Queen B

Park City, week of July 4th 2011

2012-01-18T09:33:00.000-08:00

Now that it is nearly February of 2012 it seems that June and July of 2011 were ions ago, nevertheless they were fabulous months in our lives and I would be so sad to not have captured our amazing adventures on my blog.

Over the summer we spent more than 100 hours in our car getting from Texas to Salt Lake, back to Texas, then to Virginia, then back again to Texas. Our kids were wonderful sports and endured all of our crazy drives---including driving straight through the night on each leg with only the very occasional stop for food. I think we were all surprised by how smoothly things went and how much we enjoyed uninterrupted family time.

This post is of some quality relaxation time in Park City, Utah. However, I am unfortunately chronicling our time in Utah backwards because this mini-trip to Park City happened toward the end of our time out west. Oh well, there is no time now to waste and wait until I have uploaded all of the other photos from when we were in Utah or else I am sure it will again be months before I get into the groove of blogging. Originally I had planned to just to do one long post from our trip to SLC but when I got all of the pictures I wanted to share into one folder I realized that there were nearly 200 pictures---way too long for one post (even for me). So, I decided to break the trip up into a few posts but I had already begun uploading pics from the end of the trip.

We spent the week of the 4th of July at one of our favorite mountain getaways in Park City. After welcoming sweet little Milo Miller to the family on July 1st we decided to all head a few miles away so the Miller family could get a little rest without us all there driving them crazy. The Lee family has come to love our Park City getaways because we realize that we are just far enough away from everyone to be able to spend quality time with our family doing things we love (outlet shopping, swimming, Alpine Slide, Rocky Mountain Fuge, Main Street, etc.) yet we are still close enough to drive down to be with grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Dad and me waiting for the fireworks display to begin on the 4th

a distant and dark shot of the kids who had wandered over to a nearby fireworks display of some other random hotel guests

the gang cruising the fields before show time

waiting...waiting...waiting...

Me and Abs

Grandpa, Lexie, and me

please notice that Tate is wearing a U of U sweatshirt of Jessie's...from the PINK line at Victoria's Secret

three handsome guys that I couldn't possibly love any more than I do

all three of these facial expressions are priceless

I guess Grandpa had had enough of the mom-arazzi

one tired girl who couldn't care less about the fireworks

When we got back to the hotel all of the kids headed straight for one of the fire pits with all of the gear for S'Mores. Lex was very sad when they all left so we decided she needed a banana Creamy (Uncle Josh's favorite and a MUST when you are in Utah).

She seemed content with her consolation prize.

And her babysitter seemed happy to partake as well.

three happy campers enjoying their s'mores in the rain

daddy is the best marshmallow toaster in the family

Lexie really took to wanting to wear socks with her sandals, I guess she knew she was in Utah...these socks of Daddy's were a little large

the whole gang (minus one) ready for some fun on the Alpine Slide

Oh, there's that other kid, crying behind Mommy. I can't remember now why Ruby was angry but I'm sure she had a good reason.

This year we decided not to leave Ruby at the bottom of the slide with a security guard, she rode with Mom.

Ruby did not want to get off the slide and wanted to somehow magically go in reverse back up to the top.

Lexie came to help persuade her.

Abbie left the top at the same time as Ruby and I did but somehow she ended-up way behind us. Poor Bracken was forced to go slow behind his sister.

...finally pulling into the end of the track.

Luckily Bracken is always a good sport and doesn't seem phased by his inability to speed.

One very cute girl with a not-so-surprising request...

...to ride the slide again.

Remembering the perfect mother for me on her birthday, July 6th

We decided to venture over to Heber one day while in Park City. We had a really fun time just driving around and seeing what the town has to offer. We all especially liked the "Dairy Keen" and stopped to get some ice cream there.

Conductor Tate

Waiting for their ice cream

Conductor Bracken

Kid-sized ice cream...

...Daddy-sized ice cream.

one little girl looks very excited

Daddy always shares

Cheese!!

This is definitely the most lady-like way to eat ice cream in public

The snow in July on the top of the mountain as we drove over from Midvale back to Park City was just too tempting for this Dad to pass up.

An impromptu snowball fight with the kids!

Let 'er rip! What Dad throws a snowball at his seven year old son who is bent over and not looking? I guess Justin thought he needed an advantage.

Don't dish it out if you can't take it Dad. They are running to get their revenge.

Lexie and I stayed in the car during the snowball fight. I was happy about that, she was not.

