Erickson Family

not 1, not 2 but 3 birthday parties= a tired mom and a happy 5 year old

2012-01-30T19:18:00.000-08:00

The festivities began with a "friend party" which consisted of Allie inviting her 2 little friends over to decorate sugar cookies. They made princess hats and had a birthday smoothie pretty low key but they had fun wearing their hats and pretending to be princesses.

Party #2 was a birthday dinner on her actual birthday with Grandma & Grandpa, Uncle Greggy & Uncle " Raf ". We had spent saturday at Grandma's and Grandpa's and didn't make it back in time before the store closed. Thankfully Grandma had some macaroni noodles to save the day because you can't have Allie's birthday dinner without "little macaroni & cheese" (the homemade kind).

Party #3 was the big one. It was strawberry shortcake and just in case anyone is wondering there are not very many good ideas for games to go along with strawberry shortcake. I made some felt strawberries and played toss the strawberries into the basket, stick the strawberry sticker on strawberry shortcake, and then I had different fruits (lemons, oranges, strawberries, raspberries and blueberries) they had to close their eyes while I handed them a piece of fruit which they had to taste and then say which of strawberry's friends would like that fruit. We also found some fun little figurines for them to paint (not strawberry related but still fun).

The following day Allie started in on next year for my birthday... I stopped her right there and said you can wait a while before we start planning for next year.

Happy 5th Birthday Allie!

2012-01-14T21:22:00.000-08:00

How can you possibly be 5 years old already. It seems like it was just yesterday that you were born, but now you are so excited to go to Kindergarten in the Fall. You are such a smart little girl and have such a special spirit (even if you do keep us on our toes sometimes). I have loved being able to stay home with you and watching you grow. Always remember "you are my sunshine". I love you so much. Love, Mom

2011-12-26T14:02:00.000-08:00

Christmas 2011

2011-12-26T09:39:00.000-08:00

The festivities began with a trip to Salt Lake on Friday night. Allan's parents got everyone a hotel room so we could spend some time together after the Scarlet family party. After turning the wrong way on a one way street -thanks Marcus :) we made it to the hotel then we got to go downtown to Temple Square and see the pretty lights. It was very pretty but also very crowded and cold. We had a little adventure on our way back to the hotel we were staying at. We missed the exit getting off the train (it was crowded and couldn't make it to the exit in time) and just figured we'd get off at the next exit and come back. Well that next exit was not a place that gave you warm fuzzies it was more of a fight or flight instinct settling in. Regardless we made it back safe and sound and decided to go to bed. Everyone else stayed up and made gingerbread houses.

In our hotel room there were 2 beds but Allie decided she wanted to sleep on the couch. I was tired and couldn't have cared less about where she slept as long as she went to sleep. Kendall did pretty good sleeping in the pack and play. When we woke up we got some breakfast and then hit the pool. Yes that's right we went swimming on Christmas Eve morning in Utah! Thankfully the pool was indoor and heated. Then we went up exchanged some gifts and checked out for the day. Thank you Allan's parents for the fun adventures!

CHRISTMAS MORNING!!
Again Allie slept in on Christmas morning. I think she is the only child in the world who sleeps in on Christmas morning. I don't know if she just goes sound to sleep so Santa comes or because she's so excited it wears her out but whatever it is I don't mind it one bit. Kendall was up at 7:00 and she didn't wake up until almost 8:00. It was fun seeing her get excited again about presents, but I think it's really neat that she gets even more excited about seeing other people open the gifts that she got for them. At least it's not all me, me, me she likes to give. I even got a very nicely used sleeping beauty doll all wrapped up from her :). She got these pretty cool fairies that light up with a wand and Kendall got some car rattles and food. His favorite was a little ball Grandma Too gave him. He squealed at that all day. We then went to church and then had Allan's parents, brother, uncle and future sister in law over for dinner. It turned out pretty yummy. All in all it's been a fun holiday season and now we get to wait for my parents to come for a visit.

Christmas picture fun

2011-12-17T17:57:00.000-08:00

Allie teaching Kendall about the story of Jesus' birth.

Snow Day!

2011-11-19T14:23:00.000-08:00

It's the most wonderful time of year....ok so it is if your name is Allie. She jumped in the snow. She rolled in the snow. She even fell off her slide backwards into the snow (then said "it's ok the snow caught me"). She loves the snow. Kendall had fun sitting in his car seat all nice and bundled up. I think he's going to like the snow too. Crazy kids don't they know it's cold.

Pics from Cali

2011-10-30T19:39:00.000-07:00

FALL

2011-10-30T18:03:00.000-07:00

WHERE'S ALLIE?

Fall Fun

Allie loves Fall because she can jump in leaf piles, throw the leaves that I raked up, drink hot chocolate. The biggest reason why she loves Fall is because that means snow is on the way. Can she really be my daughter?

Nerdy 30

2011-10-02T15:56:00.000-07:00

Allan is the big 3-0

Allan had a birthday and turned 30! 30 on the 30th so I decided to surprise him by having his sister and her family and his mom join us at our house for a nerdy 30 party. Let me just clarify that having a nerd party was actually his idea. He thought we were going to do something at his mom's since his sister's family was coming up to watch conference but we changed the plans to make it somewhat of a surprise. If you search for nerd party games online all it comes up with is to play video games so we didn't really play any games it also said to decorate with science and math things so I decided to let the kids play with vinegar and baking soda with watercolor paint and that kept them entertained for literally 2 hours. Now that kind of science is cool. We went through an entire bottle of vinegar and that's when we had to stop since there wasn't any left. It was fun to watch how excited they got over it so if you're looking for a cheap way to entertain your child this is it.

1 month old

2011-10-02T15:50:00.000-07:00

sleepy little guy

2011-09-17T15:25:00.000-07:00

3 weeks down & first day of preschool

2011-09-10T19:02:00.000-07:00

Family Photo
August 28th, 2011

It's now been 3 weeks since our family has grown and it's nice to be able to say we've survived. Allie has been a very big help with Kendall and is very loving and gentle with him. She likes to feed him his bottles and even stops after awhile to make sure he burps. She has also tried to make his bottle for him when he cries even if he just ate so I have to keep an eye on that. The last bottle she made was quite watery. The first little while she was having a few melt downs but really I think the biggest issue was the lack of routine. She was going to bed much later than usual and then throw in the whole idea of having to share mom and dad and that made for some pretty big tears. Thankfully we have been able to get back on schedule and she has been doing much better which also means that mom and dad have been doing much better as well. Kendall is a very good baby not that you can have a bad baby but he does have his schedule and sticks to it pretty good. He eats every 3 hours pretty much on the dot. He has been sleeping pretty good at night too (knock on wood) there has only been a few nights when he's decided that he didn't want to go back to sleep after eating at 2:00 in the morning. At his 2 week appt. He weighed 9 lbs. 3 oz. and was 21 3/4 inches. He'd gained a pound and grown 1 3/4 inches in 2 weeks. Crazy boy already had a major growth spurt. The dr. said that he must be a good eater (which he is) because he's growing faster than normal. I guess most newborns grow 1/4 of an inch each week not 3/4 like he did. Maybe that's why he has an extra feeding during the day when compared to the guidelines for formula fed babies. All in all we are doing good and loving the new addition to our family.

First Day of Preschool
September 7th, 2011
I love the pose. I can't take pictures of Allie now without her either doing some type of pose, making a really cheesy smile, or not smiling at all and giving me the evil eye. She has been "patiently" waiting for preschool to start again. There's a group of moms from our church that take turns each week doing the preschool. It's just one day a week, but Allie loves it so much. She can't wait until she gets to go to "real" school though and that will have to wait another year.

Welcome to the family Kendall

2011-08-27T11:48:00.000-07:00

On August 18th, I had an appointment with my dr. for my 38 week check up. It was also the last appointment before my scheduled c-section which had been scheduled for the 24th (you have to be 39 weeks before they will do a scheduled c-section). Allan decided he wanted to come with me to my appointment just so he new what the plan was going to be for the following week. We were also going to go to lunch with his mom after my appointment. Allie and I went and picked him up from work all covered in oil and grease and went to my appointment. I didn't tell Allan at the time but I had felt a little dizzy waiting for him in the car but it went away so I didn't worry about it. As we were sitting in the waiting room I got up to get a magazine and the same thing happened I sat back down and told him the room was spinning. Again it went away and I wasn't too concerned. They called us back and took my weight and blood pressure (part of the joys of being pregnant) and the nurse said "huh your blood pressure is high today". It had been a little high the week beforeand I went up for a non-stress test, but everything was fine. Baby looked good and my bp went down while I was laying there. At this appointment my bp was 160/94 I guess this was a little more concerning to the doctor since Allan told her I was feeling dizzy in the waiting room. So she looks at us and tells us that since I had a couple high bp readings and with being light headed we were just going to take the baby out then. Allan's first thought was she's joking but then she continued to tell us to go up the elevator to the 2nd floor and she would call to let them know we were on our way. i think I was still in a little shock too since I had planned for the weekend to finish getting the baby room together, pack a bag for allan and I at the hospital, get a bag for Allie to stay with my sister and Allan's mom, do the dishes that were still in the sink you know all those things that you think you have all the time in the world to do. Allie also looked at us with a panicked looked because she was concerned with seeing blood and now the dr was sitting there telling us he was coming out right now. We assured her we would call Grandma to come get her so she wouldn't see anything. We went out called Allan's mom to tell her we weren't going to be able to go to lunch and could she get Allie. Thankfully she was able to take the rest of the day off of work. I called Erin to let her know what was happening and called my mom to tell her I was having a baby. The dr had told us that since I had eaten breakfast the anesthesiologist wouldn't do the c-section until later probably around 4:00 or 4:30. So that's what I told my mom.
We went upstairs got hooked up to the baby monitors, but then about 4 nurses came in to draw blood, start an IV, take my history and one gave Allan some scrubs. We were thinking he could run home quickly to pack our bags fast and come back before anything would happen. Erin had been in the area and so she was able to come in to see us I thought it was funny that Colby laughed at the fact that I was in the hospital bed. Another nurse came in and asked him if Allan needed scrubs he said no he already had some and she said well you better get them on we're going soon. We asked how soon and that's when the anesthesiologist came in to get me he said he would just give me some stuff so I wouldn't get nauseous from eating breakfast and we were going to go in right then. It all happened so fast I didn't even get to call my mom back to tell her. We went back, I got a spinal block laid down and they had Kendall out at 12:32 (just 2 hours after my appointment). He was 8 lbs. 6 oz. and 20 inches long. That was the same length that Allie had been when I had her at 37 weeks but a pound and a half heavier. I think I was still in a little bit of shock because I just kept thinking but it's not the 24th and I'm not ready but there he was our handsome little (big) boy, Kendall Bruce Erickson, had joined our family.
Allie was so excited she even got to help the nurse give him his first bath later that night. Kendall tried to give us a little scare he wasn't really eating and he was kind of turning a gray color so they did a sugar test which came back low, borderline needing to go to the nicu for an iv of food. They ended up putting a little iv in his hand they could draw blood from so they wouldn't have to keep poking him since they had to keep checking his levels. They were able to get him to eat a little and the pediatrician said they could hold off sending him to the nicu and just keep trying to get him to eat. Thankfully he did and began to look better. Each feeding he started eating more and more so they were able to take the iv back out and we were able to go home on Saturday.
And that's our crazy story of how we went to a check up appointment and came home with a baby. I told Allan that maybe that's what the excitement of going into labor is like. You never know when or how long it will last. It all just happens.

