadan!!

Who You Are

2009-11-08T21:32:00.007-07:00

I have had this CD for a couple of years, but recently one song particularly has touched me. I have been wanting to post these lyrics to share, as they truly have brought me strength and comfort on days I struggle as a mom (and there are many!)...

"I know you wonder if you'll ever have a day

When the kids stay calm, the laundry's done, and the dishes are put away

And sometimes you feel like your days are spent and gone

And the question running through your mind is what have I gotten done?

And when you finally have a moment to slow down

At the end of your day

I know Father would say

Believe in what you're doing

Believe in who you are

Hold tight to the truth that you're a daughter of God

Believe in who you're becoming

Believe in who you are

It may seem simple- all the little things you do

But the lives you touch matter so much

And there's no one else like you

And Father needs you to stand tall and faithful

To be all you can be

Oh, if you could see what He sees, you'd...

Believe in what you're doing

Believe in who you are

Hold tight to the truth that you're a daughter of God

Believe in who you're becoming

Believe in who you are

When it's hard to believe in yourself

And you feel like you're beginning to doubt

Remember

He believes in what you're doing

He believes in who you are

Don't lose sight of the truth that you're a daughter of God

That he believs in who you're becoming

He believes in who you are."

Halloween FUN!

2009-11-01T19:08:00.004-07:00

Happy Halloween...

from Mickey Mouse, Bones, Rainbow Brite and Twink!!

As previously blogged, I was ecstatic to get Shae this Rainbow Brite costume...

...and thrilled beyond belief when my A.Mazing! mother-in-law sent us this Twink costume she hand-made for Teegan!! He was the cutest little Twink EVER!! So many people stopped us and said..."oh wait! I know who that is! It's...it's...on the tip of my tongue!!!" It was great to totally take people (including myself!) back to the 80s!!! Thanks, again, MOM!

Cooper and Shae just before we went to Jadan's class Halloween party...

We all had a great time at Jadan's class Halloween party! The kindergarten kids all paraded to a couple other classrooms and then came back to enjoy some fun games and snacks!!

Then, on Friday, we went to our Church's "Trunk-or-Treat" activity. It was a little chilly, but we all warmed up with some hot cocoa (and donuts of course!) The kids got buckets full of candy and had a fun time seeing all their friends in costume too! We couldn't resist getting a photo of Mickey and Minnie

Mouse together!!

Saturday afternoon, we went to the High School's "Trick-or-Treat Street" and didn't even have enough time to do ALL the fun things! We'll have to go earlier next year...it was a blast! The kids filled their buckets with candy once again, played all sorts of games including musical chairs, ring toss, and go fish, and went through spooky rooms, too!

Traditional photos before heading off to Trick-or-Treat Street!

Next stop...Aunt DooDoo and Uncle Alan's!!!

...a little nap on the way! Good thing they have all that sugar to help them wake up in a bit!!

time to TRICK-or-TREAT!!

"it's beginning to look a lot like...."

2009-10-29T23:43:00.002-06:00

halloween?!?!

what a crazy couple of days we have had! It has been snowing lightly, but practically nonstop for the past two days and we have a good 2 feet of snow!! I can honestly say this is the first time I ever went sledding for Halloween! Yep, we have certainly been having a BLAST in this beautiful powder!! We even built a snow slide going off the top of the deck down to the backyard...we all had fun building it together and it actually is very COOL...and a blast to sled down!!

We celebrated Halloween in more traditional ways as well, when some friends came over to do some Halloween crafts and make yummy Halloween treats! Later, we enjoyed the snow again at Sled Hill! Danny and the kids went down a few times before it got too cold and windy...it was also a LONG way UP!!

The snow has been so beautiful; it looks like a postcard! However, I am looking forward to the next few days with no snow, in order to celebrate Halloween without it feeling like Christmas!!! Jadan's Halloween party at school and Trunk-or-Treat tomorrow night; then Trick-or-Treating on Halloween along with whatever other fun things we can find to do!!

2009-10-28T12:46:00.003-06:00

Family Night was a great start to Halloween week! We made peanut butter pumpkins and enjoyed pumpkin milkshakes while watching Charlie Brown's Halloween!!

Even Teegan had a taste of the milkshakes thanks to Daddy!! Yep, he loved 'em too!! It's unanimous! (very easy, too- 1 cup canned pumpkin pie filling, 1 cup milk, 1 half gallon carton of vanilla ice cream)

...and today, October 28th, school was cancelled due to the snow. We probably have close to a foot, and it's still come down this very moment! It is gorgeous and I LOVE it, as long as I don't have to drive in it!! Our backyard looks like a winter wonderland!! HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

Fall Fun

2009-10-21T16:13:00.004-06:00

The leaves were definitely in need of raking, so I recruited my favorite little helpers. Actually, I did all of the raking, while the "helpers" jumped into the pile...whatdya expect?! After all the fun, they did help put all of the leaves into bags, though...Thanks, guys! What a perfect fall activity!!

kids' new game

2009-10-21T16:03:00.002-06:00

Wonder what ever happened to Good Ol' Turquoise Steel?

I like to think that She likes the attention after sitting dead in the garage for so long...

Fun Fall Weekend!

2009-10-18T21:02:00.003-06:00

We started the weekend off yucky...

(more wisdom from our little mathematician:

croup + teething + constipation = SAD baby boy)

...but stayed really busy and had lots of fall fun! (Teegan was quite a trooper!!)

Saturday we went to the ReMax Community Appreciation event

We started the day bright and early to get in line for the hot air balloon...

...while we waited until our number was up, we enjoyed a delicious pancake breakfast!

After the hot air balloon ride, the kids got their faces painted...

...then we picked out the perfect pumpkins!!

It was a bit chilly in the morning (thus, the heavy winter coats!), but warmed up to the 70s...incredibly gorgeous day! Therefore, after the ReMax event, we HAD to take advantage of the day by playing at the park for the afternoon!

left column: Teegan in the swing/Cooper on the slide

Shae on the spinning thing

Mommy and Teegan (courtesy of Jadan!)

middle column: Cooper on the monkeybars

Teegan relaxing in the shae

right column: Shae lovin' the swings

Jadan and Shae spinning

sUNdaY SUndAEs!

2009-10-11T22:41:00.004-06:00

a new tradition?

we have made "Sunday sundaes" periodically with the kids, and they would love if we did it every Sunday! Luckily, I was in charge of the sundae bar for a church activity Friday and we had tons leftover...the kids got to add their choice of toppings to their ice cream- bananas, sprinkles, hot fudge, nuts, M&M's, whipped cream, and of course, cherries!

lots of FUN!

Happy Halloween from GRAMMY!

2009-10-11T22:27:00.003-06:00

The kids were way excited when they discovered the package the UPS man left us! They immediately spotted my mom's Tinkerbell address label, and shouted, while jumping up and down, hands flying every which way..."YAY! It's from Grammy! Grammy sent us a package!!!"

