Thanksgiving is Over - Bring on Christmas

Thanksgiving is over. I'm going to be honest - it's not my favorite holiday. I really don't like turkey, or stuffing, or cranberries, or pie really (I am discovering that the sweet potatoes are pretty yummy though). Too bad for me. I do enjoy being able to reflect on my blessings; which are a lot; and being able to teach my kids that "a thankful hear is a happy heart"!!

This was supposed to be our year to go spend Thanksgiving with Tyler's family in Texas. But we are poor and didn't go; so sad. We signed up with oovoo and were able to talk to some of them via webcam. That was cool! Gotta love technology! I am thankful for the wonderful and large family that I married into. I love them all and wish we could spend more time with them.

This was my parent's first Thanksgiving in their new home. I'm so thankful they are here and honestly don't know how we lived without them. Grandma Hall, Aunt Marsha,and Uncle Paul ate dinner with us too. I am thankful to have my Grandma still here with us and for the many aunts, uncles, and cousins that I have. (The kids only ate about 1/4 of what was on their plates. They couldn't wait for dessert though.)

Aunt Marsha (my mom's sister) made the comment that it was getting easier for her to tell Andy and Alex apart. Alex said, "Well I still can't tell Uncle Darwin and Uncle Paul apart." Uncle Darwin is my mom's brother and Uncle Paul is Marsha's husband. We got a good laugh over that as they look nothing alike!!

Grandpa and Alex playing Thanksgiving bingo

I'm sure thankful for this guy!!

Alex was sooooo excited for Thanksgiving. Which is funny because he is our pickiest eater. Ever since Halloween all he could talk about was eating turkey, mashed potatoes, corn (which he fusses about eating every time we have it), and pie. He ate better than I expected him to but he was sad when he realized the turkey wasn't on the bone (my kids love to eat "chicken on the bone). So grandma gave him a turkey bone to take home and he ate it for breakfast the next day. On Thanksgiving morning Alex said, "Today is my most favorite day of the year." When I asked him why he said, "Because today we get to thank Heavenly Father for all our blessings."

Now on to Christmas. I am really looking forward to Christmas this year and I'm hoping it is filled with joy and peace with as little chaos as possible. We are starting to put up our decorations little by little. Friday we got up the outside lights (which about 1/2 are burnt out. Guess we'll be buying some of those at the after Christmas sales). We did not get up our reindeer and trees though. Alex kept saying, "But last year you got all the outside decorations up in one day. Why didn't you do that this year." I said, "It's getting dark - it's too late to put up any more." He said, "Well, you should have started earlier." He got sent inside. Ü

Today we got out the tree and stockings. No ornaments yet; just the tree. - Abby was in tears about that one. Our artificial tree comes in 3 pieces. When we got them out Alex excitedly said, "Look there is an ornament still on there from last year!" It was the tag that said "middle section".

Andy trying his stocking on

I love a lighted Christmas tree

Ben watching

We've had Tommy the Talking Snowman sincy Abby was about 18 months old. We got him from Avon back when I was selling it. For the last 3 years Andy and Alex have given him rocks. I don't get it but they feel he needs rocks. Without any prompting, as soon as Tommy was up Alex said, "Come on Andy lets get Tommy his rocks!!" I limited them to 2 rocks each but Abby decided she needed to sprinkle some little rocks around too for snow.

The kids made these reindeer masks with Grandma the other day

Looking at "I Spy Christmas"

Happy December!!
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What fun pictures and stories!  This would make a cute book for the kids to read over and over again.  You do such a great job on your blogs.  I love reading them and looking at your pictures.  I can’t wait to show you some of the things I am creating. 

Aldine Allen

Christmas Give Away!!

Go to this link and check out the give away that could be your's!
(If I do not get it first haha)
http://kellis-thisandthat.blogspot.com/2009/11/its-another-giveaway-believe-vinyl.html

Ben at 15 Months

Benjamin had his 15 month check up today. He is 29.3 lbs and 34.5 inches (that's almost 3 feet!!) He wore a 3T shirt today; the shirt Andy wore on his 2nd birthday. My baby is getting too big!! Besides some congestion he is a healthy boy. He got 5 shots today one of which was the swine flu shot. He needs to go back in a month for a 2nd dose of that one. There is nothing worse than holding your baby down on the table for shots and having them look at you while crying thier eyes out. Luckily the nurse was quick.
I absolutely love this age. It seems like kids this age learn something new everyday. Ben can say daddy, doggie, ducky, teeth, and cheese. Ok, so daddy, doggie, and ducky all sound the same and teeth and cheese sound the same but really ~ he is saying the different words. Ü He can pant like a dog, hiss like a snake, and say aah aah for moneky. He can understand what we say and follow simple directions. He loves the 4 Bs - books, blankets, balls, and binkys. He also loves his daddy...



