Things I Would Post Pictures Of If My Computer Was Working

It's been 2 1/2 months since I've posted pictures on here. Our computer is still broken. Data Doctors doesn't even know why its overheating. They would basically have to take the whole computer apart and replace everything to get all of the components working right. They said our best bet would be to send it back to the company we bought it from since it is still covered under waranty (the computer isn't even a year old!!!) and see what they can do about it. As of now we haven't been able to get CyberPC on the phone. Geez Louiz!!

I've learned that it is ok to blog without posting pictures. But still, there is so much more I would have blogged about if I had been able to post the pictures with it (and I've I'd been able to get onto Tyler's laptop more often). I've decided it will be pointless to try and play catch up when we get our computer fixed again so here all of the things I would have been blogging about if I had a computer.

I have 169 pictures on my camera right now. We were able to take 100 + off of the camera before we sent the computer into Data Doctors. I don't even remember what all of those picutres were about. Basically I take too many pictures!!

I would have posted a picture of Abby at her science fair this week. She won 2nd place for her grade level. I was like WHAT?!? Her project was ~ Does a banana brown faster on the counter or in the fridge? We took pictures of each banana for 6 days and that was it. So nothing big. Tyler swears it was all in the presentation - he had her color her whole display board yellow and he typed the words out in brown so her project was in banana colors. She was so excited to get her 2nd place ribbon. We also took pictures at her awards assembly this week where she recieved a certificate for student of the month for February and a Scholar of Distinction award which means she got all As on her report card last quarter. Way to go Abby!! We are so proud of you. Her next IV infustion was supposed to be last Wednesday but it was cancelled and moved to Friday May 1st. We were at a birthday party tonight and it was so great to see her running around and playing a little bit again. She is definately improving. Abby has lost another tooth on the bottom and Grandma Pam just cut her hair short again. It looks so cute! We took a cute picture of Abby and her physical therapist Jessica. Abby is doing so well in pt and Jessica thinks we'll be able to start cutting back on sessions soon. Counseling is going well - if nothing else it just gives Abby and I a place to talk about everything that is going on. I haven't taken a picture of Abby and her counselor Heidi yet. We'll have to do that.

We've taken lots of pictures of Andy and Alex at their preschool fieldtrips. In February their class went to the Pheonix Zoo. Daddy got to go with them on that fieldtrip. Tyler loves the zoo where as me not so much. Tyler takes multiple pictures of almost every animal they see every time he goes (that is what most of the 100 pictures we downloaded onto the computer are of). To me there are only so many pictures you need of a lion or a rhino but whatever - it's a cute habit he has. :) They had tons of fun at the zoo and got pictures taken by all kinds of cute statues. They came home with stuffed snakes. In March their class went to Krispy Kreme. Mommy got to go with them on this field trip since I am a donut FREAK! :) We took cute pictures in their Krispy Kreme hats and by all the differeny donuts machines. Yum! Then this month the preschool went to the dinosaur museum. Daddy went with them again but we only got one picture outside of the museum and then the camera batteries died. Andy and Alex love dinosaurs so this was a fun fieldtrip for them. They came home with stuffed dinosaurs from this fieldtrip. They even got to watch their favorite movie in class that week to help them learn about dinosaurs - The Land Before Time. Andy and Alex are officially 4 1/2 now and we have a screening date of July 9th to see if they will be able to attned kindergarten this year. Their favorite thing to do lately is catch grasshoppers and look for rolly pollys under rocks.

If I could post pictures I would have posted lots of cute Easter pictures of us dying Easter eggs and of Easter morning and of everyone in our cute Easter clothes. We had a nice relaxing Easter and are very thankful for our Savior Jesus Christ. I am thankful for his atoning sacrifice that makes it possible for us to live with Heavenly Father and our families forever. We were able to go the Easter pageant at the temple this year which is always so neat.

The Easter bunny brought something super neat which I would have posted pictures of ... a frog habitat! And less then a week later a little tadpole arrived in the mail. We have Taggy the Tadpole at our house who has survied a whole week now and is even getting bigger. Whew! What has been super fun is that the boys learned about frogs this week at preschool so it went right along with us getting a tadpole. Andy learned that it takes 8 years for a tadpole to turn into a froglet and get its front legs and then 9 years for it to get its back legs. I'm thinking that he meant 8 and 9 weeks. :) Hopefully Taggy the Tadpole will make it that long.

Another things that is new at our house that I will have to take a picture of is that Grandma Pam brought me a tomato plant and a strawberry plant as an early Mother's Day gift. They are in little hanging planters and are hanging in our back yard. I've never grown anything before but I'm really excited to. Wouldn't it be so neat if they actually grew fruit!!!

Tons and tons of pictures would have been posted of Benjamin as he is just completely adorable. He has 3 teeth now - 2 on the bottom and 1 on the top with another top tooth just about to break through. He still doesn't roll over much even though he can. I hope he takes forever to reach the crawling and walking milestones. I just want him to stay my little baby boy. His last stats taken at the beginning of April were 29 1/2 inches long and 22lbs 7 oz. He is about 3 pounds heavier than Andy and Alex at this age and 2 inches longer. Ben is just so happy and we are enjoying him very much.

