I'm not as good at writing down all the funny things the kids say anymore. He has said some funny ones and I always think I'm going to remember them...and I never do. I need to start writing them down as soon as he says them. I always smile when he says "doog" for good and when he calls "Mommy Carl Allen" when he wants my attention. My heart melts when he hugs me and says in his little squeaky voice, "Oh Mommy, I missed you. I love you so much!" We have a little family cheer we sometimes say on the way to school where at the end we say "Go Allens!" He'll always add, "and kitty cats!"
He's learning so much! He took a little longer to pick up on letters and numbers then my other kids but he is totally getting them now. His new thing is to call out the numbers he notices on people's addresses. He is just growing up! It hit me the other day that next year he will be 5!!! Now granted, he isn't even 4 yet Ü, but next year...December 29, 2016, he will be 5!! How did that happen. It made me a little teary eyed.
We love you Tanner Carl Allen!!
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| He has all his doggies all buckled up ready for lunch |
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| Look at the big tower we built!! |
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| Tanner's a fireman |
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| Tanner's tower with the house he painted in preschool in the background |
On September 5th we used our Pogo Pass to go to Sun Splash. We get to go once a year with our pass and its sure a highlight of our summer. This year Andy and Alex wanted to use Sun Splash as their birthday activity and each bring a friend. I said that was fine as long as they could pay for that friend. They barely scraped that money together...$30 a ticket...ouch!!
Alex chose to bring Cole. They opened up presents from him before we left...a huge bag of candy and a pocket knife for each!!
Almost there...
Got this picture off the internet Ü Look how fun that place is!!
Andy chose to bring his friend Max
The Kents have a Pogo Pass this year too so they joined us...with a couple extra friends.
Last year I didn't even bring my camera. This year I did and pulled it out as often as I could.
The wave pool is one of our faves!
We saw my cousins Dustin and Sheri and kids in the wave pool...they have Pogo Passes too!! Ü
Just some of the slides...
The blue slide off to the left is called the Master Blaster...that's another one of our faves!!
Ben coming off a slide
Andy and Max after the Master Blaster
Katelynn and Abby
Here come Alex and Cole!!
FRIENDS
This yellow and blue one is called Storm Rider. You have to haul these big, yellow, 4 seater rafts up tons of stairs...but its totally worth it!!
I don't remember the actual name of this one but we call it the toilet bowl. Here's Abby!! It shoots you out, you circle around for a few times...
and then plops you out!! Ü
I think this is Cole being plopped.
You can get Iceberg Drive-In shakes there!! So huge!! And so yummy! Mostly we shared between people but there were those stubborn kids who wanted to use their own $ to buy their own shake. None of those kids finished them. Ü
~Abby and Tia~
There was a special need girls in my ward growing up that I had a special bond with. I'm glad Abby has that same experience. All the kids do so well with her.
Ben playing in the "kiddy area"
Here Ben is trying to join a water basketball game and Abby is in the background walking across the slippery lily pads.
They are pretty tricky to get across!!
This slide is one I have not tried. Its called Double Dare. You walk into a tube, the doors close, it counts down, and then the floor drops out from under you. Most of the kids have done it...but I am holding strong and won't give in to the dares. Ü
These 4 did it though!! Ü I said I might try it next year...maybe.
Such a fun time! Thank you to Grandma Pam for watching Tanner so we didn't have a little one to deal with. The Cluffs kept Rebekah for the Kents too...in exchange for bringing Tia. Yay for a little more freedomw!! Ü
After Sun Splash we had a tailgate party in the parking lot of Little Caesars.
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| presents from Max..chips, a new t-shirt, and a card with $5 |
Abby escaping the boys and doing homework. Ü
Over Labor Day weekend we pet sit Hermit Crabs. That was new!!
Ü
I've realized when it comes to birthdays it seems like we end up celebrating 3 different times...an activity of some kind that usually involves a couple of friends, taking the birthday kid out to eat at a place of their choice (which I guess is actually suggested by us...but they think they're pickingit Ü), and then a birthday dinner of their choosing at Grandma and Grandpa's house with cake and ice cream.
Andy and Alex's birthday dinner at Grandma's happened on Labor Day!! Since Grandma Pam's birthday is the day before the twins we were celebrating her too!
Abby was there too...there's just not room around Grandma's table for all of us so we take turns rotating. Ü
Cookie Pie!
Grandma knows what they like!!
This girl is getting too grown up!! Here she is on 8th grade picture day.
BEE-U-TI-FUL!!
Lucky Ben started Tiger Cubs this month. Tiger Cubs is for boys 7 years old or in 1st grade. All meetings and activities involve a parent partner. We did Tiger Cubs with Andy and Alex when they were in 1st grade (and only 6 years old) and they had so much fun with Tyler doing campouts and hikes and field trips! (A traditional troop is actually quite different than an LDS troop in the activities they are able to do.) Ben was really looking forward to doing it too but we just didn't know if we were going to be able to squeeze it in. Finally we decided to just go to that first pack meeting and see if it worked out. If Tiger Cubs met on Wednesday afternoon then Ben and Tyler could do it...if it was on any other day it was probably a no go. Well...guess what day Tiger Cubs meet!! Ü
So yes, now Tyler has ONE MORE thing to add to his NEVER ENDING to do list...but it is so good for him and Ben to spend this time together!!