It seems as though some snow ricocheted off of Justin's face and onto the inside lens of his sunglasses. Comfy.

Shoes all lined up------back in the hotel room this is how our shoes looked each night.

Mommy, Ruby, Lexie, Daddy, Tate, Bracken, and Abbie

Kids all lined up-----and this is how the kids looked each night. Even though we were staying in a condo with multiple bedrooms, a family room, and a kitchen (i.e. there were plenty of beds) my kids stayed true to form and all wanted to sleep together just like they do at home. This is a photo of them squished into the foldout couch in Grandpa's room. Can you imagine the snoring coming from the four kids plus Grandpa? Delightful.

Tate on the edge

I stood on my Dad's bed to get this shot. I just couldn't believe that anyone would want to sleep like this.

note: Bracken is the one with blanket over his face.

I guess they got enough rest, even with all that snoring because the next day we went back to the Alpine Slide to use the tickets for the Alpine Coaster.

Bracken rode with Dad.

The girls walking with Grandpa and wanting to know if it's as fun as it looks.

I love these girls and I LOVE that they love each other!!!

Grandpa got to go a second time, this time with Ruby Jane!!

Mommy and Abbie

big feet, little feet

family photo before Tate and Ruby needed to be separated...

...and family photo after they were separated. I'm not sure where I'm looking, everyone else seems to be looking in the right direction.

Poor Lexie was not old enough to do any of the rides so she waited behind with whichever group wasn't on the coaster. We decided that she deserved a treat for being such a good girl.

Marshmallow's dipped in chocolate and sprinkles, I think she likes it!

Ok, we decided that we ALL needed a treat.

Watch out for Grandpa he likes to sneak a bite!

Abbie realized she made the wrong treat choice, she DOES in fact like caramel

Someone could lose a finger!

Tate backpack

Daddy and one of his girls

summer baby

three sisters heading to the car with their treats

my little babes

Can't you see why we love being in Park City so much? Looking back on this trip makes me wish we were going back again this year but the new baby means we will be staying closer to home and enjoying our new swimming pool instead of logging a zillion hours in the car. These memories will have to last us until the next time we are able to make it back to PC, this time as a family of EIGHT!!!!!

Making every moment count

2011-10-18T20:32:00.000-07:00

We were only in Texas for approximately 14 days this summer because we had places to be and people to see, but just because we had crazy traveling plans doesn't mean we could rest on our laurels or just relax while in Austin---when you have five busy babies there is virtually no time to rest...on anything. So, we tried to pack in as much fun as we could before taking off on our cross-country adventures. Here are pictures from the two weeks we were in town before we drove to Utah (the first two weeks of June 2011):

this was the view from my front porch while I waited for Jackie to come over and meet me to go walking, it looked a little ominous but also very cool

many happy hours were spent frolicking in the sprinklers in the backyard

which meant i saw a lot of this darling grin

which led to only a little of this, but i'll take what i can get

off on a morning walk in steiner ranch (our neighborhood) with my little girls in tow

we were all surprised to find these animals on a ranch down a random street in our development

yet, the kids definitely preferred time with friends to mom's walkathons

the Allen kids and the McAdams kids at Brushy Creek water park a few days after school got out

we headed straight from fun with the McAdams girls to meet Daddy for lunch at The Cheesecake Factory (Lexie is not pictured because she is in a high chair at the end of the table)

the boys

the next day we were hanging with the Hoopes family in their kitchen

a few Hoopes and Allen kids in the Hoopes' backyard, there are five kids in each family (we both have 3 girls and 2 boys so it works out great to play)

Lexie and Ava chowing down on watermelon

I'm not sure where in the process Bracken decided it was ok to take off his swimsuit and play in only his boxers

oops, looks like Austin got soaked before his shirt was off

who doesn't love being pelted in the back by hose water as they slide past?

uh, Abbie, you are supposed to slide on your stomach not your feet

or how 'bout your knees?

hi mom

Jackson wanted to be sure I documented the balloon popping, so watch the balloon

POP!!

it seems Ava always hug out with the food, here she is with the Kool-Aid popcorn

Bracken was so covered in mud that Jackie had to hose him off before he could get into the car

...like I said earlier, food and Ava...

the little girls and more popcorn

a new day a new adventure, into Target we go! i can't remember now what the point of this outing or picture is, maybe just to show the world what it looks like to take five kids into a store?