What we've been doing

2011-08-06T18:35:00.000-07:00

Wow so since Easter was my last post I guess I have some catching up to do so this is what we've been doing since then.

JAHNNA'S BAPTISM

My niece, Jahnna, turned 8 and was able to be baptized. Allie was probably almost as excited as Jahnna was and even figured out that she has to wait 4 more years before she can be baptized herself.

Thank you Jahnna for setting a good example for your cousins.

It was a fun event. Most of my family from California was able to come celebrate with Jahnna so it was fun to see them. Nicki drove out with Tessa and Hudson so it was fun to see them get to play with the cousins. I couldn't believe how much Hudson has grown up. Nicki also brought us some much needed boys clothes which was a huge relief for me and she made the drive a month before she was due with their third baby. Now they have Felicity who has joined their and is very cute. Congrats guys!

CAMPING TRIP

Allie has been a deprived child thinking that going camping meant having a fire in the backyard and roasting marshmallows. We were going to go somewhere and actually go camping, but ended up having a campout in Grandma's backyard. Hey at least we set up tents and slept outside but the benefit of having the house and bathrooms right there was definitely a plus for those of us (me) who have a baby growing inside thinking bladders are supposed to be trampolines. We had BBQ, a campfire with lots of smoke, smores, a night sleeping on a deflated air mattress, and the kids had lots of fun playing outside. I'd say it was pretty close to the real thing and I would definitely recommend backyard camping as a great alternative to actually going somewhere. Someday we will have to do a "real" camping trip though to let her have the full experience.

yes those giant marshmallows are good to eat, but if you try and make a smore with them they become very messy. I had to laugh when I woke up and saw Allan and Allie sleeping. I always tell Allan how much Allie is just like him and look they even sleep with the same arm crossed over in front of them.

4th of JULY

Like last year we decided to travel down to the Wager's house to watch the hot air balloons go up and like last year they got to blow them up but do to the weather they weren't actually able to fly. It was still pretty cool they let you get right up next to them....that is until the wind picks up and starts blowing them all around. Then they tend to try and get everyone away as quick as possible. We also go to go watch the parade that had lots of floats and people from different areas of the military. Allie was so proud to tell everyone that her Uncle John was in the army and he helps keep our country safe. They had talked about the 4th of July being the birthday for our country at church so she was very aware of all the American Flags and people in the military. She is definitely "proud to be an American!"

CARNIVAL TIME

Preston has a rodeo which is apparently a very big deal, "The Famous Preston Nights Rodeo", which includes a parade not once but all 3 nights of the rodeo. The first one is your typical parade but they throw candy to all the people watching, the second night is an all horse parade with not so much candy and the third night is crazy everyone throws candy, passes out coupons, otter pops and even water bottles and chocolate milk. It's a good thing one of the Dads from our ward at church was sitting next to us helping Allie out with her candy collection or she would probably have had only 1 or 2 pieces. She kept watching all the other kids push and shove to grab as much as they could. I could say thank goodness she has manners but really I think it was just to intimidating for her. She got candy though and was happy with that.
I saw in the paper that they had a 'lil bucakroo roundup hosted by the medical center with games and activities for the kids and best of all it was FREE!!! The thing that really caught my eye was that they were doing pony rides with the Rodeo Queens and their horses. I had a dr. appt. that day and not wanting to disappoint Allie if we didn't get to do the pony ride just told her that I had a surprise for her. I thought at least she could do some of the games before we had to leave. Luckily we had time and she loved all of it. She's been dying to ride a horse again so it was fun to see her get to do that.

Allan was also given 2 free tickets to the carnival for unlimited rides. He helped a lady with her car at work by checking her tires and told her she didn't owe him anything for it and when he went back from lunch she had brought him the tickets. Turns out she's someone who helps coordinate all the activities at the fairgrounds. Allan being the trooper he is and me being 8 months pregnant went on the rides with Allie. Of course they had the little kid rides that are typically at a carnival that she enjoyed...

but of course her favorites were the Ferris Wheel (not a little Ferris wheel but a full size one) and one that I think is called the scrambler. She told Allan that it was okay she was right there with him so he didn't need to be worried. I think we have a little adrenaline junkie on our hands which makes me a little worried for when she gets older.

COUNT DOWN TO BABY

It's finally August and baby time is just around the corner. I had been measuring a little big so the dr. had me do another ultrasound at 32 weeks which confirmed that our "little guy" is not going to be so little. All his measurements said he was as big as a baby who was 35 weeks along not 32 and they had put his weight at a little over 5 lbs. already which they then told me means he was the potential of being over 9 lbs if I go the full 40 weeks (august 30th). The dr. said with his size and having had a c-section with Allie she was concerned with doing a vbac and the possibility of complications. So she said if he doesn't come by the 24th on his own then we'll take him out whether he wants to come out or not by c-section. She assured me that there are many people who have multiple c-sections without complications so if we want to have more later on that would still be possible. Meanwhile I've been going crazy with not having a "space" for the baby ready so Allan has worked really hard to turn the basement into a play room so we could have to room where all the toys were for the baby. Allie has been just as anxious to get ready for the baby. We finally went through the boxes of clothes that Jason and Nicki gave us (thank you guys so much you are awesome) and Allie had to look at each one with the "awww mom look at this one it's so cute" needless to say it took a little longer than I had wanted it to. Regardless we finally have his crib set up, clothes sorted by sizes, diapers ready and now we're playing the waiting game to see if he'll come on his own early (wishful thinking....probably) or on the 24th!

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T14:48:00.000-07:00

I think this year Easter= too much candy and not enough sleep but lots and lots of fun. We went to Allan's parents house for the weekend since his sisters and their families were coming up. We dyed Easter eggs on Friday night and then Saturday started with an egg hunt down at the park. We then came back to his parents house where the kids had a ton of fun running around getting dirty. We had another egg hunt at his parent's house and a very yummy dinner. Allan's Uncle Ralph (or Uncle Raf as Allie calls him) came over with more fun surprises for the kids, more candy, an Easter dress and a book. Sunday the Easter Bunny had left some surprises and thankfully the rest of the day has been a little more relaxed. We went to Church came home and have just relaxed. It was a lot of fun getting together with everyone. Allie was fascinated with her newest little cousin who is about 1 1/2 months old. I can see she's getting pretty excited about this whole new idea of having a little brother of her own. She couldn't get enough of holding him and touching him and just looking at him. It made me get a little more excited too!

I also couldn't let Easter go by without reflecting on the love I have for our Savior. I am so thankful for the atonement and the resurrection and the assurance it gives to know that someday my family will be able to live together forever. I know that he suffered and died for each one of us because he loves us so much and I am so thankful for the testimony I have of this.

Baby #2 is a ...!..

2011-04-16T17:30:00.000-07:00

I went for my 20 week ultrasound this week. Isn't it crazy how some days it seems like pregnancies last forever and other days you just want it to slow down because you feel like you're not ready. That's where I'm at right now. I just want it to slow down. Don't get me wrong, I'm really excited to have a new addition to our family and can't wait to see and hold our new baby but I'm a little nervous because now it means we are going to need to buy new supplies. Well that is unless we want our son to wear pink and purple. That's right we're having a BOY! Boys are so different than girls. I was kind of hoping it was a girl because then she could have just worn all of Allie's baby clothes. All (I mean ALL) of Allie's clothes are either pink or purple no neutral colors there.

It was pretty funny at my appointment Allie had been so excited to go see more pictures of the baby. The man doing the ultrasound asked if we wanted to know and of course we had to since Allie has been dying to know for sure if it was a girl. She's told everyone who has asked if she wants a brother or a sister that "well daddy wants a boy, but I want a sister". So he asked us if she was going to be disappointed if it was a boy. I told him well this way at least we still have a few months to get her excited about a boy. He started the ultrasound and of course the gender is the last thing they tell you and it was torture for Allie. Each picture that came on the screen she'd ask "is it a girl?". Finally when the moment of truth came he drew arrows pointing to the boy parts and said "well mom and dad do you know what I'm looking at. Unless this falls off.." Allie again wanted to know what it was so all we said was "Daddy wins" and she got the biggest pouty face then went over to the door and just put her face against it and sat there. The guy told us she actually handled it better than other kids he's seen who have thrown a big fit.

She's starting to warm up to the idea. Today we went to walmart and told her she could pick out an outfit to help get her more excited. Well one outfit was soon going to turn into the entire boy's clothing section so hopefully it worked. We had to keep putting things back on the racks and tell her no more for now. The important thing is that the baby looks very healthy. He's either going to be a big baby or I'm a week a head of schedule based on his measurements, but the doctor won't change my due date just yet. She said we'll do another ultrasound at 32 weeks to make sure. So that's about it and like I said we're very excited but a little nervous at the same time.

Allie turns 4 and....

2011-02-26T15:36:00.000-08:00

Allie has turned 4 and with it comes moments of great helpfulness and happiness but it has also turned up the drama level. She had been so excited for her birthday and she really wanted a horse party. With her birthday being in January and freezing weather outside with snow, it limited the number of horse related games we could play. So we played freeze dance with balloons, a "rope the horse" game (ring toss), made a craft and had a cake with horses on it. Allie had been so full of "injury" (energy) since about 4:30 in the morning because it was her birthday she was exhausted and finished her party with watching part of a movie with Colby. She had a great time and got some pretty fun presents. She even got a ton of presents in the mail from family and friends in California. She still gets excited when the box man drives past our house. She's one lucky Girl!!

