WaKaHaLuLi

4th of July...

2011-07-09T21:11:00.003-06:00

We celebrated our Independence Day with a lovely BBQ with our friends the Burnetts and Pattons. The food was so yummy especially the beans and homemade rocky road ice cream. We ended the evening by lighting fireworks and watching a few from the city. We used to see them so well from our front lawn... I think they must have moved them because we only saw a few. No worries, the neighbors put on a show that was SUPERB!! (we had front row seats! Thanks Utah for making all the really good fireworks legal! And thank you neighbors for spending a gazillion dollars on them!!)

One day I will post the awesome photos we took with the long shutter speed to catch some of the awesome sparkler action going on. In the meantime enjoy these gems....

Hannah and I trying to fit our fat faces into the frame!!!

AAAAAAGGGGHHHHH FIREWORKS!!!

I took this with Instagram and the wonderful filters that make picture taking so much FUN....

I heart tilt-shift!

These silly girls were cold from playing in the water. They decided to watch the show from the back of our van!!

We had so much fun. We also have so much to be grateful for because of our Independence!! Home of the Brave and Land of the Free!!

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!!

Lizzie and her Imagination

2011-07-03T16:53:00.003-06:00

Lizzie has an awesome imagination. She is always coming up with fun and sometimes strange games for herself to play. I love that she finds little things to call her treasures. One of the treasures she found was Wade's old bluetooth cell phone thing. I don't know what to call it, all I know is that Lizzie is in Sci-Fi HEAVEN!

These are the other treasures that she found at the bottom of my mail basket and is oh so proud to be the owner of :

I can remember finding treasures when I was a kid. Not bugs. I was not a fan of bugs. Still not a fan of them. I loved finding things to put in my purse. I thought having a purse full of stuff was the most awesome thing on earth!

What kind of treasures did you like to find as a child?

“Our whole life is but a greater and longer childhood”

-Benjamin Franklin

A Blustery Day... Is it WINDSDAY?

2011-06-29T18:07:00.004-06:00

One of the down sides of living here is the wind. We had a dooozy blow through here today. Someone else took these pictures, all of this happened just a block away from where we live. We were fortunate that we had nothing more than a trash can that got knocked over and that we didn't lose power.

It was a very blustery day, Happy WINDSDAY!

It's been a long long time.....

2011-06-28T18:25:00.003-06:00

It has been a while since I last posted. I miss blogging. It is interesting how my life has changed over the last 18 months. That is the reason I have a new approach to blogging. I won't go into all the nitty gritty details, let us just say my life is a never ending list and some things just keep ending up on the bottom. New outlook, new approach. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

I was reading another blog recently about how this (unnamed) person really enjoys nourishing her family. My first thought was that she was crazy. After almost 17 years of figuring out what's for dinner, making shopping lists, shopping, organizing and making dinner, let's say I am less than enthusiastic. Then I started think about it. Nourishment is the substances necessary for growth, health, and good condition. Then I began to feel gratitude for the fact that I can nourish my family. Tonight we were able to try this new enchilada recipe:

(thankfully the consensus was that my original enchiladas are better... thank you family!)

Which then created this:

How could I not be glad to nourish this adorable face?

On another note, I am grateful for free lunch so that I can see these two cuties!!! Another great opportunity for nourishment and friendship all rolled into one!!!

The question is: How do feel about nourishing your family? Is it an ordeal or is it a joy?

Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference. ~Winston Churchill

Hannah

2010-10-14T07:46:00.005-06:00

Dear Hannah,

I can't believe you will be 15 next week. Where did the time go? It is hard for me to find the words to tell you how much I love you. You have grown into such a lovely, fantastic, incredible, spiritual girl. You amaze me every day. I worry about you and then you do something that just blows me away. Then I stop worrying about you for a day or two.

I love watching you as you discover your talents and interests. I love watching how your mind works and how things start falling into place for you. I love listening to you talk about the things you are learning and what it means to you. I know that you have the ability to do great things in this life.

I love you for your excellent example. I love watching you strive to do what is right in spite of what your friends and others are doing around you. I think that you are an amazing daughter of God and I want you to remember that he loves you, always.

Hannah, you have a fantastic sense of humor. Your laugh is contagious. I love how you can bring us all together and make us all laugh. I love how you can make Luke laugh so hard he can't breathe. I love the imaginative things you come up with!!

I love how you are so good with kids. I love how they just love you so much. I think they know what a good, kind girl you are and they are drawn to that. I love how creative you are and how you are not afraid to try many different kinds of outlets to express that side of you.

I know you will think this is totally embarrassing...

I just want to make sure that you know how great I think you are and how much I love you. What would I do without you? You are a part of why my life is so great. I love plotting and planning adventures with you! You are so brave and I admire that quality in you! Even though you like to act tough, I know the tender side of you. Just so you know, it is ok to let it show sometimes.

Hannah, I feel blessed to have you as my daughter. I am thankful for you and I love you so much! Thank you for being such a fantastic daughter.

-Mom

4th of July...

2010-07-21T10:27:00.004-06:00

Here are some pictures we took when we went to Bridal Veil Falls over the weekend for the 4th. It was pretty fun!

Hannah and Lizzie at the falls.

This is as far as Luke was comfortable going, he got pretty far!

We have another picture like this from years ago.

Goofy pictures on the rock. I wish they weren't blurry because they are some of my favorites!

Happy Mother's Day!!

2010-05-09T09:38:00.003-06:00

To the wonderful women who have shaped our lives! We Love you dearly!

My Essay.....

2010-05-08T23:48:00.002-06:00

This is the essay I wrote for my first assignment in my Communication and Media Class. I am really pleased with how it all came together so I thought I would share with you the brilliant mind you get to associate with! Just kidding about the brilliant mind. I really just think I wrote a fantastic essay.... it's ok if you don't like it.

For many years my husband worked in advertising. He was a graphic artist and designed many ads for companies trying to make a particular product look so appealing people couldn’t resist buying it. I came across an article entitled, Shadows in the Cave by Kirk Souder. In this article he uses Plato’s allegory of the cave in relation to branding in the advertising world. I find the connections he made interesting on different levels.

The first point he makes is the only reality the man chained to the wall knows is the shadows. The man doesn’t know they are shadows, he believes them to be real. But when this man turns around, he finds out that the shadows aren’t real, the objects casting the shadows are real. Mr. Souder then makes the connection to the objects that surround us in our lives and those objects are shadows and the ideas behind creating these objects are where the truth is. The actual object is an “imperfect manifestation of that truth. Objects are transient but the idea of an objet is not. The idea is eternal.”(Souder, 2000, 15). This idea spoke to me on a very basic level. Although I can apply it to many areas in my life one came to mind almost instantly. My husband and I have spent years working on our yard. We started with an idea and are trying to make that idea a reality. Somehow, though the end result is satisfying, it always falls short of the original idea.

Secondly, Mr. Souder discusses branding is a special kind of idea it is an ideal. “A brand is an ideal that manifests itself as an object.” (Souder, 2000, 15). He goes on to talk about different brands that have been around for a number years. Even though the actual object may not stand the test of time the ideal of the brand will. This reminds me of a conversation my husband and I had when he received an alphabet poster where the alphabet was taken from particular brands of products. For instance the O was from Oreo and the M was from McDonald’s. We talked about how we could identify each letter easily and so could our children. We also discussed the idea that certain products become so popular in our culture that we call all products that are similar by that name. Like MP3 players are called ipods. If I started talking about Kleenex you would know I was talking about tissues or if I mentioned a Happy Meal you would know I was talking about a kids meal at a fast food chain. It is in these ways that the brand becomes the ideal in our minds. Think about the symbols we see that conveys the ideal of status or success. Really it could be anything from wearing specific designer clothes to driving an expensive car.

The last point that Mr. Souder makes is that a great brand makes us think that it holds ideals that we, as humans do. That this brand, whatever it may be, is not a shadow but has a soul, “A soul trying with every new manifestation to get closer to it’s ideal—the opening of the cave.” (Souder, 2000, 15). This is where I disagree with Mr. Souder. As wonderful and life changing as some products are, they are still objects. They have no soul and if they were no longer around we would find a way to move on. I think here in America we have placed to great an emphasis on material goods that we have lost sight of the bigger picture. Would we truly be happier more fulfilled people if we had all the best products at our fingertips? I don’t think personifying objects is creating better lives for any of us. I buy into advertising just as much as anyone else. That is the point isn’t it? We are made to think that a certain brand is going to help us reach an ideal that seems important, whether that means driving the coolest car, being the most beautiful, thinnest, smartest person a brand can make us.