mommy and lexie at Chuy's in South Austin for a family dinner on Saturday night

she always only wants mommy's drink, never her own

love my baby

Ah, Hoppin' Hippo! This was our farewell to Hoppin' Hippo. My kids love this bounce house place but it is a zillion miles from our house and in the middle of nowhere. I guess it just couldn't handle this horrible economy and needed to close for good. Knowing we wouldn't get another chance before the doors were permanently closed on June 30th we went for a farewell play day.

love the tree house with costumes and swings

clearly a Halloween costume for a baby, this kid is seriously hilarious

lexie driving the boat

Mr. Tate

i think these are the weirdest inflatables, you climb into the rear end of an elephant, make your way through an obstacle course, and emerge out the front of a giraffe...strange

he looks so happy to be dressed in this costume

maybe he could be an expressionless guard outside Buckingham Palace

time for lunch

Ruby went straight from her Lunchables to this swing. She stayed on the swing for about 30 minutes, then she threw up and we were asked to leave. It was super awesome for me.

lexie partially behind the front desk having a tantrum while ruby played on the swing for those 30 minutes

because she wanted the snacks on top of this green cupboard

outside of Hoppin' Hippo

seriously the middle of nowhere

hey mom, like my lipstick?

more fun with the Hoopes family! off to Locomotion!

ready to play

happy Lexie

my ball pit babe

Lex pushed Ruby all around in this fire engine, and into some other people as well

new day, new frozen yogurt place

clearly they liked it

looking serious

nice mustache fella

hey mom, look at the sundae i made!!!

These adventures were eight months ago now but it feels like they were yesterday. We had a great beginning to our summer!

Ruby Scissor hands and the end of school '10-'11

2011-10-18T19:31:00.000-07:00

dear megan,

you are right, i need to get back on this thing. oh blogosphere! what's a busy girl to do? oh, and megan, i got your voicemail two weeks ago! someday when i have a minute to exhale i will call you back! i love you my hawaiian babe of a cousin!

xoxo,

this must have been the last day that it rained in Austin, field day had to be moved indoors

go Bracken, go!

what girl doesn't like a little face painting?

cutest cat ever!

abbie posing for Mrs. Berger's cam

ashlea and abbie, kinder besties

yeah...i almost killed the beautiful girl who created this pile o' hair

butchered by her own hands with kiddie scissors after church one horrible sunday afternoon

move over nick nolte, check out this mug shot

hello, little boy. why the heck didn't you move or squirm while your big sister was cutting your hair? WHY???????

curls

tears were shed

check out Colton mid-air

my little man Tate hanging out with his buddies at his end of the year park field trip

short by the chin but long by the shoulders, for the moment

bye bye hair, hello beckham bob

two cute boys, tate and colton, graduating from preschool

Ms.Q and Taters, they both survived the year, hooray!

luvs for Ms. Pompa

tate, jack, and jake

tate and colton

Rooster and Miss B

snuggles with Miss Beth

one more smile with Miss Beth

ice cream at McDonald's with mom, no more school means more time for fun

building boy

wonder boy and his creation

abbie was furious about this award from her kindergarten teacher, it was more for me than her but she didn't know what it meant and she thought it was a lame award for such a sweet little girl

great idea mom! you were sick of holding me while i explored the wonders of on and off with the light switch, this stool was totally the solution!

the very last day of school. how did we get to this day?

love these two beautiful smiles

abbie and mrs. berger

mr. subdued and mrs. berndlmaier

Let's put it to a vote!

2011-09-12T09:22:00.000-07:00

For as many years as I have had multiple children--which is almost as many years as I have been married--I have had my kids go as an ensemble cast for Halloween. First there was the Wizard of Oz with the Burton cousins, then was the year of Raggedy Ann and Andy, then the three little pigs, followed by the cast of Peter Pan...you get the idea. Anyway, this year we are putting it up to a vote. We are split on what to be so we are leaving it up to all of you in the blogosphere to help us decide. The choices are: 1. Wizard of Oz again (Abbie as Dorothy, Ruby as Glinda, Bracken as Tin Man, Tate as Cowardly Lion, Justin as Scarecrow, me as the Wicked Witch, and Lexie as Toto), 2. Star Wars (Bracken as Luke Skywalker, Tate as Darth Vader, Abbie as Princess Leia, Ruby as...an Ewok? or Princess Amadala?, Lexie as Yoda, and mom and dad undecided), 3. The whole family as an assortment of Superheroes. We are open to other suggestions but we are getting close to crunch time!

Happy voting!