This, as you may know, was the day Cooper was very sick (the doctor thought it was swine flu, but called the next day to inform us that his strep throat culture was positive). He was absolutely lethargic and miserable with a horrible headache ("it hurts everywhere, mom") and fever that got up to 105. So...this package was a huge ray of sunshine for him especially! This was one of the few times he actually got up off the couch (the other times were to run to the bathroom...poor guy!)

Candy is always a welcome surprise!

love Cooper's expression in this next picture!!

thank you, GRAMMY! We love you!!

Happy Halloween...

Conference Weekend

2009-10-11T22:05:00.002-06:00

What a wonderful conference weekend! We kicked it all off Saturday morning by trying a new pancake recipe, "amazing apple pancakes." They were soooOOO yummy- like German puffy pancakes, but with syrupy apples baked in. Then, we had a mini-lesson about how the people that King Benjamin taught faced their tents towards the temple to hear King Benjamin speak. Then, we built our own "tent" (background stands and light stands, with a muslin background draped over!!) facing the TV to hear the prophet! The kids enjoyed this a lot!!

I was absolutely thrilled that we were able to listen to all four sessions! The kids were fantastic, for the most part. Jadan watched all four sessions and did a great job working on the packet I made him. Cooper and Shae watched both morning sessions, doing the packets as well; Cooper watched the afternoon sessions intermittently, while Shae watched a movie upstairs for the afternoon session Saturday. I was able to take a few notes and really concentrate on a few talks in particular, getting a ton out of it- loved President Monson's talk about service and helping others (so did the kids!) President Uchtdorf's talk about "while striving to gain more knowledge is important, doing what you know, better is critical as well" (um, paraphrased obviously!) really inspired me as well. Those stick out in my mind, and I am excited to get the Ensign to read all of the talks.

Our version of BINGO. Whenever the kids (or grownups!) hear one of the speakers talk about a particular theme or person, etc... they got to take the candy next to that word. It was fun!

mOre haTS

2009-10-07T14:14:00.002-06:00

I have the Cutest MOST adorable KIDS!!!

2009-10-06T22:17:00.003-06:00

as if the previous post of Jadan & Cooper weren't proof enough...take a look at my two littlest loves!

SO angelic...

Impromptu shots of Teegan after discovering how insanely cute he looks in his snow hat (yes, it was that cold the other day!!)

hAndSoME BoYs

2009-09-29T23:30:00.001-06:00

Insight from Shae

2009-09-25T15:14:00.005-06:00

The other day we were walking near some office buildings and Shae, dancing around, announced had to go potty. Of course, I had no idea where a restroom was, so I spotted a couple of people walking out of one of the buildings. As we got closer, I asked them if there was a restroom in the building they came out of. The girl, cigarette in hand, blew out a cloud of smoke before answering. Then, as she passed by us, I heard Shae behind me telling the boys, "That girl has a REALLY hot mouth!" If only it WERE just steam!! HAHAHA!

Silly Kids!

2009-09-24T15:57:00.004-06:00

So here are a handful of recent random fun pictures...

Jadan took a bunch of pictures of Teegan and I and a few turned out pretty good, especially with some cropping...good job, dude!

Jadan really did help mow the lawn last weekend. I wanted to capture him in action, but he is such a POSER!!

Playing an alphabet game; I would tell Jadan a letter sound, then he would find the letter and tell me a word that starts with that letter. I was impressed, he did a great job on every letter!

OH MY GOSH!! Every night before I go to bed, I peek in on the kids and cover them up, etc... THIS is what I found in Cooper's bunk! He had totally zipped his cheetah up in his jammies! I HAD to risk waking him up with my camera flash to capture this!! This kid cracks me UP!

I get asked ALL the time if these two are twins! Shae definitely does everything she can to keep up with her big brothers, but seriously, fashion too?!! We are in trouble- goggles, car, and flip-flops...lovely!

Lounging and enjoying some ice cream...that's my girl!!

Just us girls being silly...

Teegan looks pleasant enough in this Boppy we

just acquired thanks to our good friend Robin, but he is already too big for it, I think...he reaches for everything and squirms his way out!

Here's a fun project we did today...we made hour glass timers for the bathroom to help the kids brush better! It was pretty simple, and fun was had by all...AND the kids discovered renewed excitement for brushing their teeth!!

Getting Ready for Conference!

2009-09-23T23:14:00.004-06:00

This is pretty out of character for me (as I tend to think of great ideas at the last minute) but I have felt really excited about General Conference coming up in a couple of weeks and felt inspired to prepare NOW! I came across a couple of great websites I wanted to share along with what our plans include to make General Conference special! Hope you enjoy!!

First, SugarDoodle has a ton of resources at http://www.sugardoodle.net/mambo/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3101

The Idea Door has a couple of additional "Conference Packets" as well as a "WorkBook" for the youth, which Danny and I plan on using to help us focus better and take notes! That website is:

http://www.theideadoor.com/index.php?

option=com_content&view=article&id=563&Itemid=2417&a45c45c56830e5268844f1b27d9de6eb=cf4ba3de5c628cbc06f391628e8cdcef

Sorry, that's a really long address, huh?

So...personally, I am going to try to reread the talks from the April Conference throughout the week prior to Conference. Then, I loved the Tent idea, which references when King Benjamin taught his people (everyone gathered at the temple and faced their tents in King Benjamin's direction in order to hear his counsel) We are going to try to come up with some sort of "tent" the night before so it is ready when the kids wake up Saturday morning. Inside the "tent," we will have a basket for each child with treats, new crayons, and activities, etc... We also have done a modified version of BINGO. Instead of each child having their own card and working toward a bingo, we cut one bingo card up and post each square (with words and pictures pertaining to Conference topics), so when someone hears the word, they take that square down and get a candy. Oh it gets even better...I also have PRIZES!! My kids respond well to and love games and earning points to get a reward, etc... so we might give them a point for every worksheet/activity completed as well as for hearing a bingo word. Then they can "buy" prizes with their points after conference(most around $0.50 each...chinese yo-yo's, binoculars, parachute army guys, crayons, mini memo pads, etc...)

Of course, we will also incorporate some of our favorite foods, too...I'm sure some rendition of pancakes for a late breakfast! Then we are having friends over for a themed dinner Sunday. Hopefully we can continue the traditions we have enjoyed in the past, as well as start some new! I love when the kids are excited about Conference and can participate in their own way, allowing us to listen too. Hopefully they really do listen, or at least feel the Spirit and understand how important it is and how blessed we are to have a prophet on the earth and the opportunity to hear his counsel. I love the way these traditions strengthen and unite us with a resolve to move forward and become better. Please, feel free to comment and share your own traditions as well!! Thanks!!!

DOUBLE double stroller

2009-09-16T14:51:00.002-06:00

How to fit 4 kids in 1 stroller:

After walking to pick Jadan up from school, we went on our traditional Wednesday picnic at a nearby playground with a few other moms and kids. The kids played hard for about 2 hours and were way TIRED so this is how I got them all home!! Hey, I needed a workout too!!

Teegan Report

2009-09-13T17:26:00.004-06:00

Well, my mom's a little late (who can blame her with all four of us kids to take care of...and Daddy too!) but here are my "6 month" pictures! What's the big deal anyway- we take pictures all the time! We actually just took these this morning, because Mommy said I looked SO handsome in my church outfit!