...and his grandma.
Ben has 10 teeth now and is learning to feed himself.He's a stinker though. He loves to play in the toilet and the trash. He hits. He throws full on tantrums which include falling to the floor and screaming. He knows what he's not supposed to do and does it anyways ~ for example when we go to the park he'll take a couple of steps towards the street and then turn around and look at me; I'll tell him to stay in the park; he'll take a couple more steps and then turn around and look at me; again I'll tell him to stay in the park; he'll take a few more steps and then look at me; I'll get up to go get him and he'll make a mad giggly dash to the street. Stinker!! He's not supposed to be that smart yet is he? He's loud and he's always on the go. He HATES to be in his playpen or highchair too long. His new favorite thing to do is play outside. Today he was trying to ride the boy's scooter.

I uploaded some videos mainly for the grandma's to see. This 1st one is of him playing peek-a-boo with the curtain - which of course since I let him do it this once he wants to do all the time.

This video is to show how smart Ben is. He is learning his animals.

We went to the zoo on Nov. 7th. Ben loved seeing these frogs. His sqeals of excitement are so cute. This video is about 3 minutes long - if you watch the 1st little bit you'll get the idea.


This video shows how LOUD Ben is. He sure knows how to get our attention. We're working on being quiet. He gets distracted in the middle of the video by daddy and his milk but then makes some more noise at the end. This video also shows him signing "more please". He puts the 2 signs together and just brushes his hands together. Today he signed thank you - I was so proud. Ü


We Love You Ben!!

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Too cute!  I love your blogs.  He is definitely getting to be a big boy.  I  can’t believe he is almost 3 feet tall already.  He is going to be your real giant!

Happy storytelling!

Aldine Allen

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Carrie,
I was talking to Mom, and she had mentioned to me that Ben was about 30 lbs.
and 3 feet tall already. I was totally shocked! That is exactly how big
Nicholas is right now! I couldn't imagine a one year old being Nick's size.
I went to your blog to see some pictures of him. It's still hard to tell his
size from the pictures but he sure is cute!! He is probably going to be 7
feet tall before he is done growing! Start thinking Basketball Scholarship!!

Have a great day!

Angie

Hey Angie,
     Ben is 15 months, 29.3 lbs, and 34.5 inches.  CrAzY!!  He doesn't seem
that big to me but he definately is bigger than Andy and Alex at this age.
Hopefully he didn't inherit my inability to play sports.  I pulled out the
3T short sleeve shirts for him the other day.  He's nuts. How are you doing
with your 2 sweet boys?   Thanks for the email.  Love you!

Carrie Ü

Nicholas is 32 months and 30 lbs., 37''.  It's gotta be a little sad for
you...they grow so fast as it is, but to have him do it twice as fast, it
doesn't leave you much time to enjoy him being little! :( I've got Nikki in
3T's right now too.

We are doing good with the two boys! I am trying to savor every moment of
Connor being little, since I know we are not going to have any more kids. It
is so exciting to watch him learn new things! I remember how immensely proud
I was of Nikki when he made big accomplishments like learning to crawl or
walk. I'm looking forward to going through that again with Connor. Every day
I feel like I am SO blessed to have them! For so long we worried we wouldn't
be able to have any kids at all! It is really amazing to me how much joy
they bring into your home! I love to see Mario play with Nick - they are
such good friends!

Your blog is awesome! I love to read all the funny things your kids say! I
also love the series of pictures you put up of Tyler playing with Ben! That
was so cute!

Well, I better get back to work. I hope you had a great day today! Give
Tyler a big kiss for me! :)

Love you guys!
Angie

32 Years Young

Tyler celebrated his 32nd birthday at the end of October. He was actually in Indiana on his birthday presenting at a business conference so we celebrated the weekend before. He chose to make pizza at home with the kids and have his favorite dessert - blueberry cheese pie. Later in the week after he got back into town he and I were able to go out to eat at one of his favorite places - Red Lobster. They have their endless shrimp meal going on every year around his birthday - lucky him.

More Birthday Fun!!

2002 ~ 25 years old

2005 ~ 28 years old

He got this funky birthday hat at work

2006 ~ 29 years old

He chose to eat at Mongolian Grill this year.

2008 ~ 31 years old

the 3 boys and I surprised daddy at work and took him to Red Lobster

Love You Babe!!