As for the other news. Allie is going to be a big sister. I figured I better start telling people myself since apparently my mom has been doing her part with spreading the word :) (love you mom) I'm a few days shy of 14 weeks and can't wait for the morning sickness to be finished. Hopefully very soon. We will have to keep everyone updated with how everything goes.

Yes we are still alive!

2011-01-15T18:45:00.000-08:00

Wow so not having internet has really thrown off this whole blogging thing and keeping everyone updated with what's going on at the Erickson's house. Since the last post we finally moved into our house, took a trip to California, had a very nice Christmas in our very own house, had Amanda and my mom come for a visit, partied hard for new years (or rather hardly partied we could barely stay awake) and the craziest thing is Allie's birthday is today and she turned 4! Who would have thought that in just 2 months so many exciting things could happen.

Shortly after moving all of our stuff from Allan's parent's house into our house Allie and I left for that wonderful car trip to California. We left Allan to continue going to work both at his job and on the house. He finished tiling our shower while we were gone and I love it :) Our car ride to california went great as always Allie was a great little traveler playing in the back seat. We got to stay at my parent's house where Allie ate up all the attention she could get. We had fun seeing and visiting with my family. We go to do lots of fun things and had a great time. Allan flew out to meet us on Thanksgiving so we had to take a trip to walk around the Oakland Temple. Allie loves to see the temple where Allan and I were married. We had Thanksgiving at Jason and Nicki's house and had a lot of fun and lots of yummy food! I am so thankful for my family and for all that they do for us. Love you Guys!!

When it was time to leave and return to Idaho, we had to stop at Cabela's it's Allie's favorite Zoo :) The roads were a little scary the whole way back before we even hit truckee I spun the car around and we hit the center divider luckily no one was hurt and our bumper is the only thing with a crack. We even had our chains on. It's a little scary facing the wrong way on the freeway seeing other cars starting to slide towards you and then realizing how bad it could have been when it's all done. Thankfully our prayers for safety were answered. Allie was oblivious to the whole thing and never even realized there was anything wrong. We ended up having to stay over night and continue the next day. Once we got home Allie was thrilled that it had snowed and she could play in it. Crazy girl gets upset when the snow melts.
Allie has also started going to a little preschool group. There's 6 kids and all the moms take turns each week doing preschool at our house. Allie loves it and wishes it could be everyday.

We got to have Christmas in our house this year. This was the first time we had our own place since the first year Allan and I were married. It was fun decorating and doing all the fun Christmas things with Allie this year. She was so excited for every part. I thought it was the sweetest thing when she wanted to take her money out of her piggy bank to buy Allan a Christmas present. She was so excited to give it to him. She was still scared of Santa. We tried a couple different times and each time it was the same thing bury her head in my shoulder and not make eye contact. Luckily Santa was still very nice and brought her a kitchen that she has been wanting since the beginning of the year.

These are some pictures when Amanda and my mom came. Amanda tried to make a snowman with Allie but either Allie or our dog Turbo would knock it over so they moved to the front yard and now we have to giant snowballs sitting on our lawn that never made it to a standing snowman. Maybe frosty is just taking a nap laying down. My mom had a "sleepover" with Allie in her bed. I'm not sure why Allie is never a wiggle worm when she sleeps with Grandma because I sure can't sleep with her very well. Allie had a blast though and keeps asking when they're coming back for another sleepover.

And like I said Allie has turned 4 now but that will have to be another post with some other crazy news :) STAY TUNED until next time.....

Pilsbury Prize Pack Winner!

2010-11-07T19:05:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to #10, Ann Wager! Thanks to all who left comments. If you'd still like to try the Pilsbury pie crust, be sure to print a coupon from the link in my previous post.

Apple Pie with Pillsbury refrigerated Pie Crust

2010-11-03T20:44:00.001-07:00

If only baking an apple pie were as easy as this
(According to Allie this was all we needed to do)

With the pillsbury refrigerated pie crusts it's pretty close.

I was really excited when I found out I was going to get to do a review for these pie crusts especially when the prize pack showed up with all of these items.

(Pillsbury provided me with the products seen above, information, and giveaway through MyBlogSpark)

I thought I might add that I haven't made a pie since my foods class in high school mainly because I could never get the hang of making the crust taste right or have it be the right consistency. So needless to say it's been awhile since I made a pie and these crusts made it so easy. I might just have to make another one.

If you too would like to receive a prize pack from Pillsbury leave me a comment telling me what your favorite type of pie is and leave a second comment for a second entry telling me your favorite way to eat an apple. I will use random.org to select the winner so be sure to leave your comment by Sunday November 7th.

You can visit Pillsbury.com/pie to download a printable coupon for $0.50 off a package of Pillsbury Pie Crusts today!

Pillsbury gave the following information for those who are newbies to pie baking I used the perfect apple pie recipe and it sure tasted good.
Pillsbury Pie Crusts are an easy base for your favorite warm apple treats. Simply unroll into a pie plate, fill with your favorite variety of sliced apples and filling, and bake! From orchard to oven, Pillsbury Pie Crusts make apple pie baking simple with delicious results.
Here are a few delicious recipes to help inspire your readers to create delicious, homemade apple pies!
Perfect Apple Pie is the model of a classic dessert - a beautiful double-crust creation with sugary cinnamon, nutmeg and a splash of lemon juice. So easy to make, this recipe is great for beginner pie bakers looking for impressive results.
Festive Apple-berry Pie is the perfect blend of sweet and tart, with a gorgeous color palette of golden apples and dark red cranberries. Use frozen cranberries to make this dish even more quick and easy!
Topsy-Turvy Apple Pie combines two classics - apple and pecan. Invert the plate to reveal a gorgeous pecan topping. This is a dessert that both apple and pecan pie fans will "flip over".
Easy Apple Pie Foldover is a great solution for keeping the kids happy; a simple mixture of apples and brown sugar folded inside a golden brown baked Pillsbury pie crust. With four servings, it´s a modestly sized apple treat that is kid-friendly to make, and eat.
Cinnamon-Apple Pie with Caramel-Pecan Sauce truly harvests all of autumn´s bounty in a clever presentation. Ready in just under an hour - each slice is topped off with a luscious blend of butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, pecans, whipping cream and vanilla for a saucy treat.
For even more delicious pie ideas throughout the year visit Pillsbury.com/pie for fun and easy recipes to satisfy every season.

Sleeping Beauty and Cake Balls for the Firemen

2010-10-30T20:16:00.000-07:00

Ok so many of you know that Allie really wanted to be a princess again for Halloween and for a while I kept saying okay you can be a princess but you're going to use the yellow dress from last year again if that's what you want to be. That was fine for awhile until we went to Walmart and she saw a pink southern belle costume and decided that she wanted to be a pink princess not a yellow princess. So what did I do... Yes Amanda I caved. Allan and I saw this dress on sale (less than the pink costume at walmart) in Sunday ads and agreed that she could be a pink princess. We told her that if she was good and went to bed I would take her to the store in the morning to get a surprise. She was so excited to finally have her pink dress. These were the best pictures I could get because trying to take a picture of her these days is not very easy. I'm not sure though which she was more excited about trick-or-treating or the fact that I put makeup on her.

MMMM CAKE BALLS!!! I made Allan some cake balls for his birthday and took them to his work the next day one of the guys there called him over and asked him what it would take to make some cake balls for their Firefighter Halloween Party. I said I would make them if they would buy the ingredients. They tried to pay me for my time but really how can you take money from volunteer firefighters. The only problem with cakeballs is that they are really good and I really wanted to eat them myself. I did save a few since there ended up being way more than what they said they needed.

stay tuned...

2010-10-15T21:02:00.001-07:00

I get to do a review for pilsbury refrigerated pie crusts but I have to make an apple pie with it first before I can post anything but there should be a really good giveaway package when I do so keep watching so you can enter.

My little helper

2010-09-22T18:15:00.000-07:00

I unloaded the dishwasher and started to get ready to load it and Allie said "here mom I can do it I'm a good helper". So she "loaded" the dishwasher for me :) I think I'm pretty lucky!

Allie + Makeup = Is that a Bruise?

2010-09-17T08:54:00.000-07:00

As most people know, whenever things get quite and there's kids in the house it generally means they are not being perfect little angels playing with their own toys. It's usually a sign they are into something they know they shouldn't be in. Well that's what happened here. It was quiet and I thought okay she must still be watching her show little did I know that the show ended and a little girl was playing with my makeup. I came in to check on her and immediately she threw my makeup behind her back and covered it up with a pillow. Did she really think I couldn't tell what she had been doing with her face looking like this?

I sent a picture of her like this to Allan and he thought something must have happened and she had bruises. Times like this you just shake your head and think it's a good thing you're cute.

Congrats Galen & Kim

2010-08-17T15:49:00.000-07:00

My brother Galen got married on Friday the 13th to Kim. Allie is so excited to have Kim be her aunt. We were able to meet her back in March when we went to california for a visit and Allie instantly bonded with her. We're excited for them so Welcome to the Family Kim!

Who wants Chinese Food?

2010-07-22T18:27:00.000-07:00

I had the chance to try the latest selection from Wanchai Ferry and you can too! (just so everyone knows the frozen sample, prize pack, information and additional prize pack to give away were all given to me from Wanchai Ferry through MyBlogSpark.) Anyways back to the product... I was surprised at how much flavor there was since after all it is a frozen meal. Definitely something I would consider keeping on hand for those times when I want Chinese but don't want to run into town to get it. It was simple and quick to make.

Just throw the meat and veggies in the pan, let them cook with some water, add the sauce until it's nice and bubbly and microwave the pack of rice.

Then you're ready to plate and eat. YUMMY!!

I would want to try some of the other flavors they have as well especially the kung pao chicken.

So back to how you can get some for yourself. A prize pack

which includes a coupon for you to redeem for your own food and two tea sets (cup, tea, and strainer) can be yours by posting a comment. I'll use random.org on July 29th to decide the lucky winner so make sure you enter your comments by the 28th. You can post multiple comments for multiple entries. Be sure to leave your email or a way to contact you in the comments section so I can let the winner know who they are.

Some ideas could be

comment saying what your favorite Chinese food is
Going to the Wanchai Ferry website and letting me know which of their products you would like to try
posting a comment letting me know that you passed the word on to your friends and family either through your blog, facebook, etc to check out this blog entry and enter for themselves.