Here is a collage of all the sILLy fAceS I make! I sure am cute...and boy, do I love to smile...what can I say? My crazy family sure makes me laugh!

However, here is my serious look...

...and here I am just looking out the window, taking it all in! I am SO curious!

...and THIS is one of my favorite new things to do...STAND- my big brother Jadan LOVES to help!

Here I am chewing my hand...I'm not hungry, really, but I wish I could get some teeth!

Aaaahhh...Life is GOOD!

...here are more of my accomplishments in the past 6 months:

-my stats...26 inches long (35th percentile), 44.5 cm head circumference (70th percentile), and 13 lbs, 9 oz. (>3rd percentile)

-sleeping through the night (mostly...I still like to wake mama up around 4am! what can I say, I miss her!!)

-rolling over (and over, and over, and over....hey, how else am I supposed to get around?)

-eating rice cereal and, more recently, sweet potatoes and squash (It took me awhile to figure out this spoon thing, but wow...YUM!)

-sucking my thumb (well, really just chewing it along with my other fingers and...okay, I'll admit...TOES too!)

-"saying" MAMA (I'm not really sure what this means, but my mom LOVES when I make this "noise!")

-making my Mama and Daddy and brothers and sister SO SO happy...Mama tells everyone that I am such a good, happy baby...being 6 months old is the BEST!!

Cooper Starts Preschool!!

2009-09-10T10:52:00.002-06:00

Today was indeed a special day for one special boy! My little man is growing UP! Cooper could harldy contain his excitement, even before bed last night, in anticipation of his first day of preschool! He will be gone the longest (Tues and Thurs) of all the kids, from 9am-1pm...yep, he even got to take a lunch to school, which was probably one of the most exciting things for a 4-year-old!

In the collage below: Top, showing off his awesome Wall-E backpack! then with his game face on! Bottom, Danny made Cooper a special breakfast...chocolate stardust pancakes! then, YAY preschool jump! and finally, the thumbs up!!

Simple MATH!

2009-09-05T22:08:00.002-06:00

cheap diaper + gravity = DISASTER!

Teegan was hangin out in his walker while we were enjoying a delicious family breakfast this morning. Like he does SO often, Cooper was having a conversation with Teegan and the two were just giggling. Then, all of a sudden Cooper shouts, "Teegan pooped green all over the floor!" I jumped up to discover Teegan slippin and slidin...couldn't help but laugh!

Ready for...HALLOWEEN?!

2009-09-05T21:54:00.004-06:00

I don't think I have ever been SO excited for Halloween so early! We went to a fabulous second-hand store and found some awesome buys on Halloween costumes for the kiddos! This year, Jadan will be playing Mickey Mouse! After

telling us he wanted each and eery costume we showed him, Cooper eventually decided on the glow-in-the-dark skeleton! and Shae will be none other than Rainbow Brite!! You bet we had to try these on the second we got home! The kids played in their costumes all afternoon...hopefully they make it til Halloween!

So you know you are an "80's CHILD!" when you talk your daughter into getting a Rainbow Brite costume! Seriously, I wish this costume would fit ME...Rainbow Brite? C'mon, I am reliving my childhood...I love this!!

Danny and I showed Shae who Rainbow Brite is on the internet and were having a blast remembering all the characters! Danny says I should make Teegan a "Twink" costume. That would be AWESOME! Too bad I can't sew! Teegan will thank me years from now!!

My Little Mama!!

2009-09-05T21:40:00.003-06:00

HAD to post these...Shae has been so attached to her baby doll! She is such a good little mama! Shae has her baby (named "Taylor!") in tow anywhere and everywhere, pretty much all the time! She always makes sure Taylor has a bandaid for her owies, feeds her plenty of cereal, feeds her a bottle, changes her diaper....

takes her for walks to pick Jadan up from school...

...and, of course, nurses her too! She has been watching HER mommy way too closely! Can't help but laugh, though!! This is one loved baby doll!

First Day of SCHOOL!

2009-08-24T15:36:00.002-06:00

Another milestone...Jadan started Kindergarten today! He was SOOO ready and just bursting with excitement. When I woke him up this morning, he just had this grin on his face, it took me back to those first-day-of-school butterflies you feel as a kid!! He looked so handsome and did GREAT! I knew he would do super, but I have to admit, I thought that I wouldn't do so hot. BUT, believe it ot not, no tears from this mama!! It definitely is surreal, but I am just overcome by joy and I am SO proud of him!!

A few more memories to record...Clockwise from top left: Jadan looking a little nervous lining up outside the classroom; We celebrated by going to lunch at McD's with Daddy; three little boys from church are in Jadan's kindergarten class; Shae and Cooper look on

NUMBERS...

2009-08-23T22:26:00.002-06:00

First, here is our thermostat...when I took this picture, the house had actually "cooled down" a couple of degrees! It is so blasted HOT in this house!! HAHAHA!!

Next, another number for the records...

This is what time the clock said after we tucked the kids in to bed! WOW...my goal was actually 8:00, but we'll work on it! Still, this is no small accomplishment for us! WooHoo YAY for school! Hhhmmm...but why am I still up over 2 hours later? Wish me luck for first-day-of-school tomorrow!!!

Back to School FASHION SHOW!

2009-08-23T22:01:00.002-06:00

Danny said they had a fun tradition growing up...they would do a "fashion show" before the school year started to show off all of their new school clothes! I loved it and thought it would be a fun tradition to pass on with our family. We hung a black tablecloth in front of the fireplace and had a "red carpet" of towels leading up to the red blanket where they stopped to strike a pose! We even had a "spotlight" (projector) shining on them and a "dressing room" for the models to change costume!! It was a total success...the kids felt like stars and had a WAY FUN time! We took some video footage that captured their pure excitement; hopefully will post that soon...

Even though Shae and Cooper didn't have new school clothes, they still came up with some memorable outfits...Obviously Shae gets her sense of fashion from her Daddy! Another outfit she had on was a dress on backwards tucked into a skirt...huh?

Jadan really had a blast strutting his stuff! I don't know how I am going to manage sending him off to school tomorrow. I feel the tears building up as it gets closer; I am just SO proud of him!!

After the fun "fashion show," we had a family night lesson about father's blessings, as this is another tradition we want to start with our kids at the start each school year. Danny explained how fathers can have the priesthood to give blessings from Heavenly Father, as if Heavenly Father were right there speaking to them, blessing them. Then, he gave each of the kids a father's blessing...it was incredible! With such a fun activity, followed by a powerful spiritual experience, I felt our family grow so much closer as we begin this new chapter in our life. After Danny finished the blessings, Jadan said, "can I tell everyone something?" After we said, sure, he paused and said "After Daddy gave me my blessing, I felt so happy. I felt the Spirit!" As he said that, I felt an indescribable joy as my eyes welled up with tears and I was reminded how special our children are. I am so grateful to be a part of this little family Heavenly Father has blessed me with!