Schnepf Farms Fieldtrip

On October 30th the kindergarten went on a fieldtrip to Schnepf Farms. Alex was sick that day and missed it - such a bummer! But Andy went and had a great time. Tyler was able to take the day off and be a chaperone. The class learned about pumpkins all week and they were able to pick their own pumpkins at the farm. They also went on fun rides, watched some pig races, and got their faces painted. Fun times for Andy!!Abby did the Schnepf Farms fieldtrip when she was in 1st grade. I had just had Ben and Tyler wasn't able to go that time so no pictures from her fieldtrip. When she went they played on the playground and got to pick their own vegetable - she chose a radish.

We went as a family to Shcnepf Farms in October of 2006. The Pumpkin and Chili Festival was going on. It was fun but I doubt if we'll ever go again. Talk about expensive!! We didn't even get any of the chili - we didn't know it cost extra. Ü

My Mother in Law and Heritage Makers

My mother in law, Aldine Allen, has recently become a consultant for Heritage Makers - an online company that helps people preserve their memories. There are all kinds of projects you can do on her website from scrapbooks to storybooks to personalized cards. My favorite product she has made is a deck of playing cards. Each card has a picture of someone in our extended family on it. What a great way to teach my kids who their aunts, uncles, and cousins are!! She is so excited about what she is doing and wants to just share it with everyone!!
Heritage Makers has been having a Spirit Tour where the president of the company has been touring the nation telling people about the opportunities Heritage Makers has to offer. He will be in Phoenix this Thursday at the Embassy Suites on Thomas Rd. The meeting starts at 7pm. Click here for the exact address and more information...

http://support.heritagemakers.com/comm/incentive/2009/spiritTour/Spirit_Tour/Spirit_Tour_Locations.html

Here are some of the exciting things my mother in law has told me about the company...
* The business started in 2005 and they are DEBT FREE!!
* There is no inventory. As a consultant you would do parties to present the product to people and then your customers would go online to make their projects. Heritage Makers then sends the projects right to them.
* Anything that is made at Heritage Makers is saved on their server forever!! So if a project is lost or damaged you can have it repaced at half the cost.
* Usually one consultant in an area has a high speed scanner. My MIL scanned 1500 pictures onto CDs recently in a fraction of the time it would have taken her to do it normally.
* The prodcut practically sells itself. At this time of recession people are wanting to spend their money on gifts that are personal and will last. Everyone wants to preserve their memories. None of these gifts will end up at a garage sale! Ü

Now I'm not sure if this is the right time in my life to take on this opportunity of being a consultant for Heritage Makers but maybe it is for one of you. I know many of you enjoy scrapbooking and many of you would love to earn some extra money. My mother in law said it was just so exciting to hear about the company and all it has to offer from the man who started it. Even if you aren't interested in being a consultant, this meeting will help you learn about the different products Heritage Makers has to offer. If you are interested in attending the meeting please let me know as my mother in law would need to register you for it. There is no cost to attend and I think you might even get some freebies to take home. Ü If you have any questions at all about the company I can definately get you in touch with Aldine. Check out her website at www.happymemoriespreserved.com

I know the next time my mother in law comes out to visit she will want to do some parties. WooHoo!! Just know that you'll all be invited. Ü
Heritage Makers is having an awesome deal on Christmas cards. Check this out ~ http://www.heritagemakers.com/comm/go/2009/holidayHits/HolidayHits_cardsflyer.pdf

Baseball with Dad ~ May 2007

Andy chose to practice swinging that day Ü

And why are the boys in their underwear? Because they were potty training!!
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Cute!  I love all your fun pictures.  Hey, did I send you the information on the Heritage Makers meeting in Phoenix? Do you think you will be able to attend?  The more I hear about this company the more I like it.  I have created a book for my parents.  I will send you a link and you can check it out.

Have a Great Day!

Aldine Allen

My Grandma Marge

My Grandma Marge is my dad's mom. She would have been 93 years old earlier this month. She passed away Father's Day of this year.

Three years ago for her 90th birthday our family, along with my parents, made a suprise trip up to Washington. She had no idea we were all coming. My mom called her from my uncle's cell phone and said, "Marge, there was supposed to be a birthday package delivered for you. Will you go out and see if they left it on your porch?" She opened the door and there we all were!! That was the best! We hadn't seen Grandma since Abby was 5 months old. She kept saying "I thought I'd never get to see the twins."