Even though Ben is in 2nd grade we were able to get him into the troop since he just turned 7. This way he won't have to wait a year to go into Wolves in our ward like the twins did.
His 1st meeting was September 9th and they made bird houses. Ü
Andy and Alex chose Red Robin as the place to go for their birthday meal out. (We really encourage the kids to choose places where they can get a birthday meal free!! Ü)
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| Friday, September 11th |
They loved their burgers!!
Since their meals were free we splurged on a dessert to share. Ü
They joined us on a shopping trip to WalMart...which turned into having too much fun in the Halloween aisle!! Ü
We celebrated early with everything so on their actual birthday (September 12th) we did nothing!! Except get a few presents from mom and dad. Pocket knives, new helmets to use with their bikes Daddy fixed up, a book on Whittling, and a subscription to Boys Life magazine.
Even though Cole gave them a knife earlier in the month we went ahead and gave them the pocket knives we had gotten them.
I was thinking they could just choose one to keep and take the other one back...but Tyler suggested they go ahead and keep both since they can be used for different purposes. So now they own 2 knives...plus a book about Whittling. They were ready right then and there to go grab stick from outside and start making something. We were mean though and made them put them away until they earn their Totem Chip from scouts.
This picture cracks me up!!
Andy was born at 10:28am and Alex at 10:33. As you can kind of see from the clock it is about 10:30...which means Andy is 11...but Alex is still only 10. Ü
They are official 11 year old scouts now!!
(Next year they'll receive the priesthood!!! Crimeny...I'm getting old!!)
Andy and Alex had to write some Guess Who papers for school. I thought they would be good to include here...
Guess Who
Hello. You have to guess who I am by reading this essay. In this
essay I’m going to write about my family, my favorite things, and about where I
see myself in twenty years. So guess who!
My family
is cool. I have three brothers and one sister. I am the oldest boy ln my family.
My one sister is older than me. Almost everyone in my family likes to read
including me. Sometimes we don’t get along very well, but all in all, I think
my family is cool.
I have a lot of favorite things. One of those
things is that my favorite color is blue. Another is that I like sports. My
favorite sport is basketball. I like video games and my favorite video game is
Minecraft. As you can see, I have many favorite
I see myself in twenty years
as an archeologist. It seems like it might be cool because you sometimes find
cool things. Also, I would like to be a video game designer and tester. That is
how I see myself in twenty years.
In conclusion, that is me.
Have you figured out who I am? If not you will find out soon. (Andy ~ stats...5' 5" 113lbs)
Guess Who?
Hi my name is … wait, I forgot I’m not allowed to tell you. Well I
think you will know when I’m done with my essay. I’m going to tell you about my
family, my favorite things, and how I think I will be like in 20 years. Then
you will have to try and guess who I am. Good luck, because you’re going to
need it!
I have a cool family. I
have 3 brothers and 1 sister, and like most families, 1 mom and 1 dad. In my family
we also have 3 cats. Two of my brothers go to A.L.A with me. Sometimes my family
can be crazy, like right now as I am typing this my sister is “dancing around
the room like an old person”. P.s. don’t mention this to anyone. Sometimes my family
can be annoying, and loud. As you can see, my family is awesome.
I have a lot of things
that I like. I enjoy collecting rocks. I also like paleontology, the study of fossils.
One of my favorite things to do is video games. My favorite sports are
basketball and football. My favorite food is steak. My favorite outdoor things
to do are fishing and camping. My favorite authors are Brandon Mull and Rick Riordan.
My favorite series is Fablehaven. As you can see, I have a lot of favorite
things.
In 20 years where do
you think I’ll be? I think I will be a paleontologist somewhere in the world
digging up dinosaur bones. I also think I will be a millionaire with a mansion with
an indoor swimming pool, a videogame room, an indoor basketball court, and an exercise
room. As you can see, in the future, I have a good life.
So, can you guess who I
am? Well, I hope you can, so give it your best shot. Good luck. [: (Alex ~ stats... 5' 4.5' 140lbs)
Kitty news...
Well, being foster kitty parents is fun...but they are staying a little longer than I expected. What I THOUGHT from what I heard was that it would be a couple week turn around. We'd keep the kitties a few weeks until they grew up a little bit and got their vaccinations and stuff and then they'd get taken to get adopted. Its been 2 months now and Mike and Spike are still with us.