My first impressions are much different than the conclusions I have come to when I first read Plato’s cave allegory, as well as this article. I believe it all comes down to what our reality is. Are we the man chained to the wall or are we the person carrying the objects making the shadows? What is the most important thing in our reality? Is our reality based on the superficial or does it go deeper than that? What ideal are we striving to reach? Will we let someone else determine what ideal we should be reaching for? In the end I believe there are and will be more questions than any of us have answers for. The point is we continually search for those answers, which will have the most meaning and bring us closer to the ideal we want to reach.

References

Souder, K. (2000). Shadows in the Cave. Adweek New England Edition, 37(43), 15. Retrieved from Business Source Complete database.

http://www.allbusiness.com/marketing-advertising/4188167-1.html

Hannah's Trip to California

2010-05-05T16:57:00.004-06:00

Hannah went to California with the RJHS Ochestra and Band. Here are the pictures she took. I have no explanation you will have to ask her.

Boys...

2010-04-27T06:58:00.002-06:00

Aren't the men in my family HANDSOME?!?!?! This was taken just before they went to the General Priesthood meeting. It was Luke's first.

The yard....

2010-04-26T21:03:00.004-06:00

Do you remember what my yard looked like before? Or maybe you remember what we started out with? So now I have finally finished 2 of the flower beds! It was a lot of work and even if it doesn't look like there are plants there are. We are just too cheap to buy big plants!

This picture shows the back of the house. There are 3 hostas planted there and we have started seeds for a TON of plants so these beds are going to be full! Not to mention when you live next to an empty lot of weeds having any kind of landscaping looks fabulous! (FYI)

We also found a way to fill our planter boxes cheaper than we thought. After the lady at Allred's told us not to get any topsoil from around here because it was TOXIC! So now we are trying to decide what to plant here.....

Oh yeah we also planted 3 concord grape vines along this fence! (Thank you Lowe's for having a terrific price on bare root plants!)

That is the 2nd lupine we have planted. The first one Wade murdered. Yes murdered!! This one I saved in the nick of time by transplanting it into a nice shady spot behind the house. Notice the bark and no weeds! I did all by myself. Thanks to the Frandsens and the free bark they gave me! Can you get addicted to barking your flower beds?

Compare the raspberry plant from last year to this one! Wade and I found a compromise. (I am just as surprised as you!) Now the raspberry plant won't attack upon entering the backyard! (I know I need to clean out this part. If Wade would stop reseeding the grass it would be a lot easier!)

This is the area by the garage. What you can't see are 3 hydrangea trees (I hope they survive in a zone 5 winter!) and 2 hosta plants. Again notice the bark and lack of weeds! This I did by myself as well!

If you will also notice Wade's grass. Isn't it so green? That is what happens when you have OCD and plant your own grass!

Luke's Spring Program

2010-04-25T19:01:00.004-06:00

ConAmore had it's Spring Program last week. It is so fun to go and watch. Luke was asked to lead the Pledge of Allegiance. He did such a great job! His class has been studying the Presidents of the United States this year. He has learned so much! He can give lots and lots of information even if he can't always remember which president it was. So his class shared what they have learned so far. His class also sang a song with the whole school. The kids at this school are so wonderful. Every time I go to one of their programs I just want to cry during the whole thing. They are fantastic!

Luke waiting to share about his president.

Luke singing with his class... the boy loves to sing. I love to hear him singing to himself at home.

Getting ready to lead the Pledge.

Luke sharing information about President Taylor. His teacher Ms. Shelly is helping him.

The Wait is Over.....

2010-02-08T06:51:00.003-07:00

Have you missed me? I think the problem is that I took a small break from being so busy this summer and then school started. Then the holidays came and birthdays and then I went back to college to get my Special Ed teaching degree. Now my life is a whole different kind of busy! Well don't worry I won't neglect you any more. Doesn't that make your Monday better?

Stop what you are doing right now....

2009-07-22T22:42:00.002-06:00

and go and get this book!!! Seriously, I don't care what you have to do to get it! It is one of the best books I have read....EVER! I have no words to convey how fantastic this book is. I was drawn in by the first page and am now totally smitten with it!! Stop reading this blog and go get the darn book!!! And then when you are done with it call me and we will discuss it!!!

Look What I Found Blog Hopping!!

2009-07-14T10:23:00.002-06:00

I think it is so awesome!! You can find it here.

Finished......

2009-07-14T10:14:00.005-06:00

Now that all the MAJOR events of summer are over for me all I WANT to do is stay in these....

Relax in one of these.....

And read a few of these....

So until I am rested and relaxed you will have to wait for the Camp update and the family reunion pictures!!!

Something to think about while I am at Girl's Camp!

2009-06-28T16:25:00.007-06:00

This is Wade's FAVORITE picture of me as a kid. He says it is the epitome of my personality on film. Do you think it is true?

Really he just thinks it looks like I am going to go punch someone in the face. Which I guess he thinks is funny. Just look at those big brown eyes! Is that the face of someone who is going to give someone else a knuckle sandwich? I don't think so.

A Visit with the Other Allens.

2009-06-22T21:27:00.007-06:00

Ok the visit was with ONE of the other Allen families. And it was a blast!! Thank you to Blaine and Tirsa for inviting us for a whirlwind weekend!! First we did a little shopping. Sorry I didn't take any pictures of it. Then we went swimming. Sorry I didn't take any pictures then either. But then we went up into the mountains to Tirsa's sister's cabin and did some repelling. Now that I did take pictures of!! The problem is I took like 86 pictures. So I have been trying to narrow them down to post them. Here are some of them. For the rest of the Allens that we didn't visit this weekend you will probably see all of them in 2 weeks at the reunion! Aren't you so excited?!?

This is looking down from the MEDIUM repelling rock! Wade was on his way down! Hello little tiny people!!

These are totally out of order and I am too tired to figure out how to get them back in order so you are going to have to suffer through some randomness.

Don't these girls look like they are having a blast?

On the way up to the cabin we saw ELK!! They were huge! And they were in the road! There were 10 that Tirsa and I counted and they didn't care that we were there! Then two started to butt heads but I didn't get a picture of that!

Totally cool right?

Ezra... I love this kid. He really really really doesn't like me. Go figure right?

Hannah dropped Luke's glasses into a crevice and Wade had to fetch them out. Isn't this picture hilarious?

Can you see him trying to get them? They came out relatively unharmed, just in case you were wondering.

This is a close as Luke would get to repelling. At one point he said he would do it. That is really good for him, normally he would scream and cry. He is getting braver!!!

This is Blaine repelling. Seriously, I barely could get a decent picture he went so fast. Guess I need a smaller and a faster camera!

This is Lizzie. This is as far as she got on the kiddie cliff. She was so brave!

Bella tried a little too! She got just a bit further than Lizzie. Won't be too long before she is as good as her dad!!!

Wade was having a great time.

Yes, this is my beautiful daughter Hannah hanging from a cliff...... and loving it! Thank you Blaine I think you have helped to create a new thrill seeking junkie. What's next jumping out of planes?

Drum Roll Please.......

2009-06-14T19:04:00.004-06:00

This is what the front of our house looks like. Wade has done such a good job on the yard! So far so good!

Look! Raspberries!!! Do you see them? I don't think we will actually get any since Lizzie is watching them like a hawk and I suspect they will end up in her belly before we even know they are ready!

This is Wade's favorite plant. It is called a Lupine. One plant two different colored flowers. Go figure. Not to mention he has planted it in the Bermuda Triangle of our yard. I hope it survives. He has killed one already.

This is what we are doing with all the rocks we have pulled from the yard.... lining out the flower beds! Doesn't it look quaint?

And the moment you have all been waiting for.... the grass we have been watching grow for the past months!

It is getting better and better everyday. There are still some issues that could be blamed on the dirt, cats, birds, bugs, weeds and every other plague that affects grass. But it is so much better than the weeds right?!?

Orchestra Camp....

2009-06-13T09:44:00.004-06:00

Hannah had Orchestra Camp this week. It is always really fun. This is the week they really get to have fun with the music they are playing. Not to mention the movie and the swimming party and the really cool t-shirt they get. This year they were able to play a song called The Dory Anne. It is composed by a man named Robert Frost. Not the poet. He has taught music here in Utah and has written a number of pieces for orchestras. He has also written a few method books. Lets just say this guy is really cool to Orchestra dorks like Hannah. So Robert Frost was able to come out and work with the kids and then conduct that same piece at the concert. Hannah worked really hard all week. It was a great experience. Thanks to Rachel Wheeler who keeps this program going and keeps the kids excited about playing. Next up, Youth Symphony!