The Beach

2009-08-21T15:19:00.003-06:00

Yesterday was the perfect day to go to the beach! We went with the Smith kiddos and had a blast! Pictured in the collage-- top, L to R: Gail shading Teegan, Jadan wading in the water, Cooper warming up and enjoying a gourmet PB&J, the winning sandcastle (love the feather!); bottom L to R: Elise judging the sandcastle contest, Easton sun bathing, Shae playing in the sand

On a sidenote, I just have to say that I have had more PB&J sandwiches this summer than in my previous 20+ years combined!! Not a bad thing...great picnic food!!

Here are Cooper and Ella...They were collecting sea

shells and feathers, but I HAD to interupt for a quick photo-op...they are stinkin adorable!!

Little Ella-Bella...one of my FAV subjects, she is SO photogenic and way cute!!!

In other news...

Jadan and I had a one-on-one date and went school clothes shopping! The best part of the "date" was when we took a break and went to the Arcade. Jadan did the gumball rollercoaster and we played a game of PacMan. I am relieved to announce that I won the match...I'm sure one day very soon I won't be able to brag about beating my boys at video games!!

Also, Teegan has discovered "man's" best friend...

These pacifier holders are THE cutest...even though we will probably try to break Teegan from his binky in the new couple of months, I HAD to get him one of these! If interested, check out www.wubbanub.com --there are lots of different animals to choose from!!

World's Biggest Rockies Fan

2009-08-21T15:10:00.002-06:00

We are super excited to go to a Rockies Game tonight! Shae was expressing her love of Brad Hawpe, so I had to get it on video...This girl is without a doubt the Rockies' BIGGEST 2-year old FAN!!

Allen Family FUN!

2009-08-17T00:03:00.002-06:00

Friday, we spent a little time at the Denver Zoo, since I had a wedding rehearsal at nearby City Park. The kids love the zoo, but weren't incredibly thrilled with the "spikey-haired bird" pictured...it was close up, pecking the glass divider and flapping its huge wings, making us all jump (especially ME!! AAaaahhhh!!!) Beautiful bird, as long as it is caged!! Also, LOVE the monkey picture of Cooper...so SILLY!! What a great time...

Another silly picture...don't worry, we were parked with the van OFF, picking Danny up from work. Teegan was trying to drive the van with his hands AND feet! Try that again in about 16 years!!!

Shae with a Hitler-style moustache, brownie batter style!

The kids invented a new game they call "punch." Hhhmmm....wonder why? Wouldn't have anything to do with the massive green Incredilbe Hulk fists and, all of the, um...punching? They ALL have a blast; even Shae holds her own, giggling all the while!!

We started Teegan on rice cereal recently. He seemed interested in the concept of eating food, but I don't think he is convinced by the rice cereal. Gotta love the cute, messy face, though!!

One-on-One Dates

2009-08-16T23:49:00.003-06:00

We have discussed doing one-on-one dates with the kids for a long time, and finally the tradition has begun...At the beginning of the month, we picked out days for each of the kids to have two one-on-one dates, one with Mom and one with Dad. So far...

Thursday, I took Shae to get her hair cut...I wanted to do something "girly" since lately she has been saying "...when I'm a boy, I get to..." Ummm...ya, better start emphasizing how FUN it is to be a girl, cause she won't necessarily pick that up from her brothers while "playing punch," a new game the kids started playing with the giant green Incredible Hulk fists Uncle Bryan and Aunt Tessa got the boys last Christmas! After getting fancied up at the salon, we went to TacoBell (what girl night would be complete without TacoBell?!) for sodas, snacks, and lots of silliness and chatting. Among topics discussed was, of course The Sandlot (Shae's favorite movie)!!! We had a blast and it was so fun to have some girl time!!

Saturday morning, Danny took Cooper to the DollarStore to get markers and a new coloring book, then to IHOP for breakfast and coloring. Cooper was in seventh heaven! Cooper had smiley face pancakes and Daddy had hawaiian pancakes. Both boys did a fantastic job coloring!

My Sweet Husband

2009-08-13T15:24:00.003-06:00

So, I was having one of those days...

Actually, I haven't been feeling too spectacular this whole week...pretty down on myself, I guess. Overwhelmed may be? Just feeling like I can't get ahead, and struggling balancing everything. Being a stay-at-home mom is the hardest job EVER. Dishes and laundry are never-ending (which seems quite obvious, but I feel like I am not even finished doing them and they are all piled up again...), toilets, floors, tables, counters...pretty much any given space of the house, even if clean at that moment, will NOT stay that way for any period of time. Not to mention the MOM part of the job description...nursing Teegan, changing Teegan, picking up messes, making breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, breaking up fights and disciplining, teaching,etc, etc....and then the fun stuff I feel guilty for not doing enough of...like projects with the kids, coloring with them, singing with them, going to the park, taking walks, etc, etc......

and how can I neglect to mention losing my temper...aaahhhh, so much to learn...

Danny was home from work for about an hour before he had to go to a meeting, just enough time to eat dinner and get the kids all riled up! Seriously, would NOT change the latter; the kids need and love that...what an awesome Daddy he is!! However, I still felt completely overwhelmed and exhausted from a challenging day...after he left, I just went through the motions of hanging clothes up and the kids' bedtime routine. Then, I felt like a zombie, robotically doing the dishes (again!)...

At last, Danny came home and, to my surprise, with a gorgeous vase of flowers! Flowers had never felt better, just what I needed! But paling in comparison to the flowers themselves was Danny's gesture of love, concern, and appreciation. Tears and a long, sweet hug later, I felt the rejuvination I needed so badly!

I am so grateful for my amazing husband. In the day-to-day adventures of motherhood, I sometimes forget that I am a wife first...Danny, you mean so much to me and if I could spend every moment of every day attempting to show you my love, it still would not be ample time...thank goodness we have eternity! I've fallen in love with you yet again and am so grateful to have you holding my hand throughout this incredible journey!!

Marble Paper

2009-08-13T15:05:00.005-06:00

fun, easy (though slightly messy!) project we did yesterday. The kids really enjoyed this and the marble paper turned out very cool! Definitely a keeper!

Step 1: Cover a 12x12 area (or size of paper using) of baking sheet with shaving cream. (Cooper didn't realize it wasn't whipped cream and sampled some that got on his finger...eewww!) Spread shaving cream into about 1/2 inch thick, smooth square, using a squeegie.

Step 2: Squeeze drops of food coloring onto surface of shaving cream...and use a toothpick or craft stick (we used a skewer stick) to swirl the food colring around.

Step 3: Continue to swirl the drops of food coloring until desired effect is achieved...

Step 4: Put paper (cardstock) on top of shaving cream, pat and smooth down, then slowly peel the paper off...

Step 5: Use the squeegie to wipe off excess shaving cream from paper...

ta-DA!!

Our Weekend!

2009-08-09T19:37:00.005-06:00

YESTERDAY...

We went to Pirate's cove last night for a church activity. The park closes around 6PM, but they book private events afterhours, so we were there from about 6:30 to 8:30. The entire day was sunny and hot, but sure enough, clouds blew in and it cooled off quite a bit just in time for the activity. However, this did not stop everyone from having a great time! And the water was actually pretty warm (getting out into the cool breeze, though...not so much!)