Good Luck and Enjoy!

Here is the information that I was sent look towards the bottom for a coupon you can get.

Wanchai Ferry frozen entrées are perfect to have on hand for those nights you´re in the mood for Asian cuisine, but would rather enjoy it with a relaxing night in. Available in the freezer section of your local grocery store, Wanchai Ferry frozen entrées come complete with everything you need to make a restaurant quality meal in the comfort of your own home. The newest Wanchai Ferry flavor, Beef & Broccoli, is the first beef dish in their line of great-tasting, complete Chinese meals for two. Ready to serve in only 14 minutes, Wanchai Ferry Beef & Broccoli comes with tender beef strips, and an assortment of Asian-style vegetables, including broccoli florets, red peppers and water chestnuts. It even includes rice and a rich brown sauce accented with soy and garlic for an authentic flavor experience. Be sure to try the two additional new flavors of Wanchai Ferry frozen entrées, Kung Pao Chicken and Szechuan Style Chicken, which will soon join five other delicious varieties including Orange Chicken, Shrimp Lo Mein, Spicy Garlic Chicken and Sweet & Sour Chicken. Additionally, all of the entrées have no added MSG! You can find a $1.60 off coupon at http://bricks.coupons.com/bstart.asp?o=63369&ci=1&c=GM&p=OMaEZjGT. Also check out the website at http://www.wanchaiferry.com/MealTips.aspx later this summer for meal tips to enhance your Wanchai Ferry frozen entrée.

Fun in St. George

2010-07-06T16:29:00.001-07:00

Our 4th of July weekend was a lot of fun. We started by going down to the Wager's house (Allan's sister and family) Friday night. We woke up early got the kids in their fun red white and blue outfits and then went to go watch hot air balloons take off. Unfortunately the wind was not cooperating and they didn't get to inflate all the way or take off. From what we got to see it would be really neat to watch, maybe next year. Allie decided that she didn't like the fire they used she said it was too noisy.

Then we went back to their house had a yummy breakfast then continued on to St. George. Allan's parents had given all of us our own rooms at the holiday inn for our Christmas present. So we went with his parents, and his two sisters families. Greg's in Florida working so he couldn't go and Jared's at the air force academy so we missed them. Allie couldn't wait to go swimming, she's been waiting for that part of the trip for weeks. So that's what we did when we first got there. She loved swimming with Allan and jumping off the edge. Scary thing is that she still has no fear of the water. I would let her go and she'd go under water then have to pull her up and she'd still be smiling telling me she could do it herself. We first tried a swim vest but that just made her roll all around and she didn't like it then we found some arm floaties that someone had left there and she loved them. Now having worked at a swimming pool when I was younger I swore I would never use those, but it helped her stay on top of the water and she could kick all around the pool. I guess they are okay if you are right there with the child in case they pop off. I had told Allie to wait until someone could help her in the pool after we put them on and the next thing I new she was walking off the edge without anyone there. Again, no fear at all. We really need to put her in swim lessons and maybe they can teach her to stay on top of the water. After swimming we went to go see Toy Story 3. Allie liked it for the most part but thought some parts were scary and of course I got teary eyed there at the end but I held my composure and didn't loose it. We also got to watch some fireworks. Allie liked them but then pretended she didn't because they were loud.

We found a cute park that had water and fountains for the kids to play in. I thought Allie might get a little wet but she ended up laying down in the little stream and got completely soaked. I think she was pretending to be the Little Mermaid. It's okay though it was 105 degrees outside so she started drying quickly (until we got back to the hotel room which was like an ice box. Allan liked it cold because the air conditioning was free). We played some pool, fooseball, and ping pong and just hung out and had a great time with family. Hopefully we can do it again sometime.

Happy Father's Day

2010-06-20T20:31:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day to all the Dad's!

These are some pictures I took to make Allan's present with. I got stickers (Skins) made to put on his ipod. Crazy that these came out of a film camera (so don't diss the film Erin j/k)

And since it's film there's no point in wasting the rest so I played around with the camera and got these on another day.

Running with Angels

2010-06-20T20:16:00.000-07:00

Allan's sisters (Ann & Becca), his mom & I walked (well his sisters ran) in the Running with Angels 5k. It was actually fun and was for a good cause. A lot of people were running in memory of their Angels (their children who now live in heaven). Allan said he wants to do it next year. We'll see I'd like to do it again too :)

Down goes the wall

2010-06-20T20:00:00.000-07:00

I wanted to open up the kitchen and dining area so we decided to take down part of the wall. This is after we took the plaster down.

This is Allan holding the wall up because the roof started to come down...... oh just kidding it came down with no problems. I love that the kitchen is so much brighter now. The only down side is that people will be able to see the kitchen sink when they walk in. Guess I better get Allan used to washing dishes :)

And of course I had to throw some excitement into our day and backed up into a drill that was standing up and put a puncture hole in the back of my leg. It's crazy how much a little hole can bleed. Luckily Allan was there with me and he was able to get the bleeding stopped, washed out with alcohol (that hurt worse I think) and then bandaid put on. I was good and didn't even pass out. I think I had a tetnus shot when I had Allie so for now we'll just watch it and make sure it doesn't get infected. The other good thing is that it was a new drill bit so there wasn't any rust.

Progress?

2010-06-11T13:22:00.000-07:00

I have to keep telling myself that we are making progress and the things that are being done may take a lot of time but will make our house safe to live in and when we are finally able to move in it will all be worth it.

So what progress has been made?

* Electrical

The panel in the basement has been updated. The main box has been updated and ground rods installed. Marcus helped Allan get started with the electrical and now Allan has most of the outlets completed (Allie wasn't happy that he was making holes in her wall) and is working on the lights. This is a picture of the old wiring that was in the wall. Also that wiring is run all through out the attic covered by old insulation. Now that it's all disconnected Allan is also working on taking out all the old wiring while he runs the new stuff.

* The Plumbing

Allan's cousin Kellan was able to come up and re plumb the whole house with PEX. I guess it's a good thing that was done because when they went to move the drain under the sink the pipe just crumbled. Apparently it was only being held on there with caulking. Thank you Kellan for coming and doing that for us and Suzy for allowing him to come on a busy weekend. He also got it hooked up in the basement for us to have a washing machine yippee. I really think the previous owner still used a wash basin. Since the only way to drain was the french drain in the middle of the floor. Kellan also got our new toilet hooked up on the other side of the bathroom so there is more room. Before there was literally an inch on both sides of toilet that you had to squeeze in to go to the bathroom. They found out that the sub floor that was under the toilet was no good so they had to replace that too. I had to leave before they finished doing the plumbing for the shower so when Allan showed me the picture I think he forgot that I'm not 5' 11" (He told Allie's Dr. that's how tall I was at one of her first few checkups because the charts said Allie was tall and that would make sense if both her parents were tall. 5' 5" .....5"11" ......same thing right?) He said he was going to put the shower head higher but then thought he better lower it a little.

*Demo

I think this has been Allan's favorite part. He knocked out the archway over the shower so he can stand up in shower. We're going to tile it once the inspector comes and gives us the okay to close up the wall. James, a guy from Allan's work, came and helped tear down part of the wall between the kitchen and what's going to be the dining room. It really brightened up the kitchen and makes it look bigger.

*Wallpaper

I have finished scraping wallpaper for the time being. I couldn't get the last layer off the walls in the front/dining room I think they put it up while the plaster was still drying and the only way to get it off is to tear out the plaster. So we are just puttying and then going to paint over it. Ann and I washed the walls and that was disgusting the wall paper was pink and I had thought it was a brown color. GROSS!! We're just trying to get the rooms done that we will be in so we can move in faster and then work on the others later. There's still some paper in the little room. Allie calls it the baby room. I think just because it's so small but then again she does keep asking if we can get a baby to put in there. The other day she told me it was after 10 o'clock so I could have a baby. If only it were that simple. Not yet, but maybe someday.

So I guess you can say we are making progress. Allan's mom has been a huge help with watching Allie while we work and so has Erin so thank you guys for doing that. We get so much more work done without a 3 year old there. Allan has been working really hard. He goes to the house on his lunch break and then again after work until it's dark and then he comes home eats showers goes to bed and does it again the next day. He seems to like doing that. I think because he gets to go to Home Depot a lot and has been able to get some new "toys" to help with the projects. I on the other hand start to get anxiety every time we go into Home Depot now because I know when we go in a lot of money stays with them.

Again, It will all be worth it when it's done!

Homeownership = a never ending to do list

2010-05-20T20:42:00.000-07:00

So now that we are proud homeowners we've started updating some things in the house. The biggest concern was the electrical and the simple task of changing out a box has turned into needing to rewire the entire house. There goes our budget. Luckily Allan is a really good handyman and while talking to the electrician they decided that Allan could run all the wire through the house and add outlets since there is a total of 6 upstairs and none are in the bedrooms. So off to home depot we went. Of course we didn't bring the shopping list the electrician gave us. I hope we got everything and everything we got is what was needed.

This is what's been giving the house power. Like those nice wires that are exposed at the bottom. We're amazed that the house hasn't burnt down.

I've also been working on peeling wallpaper and lots of wallpaper there is to peel. This was in the kitchen where there is a total of 7 layers of paint and paper not only on the walls but also on the ceiling. Let's just say I'm never putting wallpaper up in my house ever.

And here is my little helper. When it was time to go home I put her in the car ran inside to grab something and came out to find her like this. Seriously it was less than 2 minutes.

Noxious Weed or God's Greatest Creation

2010-05-19T19:37:00.001-07:00

I guess it depends on who you ask? To the adult trying to maintain a lawn I would guess they would choose the first however if you are 3 then definitely the best creation ever. I can remember in elementary school running out to the school's field and trying to find the biggest "puff ball" and then making a wish and blowing as hard as I could to get all the little seeds off in one breath. That's how your wish came true. Right? As I was watching Allie, I think she inhaled more of the little seeds than blowing them away at first. She quickly got the hang of it and now the massive amounts that are already there will be tripled in a few weeks.

CHOPPED!

2010-05-12T08:41:00.000-07:00

Allie: You guys can be the judgers and I'll be the cook (stir, stir, stir) Ta da
Me: The judgers?
Allie: Ya like on Chopped.
Me: Chopped?
Allie: When the people make dinner they see the judges and one gets chopped. When the judges are done eating their dinner they get some fresh lunch and they go home that's when they get chopped.