Abby took a cute picture of Tyler and I on Easter Sunday. We are doing good. Life is just crazy and it is hard to balance everything most of the time. Tyler is back to teaching a class now. We are both enjoying are callings in the ward. Tyler recently went to the Boy Scout Camporee with his 11 year old boys and he has a Scout Day Camp coming up. I have fun with my 8 year old Activity Day girls. I want to scrapbook one of these days. During General Conference I brought all of my random things that were laying around my bedroom out into the loft for me to organize to eventually scrapbook. Everything is still laid all out in the loft and its almost a month later. I am making progress though. I did finish our wedding album in February after 7 1/2 years of marriage. Not too bad. :) I've still got a long way to go.

That basically sums it up and catches everyone up on the fun times at the Allen house. I can't figure out how to make spaces between the paragraphs on here so sorry this is all a big blob of words. Thanks for reading! Love ya! :)
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What a wonderful update.  Thanks for all your great posts!  I love reading them.  It will be great when you get your computer back and can start posting pictures too.  We send all our love to you and are so excited to see all of you in just a few weeks.

Have a great day!   Aldine Allen

Why Cooking is Not My Favorite Thing

I'd been thinking about making banana bread for my visiting teaching girls and some friends who recently had babies. Yesterday while the boys were at preschool I set out to do it. I'd never made this recipe before but it sure was yummy when I'd had it at my sister in law's house years ago. Initially I was only making one recipe but then after realizing I had 2 cups of banana I decided to double it. I had to go back and double all of the ingredients I already had put in. Then I read the butter wrong. I thought it said 3/4 cups so I doubled it and put in 1 1/2 cups. I later realized it only said 1/4 cup butter so I had put in a cup of extra butter. I was more than half way through the recipe so I decided to go ahead and finish and see what the batter tasted like. It still tasted super yummy so I went ahead and poured the batter into the bread pans. My mom had bought 5 mini loaf pans to cook the bread in and I had so much batter that I filled all 5 pans right to the top! I was worried about them overflowing but I went ahead and put them all in the oven. The recipe said the bread should cook for about an hour. I set my timer for 40 minutes because I know my oven cooks fast. I came back downstairs after 30 minutes and smelled the yummy smell of banana bread baking. Yay me - I must have done it right! I opened the oven and none of the batter had overflowed and the tops were a nice golden brown. Another yay me moment! I reached in and got the first pan out and stuck the toothpick in. It came out clean. I reached in to get the next pan and my thumb touched the top burner. Ouch!! At the same time I burned my thumb I dropped my hot pad - right onto the bottom burner. Poof - the hot pad is on fire!! Goodbye yummy banana bread smell. I get the fire out and start reaching for the second pan again. While doing this I knock over the pan next to it and batter starts pouring out from it onto the bottom of my oven. My mom just cleaned my oven while she was here this week! Apparently that loaf wasn't done yet. I decided to leave the rest of the loafs in the oven for another 5 minutes which made the remaining 4 loafs get too brown on top - not burnt but not pretty. The toothpicks all came out clean so I let the loafs cool and wrapped them up and took them to my friends. I leave one loaf for us and boy is it yummy! But then we get to this one little part that is all soupy! I guess I didn't check there with my toothepick. Tyler says it is all the extra butter. And that my friends is why cooking is not my favorite thing - too much time, too much stress, and then it doesn't even turn out right.
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Carrie, you are too cute!  Just remember that you are to learn a lesson from this experience.  Read the ingredients twice and then assemble and measure them.  Keep checking and re-checking to be sure everything is correct.  You can actually cook and do a great job of it.  Don’t let it stress you out so much.  Laughing is good!  Don’t ever give up!  Try, try again, and again and again until you get it right and be proud of the outcome.  I love you!!

Have a great day!   Aldine Allen

Exciting News of the Day!!!

At 7 1/2 months old Ben finally decided he could roll over. Ya-Hoo!! He's been rolling from his back to his tummy all afternoon. It took him long enough - I thought he was going to skip that skill. Once he gets on his tummy he turns all in circles. He turns in circles when he's sitting up on his bum too. He'll be crawling soon. :( He's growing up too fast! He was weighed and measured last week - 22lbs 7 oz 29 1/2 inches long. He'll be 8 months on the 22nd.

Our computer is in the repair shop. Something with the RAM card... I don't know but at least it is finally getting fixed. Tyler's laptop even went out for a few days. That was fun. At least he was able to turn that in at work and they fixed it for him.

We had pictures taken at JC Penny a few weeks ago. If you click on this link it should take you to see them...https://www.smilesbywire.com/home.asp?AC=LTPP0540113927JCP The customer name is Carrie Allen. They turned out so cute!!

We hope everyone had a Happy Easter!