Here is the big bucket above the lagoon area (shallow water with pirate ship, slides, fountains, etc...) that empties tons of water over the swimmers periodically. The kids always get excited for this!

I think the Lazy River was a favorite for the kids...

Cooper and Shae were shivering in their towels, but...

...not too cold for an icy treat!!!

Teegan and I had fun hangin out!!

sweet baby boy!

chubby cheeks....just gotta kiss 'em!!

Jadan could not get enough of the water!! He spent every minute we were there swimming, sliding, and just having a blast!

TODAY...

I had time to (and Shae let me) do her hair this morning for church. She looked absolutely adorable, so I had to get some quick photos! I can't believe our little girl is getting SO big!

I love love LOVE Jadan's freckles and big brown eyes!!!

Here's our little artist! Cooper transformed our driveway into one of his masterpieces!

Teegan has discovered his thumb! I think this is so cute, but honestly hope it will not develop into a habit...

I have to admit, though...finding his thumb was perfect for the circumstance (I forgot his binki at home when we went to Danny's softball game)...and got the job done...he soon fell fast asleep!!!

Woo-Hoo!!!!!

2009-08-04T23:32:00.002-06:00

I was SO nervous for our trip to the dentist today, because our last visit was quite expensive (poor Cooper had four cavities, including one that required a root canal!)...

So, you can imagine my excitement when, after an hour and a half of fun, we left with NO CAVITIES!!! Yeah! Seriuosly, the kids had FUN. This dentist and her staff are A.MAZING! The kids thought the silly dental assistant was just playing with them; meanwhile, they are getting their teeth cleaned! And Dr. Lisa let Shae sit on her lap and Cooper help her "paint" Jadan's teeth and suction the water from his mouth with "Mr. Thirsty." Even Teegan, though toothless, got his very own toothbrush! Dr. Lisa's slogan is "The Dentist You Wish You Had When You Were a Kid!" and that is so fitting!! The kids are excited to take care of their teeth and will be thrilled to go back and visit again!

Daddy Time!

2009-08-04T23:19:00.002-06:00

I am SO grateful for the amazing father that Danny is to our kids. I was able to catch him in action and capture a couple of sweet candid moments recently...

Danny started a tradition with the boys...every Sunday Jadan and Cooper are so excited because they get to shine their church shoes with Daddy!!!

And Shae refuses to be left out, even for the "boy" stuff...

Just one of the boys, sporting her underoos...and shirtless to complete the look!

Another candid moment... sometimes it is difficult to read books with these three, because they all want to see the pages and ask lots of questions all at once, and, of course want Daddy's attention throughout!! BUT, they love it and it is great to see them get excited about books and learning.

Danny is wonderful and patient and probably has no idea the impact he has on our kids in these small and simple ways he shows them his love.

Thank you, Daddy!!

Summer things we love to do...

2009-08-04T22:49:00.002-06:00

#1 PLAYING at the PARK

Here they are...my monkeys just hangin' around...well, and even eating bananas, too (or...is that a sword, Coop?)!!

#2...getting wet!!

One of our all-time favorite parks, Westlands, has fountains in addition to the enormous playground. We have spent hours there...LOVE it!!

#3...Splashin' in the POOL!

I wish we could go to the pool every day! It is a blast for the kids, relaxing for me (soaking up that sun does wonders!) and wears everyone out for a quiet afternoon!

#4...Play with and LOVE our little brother!!

The kids adore Teegan, especially as he is beginning to interact with them more. Teegan was giggling all the way down the slide and each of the kids took turns holding him on the way down, loving every second!!

All four of my little munchkins!!

LOVE 'EM to pieces!!

random update...

2009-07-22T15:05:00.002-06:00

Since we only have one vehicle, Danny sometimes takes the bus to work if I need the van that day. When he does take the bus, the kids and I walk to the bus stop to pick him up. It is quite fun, especially seeing the kids run to Daddy as soon as he steps off the bus! Here is Shae posing with her shades on while we wait...too cute!!

This is from our most recent Ohio trip a couple of weeks ago...My friend, Sara, and her kids took us to the Art Museum to play in the Family Center. It was awesome (and free...bonus!!) The kids got to make a clay "sculpture" to paint, then they painted at the easels (I love Cooper's picture...He was so involved in his masterpiece that he was oblivious to me taking a picture. I actually quite admire his artwork...abstract and Piccaso-ish; he concentrates so hard and really studies and contemplates his work as he is doing it. I'm impressed...I need to start framing and displaying them at home!!)

The other day we went to this amazing Playground (which also had water fountains!) The kids loved every minute of the 4 hours we were there. Top, LtoR: Shae cheezing it up, Jadan and his friend Mikey climbing the "tree," All of the kids (Mikey, Jadan, Shae, Cooper, Kaitlyn) cooling off in the sahde of a giant rock sculpture. Bottom LtoR: Shae and Cooper going down "the willy, willy BIG slide!", Teegan napping in the stroller (precious!!), and Jadan taking a quick break to refuel at lunchtime!

HAD to post this so you all know what I go through each and every morning!! Shae gives "bedhead" a whole new meaning!!

After the engagement session I photographed yesterday, Jadan took these pictures of Danny and I... He had fun using my camera! It was my lighter camera body and one of the cheaper lenses and I showed him what buttons to push, etc... I was quite impressed, and we were cracking up because every time the shutter would go off, Jadan would jump a little and do a little giggle of excitement!

Here are my boys chillin the morning in our bed! LOVE this trio!

Sneak Peek...

2009-07-18T23:50:00.003-06:00

I've been pretty busy with wedding work, but I had to take a peek at Bryan and Tessa's pictures! I can't believe my little brother is married!!!

Here is one of the many amazing shots we were able to get...

I only skimmed through the 1,000! images, so I'm sure there are many more! I had a wonderful time photographing their wedding and I am so thrilled for them. It was a beautiful day filled with many touching memories! I found myself close to tears behind the camera on a few occasions! We love you two and are so happy for you! Congratulations!!

What we've been up to...

2009-07-18T22:53:00.002-06:00

Well, we have certainly had a great time traveling; first to Ohio for Tara and Marshal's wedding, then to Mesquite for Todd and Heather's wedding, and finally back to Ohio for Bryan and Tessa's wedding. Actually, I should correct that last statement...we did NOT have a "great time traveling," but we did love all of the time spent with family and friends, and are so grateful for more memories to cherish! However, it is very good to be settled back at home. We are enjoying our summer playing outside a ton and soaking up the sunshine; going to the pool, playgrounds and spraygrounds, parks, and even just in our own backyard! I haven't been taking my camera out as much as I should, but here are a few recent highlights recorded on camera...

At Bryan's wedding, we learned that Shae is qutie the dancer! She was cracking us up with her sweet moves. The faces she makes are absolutely hilarious; these still pictuers do not do her dancing justice (she really gets into it!!). You have to see it in person to appreciate it!

THE boys.

Here are the stages of Teegan rolling over...

Bottom right: stretching over....

Top right: Eeeerrrr, almost...