Choice #1

Choice #2

choice #3

Rainbows and Unicorns

2011-09-01T15:55:00.001-07:00

I know that I am a girly-girl, and I know that I have three daughters, and I know I have not discouraged their girly-ness but I just did not have the stomach for another princess party for Abbie this year. I was so relieved when she told me she wanted to have a unicorn party. However, after some contemplation I realized that I had no idea what a unicorn party would consist of, so I thought and thought...and then I turned to the internet. It turns out that every little girl turning six around the world also was dreaming of a unicorn birthday and other moms were not as mentally blocked as myself. Quickly our unicorn party became a unicorn and rainbows party and we had more ideas than we would be able to use!

Abbie's invites ready to mail. I thought I had taken a picture of the actual invitation but I couldn't find it so I will have to add that later. It was darling and had rainbows on it, it was purchased from a lady in Australia and I printed them here.

I am all about birthdays (really all holidays) and making my kids feel like the whole world revolves around them on that day, so this is us with an embarrassingly huge display of balloons for Abbie at school.

Abbie and her pals in line for lunch (even though we brought Abbie her lunch)

Our gang at one of the special tables you sit at when your parents come to eat with you. You are allowed to choose one friend to sit with you and your parents at the special table but after several kids lobbied to join the Allen party I found Abbie's teacher and got the green light to include a few extras.

Abbie and one of her BFF's Ashlea

Rex was pretty sure that he should come and sit with Abbie too but she wanted girls only

Ruby admiring what was waiting at home for Abbie and all her friends

the cake, looking a little homemade

I am obsessed with the sparkle paper that is sold at Paper Source, I couldn't pass up the magenta paper when I saw it---totally Abbie!

the display

under the rainbow

the girls all made sparkly unicorn horns to wear and they got to choose their favorite color of glitter, here are my little ponies

I bought these neutral tote bags and drew a unicorn on each one and added the girls' names. I thought they would be so cute, I even painted the horns and hooves with gold glitter paint. Wait until you see how they turned out.

boxes for candy-to-go

A surprise visit form Mrs. Berger!! All of the girls were obsessed with their kindergarten teacher so one of the major benefits of having Abbie's party on her actual birthdays was that since it fell on a week day her teacher was totally happy to swing by on the way home from school.

in smocks decorating tote bags

blowing out candles

rainbow layer cake. sorry orange layer, I'm not sure what went wrong.

Mrs. Berger jumping with her girls

seriously, a black square Camilla? was my unicorn stencil that offensive?

ready to unwrap

(notice Mooster Cow in Abbey P.'s hand, it was her week for Mooster)

Abbie in heaven

I loved Abbie's dress, we had been looking for a special birthday outfit for a few weeks ( I couldn't handle pettiskirts again) and when i saw this sequin Nicole Miller number at Nordstrom's I knew it had rainbow birthday written all over it!

Julia and Lexie

oh I love you little gumball machine charm, how I wish your gumballs were real

the cake stands alone

Daddy wanted a race with a crepe paper finish line

Abbie won

Lexie wanted none of her Daddy's antics

get off of me

but Ruby was game

she must be Daddy's girl

more jewelry than she knew what to do with

bye bye balloon

ugh..such a bad idea

the sneaky last shot of Tate, he had broken his pinkie finger a few weeks before and needed this whole huge cast

Abbie had an amazing day and felt like a million dollars when she turned six. These days she is into jewelry, dress-up, being glamorous, make-up, playing school, and being super-social. I love my sweet girl and can't believe that she is growing up so quickly!

Easter 2011

2011-09-01T15:31:00.001-07:00

Tate waiting with his class before the easter egg hunt began

Tate totally being beaten by the girls heading towards the eggs

Tate and all of his buddies after their bags were full

Ms.Pompa made sure that Lexie had her very own egg

...or two

(they even match her dress)

decorating scratch eggs

bunny sugar cookies, yum!

two of my favorite guys! there is nothing better than daddy at a class party!