Provo Falls

2009-06-06T08:24:00.005-06:00

On our way up to check out Bear River Lodge and Mirror Lake (where the Allen family reunion will be held in July) we encountered this:

Provo Falls. Isn't it gorgeous?

The kids had a great time playing mountain goat on all the rocks.

Trying to decide.....

2009-06-03T17:36:00.002-06:00

We bought some of these today. Do you see where it says Strawberried Peanut Butter? Wasn't sure these would taste good. You know what? I am still not sure what I think. They aren't that bad but they aren't the best. What do you think?

I am soooo in love with these....

2009-05-30T13:18:00.003-06:00

These are necklaces made out of scrabble tiles. I LOVE them! The best place to find them is on Etsy. Just thought all of you should know.

These are just a few examples:

Once upon a Time....

2009-05-27T07:13:00.002-06:00

Luke had little feet like this:

Now is feet are like this:

Seriously, I have issues with my children's feet growing. Probably because I have giant feet myself. Or maybe it is partly my weird obsession with buying socks. The fact is Luke has man sized feet now. I hate it. I hate when they move into the adult sizes. Usually it means more money for shoes. It also means it will be harder to find skill appropriate shoes for Luke. It also means he is one step closer to having my giant feet. He can now join Hannah and I in the huge feet club! Didn't these kids get ANY of Wade's genes?

Best $2.50 I Ever Spent!

2009-05-21T14:59:00.002-06:00

More Dinosaurs!

2009-05-21T14:30:00.003-06:00

Lots of blood and drama and running. Yep it was the second grade field trip to 3 different museums. The kids had a great time. I said "no touching" more times than any one person should in one day. One kid had a bloody nose and then 20 minutes later sliced his eyebrow open on a metal gate. Really lots and lots of fun. Did I mention the bus ride? Did I also mention this is the last time I will be asked to go on this field trip? Is the cup half full or half empty? You decide.

DinoStars!!!!

2009-05-18T08:55:00.006-06:00

Lizzie is in the Musical Mustangs at her school. It is a little choir type thing. She loves it. They just had their last performance of the year on Thursday. It was all about Dinosaurs. It was actually pretty cute. So here are some pictures and videos of that wonderful performance.

Lizzie was posing on the steps. They had one song that they were like little dino rappers. So this is Lizzie trying to be a homegirl.

Peace!

Can you see Lizzie? She is the short one on the second row.

Lizzie's friend Ali was sitting right next to her.

Here are the video's of Lizzie.

Even though the gym was sweltering and the people behind us were loud and obnoxious it was fun to watch Lizzie. She was really into all the little dance moves.

Special Olympics

2009-05-14T08:47:00.005-06:00

"Let me win, but if I cannot win let me be brave in the attempt." This is the motto for the Special Olympics. It has affected me in so many ways to be able to be a part of this fantastic program. So many of the athletes who compete are inspiring. In a way it is a great validation for these kids and adults who have to struggle so hard in day to day living. I highly recommend going to the competition in your area because you will be uplifted by the joy and the excitement of these beautiful children of God.

Ok enough of the mushy stuff ...

Luke and friends waiting for it to begin.

Opening ceremonies included an introduction of the participating schools. Can you see Luke?

This is Luke introducing his friend Ammon to his classmates.

Stretching for his first race.

Luke and his relay team getting their medals.

The running races are in the morning and then they have 3 Soccer skill events, a throwing event and a standing long jump event.

This is Luke showing off his wicked soccer skills.

Standing long jump.

On the way home.

It was a really good day. Luke got a bronze for his 50 m run. A 4th place ribbon for his 25 m run. And a gold medal for his 4x relay. We will find out about the afternoon events at a awards ceremony at school. Luke tried hard and really did a good job. Thank you to the Hoppers and Larsens who were able to come. It really made Luke's day that much better!

Before and After

2009-05-06T11:48:00.003-06:00

This is a kind of before picture of our backyard. Pretty bad. So much work has gone into this yard it is insane. I swear if I have to pick up one more rock I am going to do something really bad. I don't know what but be assured it will be bad and most likely violent!

This is the beginning of the after. We are FINALLY planting grass in the backyard TODAY!!!

This is a picture of the yard ready for grass seed. Didn't Wade do a great job? I know it looks like dirt but it is so much more!

Now Wade wanted me to add a SO THERE to all those who didn't believe he would do all this work on our house. I am number one on this list. Who knew he had it in him? As he likes to remind me often, our past homes were rentals. This house we own and that is the difference. I apologize Wade for doubting you. You have done some amazing work, Thank you!

Now if you don't remember what we are using for backyard inspiration let me remind you... here. I will, of course keep you posted on all yard developments. Or you can come and visit and see it up close and personal!

More Yard Work..

2009-05-04T19:31:00.004-06:00

We are finally getting the sprinkler system in the back yard!!!! Wade is doing such a good job. Finally we are seeing an end of picking up rocks! Now what do we do with that big pile?

Luke and Lizzie just LOOK like they are helping.....

39 Wow!!

2009-05-04T18:48:00.003-06:00

It's a bit late. Happy Birthday Wade! Friday Wade and I escaped by ourselves. It was fun for both of us. We wanted to work on the yard Saturday but that is a whole different post. We finally got around to having birthday cake on Sunday. It took us awhile to light all of the candles plus the smoke after Wade blew them out was definitely a fire hazard! All in all it was a great Birthday Weekend all for Wade!

Let's Go Fly A Kite!

2009-04-23T18:25:00.004-06:00

Luke's school had their Spring Program today. It was really cute. There were surfers and sheep and little preschoolers in rain coats. Luke did really good saying his part. He was very insistent on reading it and NOT memorizing it. I am posting the video of the whole school singing Let's Go Fly a Kite, their theme for the program, with the focus on Luke (of course). Notice they are signing the song as well as singing it! Please forgive the shaky video, we were standing up!

Happy Earth Day!

2009-04-22T15:24:00.002-06:00

Or is it Merry Earth Day? I know it is a day so that the tree huggers can make us feel guilty about how humans are destroying the earth. Usually I just buy t-shirts for my kids that say things like, "Can I recycle my brother/sister?". Now I don't buy into all the hype but I do believe that we need to mindful of this Divine creation that we live on. In honor of this day devoted to the Earth I weeded my flower beds and I think I will run out to buy some flowers for my front yard. If we could decide on a tree I would plant one. Ooops sorry I think Arbor day is the day you plant trees! So Happy/Merry Earth Day! Thank Heavenly Father for this BEAUTIFUL place we are privileged to live on!!

Venting....

2009-04-21T12:57:00.003-06:00

As many of you know we get paid ONCE an month. On that day we do our MAJOR shopping for the month. We pile the family in the car and head to WALMART. We shop there for several reasons that I won't go into now. We have done this for 8 years. I have 2 notebooks to prove it! This is what my shopping list looks like:

Needless to say we fill two carts. Not only that it usually takes a few hours. Last night we got started late to begin with. We finally reached the check out at about 9 p.m. There were 3 Express lanes (20 items or less) open and only 2 regular lanes. Both of the regular check out lanes had long lines and the people in those lines were like us with full carts. So we get in line to wait our turn. Fortunately for us they opened another regular line and because we were the next in line the Walmart employee told us to go ahead. So we did. The lady behind us let Wade go then she saw me with the second cart. All of a sudden she started to push ahead of Wade to be the first in the new line. Wade called her on it and said, "They said the next people in line and that is us." The lady replied "But you have three times the amount of stuff as the rest of us!" (She had 20 items or less) I kind of snapped and said back "So that means you should go first? We want to get home too!" In a huff she went to a different line. Let me pause to say that had she asked if we minded if she went first because she had fewer items Wade and I both would have had no problem with that. I don't think I need to point out that there were 3 other checkouts with fewer people who all had 20 items or less. We had no other choice of checkouts. As she left she gave us a pointed look and was shaking her head like we did something wrong. Anyway this is our reciept:

It is over and done with thank you for letting me vent. Yes we bought 153 items. Yes I think Walmart SHOULD let us reserve a special checkout lane on the 20th of every month!

FYI a friend of mine who was impressed with my shopping notebook and abilities to feed my family so cheaply wrote about it in an article that will be featured in the May issue of a local magazine. How cool is that?

Easter Egg Hunt

2009-04-19T15:44:00.003-06:00

On Easter Sunday the Wheelers invited us over for an Egg Hunt. I had to wait until Rachel posted the pictures on her blog so that I could mooch them for my blog. We had a really great time! Thank you Wheelers for the BEST LAST MINUTE EGG HUNT EVER!!!!