Left: Got it!

Our trip to the Historical Museum. Even though Cooper's expression (in the hat) looks like "c'mon Mom, just take the picture so I can take this hat off," he actually surprised me when he came around the corner with it on...It was too funny; he is such a unique, fun boy, always up to his own thing. Next to that, Jadan is looking through an old version of the modern "view finder." It was pretty neat!
More memorable Teegan faces...I have been trying to capture a shot of him chewing on his foot, as that is lately my favorite...
The kids were SO excited to show Daddy their "Roley-Poley" bug collection. They went on a hunt on the sidewalk after it was too dark to play out in the yard. They found quite a few...Jadan put the bucket around the corner, where it was darker away from the porch light, so the Roley-Poleys could "get a good night sleep." The Roley-Poleys slept good, indeed, as the kids sadly discovered them dead the next day. Guess the bucket hotel proved too difficult to climb out of.

more miscellaneous, but cute pictures...

love, love, LOVE this sweet boy! and his adorable, big blue eyes!!!

Coloring Cooper! That's his all-time favorite thing to do right now. He actually spends more time coloring than with a sword, if you can believe that!! And he is exceptionally good, too! His teachers in Sunbeams and, actually, everyone that has seen him color, are so impressed with his love of coloring and how good he does! Here, he is coloring a paper towel. It turned out very cool...Stripes are his favorite thing to color; he gets mad if he colors one stripe bigger than another or it's not "just right." I love the stripes, but my favorite is when he free-hands a drawing as opposed to a coloring page. It really is very cool abstract artwork! Then, I ask him, "what's this, Cooper?" He just says "I dunno." It's like he just visualizes something and puts it on the paper. Future Picasso, I think!!!

Fun in Ohio

2009-07-18T22:31:00.002-06:00

This picture is a little late posting (from Tara's wedding) but I just got it from my dad's camera and HAD to post it! I love it! In case you are curious, I photographed Tara and Marshal's wedding, and therefore was unable to get the kids ready for the wedding...and therefore, Danny is responsible for Shae's crazy hair. I have to admit, though, I am impressed he at least put a headband in, and truthfully, I would be scared to see what a ponytail or other "hairstyle" might've turned out!!

More recently, as in our JULY trip to Ohio, Grandpa and Cooper...these two are definitely BUDS! Cooper always climbs up onto my Dad's lap so naturally, he doesn't even notice his wheelchair; he just sees his GRANDPA (well, and gum and mints...) I LOVE that!

We got a surprise when my Grandma was at my Dad's when we got there. My aunt brought her over for a visit from the nursing home. Shae immediately climbed up on her lap, where she is quite content. Seeing Shae interact with her Great-Grandma reminds me that we are all connected in a very special way...

The kids had a fabulous time with three of their Aunts, Danielle, Samantha, and Allie. I don't think there has been a day when I've seen my kids LESS. Jadan, Cooper, and Shae have so much fun with these three girls! The girls took them on walks, swimming, played games, colored, and just had fun!!

Thanks for all of the memories! We love you all and miss you!!

More Fun in Ohio

2009-07-18T22:21:00.005-06:00

We were in Ohio for my brother's wedding and had a great time, though it went so fast as always. Here is my Mom and her friend Bob (or Bawbie as Shae affectionately refers). These two are just so fun to be around! I can't remember my mom ever being this happy. She and Bobby are like best friends and just make each other so happy and have a great time no matter what they are doing. It's such a fun atmosphere to be around them! Of course, we miss them already!!

Bob took the kids for a "motorcycle ride." Don't gasp or shake your head in disapproval, they only went around the little cul-de-sac, and at an incredibly slow pace. The kids thought it was the coolest thing ever though.

Thanks for all of the memories! We love you and miss you!!

Week in Review...

2009-06-28T22:22:00.003-06:00

Beautiful Baby Boy! Teegan is growing so fast!

Danny took the kids to the pool yesterday so I could catch up on some work...this is the result after an afternoon of swimming and fun in the sun...I think they had a blast!!

Happy Birthday, Love!!

Danny's 31st birthday was Wednesday, but we joked around that we celebrated the whole week. A special sign from the kids and birthday cake on Wednesday, presents from the kiddos on Thursday, then Birthday Dinner on Saturday...Gary and Mauri got us hooked on sushi and Danny has been craving it, so we went to a terrific sushi restaurant. It was D.Licious!! We were way impressed with the kids, too, because they at least tried everything and quite enjoyed most of it! Cooper downed 4 pieces of the California Roll! We all left extremely satisfied and stuffed! Danny and I decided we definitely will frequenting this place!

Our Little Rockies Fan!! When the bigger kids were painting Danny's Birthday sign, I went in to check on Teegan, who had been fast asleep in the swing, and I found him intently watching the Rockies Game!! Go Rockies!!!!

Another fun day in the sun...the kids cooled off in the sprinkler. We love having a great back yard!!

Family Reunion FUN!

2009-06-27T17:53:00.004-06:00

It has been a week since our First Annual! ALLEN FAMILY REUNION!!

I'm hoping everyone would agree, we had a blast! We started the week off by attending the temple...what an amazing experience! A friend from church watched ALL of the kids, including two of the newborns! Eileen survived beautifully (she is A.MAZING, such a sweetheart!!) and the kids had a ton of fun! The next day, we went to Water World. We played until the park closed and then came home to enjoy a D-Licious dutch oven dinner by Chef Pops! Friday, after taking some family pictures in our living room with my studio set up, we picnicked and hiked at Lair O' the Bear, a favorite open space park of our family's. That night, all the boys (minus Kyler, Quade, Teegan and Graysen) PLUS Meagan and Heather went to a Rockies game. They all had a fun time, while the rest of us had a mini, almost-all-girls' night IN, Olive Garden stlye. Saturday, we had planned to go to the Zoo, but opted instead to just hang out at home...after all, we had not yet had ample time to play cards and games!! Included was a game of 7-11 for the kids (we all witnessed Cooper's competetive nature firsthand...notice the sour-fit-face in the slideshow) as well as some BackAlley and Meet-it-Beat-it-Eat-it...and how could we forget Cities and Knights (ugh!) and Snorta!! Needless to say, the week went WAY too fast and we didn't get to do half of the things we planned! But whatever we were doing, we were all laughing and having a good time enjoying our family!!!

Altogether, we had a fabulous time catching up, reminiscing, and making many great memories.

I put together a few collages, as well as a slideshow of some highlights...

Below, the NewlyWeds, GoldyWeds, and, um...Jimmy's guns?

Gary and Mauri's sweet family! Everyone loved snuggling little Graysen and we all adored Kyri's adorable personality, complete with cheezer smile!

Our little family...well, our kids anyway. I prefer to be BEHIND the camera! Danny gave Teegan his baby blessing on Saturday. He was blessed in our home, which was a wonderful experience (all our other kids have been blessed at church). It was a sweet blessing to say the least. We feel SO incredibly blessed and honored to have Teegan in our family. He is an incredible baby and special spirit!

Dustin and Cassidy's precious family! We were so excited to finally meet little Rylee! Everyone could not get over how simply adorable she is! What a doll!