Apparently Allie likes watching this show with Grandma. So last night there was some left over pesto and it became a masterpiece. Doesn't it look so appetizing now? It looked much better on the pasta but tasted really good with the crackers.

My little chef also loves to bake cookies. Uncle Greggy has made cookies with her almost every weekend so when she kept asking if we could make them and with me saying in a minute she came and got me to say she had everything ready. This is what I found.

Not bad since the only thing she was missing was the Oatmeal that was in a cupboard she couldn't reach and we also got fresh butter out of the fridge. She even got the spoon out for measuring and the knife to smooth out the flour when you measure it. Maybe I should just start letting her make dinner. Okay maybe not today but someday.

Springtime Parties on a Saturday

2010-04-28T08:35:00.000-07:00

I love springtime!

Flowers! Sunshine! what more could you want (well besides a sunburn).

Allie and I got to go with Erin and Colby to Kim's (our future Sister-in-law) Bridal shower. We had taken Allie and Riley with us shopping for her presents and Allie was so excited to give Kim her "dress" (however she did say later that it was a little small on her legs and not very modest). Colby spent most of the time sleeping. He looked pretty comfortable. A nap outside in the warm weather.... I don't blame him. As you can tell from the pictures, Allie would not leave Kims' side. She loves her so much already.

After we were done at the Bridal Shower, we got to continue on to another party. This one was for Tyler, Allie's cousin. It was his first birthday party. Allie got to play with her cousins and have cake and ice cream she couldn't be happier.

After a long day of partying, we drove back home and went straight to bed. It was a really nice day and we enjoyed all of it (except the sunburn).

I'm Helping

2010-04-12T08:47:00.000-07:00

Saturday was a busy day here. Allan said he could fix his sister's car and well what could have been a quick fix turned into a big headache but a lot of things were learned. Like don't touch it if you don't know what it is. Allie thought it was great. She loves it when Allan works on cars because she gets to "help" . She takes her jobs very seriously. Allan asked her to go get his drill out of his car and she was so excited to go get it (as can be seen by the thumbs up). It was a little heavy so she found a way to bring it to Daddy without dropping it.

Allan was very patient. At one point I looked over and he had Allie, Turbo (our dog) and Brock (Allie's cousin) all right there trying to "help". He loves the idea that Allie likes to play cars with him.

After helping dad she decided her wagon needed to be fixed as well. She had some serious and determined facial expressions going on.

It was busy but it was fun. Allie loved that Brock was able to come and play with her. Thanks Becca for watching her so much this weekend. We hope you guys can come back soon to play!

What's the weather like outside....Who knows!

2010-04-08T19:13:00.000-07:00

Okay so this was from the other day. I took a picture out the back door at:

9:00 am

and again at 11:30 am

Crazy huh? You never know what to expect. Allie, who still loves the snow, gets so excited when there's snow in the morning and then feels so let down when it melts. It's like a cruel joke to her.

What are we thinking?

2010-04-06T07:39:00.000-07:00

Allan and I decided we wanted to look around and see if there were any houses that we could possibly get into. Trying to find one that would fit our budget was pretty scarce. We did find one that we liked and thought had a lot of potential. So we made an offer, crazy thing was they accepted it without any counter offers. Allan's thought is that buying a house is the last step to admitting you might be an adult. I'm excited. I know it's going to need a lot of work so if anyone wants to come scrub, paint, or hammer we'll have plenty to keep you busy. Allie likes it she keeps saying I love that house we're going to get it. I think she's more excited that we went and looked at paint colors and of course what color does she want her room. Pink! I've tried convincing her to do other colors and she keeps saying "no mom I said pink." When we went to look at it she walked in kicked her shoes off and asked if she could hang her coat up in the closet. I guess she felt like she was home. We are still waiting for a home inspection and for our financing to be approved so keep your fingers crossed for us.

mmmm Cake for Dinner....

2010-04-01T17:49:00.001-07:00

...APRIL FOOLS

We decided to play a trick on Allan for dinner tonight. Allie was really excited about "tricking" dad. She told him we were having birthday cake for dinner.

It was really meatloaf, potatoes and ketchup for the writing. While I was making the potatoes the different colors she kept asking if she could taste the frosting I said sure. Each time she'd make a face a say ah man that's just tatos. I guess we fooled her too at the same time. Pretty good when you can fool yourself.

He's a WINNER!

2010-04-01T17:47:00.000-07:00

Allan won the secret sound on the radio station this morning. He won a $10 gift certificate and was entered into a drawing for $200 which will take place at the end of the month. Keep your fingers crossed for us!

Good Clean Fun...or not Ann's Dirty 30 Party

2010-03-31T10:08:00.000-07:00

Allan's sister Ann turned 30 so to celebrate we had a dirty 30 party. We had a lot of fun together and laughed so much I think all of our stomachs hurt at one point.

There's the birthday girl in the center.

We started the days events with Allie and her cousin Ashlyn smashing the cookies to make dirt cups. (they were our "dirt"y dessert). I don't know why but I have always liked these some might say they are gross especially when the worms have sat in them for a little bit and they start to get slimy. ewww.

Then we moved onto eating the donut off the string. Marcus was the winner out of the boys.

Then we had a relay race where you had to hold the penny between your knees and get to the other end and drop it in a bowl. We were going to do it barefoot on a tarp with pudding and other messy stuff spread out on it but it was a little cold for that. It was still fun.

Then a jelly bean was placed on a plate covered by whipped cream and they had to find it with only their mouth. Allie was actually pretty good at it.

Finally those dirt cups we made before were put to good use with this final activity. Someone sat behind you and had to feed you the dirt cup. Jared's arms are feeding Greg and Ann's arms are feeding Marcus. Marcus looks like he has really small arms and hands.

Overall it was a fairly nice day to spend outside. Allie and Ashlyn ran around the yard for a long time "flying" their kites. Don't tell them they were really just being drug along the ground and Tyler, well he had fun watching everyone and crawling on the grass. OK actually he wasn't to sure about the grass. But it was a really fun day.

Free Yogurt Anyone?

2010-03-30T06:35:00.000-07:00

Erin is doing a giveaway on her blog www.amundsenhouseofchaos.com . You should check it out if you want to be entered into the contest. It's for Yoplait Greek Yogurt if your interested. Hey if you win it's free. :)

Dentists it's a love hate relationship

2010-03-26T10:45:00.000-07:00

I guess most people either love going to the dentist or hate going to the dentist. For me it's both. I hate the anticipation of going to the dentist and any work that they have to do but I love getting my teeth cleaned and the clean feel afterwards. My recent adventures at the resulted in a root canal and temporary crown. Now I have to wait for the permanent one (hmm more anticipation) then he told me he wants me to come back for a cleaning and exam because he saw another cavity while he was doing the root canal (Ugh!). On a positive note the color they had to match was almost the whitest one so no teeth whitener for me and they said it looks like I brush good. Crazy though, I brush twice a day and floss regularly so why do I get to be so lucky and need all this work done. I guess it's genetics.
Anyways Allie went to the dentist for the first time. She was a little worried at first but the hygienist was really good with calming her down and making it fun. Not to mention she got to watch Ratatouille while they worked on her. The down side is she has 5 cavities on her 4 back teeth that need to be fixed. Luckily they are all surface layer still so they will just use the nitrous oxide instead of a numbing shot. They will also smooth out her teeth since they have deep ridges and will be hard to keep clean (probably the reason for the 5 cavities). They gave her an orange "nose" to practice with so when she goes back she will bring her mask and use that one and it won't be as scary.(fingers crossed) She was such a trooper the dentist said he was impressed with how good she was for a first appointment. They even got a full set of x-rays which apparently is rare with a 3 year old.

So here's the pictures from Allie's first adventure at the dentist. She says she wants to go back so hopefully she'll stay a love it with the dentist.

California Trip

2010-03-24T09:04:00.000-07:00

Allie and I got to go to California and spend two weeks visiting and playing with family and friends. I justified it by saying I had to do a Scentsy Party and that would help pay for the gas. Unfortunately Allan does not have paid time off from work yet so he had to stay behind.

I forgot how Green California is at this time of year. As we were driving over the altamont the sun was setting and the windmills were going (sorry wind turbines or whatever they're called. I know Galen will correct me) and the grass seemed almost fluorescent in the lighting. It was gorgeous. If I hadn't been so anxious to be done driving I probably would have stopped to take a picture oh well. We had stopped in Stockton to see Travis he was there doing a training for work. Then when we got off the freeway Jason called to see where we were at turns out we were right down the street from his house at that time so we stopped in and had a very yummy dinner with his family. Allie was so excited to see Tessa and Hudson. Then we continued on our way to my parent's house.

There were a few days when it rained while we were there, but for the most part it was perfect weather. Allie discovered Umbrellas and loved that she could play outside and not get wet. If we would have let her she probably would have picked every flower she could find. That girl loves flowers.

We got to go to the park and have a picnic lunch with Grandma Too. Allie had a blast and I guess we wore Grandma out also since she went home and took a nap as well.

Thanks Galen and Travis for teaching her that she loves to climb trees. Don't you know that's how I broke my wrist. I think the second picture is pretty funny though since both Galen and Travis are making crazy faces.

And what would a trip be to California without going to the barn with Grandpa to feed the chickens. Of course when you do that you always have to wear your cowboy hat (oops sorry cowgirl hat) just like Grandpa.

We had lots of fun and already miss everyone. So I think they should come out here soon for a visit. While I don't mind driving long distance and Allie is the perfect little traveler I don't think I'll do it anytime soon. At least not for a couple of months. Got to save up my gas money :)

FHE

2010-02-22T19:31:00.000-08:00

Tonight for Family Home Evening we talked about our families and what we can do together that's fun so for an activity/treat we played pictionary. Except we used pudding and our fingers instead of paper and a pen. Allie thought it was great and kept going even after the rest of us were done.

concentrating on her drawing and cleaning off her "paintbrush"

It's a cat with a smiley face can't you tell.

Allan did this not Allie, she was still painting and he pushed the plate in her face. She thought it was funny and it was a perfect way to say "now it's bathtime and time to get ready for bed"

Valentine's Day

2010-02-22T19:15:00.000-08:00

Okay so I know it's already come and gone but we wanted to tell everyone Happy Valentine's Day and that we love all of our family and friends.

I was surprised at how well Allie sat still for me to do this to her hair. I saw it on

www.princesshairstyles.com of course it probably helped that she was watching a movie at the time. She is starting to become more of a little girl saying things like "no daddy I don't want to watch trucks that's for boys" but then she still goes and watches the truck shows with Allan. So maybe he can still hope for the days that he and Allie will work on cars together.