Click on this last picture to make it larger to see what Luke is doing with his hands! He is a crazy kid!

Ahhhhh Spring.....

2009-04-15T08:21:00.003-06:00

Things are blooming here in Roosevelt!!!

I don't know what these little flowers are but we have a ton of them!

I think these may be our peonies coming back...

I don't know what this sweet little flower is but it smells heavenly!

Now we have to weed all the flower beds....that is the part of Spring I don't like! Not to mention it is time to get our backyard going. We are hoping to get the sprinkler system in and grass planted within the next couple of weeks. I will keep you posted!

I'm no Bakerella....

2009-04-10T07:20:00.003-06:00

but I think these turned out pretty good! The kids and I had fun making them. If only the mess was that cute!

Minimum day....

2009-04-09T07:01:00.002-06:00

Today is the start of our Spring Break. We get a minimum day today and then Friday and Monday off. All week Hannah has been telling us RELENTLESSLY that there is no point in going today and can't she PLEASE stay home. Well we found these this morning posted in several strategic places... if you can't read all of it just click it to make it larger.....

Boy, I sure love living with a strong willed teenager!

Luke...the Tech Kid

2009-04-02T07:05:00.003-06:00

We had a Parent Teacher Conference with Luke's teacher yesterday afternoon. While we were talking she told us that Luke is their tech kid. When things aren't working or the teachers can't figure it out they ask Luke. She told us that they had a kid who had gotten sick in a classroom. So they got the other kids out and sat them down to watch a movie while they cleaned up the mess. The teachers couldn't get the movie to work. All the kids started saying get Luke! So Mrs. Butterfield came and pulled Luke from class to help get the movie to work. He pushed all the right buttons and nothing happened. Luke looked at Mrs. Butterfield and she shrugged. So he tried it again and nothing. He looked at her and she just shrugged. She had no idea what was going on. So Luke lifts the flap on the VCR. He puts in hands on his hips and looks up at his teacher and says. "No Movie!" We laughed so hard! Luke really is his class tech kid!!

2009-03-27T13:25:00.004-06:00

It is time we SPREAD THE WORD TO END THE WORD!

March 31, 2009 is a national day of awareness for America to stop and think about their use of the R-word. That R-word is not “recession,” but something more hurtful and painful – “retard.” Most people don’t think of this word as hate speech, but that’s exactly what it feels like to millions of people with intellectual disabilities, their families and their friends.

This word is just as cruel and offensive as any other slur.

Visit www.r-word.org to learn more and pledge to help make a difference.

Next time you catch yourself saying something or someone is "retarded" just remember Luke.

Luke has an intellectual disability which in past years was called mentally retarded. Our family has a good attitude about it but it doesn't make it any less hurtful when "retarded" is thrown around as a derogatory term. Personally I see nothing derogatory about Luke. He is a special blessing sent to us. Hopefully to all of our friends and family who read our blog you will be more aware of the way you use the "r-word". Thank you!

Lizzie.....

2009-03-26T19:32:00.002-06:00

The sidewalk high fived Lizzie's face!

I told her next time she is running at warp speed and trips she should use her hands to break her fall not her FACE!!!

Another Crazy Party!

2009-03-26T19:22:00.002-06:00

No School + Twilight dvd release + obsessed with Edward type friends= One more reason to PARTY!! We had so much food! We had so much fun! I made a cake to celebrate. Lizzie told me to put bats on it since the movie was about Vampires. I told her these Vampires didn't turn into bats. It is about a girl who loves a Vampire. She said " It's about LOOOOVVVEEEE!" as she put her hands under her chin and fluttered her eyelashes! Silly Girl.

Oh yeah I made the cake a RED VELVET cake! So it looked like BLOOD!
So thanks Amy and Danielle and Stephanie it was so much fun!!!

Lizzie's Rock Program...

2009-03-26T19:06:00.004-06:00

The Second Grade put on their annual program. This year it was all about rocks. Lizzie really did a great job. She sang with all her heart.

This is a picture of Lizzie before the program started. She was doing Yoga to help her relax. It is almost like a where's Waldo. If you can find her you get the reward of knowing you have eagle eyes! Sorry I am out of gold stars!

This is a short video of Lizzie being the river! It's another Where's Lizzie?

Seriously the guy in front of me was driving me crazy! He was worse than his toddler. I almost told him that if he sat still for the rest of the program I would buy him a treat!

The Hawkleys Came for a Visit!!

2009-03-26T18:56:00.003-06:00

We were so happy the Hawkleys came to visit us! Ok so what if I am a really late posting about it! Since we are not near anything and you really don't come thru here to get to anywhere it was really great they came out of the way to see us! I did not take any pictures. Sorry I just didn't think about it. Wade was still recovering and on his Lortab high. Lizzie was mad that I made them do extra chores to get ready for the Hawkleys. She said she knew why we cleaned the house before company comes. So that they can say "Wow you have a really clean house!" Just in case you didn't know. Make sure you say that anytime you stay with someone I know they will appreciate it! Thank you to Tyson who made a fabulous salad! Who knew that lemon and salt could taste so good! That is all Lizzie wants on her salad now! We loved having the Hawkleys here! Come back soon! Next time I promise I won't burn the bacon! And I will take at least one picture!

Amen Sista!

2009-03-25T06:17:00.001-06:00

It is always fun when Wade surfs YouTube! And she is soooo right!

My Husband the GENIUS!!!!

2009-03-20T06:30:00.003-06:00

Here are the videos of Luke at his talent show! Wade turned them!! What a Genius!

Wade update.....

2009-03-14T07:09:00.002-06:00

He is DRIVING ME CRAZY! Only a little bit.

So on Monday, for those of you who don't know, he had his tonsils and dangly thing taken out. He also had a part of his nose broken to give him bigger nasal passages. (FYI all the medical terms I use are all very technical!) He has been in a lot of pain and is enjoying the liquid Lortab that was prescribed. We are waiting for the scabs to fall off his throat so that he can be in MORE pain. Then once that starts to heal his nose is going to start hurting. (that is what they told us.) Isn't Wade so LUCKY?

I think he is starting to get better. He is complaining about eating too many sweet things. So on Thursday he asked for some fries. I got him a Happy Meal. He was able to eat it all. And really I think all the good nutrition that he got by eating that is going to help him feel better! (if you didn't know that was me being sarcastic!) So I think we are on the road to recovery. It is a lot slower than he thought it would be. And I have already had enough of being nurse. Wade doesn't deal with pain very well and he gets worse the longer he has to deal with it. Which makes makes it harder for me as well. Can you tell?

He is doing better. Thank you for all the support and prayers that you have offered. Now if you could pray that I can get through his recovery that would be great!

I did take some pre and post surgery pictures on my phone at the hospital and as soon as I get those off they are totally getting posted! I do have to say that I am glad there was no external bruising for Wade, at the same time I wish there was so we could make up some wild story about how he got it! Oh well maybe I could punch him later! (Just kidding! Gosh, I wouldn't do that!)

Crazy Hair Day

2009-03-07T07:54:00.003-07:00

It was Crazy Hair Day at the elementary school once again. Here is what we came up with for Lizzie:

The picture doesn't really do it justice. She really belongs in Whoville!!

This Week....

2009-03-06T13:04:00.004-07:00

Let me just say that this week has been a roller coaster! I won't go into all the gory details. You can thank me later for sparing you! Not to mention I have been sick which makes everything seem worse, bigger, more stressful than it has to be. Wade is having surgery on Monday for his sleep apnea and breathing problems. Which is good and a little stressful. Ok who am I kidding a lot stressful. Why does everything happen all at once? Oh well maybe we will catch a breather in a couple of weeks!

Luke's Talent Show

2009-03-06T12:19:00.004-07:00

Luke's School had a talent show last week. Luke sang Peanut Butter and Jelly by Inside Out. He did so good! His class sang My Country Tis of Thee (why does that look weird?) and they read quotes by Abraham Lincoln. They all did such a good job! I did take a video of Luke and I will post it just as soon as Wade can figure out how to turn it. That is why cameras should not take pictures and video! I always turn the camera!!! Anyway Luke did so awesome. He was so excited!! He even wore his church clothes just so he would look his best. I think I have the coolest son!

Luke's Class singing.

The little girl at the microphone is Taylor. She is one of Luke's best friends at school. He is always protective of her. He always calls her Taylor, Taylor Davenport. Funny kid!