They are fun...and they are cute...but they are stinkers!! We got Chloe through this same organization but she was living in the pet store in one of their enclosures. So I THOUGHT once the kitties got old enough they would go to one of these enclosures and we could choose to get new kitties if we wanted when some came available. Well duh!! There are too many foster animals so this doesn't work for all of them. On weekends the organization will have adoption events at different pet stores in town. Foster animals come to these events in the hopes they will go home with someone else!! Our kitties are super sweet and loving at home...but when they go to these events they hiss and scratch and just aren't very nice!! What?!?! Apparently some animals don't show well at these new and hectic environments. (I can understand why...I stayed at one of these events for a bit...dogs barking and jumping like crazy!...I was only there about 15 minutes and left frazzled!!) Mike and Spike are now "grounded" from events for a bit while they grow up a little more and get more socialization...which means letting them out around our house more and coming in contact with new people. Good thing they are cute and behave well for us...and others in our home!! The kids keep saying, "Can't WE just adopt them?!?!" Tyler keeps saying, "We are not a 3 cat family!!" I keep coming back with, "Well, for the last 2 months we've been a 3 cat family." Ü We'll see. I figure we'll play this round out and see if we decide to do this foster thing again in the future. Ü
Andy, Alex, and Ben stay after school for an hour M-Th and participate in an after school sports program. I love it because the price is so doable compared to other organizations and I'm not taking them to extra practices or Saturday games. Every 6 weeks they change to a new sport. This year I hope to go watch them one day at the end of each session. They just finished soccer.
Watching his brothers play
Ben as goalie
Twice a week they get otter pops!! We went on the right day and got some too. Ü
Now they are doing kickball.
The weekend of September 19th & 20th found us up at Camp LoMia for our annul Hall Family Reunion. The Hall family has changed over the years...
There's a family picture that we took in 1999 and its killing me that I can't find it. :( I'll have to come back and put it in later.
We're up to 121 family members now...with 3 more on the way. Ü
The weekend of September 19th & 20th found us up at Camp LoMia for our annul Hall Family Reunion. The Hall family has changed over the years...
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| I'm the little scared girl in blue...bottom right |
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| The random space in this picture was left to insert a picture of my dad...since he wasn't there. Ü |
There's a family picture that we took in 1999 and its killing me that I can't find it. :( I'll have to come back and put it in later.
We're up to 121 family members now...with 3 more on the way. Ü
My mom was in charge of the reunion this year. We started off with some carnival fun!
Then it was the normal playing, visiting, and Saturday night meeting/talent show. My kids did a cool dance number to "I Hope They Call Me On a Mission" that I will post on facebook. I was a proud momma. Also, since its our families turn being in charge they all took turns leading songs and saying prayers.
Grandma Hall has 26 grandkids. Here are the ones who are here and their spouses.
84 great grandkids...with 3 more on the way.
We missed the families who weren't able to make it this year.
WE LOVE GRANDMA HALL!!
Dance Party!! Love that Andy and Alex got in on the action this year. Ü
DJ Devin
Andy the glow stick man
Tanner's 1st time sleeping in a sleeping bag...and on the top bunk. Ü
~ Sunday~
more hanging out, the 2nd tarantula of the weekend found, church meeting, and looking at pictures
After our Sunday church meeting the boys wanted me to explore with them. Tyler and Abby stayed at the camp.
It was while we were looking at this Naked Mole Rat that things went south.
(I hadn't even remembered that I took this picture)
I guess that bee buzzing around it should have been a clue...but not really because there were bees everywhere. Alex was telling me all about naked mole rats...which I didn't even know existed...and how they were blind and was just going on and on about them. All the sudden Tanner started SCREAMING!!! I looked over and he was clutching his neck and I saw a big bee stuck in his hair. I ran over and tried to swat the bee out but that ended up in him screaming again as it stung him. Andy ran over...then he started saying Ouch Ouch cause he was getting stung!! And then they got me too! I have been stung by a bee before...but this was nothing, NOTHING, like I remember from that experience. These stings hurt...SO BAD...and I kept getting stung all over. Ben was still in the tree from the picture above saying he was stuck. Alex was a little way off just crying and crying cause he was scared and thought this was all his found for choosing the way we came. Anyway I turned I would get stung and I just broke down and started crying. They were even in my hair!! I don't think we were normal bees...more like yellow jackets or hornets. Somehow we all got out of there. The causality total...Tanner ~ 3 stings...Andy ~ 2 stings...and me ~ 7 stings. They hurt so bad and ached and itched for more than a week after. It was SO not fun. :(
But we recovered enough to play with caterpillars and butterflies before going home.
And it was a bummer because our wall with the cute little kids on it that we take a picture by every year got repainted. :( One of those pictures from last year is the header for my blog so you can remember what it used to look like.
I keep wanting to take pictures with her lately...cause you just never know...
I LOVE MY FAMILY!!
Alex and Andy earned their Arrow of Light award...the highest rank in Cub Scouts!!
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| 9-22-15 |
They had quite the ceremony!
Crossing over from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts
10 boys earned the award that night!! They are quite the group!!
So proud of them!!
Andy
Alex ~ and a cute future cub scout
Whew!! September was quite the month!!
One last picture...
Hair chopped! Ü