Here are more fun pictures from our trip in 2006. Abby was 4 years old and the boys were 2. They still talk about flying on the airplane to see Grandma Marge. She lived in Everett, WA. That is where my dad, along with his brother and sister, were born and raised. Grandma moved there from Illinios when she was young. The picture in the bottom left corner is a picture of the house she grew up in.

My parents were able to make several more trips up to Washington these last few years to spend time with her. She got to be in really poor health and is now free of pain. She is with her mom, who died when she was a young girl, her daughter (my aunt who died of cancer many year ago), and her husband. I love and miss my sweet Grandma Marge. I am excited for her temple work to be done so she can be part of our eternal family.

Wonderful pictures and wonderful memories!!

Have a Great Day!

Aldine Allen

Benjamin Loves Books!!

His favortie right now is actually "Over in the Meadow." He will sit there while we sing/read all 10 verses and then want to do it again. Love it!
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Very cute!  I remember the twins loved a silly book that I had with the song of Over the River and Through The Woods.  We had to read/sing it every night before bed and sometimes during the day.  There was a family in the pictures that was going to visit grandma and grandpa for Thanksgiving.  The baby ended up holding to a string on a big hot air balloon that was in a parade and going up into the sky, only to end up inside a plane.  It was pretty crazy.  They absolutely loved it.

Have a great day!
 
Aldine Allen

The Halloween Post

Abby was a witch

(I wore this witch dress when I was little)

Andy was Superman

Alex was an octopus - yes an octopus. He said, "I want to be Tigger...unless I could be an octopus." My mom, who is miss crafty, said, "I don't know if I've ever see an octopus costume." Alex said, "Could you make me one?" Grandma said she would try. This is what she came up with.
And you remember this guy. Ü

We found this costume at a garage sale for $1 a few weeks before Halloween. Too bad it didn't come in a size 7 for Alex - then grandma wouldn't have had to make his octopus costume. Isn't Ben so cute!!

Grandma bought the big kids cute painted pumpkinsWe carved those pumpkins plus 2 others and had "Five Little Pumpkins". Tyler loved roasting all the pumpkin seeds (his friends at work loved eating them).

Halloween was interesting this year. Friday the 30th our ward had a Trunk of Treat which was fun. I even brought chili for the chili cookoff - Go Me! But Alex was sick that day with the croup. He even missed his kindergarten field trip to Schnepf Farms that day. He was so dissapointed about missing 2 fun things. Mommy was so sad for him. Daddy stayed home with Alex and Ben (why should I bring Ben out when he could be home sleeping??) and Abby, Andy, and I went to the Trunk or Treat.

Alex was feeling better on Halloween. We had plans to go to my parents house for dinner and trick or treating. Tyler still had tons of grading to do for school and chose to stay home. It was such a bummer that he missed both the Trunk or Treat and trick or treating but I guess if Daddy has to work Daddy has to work. My mom made mummies (hot dogs wrapped in crescent rolls), chili, baked potatos, and ghosts (nutter butters dipped in white chocolate) for dinner with slime to drink (green KoolAid). We also had candy corn cake.

When it came time to go trick or treating Alex WOULD not go!!! He was worried people would laugh at him and there was nothing we could do to convince him otherwise. He hid in my mom's pantry. So I took Abby, Andy, and Ben and Alex stayed home with Grandma. She said he hid in the dark for about an hour (with her trying to bribe him out of course) before he finally came out to play a game with grandpa. Grandma asked him if mommy would take him out trick or treating when she came back if he would go and finally he said yes. So after I brought the first 3 kids back I went out again with Alex. He said to me about 20 times, "This is fun going trick or treating mommy." Yes Alex I know - that's what we were trying to tell you 2 hours ago. Crazy boy!! And no one laughed at him. One lady even guessed he was an octopus.

The first round of trick or treating

We stopped at this house to take a picture in the cemetary. I had no idea what this tombstone said until I saw the picture full size today. My dad loves Elvis!! How funny.

Alex by a cool spider

Alex with his favortie thing - Pooh Bear!!

2 Tiggers!! We didn't get home from grandma's and grandpa's until almost 9pm and then we let the kids go through their candy. Look at our loot!!

What a night. The kids already have ideas of what they want to be next year. Abby has a renaissance dress she want to wear to be a queen, Andy wants to be her king, and Alex...well Alex has said 3 different things. First he said Pooh Bear (my mom suggested he be Christopher Robin and just carry his pooh bear), then he said an army guy (which grandma found a costume on sale after Halloween so someone has to be that!), and then he decided he wanted to wear a lamp shade on his head and be a lamp. Honey, maybe you wouldn't have to worry about people laughing at you if you chose to have normal costumes. Ü