Irony

2009-02-24T14:09:00.002-07:00

Two weeks ago we got a call from a member of our Bishopric asking Wade and I to speak in Sacrament meeting. I had to check the calendar because it is the season for Ward Conferences. I had to be in another Ward that Sunday so Wade got the opportunity to speak all by himself. I was feeling pretty good about getting out of speaking. I was also confident that I wouldn't have to bear my testimony in the Ward I was attending for various reasons. Then out of the blue I was asked to bear my Testimony. At least Wade had the benefit of 2 weeks of preparation and notes! We both had a good laugh about it! This is what irony looks like my friends!

Lizzie Spends her Birthday Money

2009-02-18T07:39:00.003-07:00

A Big Thank you to all who sent Lizzie Birthday Money. She is quite the little shopper!

Lizzie's Baptism

2009-02-18T07:00:00.003-07:00

It is still hard to believe that Lizzie is official. And that she is old enough for all this.

There were 2 other kids who were getting baptized that day. It was a little crazy, but nice.

The mom's had to do a spotlight. I thought it was a rotten idea. I spent the whole time crying. Lizzie is a special kid and we are blessed to have her in our family. We are so happy she made the choice to get baptized.

After the baptism we went home and had Chinese food! Yummy! Then the Wheelers came over for a night of Nerts. It was a really good day!

Lizzie's Birthday Party!

2009-02-18T06:55:00.001-07:00

Six little girls, 2 big pizzas, 1 Barbie movie, lots and lots of candy, and a few games = lots and lots of Birthday fun!

This is a fun thing Lizzie's friend Alyssa does there is a little song and then the Birthday kid makes a wish for the person bonking them on the head with the gift. Lizzie wished that Alyssa would be a farmer!

Dance tag.
Barbie and the Magic of Pegasus. Looks like they really like it!

Happy Birthday Lizzie! (belated)

2009-02-18T06:50:00.002-07:00

So Lizzie had a pretty good Birthday. I can't believe she is 8!

Happy Valentines Day!

2009-02-14T08:26:00.005-07:00

Daisies in My Hair and Tulips in a Mason Jar

by Shana Hart

I want to be crazy

sick

in love

I want my eyes to smile

I want to build a house that smells like him

and tastes like us

I want wood floors that creak with his existence

I want a clothesline to air our dirty laundry

Let the weeds grow tall hiding idiosyncrasies

I want a swing in our backyard that reaches

the rooftops and doesn't leave splinters

When night falls I want to live by candlelight

and the luxury of him

Listen to murmuring hearts and

let our bodies talk then finally

soft

small

images of us

to pull at my sides

begging me to teach

helping me to learn

let there be something awesome

immortal and mightier than us

and let us believe in it together

Valentines Day

2009-02-06T10:40:00.004-07:00

I am shamelessly plugging Wade's Valentines! I love the ones he designed for kids. I love them because I usually hate all the commercial ones. You know the ones that say ridiculous things. Things I don't want my kids to say to other kids... ever! Not to mention Wade made them and I have always been impressed and a little jealous of his talent! You can scroll down the page and on the side is a list of what is on his store at etsy. If you click on it you will link up to his etsy store. The coolest part? He emails you the file so you can print as many or as few as you want....FOREVER!! You don't have to wait for shipping. Instant gratification is totally my style!! And if you want the kids can help put them together! Really I think they are so cool!!! Go check them out!!

Rules to Live By

2009-02-04T08:13:00.003-07:00

I was searching through some stuff and I found my rules to live by. I made up the list when I was 19 or so. Knowing me I probably got the idea from a book or movie. These are 14 rules that I came up with.

1. Always put the Lord first.

2. Never make a complicated thing simple or a simple thing complicated.

3. Wear white at night.

4. Eat from each of the food groups.

5. Clean even where it doesn't show.

6. Never do anything with the soul intent of hurting someone.

7. Look up words you don't know.

8. Pursue the truth.

9. Wear socks that match your shirt.

10. Never put out electrical fires with water.

11. Always get to the bottom of things.

12. Be consistent.

13. Floss.

14. Forgive.

Some of them are harder to master than others. Overall I think they are a good bunch of rules. What would you add to the list? What are some of the rules you live by?

Tag

2009-02-03T14:35:00.002-07:00

Tagged by Kelli Allen
1) go to the 4th picture folder
2) go to the 4th picture in the folder
3) tell 4 things about that picture
4) tag 4 more people
I Tag Carolee, Tammy, Gretchen, Rachel and anyone else who wants to do this!

1. Lizzie is 1 in this picture.

2. Our first full Winter in Rosevelt.

3. Sledding at Constitution Park.

4. She really flew when she would go down the hills!

Inkheart

2009-02-02T07:27:00.002-07:00

I read this book several years ago. At the time I thought the book was slow moving and I kept thinking just get on with it. I like the premise of the book. I won't spoil it for people who haven't read it. Then I found out they made it into a movie. Then I saw the trailer. I became interested again. Then we saw the movie last week. WOW! I loved it. It moved along. The actors were fantastic! Really can you go wrong with Helen Mirren in a movie? I have always been a fan of Brenden Fraiser. Not to mention Paul Bettany! Seriously excellent movie. This has to be a first for me to like a movie better than a book! It has been to long for me to remember the book but I will read it again just to see if it is better the second time around. In the meantime go see this movie!!!

P.S. I think the girl in it looks like Amy Ashby Stolworthy!!

Macaroni and Cheese

2009-02-01T10:45:00.002-07:00

Luke decided it was his turn to make dinner and he was going to make macaroni and cheese. And he did! And he did it with zero help!!!! He did everything on his own! It was so good! I didn't know that macaroni and cheese could taste so wonderful!! What a great kid! I know that he will be able to great things in his own way and his own time!

Lizzie Can't Wait Until She's 18!!!!!

2009-01-28T08:35:00.002-07:00

Lizzie wants to change her name to Bubbles. Wade told her she can't officially change her name until she is 18. Now she can't wait to change her name when she is old enough. She kept talking to me about it at breakfast. She also has changed her favorite color to blue. Guess what show Lizzie has been watching!?

Fog

2009-01-18T17:46:00.002-07:00

This is fog in Rosevelt in January:

I just love it when everything looks like this! It is serene and lovely and it makes even the ugliest thing look fairy tale like. I won't worry that the fog could stick around for 3 months and make life really depressing. Today it is dipped in ice crystals!

Hannah and Herself...

2009-01-15T09:39:00.004-07:00

Is there anything more to say? At least she knows her subject well!

Luke and Strep Throat!

2009-01-12T11:55:00.003-07:00

So Luke's teacher called me on Thursday afternoon and said Luke had started crying and said he didn't feel good. He is really good at trying to get out of things by saying he isn't feeling good. So we decided to see if she could talk him out of it or at least get him to do something else. I know it sounds like I was being a mean mom but Luke fakes sick ALOT! I got a call 20 minutes later and I went to go pick him up. In the car on the way home he said he feels shaky, not his usual verbage for faking. His hands and feet were cold but he didn't really have a fever. I put him in the bath and then into bed. He fell right asleep. By the next morning he was burning up. After medicating him I called 8 different doctors to see if we could get him in. Well doctors in Rosevelt don't work on Fridays! I swear we couldn't get in to see anyone. So I had to wait for the night clinic which started at 4 p.m. He was due for another dose of ibuprofen at about 4:30 so he was burning up. 103.9. I had been so worried about him all day. It was strep throat! I didn't know it could develop so fast! Poor Luke. More bad news for him... he had to get a shot of antibiotics. He told the nurses "It isn't polite to give shots!" Needless to say he was rewarded handsomely for enduring the shot. I tried to warn him that a shot was a possibility and he kept telling me they made him WEEPY. At least that is what I thought he said. No shots make him LIMPING! He milked the sick thing for as long as we would tolerate it. Thankfully he is feeling tons better and is back to school this morning!!! Although shots are not polite and they make him limping I am thankful that they work so fast and that I don't have to pay extra for them!!!!

2009-01-07T19:04:00.000-07:00

Ok so I got this book for Christmas from my good friend Rachel Wheeler. And it was terrific! I read it in like a day or so. I think everyone should read it. It takes place in Victoria England and is a mystery. One of the comments sums it up best when they said if Jane Austen wrote the Da Vinci Code this would be it. Not to mention there is a another book out already with the same cast of characters and it is just as good!!! Happy Reading!!

Lizzie Bug.....