I..I..Icky

2010-02-08T07:42:00.001-08:00

Allie is really learning a lot right now and I think she surprised Allan the other day when she went into the bathroom and discovered that someone had left it a little stinky. She said eew it's icky in here. huh icky i..i..icky that's an I. She knows all the letters if you point to them and almost all their sounds. Occasionally she gets stumped but mostly she likes to pretend she doesn't know or say a different sound for that letter and then laugh. She is definitely ready for some type of school. I want to do an in home preschool but haven't had much luck getting people to sign up.

Sunday Naps

2010-01-31T15:16:00.001-08:00

Like father like daughter. Hmmmm now what should I do???

Kids will be kids

2010-01-28T07:45:00.000-08:00

Allie has been craving time with her Daddy so a few days ago I suggested Allan take Allie with him to the store. He was going with his Dad and brother to the car parts store. Allie being her typical little self decided she was going to start running around the store (like any child does) Allan kept telling her to stop and finally grabbed her and picked her up because he didn't want her to break anything. Allie the charmind little darling starts screaming "help help you're not my Daddy help help". The lady working there was laughing the whole time. Where Allie learned that I have no idea but just as she finished in walked two police officers and Allan decided it was time to leave.

Happy 3rd Birthday Allie

2010-01-15T11:42:00.000-08:00

Dear Allie,

Where to start. Well I can't believe that my little girl is already 3. You are so grown up already. Daddy and I love you very much. You definitely are my little sunshine and I love that you still want me to sing that song to you before you go to sleep. You are always so concerned about the well being of others and want to know what you can do to make someone happy. Allie you are such a special little girl to us and are a constant reminder that prayers are answered. You definitely remind your daddy and I that we need to pray and be close to our Savior Jesus Christ, just like you are. I still find you talking to him and it warms my heart to know that you love him and that he is your friend. I hope your enthusiasm for one day entering the temple continues it truly is a special place.

Here are some other things that you love and have mastered by the age of 3

*Animals-we always have to find the cows and horses on our walks

*Chocolate

*Going to Church (well okay you love Nursery)

*Painting, coloring, cutting, gluing, more gluing (anything arts & crafts)

*Playing with your cousins

*Reading books- you could have books read to you all day long

*Counting to 14 (once you get there then it's 14,14,14 18,19,20)

*You can identify all the letters (you know most of their sounds too)

*Potty trained both day and night

*Getting dressed all by yourself (you like to pick out your own clothes)

*Puzzles

*Cooking you are a great assistant

*Sweeping the kitchen floor (I don't know if you've mastered it yet, but you definitely love to help even if it means it takes 3 times longer)

*Being mischievious (whenever it's quiet I know to come looking for you)

*Talking on the phone (I think your dad and I are going to be in trouble as you get older)

*Playing in the snow

Here are some funny things you like to say:

*Just a minute I'm to busy

*When I was a grown up I....

*Someday when I'm a baby I'll....

*I'm bigger today, yep I am

*Can I sit "Bext" to you

* I SO love ....

*So, how was your day?

*and everything is your favorite

We love you so much and are so happy that you are part of our family.

Love Mommy & Daddy

Here are some of the few adventures/memories we've had in the past 3 years

Uranus

2010-01-11T12:01:00.000-08:00

Allie and I had just finished putting together a puzzle of the solar system. It's one of those floor puzzles. As we finished up she wanted to know what everything was so I started telling her the names. This is how our conversation went:
Me: That's Mercury, Venus, Earth which is where we live
Allie: No way!
Me: Yep we live right there (point to general area)
Allie: Where does Grandma Hoxie live?
Me: right about there. Let's keep going this is Mars Jupiter Saturn Uranus
Allie: My anus?
Me: No just Uranus
Allie: Whose Anus? My anus or your anus?
Me: No that's just the name it's called Uranus
Allie (puzzled look like mom your nuts)
Me: anyways thisi s Neptune and Pluto (yes it's an older puzzle)

When it was time to clean up Allie went running over to the puzzle and said I'll clean up my anus and grabbed the pieces belonging to Uranus and put them in the box. Thankfully I don't think she knows what an anus is yet, well atleast I dont' think she does she has surprised me with a few things lately.

More fun with my family

2010-01-09T09:04:00.000-08:00

While my parents and Amanda were here (Galen and Travis left early) we did an early birthday party for Allie. She really wanted to share birthday cake with Grandma Hoxie so we did. Grandma made a cake decorated with Tinkerbell things. Allie's Uncle Greggy even joined us. She got a cute dress up outfit (fairy, princess, or fairy princess depending on the day) from Erin's family, some coloring/artsy things and some wall decals to "make her walls pretty" from Amanda and my parents got her a small trampoline (0ne of those exercising trampolines). She loves it. She "exercises" everyday, several times a day. She loves it and I love it (it gets her ready for nap time, but shhh don't tell her that).

helping clean up after making frosting

hmm you think they're related

notice how Allie likes to wear the headband.

posing for the camera

Allie kept wanting my mom to wear the headband

Christmas Eve, Chritmas Day, the day after,

2010-01-07T15:19:00.000-08:00

I know it's come and gone but we had a lot of fun at Christmas time. Allie was very excited this year. We started off the festivities with Allie receiving an email from Santa Claus.

(there's a part two to this video but for some reason it won't load)

Then on Christmas Eve Day we went to the Scarlet Party (Allan's Mom's Family) where we had yummy food and played pass the parcel. It was a candy bar wrapped with a ton of layers of newspaper and gift wrap. As music plays, you pass the present and when the music stops you unwrap a layer. Hidden between some of the layers were funny things people had to say, do or sing. It was fun seeing everyone and spending time family.

Tyler is a "Happy Boy"

Brock had this cup with m&m's in it for almost the whole party and it just kept being filled again and again

hmm What are they up to?

After the game we got to throw the newspaper everywhere like snowballs.

She must have been good because she got her Snow White doll.

I don't have other pictures of the Christmas morning activities because our camera disappeared shortly after this picture and after all day of searching through bags of wrapping paper, couch cushions, all the different rooms (a little girl likes to hide things lately), the kitchen garbage and the garbage can outside we thought it was lost but Allan's sister Ann stuck her hand down in the side of the couch and it was there. (I swear we checked there twice before but thanks Ann you saved the day).

Galen and Amanda drove up Christmas day, okay well christmas eve and Christmas morning. They drove through the night (they must still be young because I certainly couldn't drive all night anymore.) When they got here, Ann called down to Allie that she had a surprise her so she started to run up the stairs and stopped and looked at Amanda and Galen with a wait a minute look and then became very excited that they were her surprise. I wish I had the camera then to catch her expression. Galen crashed on the spare bed for a couple hours while Allie kept Amanda busy playing and watching movies so she didn't get to take a nap.

My parents and Travis came up Christmas Day but didn't get here until later so we waited to see them until the following day. I had made an appointment for Allie to get her pictures taken for her Birthday and my parents and amanda met us there. Allie was so excited to see them, okay so was I. She had her pictures taken (they came out pretty cute) and then we spent the rest of the day at Erin's house where we opened presents. My mom ended up getting really sick so she was quarantined to her room (her choice) and watched the video of the activities later.

Jason' family stayed at their house this year in California so we didn't get to see them (spring time so he says)anyways Jason had drawn my name for the sibling gift exchange and ended up making me cry with his gift. He gave me a picture of my horse Delight. Then I also got a gift from my parents that was a silver horse ornament with spots (almost just like Delight) and it was jumping over the moon. Delight was a horse that I had shown and I had her for about 17 years. She had to be put down in November because she was very old and her body was not holding up and was causing her a lot of pain. She was the best horse ever. We called her the babysitter because she was so good with little kids she's probably the one who taught me to ride the most because just when I'd think oh look at me this is easy she'd throw in a little surprise and catch me off guard. Allie had the chance to ride her a few times around the barn and loved it. Maybe someday we'll be able to get her a pony it'll be hard though because I'd want it to be like Delight and I'm not sure that's possible. So anyways those gifts meant a lot thank you Jason, Mom and Dad.

Anyways sorry for the side track story.

Here are some pictures of the fun we had at Erin's.
Jahnna concentrating very hard on play doh question marks that were supposed to be money.

Erin & Colby coloring with his new color wonder markers

Riley pretending she was a monkey

John and Colby opening presents
Allie and Riley (Erin look they're getting along)

Galen is SUPERMAN!
Not sure what's going on here hmmm
Travis being the crazy uncle tickling everyone.

This post is getting way to long so I'll start another maybe tomorrow.

Mommy I'm Hungry

2009-12-21T20:21:00.003-08:00

Allie had said she was hungry so she decided to help herself to some pie
.

Not my Child!

2009-12-12T08:06:00.000-08:00

Okay this one's for you Grandma Hoxie because I know she definitely doesn't get it from me!
We've pretty much made Friday pizza night for dinner so Allie helps me make the dough and get the stuff ready to put on top. Yesterday I noticed that the pack of grape tomatoes that I had bought awhile ago got pushed to the back of the fridge and were starting to go bad so I thought I'd put some on the pizza (not on my part anyways). So I set them on the counter to turn around and find this. She ate about 1/2 the container and probably would have kept going if I didn't take them away to put them on the pizza not to mention she then started to make tomato juice with some of them. I can't stand tomatoes so I know she doesn't get this from me.

Santa Claus is coming to Town

2009-12-09T07:21:00.000-08:00

We took Allie to see Santa Claus last night at the library here and she actually sat on his lap. She couldn't say a word so I had to tell Santa what she wanted (a big girl snow white doll) while she sat there and batted her eyes at him. She was so excited all day and couldn't wait for everyone to get home so we could go and then when we got there that all changed she was speechless. The kids had to follow footsteps around to get to santa and everytime there was a corner she'd stop and peek around the corner first with her hands on her hips to see if he was there.