And here we have Chris and Tammy's Crew!

Chris is such a good sport for us to do this...

We all joked around about photoshopping Chris in some hair, so I thought I would give it a try...We were all close to tears from laughing so hard at the result!!

Everyone loved playing with the Precott Boys, especially all the Allen Kids! Jadan and Cooper in particular were SO SAD when their cousins had to go home. They are SO much fun and we all will miss them!

What a great week! Personally, I am thrilled to make this a tradition!

2009-06-27T17:52:00.001-06:00

Strange, beautiful weather

2009-06-12T07:34:00.003-06:00

We have been having crazy weather lately...It has been raining way more than usual (which we need), with thunderstorms in the afternoon followed by sunshine that makes you forget it even rained! Then, the other day, the rain and sunshine decided to mingle...and we witnessed a breath-taking rainbow!!

Jadan insisted that we get a picture, because rainbows are "Cooper's favorite" these days, as that is all he draws and colors!

FOXY!

2009-06-12T07:31:00.003-06:00

Two things are apparent by these pictures: 1)Cooper was right about there being more than two foxes, and 2)the foxes don't like our backyard for the shelter of the tall grass, but for our toys!!

2009-06-08T23:14:00.003-06:00

Teegan has been interacting quite a bit...he loves this toy, hitting the lobster and listening to the music and watching the lights. He actually looks annoyed in this picture...C'mon mom, another picture??

A couple of Saturdays ago, I had a family photo session. It was a gorgeous day, so Danny and the kids came along and played at the park. It was a fun time!!

"Love you, Mom!" Notice the incredibly dirty hand!!

Then, this most recent Saturday, I photographed a wedding in Golden. It was at the Golden Hotel, right next to Clear Creek. Not only was it a fabulous setting for the wedding, but also way fun for the kids. Since I only had to photograph for 4 hours and it was another beautiful day, Danny and the kids came and played. There is a trail by the creek the kids enjoyed, as well as a little "White Water Park" with the slide below, and then a place to wade in the water. Being in Golden reminded us of why we loved it so much there. We definitely have a special place in our hearts for Golden, as Danny took me there on our second date, proposed there, and we lived there while Danny finished college. It was also where we brought our first baby home! Aahh, memories...Golden really is a neat town!

Why did they get to have all of the fun while I worked?!

Here are some more cute pictures of the kiddos...

I don't know why, the baby walker is so entertaining to ALL of the kids.

Jadan loves to pose with his little brother!!

SILLY face!!

These two were buddies today...Cooper was much too busy coloring!!

"I just keep getting cuter!!"

2009-05-27T14:00:00.004-06:00

I was in Teegan's room this morning when Cooper came into the room and announced that there was a fox in our back yard! I had had a brief glimpse of a fox when we were eating dinner the other night, so it was believable, although I thought Cooper was just referring to that other night. However, upon going downstairs, THIS is what was in our back yard!! (Please ignore the overgrown grass and weeds- we are waiting on a lawnmower we ordered to get here!) There was a "baby and mommy fox!" Cooper had to call Danny at work to tell him all about it, and he told Danny that he saw the "Daddy fox" too, but he jumped over the fence...who knows?!

In other news...

Teegan is losing his dark hair (the dark AND the hair!). It is thinning out and lightening up, with the bulk of his hair being on the top, back, center...so he has this long "Alfalfa" look. So, I decided to give him a little trim. I was happy with the AFTER but I'm not sure what he was thinking. He seems pretty happy in the BEFORE picture...but not so sure in the AFTER!!! Either way, what a handsome dude!

Lastly, I have been wanting to post a couple of the boys' projects...

This first one is a story Jadan wrote on the drive to Ohio. He kept asking us how to spell things, but after a while, I encouraged him to try and sound out the words himself. He did a great job!

TRANSLATION:

"Butterfly's Friends"

Butterfly was feeling kind of sad but a friend came over. It was Ant. Ant told Butterfly to take some deep breaths. So she took some deep breaths.

After she took some deep breaths she felt good. Butterfly flew out of her hole. The End.

And here is a letter jadan wrote to his cousin Taylor just yesterday (we'll have to send this one!)

TRANSLATION:

Dear Taylor, I love you. Did you remember you were the flowergirl? I hope that was fun. We have a window well. Love Jadan

That cracks me up! "ded yow remenbr yow wr du flower girl" And the window well? I had no idea where that came from, so I asked and he meant the wooden well my brother built for us that we just put out in our front yard with the flowers. HA!!

And finally, here is some true artwork! I love these little guys and their sweet, young perspective on everything!!

Not bad, huh?!!

Memorial Weekend

2009-05-26T11:37:00.002-06:00

The many faces of our sweet Teegan! He is getting SO BIG...starting to show his personality a little, smiling and lauging and cooing! A.DORABLE!!

Jadan and Cooper went with Danny to get a redbox movie, while Shae, Teegan and I stayed home to make some brownies. Shae sat on the counter with Teegan (in his car seat) and I was able to get a few really good photos. Funny, it seems like when I take the time to do "formal" portraits with my kids (dressing them up, etc as well as setting up my background, etc), they are quite uninterested to say the least, but when they are in their PJs with messy faces, I can get the best "portraits" of them. Little Stinkers!!

A few Shae moments...

Another impromptu photo shoot...everyone, of course in uncoordinated play clothes, but actually willing to sit and let me pose them a little (I even snuck a solid colored blanket on the back of the couch for a backdrop), but they were all smiles! Why can't it be this easy for a formal portrait?!

And last...one of our Memorial Weekend projects! I am embarrassed to admit how lame I am as a housekeeper, but this was my first experience at planting flowers! With a little help from DeAnne, I have found my green thumb! I love the way plants brighten up the house...AND, it was tons of fun...even the kids "helped!" Jadan actually put a few flowers in the planter box, scooped soil, and picked out which flowers to add. Cooper and Shae were definitely more entertained with the hose and watering can. The highlight of flower planting for these two was when they found a "HUGE HUGE HUGE WUM" (-Cooper-translation: huge, huge, huge worm!!) All boy, Cooper didn't hesitate scooping the worm up and showing it off. Shae actually protested when Cooper wouldn't give her a turn to "hold him!!" But the part that had Danny and I cracking up the most had to be when Shae leaned in towards Cooper (and Mr. Wum) and said, ever so seriously and sweetly, "I won gib him kiss!" meaning the WORM!! I was surprised at how quickly Danny reacted, jumping towards her, cutting her off, "NO, NO, Shae. We don't kiss worms!"

Sneak Peek!!

2009-05-21T21:37:00.003-06:00

Congratulations, Marshal & Tara!!

I only barely copied the wedding picutres to my computer, but I had to post a few (even though I haven't done any editing yet) because I'm sure everyone is anxious to see them! The wedding was beautiful and we all had a fabulous time, visiting with extended family and celebrating this wonderful occasion! We are so thrilled for Marshal & Tara and Taylor...

At the church, flowergirl Taylor with ringbearer Jadan; Mom and Bobby; Jadan and beautiful bride Tara!!