2009-01-07T18:45:00.002-07:00

I found some of these pictures when I was looking through iphoto today. I think Hannah took them. Lizzie is one crazy girl. Her new favorite snack is chocolate pudding with "whupped cream". Not WHIPPED cream WHUPPED cream. In fact she told us that she doesn't want a cake for her birthday just a big bowl of whupped cream! Which brings me to the point. Lizzie will be getting baptized on Valentines Day this year! So anyone who wants to and is able to please come!

These are Lizzie's "ANGRY" eyebrows!

I am not sure if she is sad or pouting in this one!!

The Allens and The Allens

2008-12-29T20:20:00.003-07:00

Ok so it looks like I am finally caught up!!!! These are just a few pictures of Kelli and Steve and their very cute and very fun family while they were here visiting. We are so glad that they were able to come and we were able to have such a long visit! Sorry Steve that I monopolized your wife playing cards......but I had a willing partner and I had to take advantage of it! Again I didn't take very many pictures because.... yep you guessed it!....My camera is so big and I am too lazy to get it out!!!

Wade swinging Kaia around. By the look on his face you would think she weighed a ton!!

Lizzie and Mettea.

Kelli and Mettea

Wade and Steve

Kaia loved to have her picture taken and then see it on the display. It was a fun game!

Merry Christmas!!!

2008-12-29T20:10:00.002-07:00

I know it is belated and that I have been posting ALOT! Anyway MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

Hannah remarked to me how this has been the best Christmas EVER. She thinks it is because she got something she wanted... I think it is because we have tried harder to feel the Spirit.

I am thankful to my Savior, Jesus Christ. He was born so He could die for us. The ultimate gift. I can barely get through singing Christmas hymns without feeling so emotional. I am more grateful than I could ever express in mere words or even deeds.

I hope we can all try to keep this kind of Spirit with us all through the coming year. I hope all of our wonderful family and friends know how much we love you!! We are grateful for all of your love and support and understanding and pray for all of you! We hope you all had a FANTASTIC Christmas !

Christmas Eve

2008-12-29T20:02:00.002-07:00

I will spare you all the boring "Oh look we got new pajamas! What a surprise!" pictures. Here are a few of us IN our new pjs in front of our Christmas Tree. I also let the kids open the game from Aunt Gretchen. Thank you Gretch for the fantastic game of Harry Potter Clue. We love it. Especially me since I am the one who gets all the curses that no amount of extra spells can save me from. Yeah really fun game! (Did you get some of the sarcasm there?) Really it is fun!

Christmas Eve Eve

2008-12-29T19:47:00.003-07:00

Christmas Eve Eve is an event at our house. It is the Eve of Christmas Eve and we like to play games, eat good food, watch movies and then when it is time for bed, all the kids make beds in the living room and sleep with the Christmas tree lights on ALL NIGHT LONG!!!!! Of course it can't happen on Christmas Eve so Christmas Eve Eve was invented!! Steve and Kelli and kids joined us so it was so much more fun than usual!!! Here are a few pictures I took (again the camera is so enormous I can barely hold it!!)

I love this picture of Tathan....

All the kids frosting sugar cookies.... notice the girls are in capes.

Wade making dough for the pizzas...so yummy!

Hannah....with her grayish icing.

Liam licking the frosting mostly....

Mettea and Lizzie....

Luke and Tathan .....

Kaia....she pretty much looked and me like this the whole time she was here!!!!

Musical Mustangs

2008-12-29T19:40:00.002-07:00

The Elementary school that Lizzie goes to has a choir, Musical Mustangs. Lizzie begged and begged to join. She has really loved it. This is a picture of her at the concert. It is really hard to get pictures of your kid because so many parents are trying to do the same with their kid. So this is good. They sang lots of Christmas songs and shook their booty a bit ( it really embarrassed Lizzie) and had plenty of opportunity to use their spirit fingers. I was sick that night and was unable to attend but Wade assures me that is was quite interesting. We will leave it at that!! Good job Lizzie!!!

Webelos

2008-12-29T19:29:00.003-07:00

Ok so here is one post of many to come with updates since I haven't blogged for so long. I know there are tons of you (you know who you are!) so excited to see an update since you just can't seem to get enough of us Allens.

So Luke earned his Webelos. Of course I am a slacker photo mom (I blame that on the enormous size of my camera) so I had to resort to my phone (how tacky is that?) These are the photos of the pack meeting. It was really fun!

Lizzie is so happy for her brother! Not to mention pack meetings ROCK!!!

Luke happy to be a real Boy Scout now!

This is Luke as an official Boy Scout.

This is Luke crossing the bridge from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts.

With everything else Luke has to deal with we are so proud of him and these extra things that he does!!

I looked out the Window and what did I see?

2008-12-14T07:59:00.003-07:00

Yep it finally snowed! Not the big snow they promised but if it stays cold we could have a White Christmas. Luke is hoping the sun doesn't melt it. He is dying to play in the snow! Technically this is the second snow of the year. The first one was already starting to melt when we woke up and by the time Luke got home from school it was gone. Here's to the second snow of the year!!

Ward Christmas Party

2008-12-11T05:52:00.003-07:00

So... I kind of stole this picture off of Carolee's blog. (Thank you Carolee!!) It was taken at the Ward Christmas Party. Lizzie and Isabel (Carolee's daughter and Lizzie's friend) and Anne (another friend of Lizzie's) were angels in the Nativity the Primary performed. I think they look so sweet!!

And Lizzie has informed us that Santa creeps her out. She likes him to bring her presents! But she still won't go anywhere near him! You know the time comes as kids get older that they will sit on Santa's lap etc. etc.. We are still waiting for that time with Lizzie! I am not sure she will ever be comfortable with Santa. Boy won't it be a relief when we blow that little secret wide open!!

Yummy!!!

2008-12-09T07:57:00.002-07:00

This is such a FANTASTIC recipe!!! We had it on Sunday for dessert. Very Chocolatey and Very Yummy not to mention easy!!! It is the best warm with vanilla ice cream. I think I will be playing around with some variations. 1 cup of peanut butter chips and 1 cup chocolate chips would be yummy. I am thinking of some things I could do with vanilla. If you have ideas let me know!!

Karen A's Chocolate Dump Cake

INGREDIENTS:
1 (5 ounce) package non-
instant chocolate pudding mix
2 1/3 cups milk
1 (18.25 ounce) package
chocolate cake mix
2 cups semisweet chocolate
chips
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease one 9 x 13 inch baking pan.
2. Combine chocolate pudding and milk in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until thick, stirring frequently.
3. Remove pan from heat and add in dry cake mix. Mix together and pour into the lightly greased 9x13 inch baking pan. Evenly spread the chocolate chips over the top of the cake.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F(175 degrees C) for 40 to 45 minutes. Let cake cool and serve.

Voice Male Concert

2008-12-07T08:28:00.002-07:00

We went to the Voice Male Concert last night. Thank you Rachel for the tickets!! It was so much fun! Luke was laughing so hard he could barely breathe! They are are a talented bunch of men. And a lot of fun. If you ever get a chance to attend one of their concerts totally go!!! Here is their website address if you want to check them out!!!
http://www.voicemalemusic.com/

Luke is 11!!!

2008-12-07T07:49:00.003-07:00

I know I am late posting this. What can I say about Luke. He is an interesting kid. This year he decided he wasn't going to go to school on his birthday. He even told his friends at school and his teachers and bus driver that he was staying home to play with his toys. Like I am letting him stay home!!! Silly kid. So we celebrated his last day being 10 with pizza and a movie!! He really knows how to exploit the birthday celebration!!! He also informed us that we needed to talk about him all day. At breakfast on his birthday he asked for pancakes. So I served him his pancakes and then he turns to Lizzie and says "Lizzie it's my birthday so get me my fork ok."

Where does he come up with this stuff? No cake for Luke this year! He wanted Oreo cookies.... and that is what he got!!!! I love that he his so excited about everything he gets.

He is a blessing in our lives. I am always a little tongue tied when it comes to talking about Luke. He has his struggles. We have our struggles with him, usually on a daily basis. It seems like when things are going so good for him and we think ok we are going to get through this hurdle. And then we have another set back and we have to go back to square one. He truly has no guile. That kid is 100% innocent. When he laughs it is genuine. He laughs easily. He laughs a lot. He loves babies. He loves his family. He remembers random things in ways that are interesting to us. And usually years and years after we have forgotten them. He always makes sure we eat on a regular basis. Before he goes to bed he likes to know what the menu will be for the next day. (Like I know!) He loves books even though he is still trying so hard with learning to read. Luke is a competitive kid. Luke is a hard worker. Luke is a really great kid and we are blessed to have him as a part of our family. So Happy Birthday Luke!!!