This was her that morning singing Santa Claus is Coming to Town. She's getting better it used to be " you better watch out, you better watch out, you better watch out, tell me why"

This is the Season

2009-12-05T09:01:00.001-08:00

I love Christmas time. I love everything about it the music, the smells, the traditions, the memories. I could keep going but you get the picture. Anyways, Allie is old enough this year to grasp the concept of Christmas and that means PRESENTS! She is excited for Santa Claus to be coming and bringing her a purple present and a green present (not sure what's inside those yet) I'm sure we'll all be surprised. I did hear her say something about books and a snow white dolly. hmmm! She's also convinced and very excited to be going to the north pole with him on his sleigh. I tried telling her it was to cold for her to go with him and she said "that's okay I'll put on my jacket." With all this excitement about Santa Claus I realized I needed to spend a little more time talking to her about the true meaning of Christmas. I've been wanting to get a nativity set that she could play with and saw the Little People one that is really cute. However to get all the pieces it's also really expensive for a child's nativity set. I went to Deseret Book the other day to get some stuff and the lady said you spent $30 so you can get this nativity set for $3.99 I said I'll take it. I figured if she breaks it, it wasn't that much and it'll be good for her to learn the story. We brought it home and I told her the story and how during Christmas we also celebrate Jesus's Birthday. She got very excited about that and decided the baby Jesus needed a birthday cakeThat's what the stack of styrofoam is in the picture(birthdays are another big thing this year it doesn't even matter whose it is as long as she can tell everyone her birthday is January 15th) She sang him Happy Birthday and then tried to retell the story to me it's pretty funny to hear her version so I'll have to try and get a video of it. It's actually kept her busy for a few days now so I guess I got a pretty good deal. Good thing it was only $3.99 because the night we got it one of the wise men lost his head and I think it went out with the trash. OOPS! She can still play with a headless wiseman right?

Let it Snow Let it Snow Let it Snow

2009-12-05T08:45:00.000-08:00

The weather forecast last night said there was a slight chance for some snow flurries Saturday evening and Sunday, but when we woke up this morning it was already here and if this is just the slight chance of snow flurries then I'm scared to know what a snow storm is like here. AAAHHHH! Hibernation here I come!

Turbo and Allie seem to like the snow. Allie thinks it's funny to try and catch it on her tongue.

Can't you tell Allan loves the snow!

Maybe they can fix it so I can be a boy like Daddy!

2009-12-01T14:34:00.001-08:00

I downloaded a free trial of Photoshop and thought it would be fun to play around with it, so I took some pictures of Allie in her Christmas dress to experiment with. So here's my "little angel" who was playing so nice with her toys that I thought I could sneak away to play on the computer.

Her little halo must have shifted alittle to make room for the mischievious horns to come through because when she came in to ask me a question she was missing half her hair. I asked her where it was and she said in the kitchen. I had left the scissors on the table that I used to cut the ribbon for her bow and forgot to put them back up high. This is what I walked in on.

So we made a trip over to walmart's hair salon to find out what they could do with it. The lady said oh she got it good this time. She must have remembered us from last month when Allie gave herself a little trim. Atleast then it was still shoulder length. She gave Allie a little bob and left the one side a "little layered" otherwise all of her hair would have to be above her ears. Allie's response to all this is "Maybe they can fix it so I can be a boy like Daddy."

She then tried to tell the lady that she wanted her hair to look like the girl on the poster who of course had long hair. The stylist just laughed and said "sorry sweetie but when you cut your hair it has to be short like this."

Erin and Colby stopped by to see how it was going and I got a smile out of Colby. Allie loves spending time with Erin's family in fact she told me while we were at walmart that I could drop her off at Erin's and then come pick her up later. She didn't want me to come with her.

So this is Allie with her new hair cut. I'll admit I cried this morning because she's actually been letting me braid it and keep clips in it. Now we'll have to wait for it to grow out......again.

Books, Books, Books

2009-11-24T08:01:00.000-08:00

Allie has been on a reading kick. She loves looking at her books but loves them being read to her even more. The only problem is once you actually read it to her, you have to read it atleast 3 more times in a row. She'll sit through about 4 of the Disney books before she starts to get antsy. Seriously I think it's the only time these days that she sits still. She is always on the go and if you leave her alone for 2 seconds you end up with messes like this.

or entire bottles of shampoo dumped into bathtubs, or my eye liner used as a pencil on the bathroom counter just to name a few. One thing I don't understand is why toys are no fun but now a laundry basket that could provide several seconds of solo play.

Regardless I love everything about Allie even her "I'm so grumpy at you" times and am enjoying the time I have to spend with her. She's growing up so fast.

And I better end this here because I'm being told "mom it's time to turn that puter off or the batteries will die." I guess that means she's done playing by herself and I need to go with her.

Happy 5th Anniversary

2009-11-06T07:31:00.000-08:00

Dear Allan,

Can you believe that it has already been 5 years. It seems like it was just recently that we were ditched at the temple not knowing what to say or do. That night Deanna Jonutz told me "there's something special about that one". She was right I thought so too but the night had been a little awkward and I was sure that was it. Then you came and visited us in Utah for Conference and I still thought wow he's a great guy. We started texting each other and something happened Anytime I talked about you, got a text from you or thought about you I got all giddy and I'd say no, no, no this doesn't happen to me what's going on. Then when we went on our first official date at the nickel arcades I knew I couldn't just shrug off those feelings I was falling in Love with you. I remember calling my mom and telling her I think I like this guy. She said "you think so" and I said "yeah I think so" and what do you know 2 months later we were engaged and then 4 months later we were married. I still get all giddy when I see you come home at night and every time you hold me I can't believe how lucky I am. We've definitely had some trials come our way, but really I'm thankful for them. It brought us closer together and made us rely on each other to make it through. I remember that night I took you to the hospital I was so scared I was going to lose you but something inside kept telling me everything will be okay and then I'd think we're sealed together for time and all eternity and I was able to grasp comfort from that. I'm so grateful to be a part of your life and so happy that you are part of mine. I love you more now than I did 5 years ago and back then I didn't think that was possible. I love the husband that you are to me and also the father that you are to Allie. She sure loves her Daddy. So here's to five years and an eternity more :)

Love, ME

Day at the Aquarium

2009-10-22T14:22:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from our day at the aquarium.

Summer Time (oops didn't know this was still a draft)

2009-09-15T11:39:00.000-07:00

In June I found out that I was not going to have a job for the summer. It's a really long story and deals with a lot of drama so I'm not going to go into much detail most of you already know the story anyway. I was very stressed about how we were going to make everything work and not sure if prayers were actually being heard. At the time I was convinced they weren't. Now looking back this has probably been one of the best summers I've had in a long time. I was able to stay home with Allie which I have hadn't been able to do since I went back to work when she was 2 1/2 months old. My mom was not working either so together we ended up watching a few kids. Allie loved going to Grandma's house almost every day. We got to participate in the Library's summer reading program, we went to the free movies on Wednesdays at the theater, and had play dates with a group of people who have become more like family than just friends. Lots of good memories. We went to the fair a few times and Allie came back with a bunny rabbit. His name is now Rabbit. I think because that's what the rabbit on Winnie the Pooh is called, but who knows. Occasionally Allie will call him Bob because we tried to get her to name him something else and that's what Allan said he was going to call him.

During this time, Allan and I had a lot of discussions about where we were at and what we wanted to do with our future. The thought of moving to Utah was brought up again (we had discussed it before but never with the the thought of actually moving) This time was different. I knew I was not happy with the stress and drama developing at work. I had also told Allan before not being employed for the summer that with my current position we would not be able to expand our family (ahhh did I just say that! No it's not happening yet). It is something we had been praying about and that if we were supposed to then to help us figure out away to make it possible and then I became unemployed. HMMMM! We talked about maybe this being an answer to our prayers and then really started discussing the possibility of moving to Utah. We made our list of pros and cons and for some reason we felt that we needed to move. It was probably the hardest decision I've had to make since I guess you could say I've been pretty grounded. I have lived within a 15 mile radius my whole life except for the 6 months I lived in Utah before and swore I'd never come back because living in the snow was not for me. I am very close to my family and friends and really struggled with the idea of leaving everyone. We decided that if we were going to go we better do it now and soon so Allan could find a job as quick as possible. So I gave my notice to the school that I would not be returning in the Fall and we made the plans to move.
Once we started packing boxes, Allie started to get a little upset because she wanted to know where everything was going. We made her a calendar that had boxes on each day to indicate packing time, a truck for the day Allan would leave with our things and a fish for our trip to the aquarium. It seemed to help her a little. So we packed up all of our things and loaded them on the truck with the help of some energetic young men (Galen, Travis, "Uncle Marc" & Steve Huseman). Marcus flew out to help. Marcus drove Allan's car with the fish in their fish tank, Allan drove the "big truck" with Turbo (our dog) in the cab with him and they were off. Took them a little longer since Allan hasn't really driven long distance but they made it safe and sound. Allie and I stayed a little longer to finish packing and cleaning. Amanda and my mom were a huge help and they tied up the loose ends after I left. Amanda had been living with us so she still had to pack her things to move to Grandma Hoxie's house. Before we left Allie and I took Amanda and my mom to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. We had wanted to take Allie there for awhile since she loves fish and water and I figured we better do it before we moved. It was a fun adventure. It's a good thing my dad has a built in GPS system in his brain. We had to call him because I missed one of the exits and he knew exactly where we should go without having to turn around and go back. After a few more days of fun and saying goodbyes Allie and left with Rabbit in his cage on the back seat. Allie thought it was pretty funny to have the rabbit in the car. We followed Amanda's friend Marissa most of the way since she too was moving to Utah. So now we are here in Utah and that will bring me to my next post. Here are pictures of our summer adventures.

What's been happening in the Erickson Family

2009-09-15T11:06:00.000-07:00

Wow so I haven't posted anything since Easter. OOPS! I figure I should probably get this thing updated so here it goes. Let's see back in May...

I really wanted to go to Utah for my traditional memorial day weekend visit. I found out that Galen was planning on driving to Idaho to go to a wedding the weekend before so we made the trip a little earlier and I asked Galen if he'd drive us to Utah before he went to Idaho. He agreed. Allan had to work so Galen, Allie and I left for Utah. Galen loves his morning donuts so he brought Allie and I one too. I'm not sure Allie really new what it was but for some reason this was all she wanted of it.

What kid wouldn't want chocolate and sprinkles. Apparently mine doesn't. I'd like to think that it's because she loves to eat healthy but it is getting harder and harder to get her to eat her healthy foods so I'm not sure why. Anyways we had a great time in Utah. We stayed at Erin and John's house which Allie loved since she loves playing with Jahnna, Colby and Riley. Jahnna had her 6th birthday while we were there and we also got to go with the Erickson Family down to Brock's 1st birthday party. Here are some pictures from that trip.
Watching a movie in the fort

Snuggling together to get warm after a day of swimming

The first time the Erickson cousins have all been together. It's not easy getting a picture when everyone is 2 and under.