Prior to the wedding, as we prepared Jadan for his role as the ringbearer, we talked about how he would get to dress up. He cracked us up when he told us he was excited to get to wear a bear costume!

Dad and Ellen; Bryan and Jadan at the reception (these two were total buds the whole day!)

Danny took this great shot of me and Teegan; Mom took our family picture!!

Danny, Tessa, and Bryan as "The Village People!" and Danielle and Shae danccing!

Mom and Jadan dancing; Tessa and Bryan (cute!) and Shae and Grandma Ellen

Jadan and my Grandma Beckley; Samantha and Allie

Preschool Graduation!

2009-05-21T21:20:00.004-06:00

Today Jadan reached a fun milestone...Preschool Graduation! It always seemed silly to me to have a "preschool graduation" (and it probably is) but it was really cute, Jadan was so proud of himself, and I think it gets the kids excited about school.

The kids sang some songs they learned through the year, as well as a song about going on to kindergaten. Then, their teacher, Mrs. McNamara, narrated each child's response to the question, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" while they stood in front of everyone holding the picture they had drawn illustrating their answer. Jadan had said he wanted "to be a doctor. [He] will look in people's mouths and ears and help them feel better." A few kids had thoughtful answers like this, but other responses were hilarious, too!! There were kids who wanted to be superheroes, dino-diggers, and police officers (to get lots of money!). One girl even wanted to be a unicorn when she grows up! It was way cute!!

Here is Jadan receiving his "diploma!"

I'm so proud of my handsome little man!

Here Jadan is with a couple of his best friends, Lynlee and Michael. He plays with these two a lot, but told me that eveyone is his friend!

Traveling

2009-05-18T12:38:00.003-06:00

Well...we are back from another adventure! We spent a week in Ohio for Tara and Marshal's wedding. We had a great time seeing lots of family and the wedding itself was fabulous! I will definitely be posting some pictures from that later! But here are a few miscellaneous pics (sorry some are blurry as they were taken with my phone!!)

Cooper hit it off bigtime with my Dad! He climbed right up on Grandpa's lap whenever he wanted and wasn't shy about asking Grandpa to share his mints and candy!! I could sense a special bond there between these two...certainly buddies!!

Naps are hard to come by these days, but Shae crashed on the couch! Soon after, both of the dogs snuggled up to her!

Here are the kids enjoying a "swim" in Grandpa's big bathtub ("pool")! My dad's bathroom is decked out rather obsessively with Ohio State decor (it's actually pretty sweet really)...that sure is an excellent painting of Brutus the Buckeye, too...wonder who did that?!

Teegan hangin out in his car seat while we were all decorating the reception hall Friday before the wedding. What a cutie...I absolutely adore his sweet smile!

Had to snap a couple pictures of Teegan the day of the wedding. What an adorable little man!

And...THIS is what 20+ hours in the car will do to your sanity...Creative Crayon Crocs, Coop!! Imaginations are a necessity, especially driving through states like Nebraska...it always feels like neverending nothingness!

And here we are...home at last! We got in at 2 AM; I took these quick shots quite a bit later this morning- The past few months have flown by with all of our traveling so it seems like Teegan is so big all of a sudden! All of the kids are growing up so fast!!

We had a blast visiting family and especially to celebrate Tara and Marshal! I am so happy for these two (and Taylor as well)...it seems like onloy a short time ago when Tara, absolutely disgusted with the male species, swore she would NEVER get married! I knew someday she would get swept off her feet, as she so deserved, when she least expected it...and Marshal has done just that! They are so happy in love and adore eachother...Truly, I have never seen my sister happier and I am so grateful that Marshal came into her life! Can't wait to get going on their pictures...

Congratulations, Todd & Heather!!

2009-05-04T17:57:00.003-06:00

April 25, Todd and Heather were sealed in the St. George Temple!! YAY! We went to Mesquite a week prior for a few reasons, one of which was so I could get some of their bridal pictures done and ready for their reception. Man, these two kids are simply A.DORABLE! I'm not positive being photographed was fun for them, but I had a blast! It's the BEST when you get to photograph not only two great-looking ;) people, but people so obviously in love! It makes my job way easy!! All I have to do is capture! Here are a couple of my (many!) favorites...

Okay...that was more than a few, I guess!! Here are a few more family pics...

The Allen Originals with the newest Allen, Heather!

Cousins having fun at the reception!!

Jessica, Kalen, Jadan, Jace, Cameron, Kyler, and Cooper

Chris and Tammy

Silly Cooper!

We had a great time and of course, the week flew by. Thanks, Mops and Pops for having us and, as always, taking such good care of us and spoiling the grandkids!! We are so excited that Todd and Heather are married! They truly are a sweet couple and we all just adore Heather (probably Todd the most, though!!)! We miss everyone already!!

Spicy Riddles

2009-04-10T23:50:00.000-06:00

Last week, we went to see some fireworks that are held each year at the college Danny went to (School of Mines). It is an engineering school, and every year they have "E-days," where they celebrate homecoming weekend with various engineering activities. I personally have no idea what exactly this entails, other than the fireworks. The first year we went to the fireworks was the year Danny graduated...I remembered it being the BEST fireworks, hands down. So this year was the first year we have been able to go back, and now I remember why...it is like a "finale" the entire time, they actually set off dynamite, and everything echoes through the mountains, which is amazing. This year they even had these interesting fireworks that were more like gigantic green flames that ignited from the ground and rose majestically about 20 feet into the air (these reminded us of something from the Wizard of Oz), but they were incredible, because at the end, they set off maybe 10 or 15 of these simultaneously, and even though we were probably 500 yards away up on a hill, we could actually feel the heat from them. It was pretty intense! We highly recommend going to see these fireworks and invite everyone to come in future years, as we are absolutely making this a tradition! You will NOT be disappointed!!

Anyways, so on the way home from the fireworks, we had to stop and get gas. Of course, Cooper had to go potty, so I took him in and we ended up getting a couple of treats. Cooper picked out Sour Skittles for himself and a treat for each of the other kids. They were all sharing happily in the car on the way home when Jadan, after trying one of Cooper's Skittles, asked what they were called. Cooper asked, "Mom, what are these things called again?" I reminded him for probably the third or fourth time, and he repeated back to Jadan, "oh, these are my Spicy Riddles!" Danny and I looked at eachother and were just cracking up. Funnier yet, he never caught on and continued to refer to the Sour Skittles as his Spicy Riddles. After that, we couldn't help but join in and they won't ever be Sour Skittles to us again. Spicy Riddles!!

Blizzard!

2009-03-27T12:37:00.002-06:00

Colorado weather really is CRAZY this time of year! Who would have guessed that March is the snowiest month? We have had some amazing weather recently that has given me spring fever...temperatures in the 70s! But then, the very next week, we wake up to this...

The kids were stoked to play out in the snow again! I must admit, though, it takes about 3 times longer to bundle them all up, than the length of time they actually spend outside. Oh, well...they had fun. Well, at least the boys did. Poor Shae could hardly move (think Chrismas Story..."I can't move my arms!!") in the deep snow and headed right back inside.