Happy Holly Days!!

2008-11-29T18:46:00.005-07:00

The city of Vernal has started having a little thing they like to call Holly Days. It takes place the day after Thanksgiving. They have events all day, all over the city. The best part....IT'S TOTALLY FREE!!!!!! So we cannot pass up free! I don't think we have ever in our lives passed up free, unless it was a free punch in the face or something. We piled the kids in the car and off we went. We decided to go to Western Park where they were have a midway type thing. Games, those blow up Jolly Jumpers, cotton candy and churros. Awesome right? All of it was totally free and they were giving prizes and everything. It was cool. We started off getting cotton candy. Then the kids decided to try the go-carts (pictured above). Luke was the first one on. I know you are saying to yourself "Kati, why are you letting Luke go on this go-cart?" in a shocked kind of voice. I will reply by saying something like "I don't think they go that fast." Or "Luke rarely gets so excited about going on any type of thing like this so why not." After explaining how it works, thumb of right hand presses button to go and speed up. Left hand handle controls the brake. In the middle of trying to make sure he understands....OFF HE GOES!!!! He was doing great and was on the track and everything for about 2 SECONDS!! He kept speeding up and then didn't know what to do with the steering wheel and WHAM!!!! Into the wall he went. All of us were in shock it happened so fast. It cracked the wood on the wall. Don't worry he is fine. He got a bruise on his leg and pinched his thumb. I think his bones are made out of stone. Of course we sat down so he could recover. After about 5 minutes he was ready to try the games. What a kid!! He describes his crash this way:

Happy Black Friday!!!

2008-11-28T10:19:00.003-07:00

Yes once again it is that special day where the people of this great country lose their minds and buy more stuff than they need. Wade and I braved the cold at 4:30 AM to head to Walmart in Vernal. It is 30 miles away. The big item we were getting this year? SHEETS!! Yep you read that right. 500 thread count cotton sateen sheets on sale for the low, low price of TWENTY dollars! We could have waited until sane people get up to go shopping but they had limited quantities. Which is code for if you don't get your booty there at 5 AM you are going to have to suffer with 250 thread count sheets and pay more for them! It was a good thing we got there when we did because those sheets were in high demand!!! And the quantities were pathetic. All in all we feel good about our purchase. When we got home we put the sheets on the bed and crawled back in to make up the ZZZ's we lost. Let me just tell you I think those sheets are magic! Money well spent.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

2008-11-27T10:45:00.003-07:00

At Thanksgiving dinner I remember my family would go around the table and say one thing they are grateful for. I used to hate that only because I would get so emotional. I would end up saying something totally shallow because I felt stupid for feeling so ready to cry. I don't say enough how grateful I am for the things I have. As an adult, more so lately, it has been ok for me to cry and get teared up about the things that touch my heart. I feel blessed. I feel like although this has been a really tough year, we have received so many blessings we can't even number them.

Since I can't be around all of you on this day of thanks I think everyone should leave a comment of one thing that you are grateful for!

As for me I am so grateful for so many things this year it is hard to pick one. I am grateful for my testimony of Jesus Christ. I am grateful for my family, who I love dearly. I am grateful for my wonderful home. Ok I will stop now. What are you grateful for ?

Thanksgiving

2008-11-17T19:22:00.005-07:00

Lizzie's class is making special place cards for each person that is coming to Thanksgiving Dinner. She kept asking me who was coming and I told her it was just going to be us. I couldn't figure out why she was so upset that it was just us.

Then I read the note.

So... Anyone who wants to come to Thanksgiving Dinner here can. If not I hope you can live the guilt of making my poor Lizzie cry!

The Return of Sasquatch

2008-11-13T07:00:00.005-07:00

I bought some new razors. I found some that were quite a bit cheaper and looked about the same quality of the kind I had previously purchased. The first time I used one it did great. The second time it didn't seem to be working. No matter what I did that thing would not shave anything! Unfortunately for me I would forget about it the minute I was out of the shower. By the time I usually got in the shower my family has left for the day and I was not getting out of the shower to go and get a new one! Finally after 3 days of a razor that didn't work I was complaining to Wade that the stupid razors were junk and I would have to go buy some more. He seemed to get a funny look on his face. Apparently he had knocked the razor off and the head came off. He thought he had put it back on the right way. So we both go in to look at it. He had put the head on BACKWARDS! It works great now! I felt like Sasquatch for those few days! But not anymore!!!

Thank You!

2008-11-10T20:14:00.003-07:00

Dear 7•up,

In this world where everything has gone Topsy Turvey, you have created peace. Thank you for coming up with a soda that is so delicious I wish I could drink it with every meal. A taste that is so harmonious I want to sing its praises. Thank you for making it for a limited time so that I can get hooked and then crave it for the rest of my LIFE! Thank you for giving me something that is actually worth $1.49 of my precious and hard earned money.

Sincerely,

Kati Allen

3 Really Good Books

2008-11-09T09:02:00.003-07:00

OK so I have been reading A LOT lately. I may be behind the times but these are the books I have just finished:

Miss Potter is a movie. But it is also a book. Both are excellent. I think Beatrix Potter's life is truly interesting. It was a good read.

What does it say about me that I like Young Adult books? Hattie Big Sky has won some awards and for good reason. It was a FANTASTIC book. The author wrote about her Great Grandmother (I think) who Homesteaded 320 acres in Montana in 1917 ALONE. She was just 16 years old. I laughed and I cried.

Star Girl has been around for a while. I think that it has an interesting message. Definitely a must read.

I think that it is hard to find good books with out a lot of junk in them. With these books I really felt enlightened and uplifted.

Happy Halloween!!

2008-11-02T07:40:00.005-07:00

Luke was a musketeer again!

Lizzie was a ballerina princess!!! She also had a cold so she wasn't in the mood for pictures!

We had a decent Halloween. We went to the "truck r treat" as it was advertised in our ward. Then we got some ice cream and came home to watch a movie. Wade and I had fun and the kids seemed happy so all in all it was good. Next year we are planning a fun party in our new backyard!!!

I guess I need to post a disclaimer: Hannah did get dressed up and she did go "truck r treating". I just didn't take any pictures. She dressed up the same as she did for her Halloween concert minus the blue hair. We used it all Thursday night and we couldn't find anymore hair color in Roosevelt. Thus, no pictures

Hannah's Halloween Concert

2008-10-31T11:29:00.003-06:00

This is Hannah ready to go to the concert. It is always a fun concert to go to. It is more like the band and orchestra leaders goofing off with the kids playing the songs in between. If anyone wants to come out for it I promise it will be totally fun!! Luke was laughing the whole time! Not to mention Hannah gets to play her viola!!!!!! Good times! Good times!

So Hannah is dressed as a crazy artist or something of that sort.

All the pictures I take at the concert are bad. Not to mention you can barely see her. This year I took a picture of her with her viola before we left!
She did a great job. One of the songs they played was the William Tell Overture. For those who don't know it is the Lone Ranger song as well. Hannah and the rest of the orchestra did a really great job! The advanced orchestra played the Indiana Jones theme it was so cool!

Lizzie's Haircut

2008-10-28T09:47:00.003-06:00

I cut Lizzie's hair last week. When it gets longer it gets stringy because she hates to have it done and I hate seeing it so stringy. Her hair is fine and she doesn't have a lot of it. I also like to curl her hair for Sundays if I have time. Which doesn't always happen. Mostly it doesn't happen. Ok it rarely gets curled on Sundays but in my mind I would like it to be curled.

Hannah Turns 13!!!

2008-10-23T19:25:00.002-06:00

I can hardly believe Hannah is a TEENAGER!!!!! I hope she will stay my sweet wonderful Hannah. Lizzie says that teenagers are mean. Luke was so excited he announced his sisters birthday to his friends at school. You would think it was his birthday with as excited as he was!!

We had chocolate "satan" pie. We call it that because when Hannah was learning to read she saw the chocolate satin pie and called it "satan" pie. We keep calling it that and with all the calories that are in one piece it should be "satan" pie!!!!

We wake up early and open presents. Luke woke Lizzie up at 2:45 this morning and then they came in and tried to wake Wade and I. I made them go back to bed. Then Hannah got up at 5:30 and woke Luke and Lizzie up!!! Truly there is no rest for the wicked!!

Hannah got some gift certificates to get the things that she wants at Amazon and Itunes.

Number one on her list, new scriptures. So she finally got a quad. It's a pretty blue.