We had a great trip and found out that Allie is a great little traveler.

Easter 2009

2009-04-16T09:25:00.000-07:00

Easter Sunday was a lot of fun this year. We started the day off with waking Allie up because the Easter Bunny had left a trail of Chocolate Eggs from Allie's bed out to the chair where he had left some other goodies. I was telling Allie that the Easter Bunny had left presents and that got no response on several attempts, I then said "Allie the Easter Bunny left candy" and still nothing not even a sigh and then Allan came and said "Allie there's chocolate" and her eyes immediately flew open and she was ready to wake up. She got down on the floor and crawled down the hall picking up the eggs and putting them into the basket. She could care less about the toys, she wanted the chocolate. We then went to church with my parents and listened to the beautiful music and the talks. Well, we tried to listen, it's very hard with a wiggly two year old climbing all over everyone. After church we headed out to Grandma's house where we visited, gave Galen a much needed Satin Hands treatment, ate way to much food and had an Easter Egg Hunt. Allie liked the eggs that made a rattling noise much better than the colored glitter eggs. Speaking of colored eggs. We had to buy the egg dye that had sparkles in them because they were"princess eggs". I can't really say that she's on a princess kick because she also likes winnie the pooh, elmo, giraffes, elephants, etc just as much. It's hard knowing what she's going to like and when she'll like it. I guess that' s part of being two.

Here she is shaking an egg and wearing her "princess dress"

It's fun to see Allie and Tessa interacting and playing together. When Jason, Nicki and Tessa got to Grandma Too's house (that's what Allie calls Grandma Hoxie) I could hear Tessa calling for Allie and Allie giggling as she tried to find Tessa. Smile Girls!

Cindi had hid eggs for Amanda, Galen and Travis and then she also hid an egg that had coins in it. If you found that egg you won a special prize. Well, Galen was the winner and his special prize was a huge chocolate easter bunny he was holding it up showing off what he won and Allie figured she needed to show off hers as well.

Because it was supposed to be a nice day, I had bought some sidewalk chalk and a little mermaid bubble set for the little kids to play with. Here's some of them enjoying the bubbles!

It was a very nice day spent with family. I love those moments and the memories they create.

Playing with the camera

2009-03-02T18:17:00.001-08:00

So the weather had a break in the rain and it's so green out at my parents right now that I decided to take some pictures of Allie. It's been awhile since I used my film camera so I thought it would be fun to play around and see what we got. I think I might blow this one up to put in our frame but I don't know if I like the full color one or the edited one or if it should be completely black and white. What do you think? Then again I might decide to choose a different picture all together. Anyways I had fun and thought I share the pictures.

Lately this is the smile we seem to get when she knows a camera is out.

Feeding the chickens with Grandpa.

This is Delight who Allie was terrified of at first and now loves her.

Allie's 2nd Birthday

2009-03-02T17:40:00.000-08:00

I know I'm late in posting this, but yes my little girls has turned 2. I can't believe it. She is becoming a very independent little girl. At the age of 2 she loves helping us (we'll see how long that lasts), playing with Kit Kat, singing at church, watching movies (which she thinks are hysterical), giving lion kisses (if you don't know what those are consider yourself lucky), putting her tights or panties on (of course it's always over her head), reading books, looking at pictures of her cousins, painting, cooking (she stirs and shakes everything), brushing Delight (horse), going to Grandma's house, and shoe shopping. She knows what she wants and what she likes and doesn't like. We took her to get some church shoes and I thought we'd get her some salt water sandals. She tried them on and said "oh, that's no good." We then tried on a few more different types and got pretty much the same response. Then we tried on a white pair and she said "oh, that's better" and promptly got up to leave. I think I may be in trouble as she gets older. She is very aware of how people are feeling around her and from what I've seen is pretty polite. Whenever she bumps into you or think she bumps into you she says "oh I'm sorry". She even tells shoes, curtains, chairs, etc she's sorry if she bumps into those. I love her so much and am so thankful that she is a part of our family.

Here is Allie helping to make her Birthday cupcakes.

Allie got a doctor kit from Uncle Jason, Aunt Nicki and Tessa and was able to coax Uncle Galen into being the patient. He's such a good sport

Then it was Allie's turn for her check up. How come Uncle Galen couldn't detect those ear infections. Yes she did have more ear infections after the amoxicillan allergy. They gave her a different type of antibiotic. It got rid of the ear infection but she had some stomach cramping.

Just a photo to show that we have definitely seen to much Little Mermaid

Christmas Pictures (finally!)

2009-01-10T23:16:00.000-08:00

For Christmas, we were crazy enough to go to Utah and Erin and John were nice enough to let us invade their house. Allie, Amanda and myself drove up in one car, My dad and Travis drove up in another car and Allan, Galen and my mom flew up. Jason Nicki and Tessa met us up there the Saturday after Christmas. While we were there we decided to try and get a picture of all the grandkids in their pretty/handsome Christmas attire. Well as you can see it was past Riley's nap time, Allie had only been asleep for her nap for 20 minutes when we had to wake her up, Tessa had just arrived and had the dress thrown on quickly, Jahnna was trying her hardest and Colby I think was the most cooperative one. Man, what does that say about the girls??? Maybe Nicki was able to get a better shot since she's really good at photography. I realized though that it is really hard to get 5 kids all smiling let alone just looking at the camera at the same time. It was crazy but pretty fun. It was really neat to see them all interacting and enjoying the time they had to play together. Allie absolutely loved visiting and playing with her cousins. She still keeps asking if we can go play at Erin's house. The other day she went and got her boots and gloves and said she wanted to go play in the snow. How do you explain to someone who's not even two yet that it doesn't snow here. She just said yes we go to Erin's. While in Utah, we were also able to spend some time with Allan's family. Marcus, Ann and Ashlyn even made a trip up to say hello. We were sorry to miss Becca, Parish and Brock maybe next time.

Well here is just a bunch of random pictures from our fun trip. We really enjoyed our time with family and wish we could get everyone together more often.

Allie loves to read and sing

2009-01-09T16:28:00.000-08:00

The other night we were sitting in the family room doing various things and I noticed Allie was reading in her chair. I thought it was cute and wanted to take a picture and then she busted out with the song. I love how she knows exactly what she's singing about and will still join in when she watches this video. As for me understanding it all, I think Travis said it best when he said I heard something about dreams (most likely from sleeping beauty).

Updated spots

2008-12-17T19:31:00.000-08:00

They're getting better really!

spots spots and more spots

2008-12-16T08:40:00.000-08:00

Yesterday when I picked Allie up from Nicki's she seemed perfectly fine. We went to the store and by the time we got home her back and belly were covered in tiny red spots. By the time she went to bed they were creeping up her neck and down her legs when she woke up this morning this is how she looked. They are even on the bottom of her feet and in her ears.

We think it is an allergic reaction to the amoxicillin for her ear infection. It does also say that 5-10% of kids can break out with a rash and not be allergic to it so we'll see. We're going back to the doctor this morning just to be sure. .........

Yep she's allergic!

Allie's Creativity

2008-12-05T20:26:00.000-08:00

I decided to let Allie paint a picture today and what started as a very careful process

soon turned into quite the masterpiece

You could see it in her eyes what was about to come next

She went into the tub clothes and all when she was done. She wanted to make "more colors" but we settled on coloring with crayons. While she's sitting here on my lap looking at the pictures, she keeps saying " oh mess, no head, paper."

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T21:35:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to tell everyone Happy Thanksgiving. One thing I'm thankful for this year is that my brother Galen just returned home from his mission. Most of you know that he has been away for the last two years in Idaho. We wanted to make sure he felt welcome so this is what we put up for him. Travis is making sure you don't miss the "butt tree" and yes those are boxers we put on the tree.

"We're so proud you served a mission, BUTT we're glad you're home."

It was a lot of fun seeing him and giving him big hugs.

As you can see, Allie was a little unsure of him. I think it was a little confusing to her because she has never seen him before except in pictures so whenever she heard him talk it was funny to her. (Pictures aren't supposed to talk)

We were all very excited to see him, of course there may have been someone who was a tiny bit more so than the rest :) hehe

Trip to the Zoo

2008-10-17T19:39:00.000-07:00

Allan's brother Greg came home recently from his mission so his parents and he decided to head our way for a visit. Today we went to the zoo. Allie loves being outside and animals so it was fun seeing her get excited about things. The monkeys were a little to scary I guess. She would look and then say "I don't like. This way" and then we'd move on. She walked almost the whole way except up the hills (of course) when she rode on my shoulders. As we came up one hill she started hitting the top of my head and saying "Mommy mommy look giraffe mommy mommy look." Then she kept whipping around to be sure that her daddy was looking too and telling him the same thing except she was still hitting the top of my head in her excitement. We had lots of fun and here are the pictures from our day.

Sleepover!

2008-09-25T20:06:00.000-07:00

Rub a dub dub time for some fun in the tub!

Tessa (Allie's cousin) came over for a sleepover so her mommy and daddy could go out for their anniversary. After lots of playing, they enjoyed splashing in a bubble bath. It was pretty funny and by the amount of bubbles that made it out of the tub, I would say they had a good time.

Happy anniversary Jason and Nicki!!

Two little girls already for bed!

yum yum spaghetti

2008-09-21T21:27:00.000-07:00

Allie has started to be alittle more shall we say "picky" with the things she will and won't eat. I knew that her preferring to eat vegetables was to good to be true. However there is one food I know she will eat and can never seem to get enough of it and that is Spaghetti. I can occasionally even hide some broccoli in and she doesn't seem to notice. Here are some pictures we have of Allie enjoying her favorite meal and believe me she really gets into it.

Here we go....

2008-09-05T19:16:00.001-07:00

Okay so I wanted to get in on the whole blog idea so I can try and keep in touch with people and keep them updated on how our family is doing so here it goes.

This was our trip to the temple to see the bronzed statue display in the visitor's center. Allie wasn't too interested in the statues but she loved the display of a baby's room. She kept telling me "shhh baby nigh night." After everyone else came out of the statue tour we walked around outside.
It was colder than I thought it was going to be so it's a good thing Grandma was prepared and was kind enough to lend Yoda....uh I mean Allie her sweatshirt. Thanks Grandma!!

Allie really liked the kite that was flying and kept making me take a picture of it and then show her on the camera. She is fascinated with pictures on the digital camera and even more so if they are of her.