In the end we are grateful for Hannah. We couldn't ask for a better kid. I know I kind of got sentimental a few days ago so I won't keep going on and on. We are a better family because of her!! Happy Birthday Hannah!!!

Go Read!

2008-10-23T12:02:00.003-06:00

I stole this off of someone else's blog as I was blog hopping and I couldn't resist!!! So I have read 27 out of 100. Not to bad I guess. There are a number of these that I have started and then put down because I couldn't get into them for one reason or another. And at least one I totally HATED!! (The Life of Pi). So go ahead, how many have you read?

The Big Read is a National Endowment for the Arts program designed to encourage community reading initiatives and of their top 100 books. They estimate the average adult has read only six.
Here’s what you are supposed to do:
Look at the list and bold those you have read. Italicize those we intend to read.*Star the books we LOVE.

1. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen ***
2. The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien **
3. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte*
4. Harry Potter series - JK Rowling **
5. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6. The Bible
7. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8. Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9. His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10. Great Expectations - Charles Dickens*
11. Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12. Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13. Catch 22 - Joseph Heller1
4. Complete Works of Shakespeare
15. Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier*
16. The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17. Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18. Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19. The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20. Middlemarch - George Eliot
21. Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell **
22. The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23. Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24. War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25. The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26. Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27. Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28. Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29. Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30. The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31. Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32. David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33. Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis ***
34. Emma - Jane Austen **
35. Persuasion - Jane Austen ***
36. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis ***
37. The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38. Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39. Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40. Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41. Animal Farm - George Orwell
42. The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43. One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44. A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45. The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46. Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery ***
47. Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48. The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
49. Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50. Atonement - Ian McEwan
51. Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52. Dune - Frank Herbert
53. Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54. Sense and Sensibility- Jane Austen*
55. A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56. The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57. A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58. Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60. Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61. Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62. Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63. The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64. The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65. Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas**
66. On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67. Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68. Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding
69. Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie
70. Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71. Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens ( i did start this)
72. Dracula - Bram Stoker
73. The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett **
74. Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75. Ulysses - James Joyce
76. The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77. Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78. Germinal - Emile Zola
79. Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80. Possession - AS Byatt*
81. A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82. Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83. The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84. The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85. Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86. A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87. Charlotte's Web - EB White
88. The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89. Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90. The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91. Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92. The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93. The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94. Watership Down - Richard Adams
95. A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96. A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97. The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98. Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100. Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

What will they think of next?

2008-10-21T16:14:00.004-06:00

This is the newest menu item from Arby's. I can't let these pass without a comment. So you prepare macaroni and cheese and then bread it and then fry it. Why is the American public so obsessed with taking junk food and making it worse? Need I mention fried twinkies or fried snickers? What will we fry next? I am a total junk food junkie. I love chocolate turnovers from Arby's. Now that was a good call, those things are FANTASTIC and not for weak chocolate lovers. Caramel Empanadas from Taco Bell are GREAT. F'Real makes a DELIGHTFUL smoothie. But c'mon Mac n Cheezers? Fried macaroni and cheese!!! Forget the fat content what are we teaching our kids about spelling !?!?!? I think I can safely say I will never order these. As for my kids, well that remains to be seen.

A New Calling

2008-10-20T08:53:00.003-06:00

As some of you know from my panicked phone call last week I have a new calling in the church. It is official I am now the new Stake YW secretary. Which I thought it wouldn't be so bad. You know secretary is all about the paper work right? Yeah, I don't think it is going to be that easy. I have only been official since yesterday and already I have a couple of things going this week. They also mentioned speaking assignments and ward visits. I have had a couple of panic attacks already. I feel so inadequate for the job. It could be that I haven't been released from my primary calling yet. Not to mention I have been in primary for the last couple of years so I am out of the YW loop. I kind of feel like crying because it seems so overwhelming right now. I guess this is one more leap of faith I will be taking, it seems there have been so many in the last few months. So far so good. So on the count of three I am jumping in! Ready? One, two, three.........

Hannah Rachael

2008-10-15T14:22:00.004-06:00

These are some of the "old" pictures I found on the computer of Hannah. It's hard to believe that she came into our lives 13 years ago! (ok ok I know her birthday is next week, I am sentimental today!!) She is an amazing kid. She is so much fun and has a huge imagination. She has a great sense of humor. She has always stepped in to help people in need. She is a terrific babysitter. She has a strong testimony and tries to do what is right. She is a good big sister and still "plays" with Luke and Lizzie. She is such a blessing to our family. I can barely remember life without her. She is just a super great kid!!!! October 23, 1995 was the most amazing day for me, because I was blessed to be Hannah's mom! I am thankful for Hannah and the all that she is and all that she does. I think I am too young to have a kid that old!!! Hannah we all LOVE you dearly and look forward to 13 more fantastic years with you!!!!

Luke Isaac

2008-10-15T14:16:00.005-06:00

I am so glad that we live in a digital age!!! These are the pictures I found of our sweet Luke! Seriously these kids grow too dang fast!!!!

Lizzie Grace

2008-10-15T13:43:00.005-06:00

I found some of these older pictures of Lizzie. I thought I would share some of my favorites. She has always been a funny kid. I just can't believe how fast my baby grew up!!!

A Truly Good Book

2008-10-12T19:47:00.003-06:00

I just finished reading this book. I really liked it. At first I thought it was a little random and had doubts that it would come together. It really did come together in the end. The characters were real and flawed. I love how it shows a picture of redemption and forgiveness and a belief in God. I laughed a little and cried a lot. I don't want to give anything away so I will just say it was an enjoyable read and I highly recommend it!

Luke's Photography

2008-10-10T09:34:00.004-06:00

Usually when Luke comes home from school he will sit down to watch a movie after he has a snack, of course. And who could blame him, things that come easily to us are super intensive for Luke. Lately he hasn't been watching movies after school and yesterday he decided to take some pictures. Here are a few that he took.

He took a picture of Wade being the Mac genius he is...

Me....

staring at the laundry that needs to be folded!

Lizzie trying to find a book to read for her homework.

Hannah doing her math homework.

Our clock that needs new batteries and has been stuck at that time for a week and I still look at it all the time!!!!

The empty veggies bags in the trash. And seriously do I have the cleanest looking trash or what?

Dinner in the oven...Malibu chicken, and basmati rice on the stove with the veggie pot peeking out behind it.

Just as a side note I did talk to Luke's teacher and we got the baby talk thing sorted. He is also doing so good in reading. He is actually doing well with phonics which the neurophyscologist said he couldn't do. I really feel that we have no idea what he is truly capable of doing. Just look at the awesome pictures he took!!!!

Too Funny!!!

2008-10-08T16:08:00.001-06:00

Ok Ok I am Tagged! Sheesh!

2008-10-07T07:20:00.003-06:00

Kelli tagged me....UMMMM I guess! I usually do not do these but I will this time!!

Eight brilliant, intellectually stimulating shows I watch...

1. Gilmore Girls season 1

2. Gilmore Girls season 2

3. Gilmore Girls season 3

4. Gilmore Girls season 4

5. Gilmore Girls season 5

6. Gilmore Girls season 6

7. Gilmore Girls season 7

8. McLeod's Daughters

Each and every one of these is a train wreck!! Gilmore Girls is a train wreck with humor.Oy with the poodles already!!!! McLeods Daughters is a train wreck on a FARM in Austraila!!

Eight amazing, life altering things that happened yesterday...

1. I went begging money for pennies by the inch.

2. I helped clean someone else's house.

3. Delivered cookies to someone.

4. Took a couple of books for someone to read.

5. Washed my comforter.

6. Picked a paint color for my living room.

7. Bought paint for my living room.

8. Read scriptures with my family.

Eight Favo Places to Eat...

1. Wingers- Vernal

2. Cafe Rio- Provo

3. Hollow Moon Cafe- Myton

Are you sensing a pattern here?!

Eight Things I'm looking forward to with unparalleled anticipation...

1. Bedtime

2. Payday

3. Thanksgiving

4. March 26th

5. Snow (there is no way to type this sarcastically because it is probably going to happen on Saturday!)

6. Getting my living room painted

7. the Primary program being over

8. Spring (just so I can wear flip flops again!! I hate wearing "real" shoes!!!)

Eight glorious people I tag...

What other people? It is all about ME!!! Really enough about you more about ME!!! I am not even kidding!

General Conference Lizzieism

2008-10-05T16:17:00.003-06:00

Lizzie was coloring and her back was to the TV so when Eduardo Gavarette (I think that is how you spell his name) started speaking Lizzie jumps up and says "I know him!! He was in Napoleon Dynamite!" She thought he was the guy who played Pedro. She recognized his voice. She really is a never ending source of amusement to us!!!!