I guess she found the treats inside her eggs

the jelly beans were making her hands all sticky so someone was thoughtful enough to provide Lex with a cup

treats and her cozy, what a great party

new location, same thing happening

Ms. Q and her kangaroo's

it was a little dark inside on Easter Eve but it looks like the Easter Bunny made his delivery just fine

One extra deluxe easter delivery, but this one was for DADDY! Justin was a huge fan of the clear bowl that was part of a special edition Kitchen Aid so the Easter Bunny took note...even though mommy does all of the cooking and baking.

the kids were up before dawn to see what they had been left

Lexie was in candy heaven

she must have stole one of her sibling's Reese's carrots and I doubt they ever got it back, the phrase"taking candy from a baby" is very misleading, Lexie can hold her own

Tate admiring his newly-acquired light saber and video game

(notice the drying rack behind him and another basket, those are the things the Easter Bunny brought to me. There must be a very domestic Easter Bunny in Austin)

Bracken loved the frog and duck shaped eggs, he named them and kept them around for a few weeks

Lexie must not have gotten to Tate's basket

this girl is amazing at striking poses

headless peeps make me a little concerned about the psychological well-being of my baby

Bracken can't make it one mile in the car without taking off his shoes and socks, it drives me crazy. These pictures were taken after church.

Bracken looking extra relaxed, everyone else having the retina's burned out

picture taking...over it

cute little girls with opposite coloring

wait for it...

...there it is, troll picture.

Bracken and Abbie were in the same Sunday school class that day because Abbie's teacher was out of town but I think that it is interesting that they both thought to do rainbows around the exterior but then did such different self-portraits on the inside. I especially love Bracken's cow-lick curl in the middle of his forehead.

Mooster Cow comes to visit

2011-08-30T15:34:00.000-07:00

The beginning of April meant the end of soccer season and the beginning of some freedom for our saturdays once again. We loved basketball and soccer but I spent three nights a week at practices with all five kids for six months and I was ready for a break, not to mention three games each saturday. Each of our kids teams made it to the playoffs but the final games were held on Sunday so our kids were unable to participate. Tate's team ended-up having their best game of the year that day and won for their age group, go team LA! Bracken's team lost in the final minutes, which was sad for the kids, but even worse was that they had a coach who was a very poor sport and told the kids to just go throw their trophies in the trash. I felt sad for team Las Vegas but realize I will be very careful in allowing my kids to be around certain kinds of coaches in the future. Abbie's team also lost but I'm not sure if she ever even asked me how her team had done, clearly soccer had not become her life.

What Abbie was excited about, however, was the fact that after waiting the entire school year it was finally her turn to be student of the week and take home the class mascot, Mooster Cow. Personally, I think the cow is hideous but Abbie loved him and was so excited to have him after months of anticipation so we were sure to take Mooster on several family outings.

The following are photos of the end of soccer season and also of our escapades with Mooster Cow.

hair bows and soccer totally mix

why is the parent bridge always such a crowd pleaser? i don't get it but Abbie LOVES it!

my weird son with the weird mascot

more weirdness

movies with Mooster

if you look really closely you can see two dirty foot prints on this kitchen table chair from my littlest girl who had been outside without shoes, someday I will miss finding traces of my little ones around

I pulled this out of Bracken's school folder. The captions really speak for themselves (cool--super kid, hot--corn dog, hotter--woman in bikini, hottest--girl underwear). I died laughing. Obviously he was thinking true temperature when it came to amount of clothing necessary for various temps. Super inappropriate and super hilarious.

even cows love the park.

doesn't Abbie look like a total babe in this picture? hard to believe she is in kindergarten.

Happy Friday night!

McDonald's for dinner while Dad's out of town.

there he goes! there he goes!

SCORE!!!

Tate's victory swing from Coach Pham right after he scored a goal

what a player

we ran into Reagan and Molly one field over, these girls are so happy to see each other

Ruby, Tate, Molly, Reagan, Abbie, and Mooster

time to put Mooster cow down and get in the game

Abbie and Tyler (both in Mrs. Berger's kindergarten class) with their mascot Mooster Cow

shooting practice with Dad at half time

the whole Munich team

backyard baseball with Mooster Cow

an unusual talent, cap-to-cap water bottle stacking

Mooster cow goes to church

family home evening

(look how many curls Lexie had before Ruby cut them all off)

evening dress-up with Mooster Cow

I know this is all sort of disjointed but I just really want to get my blog all caught up. Thanks for baring with me.

Dear daughters,

2011-07-26T20:03:00.000-07:00

Thank you for putting up with your mother's need to have matching little girls. I know you are individuals but you will only be little once and I am loving every minute of it.

Love,

Mom

Every single Sunday my girls wear identical outfits, I just can't help myself. Next year Abbie will surely be too tall to fit in the matching outfits so I am living it up while I still can. The following are pictures taken on various Sundays from the end of March thru the beginning of June:

before church...and before they had their hair done

these dresses were my favorites from the Dallas sale, my girls wore them all summer long

the gang

happy sisters

blue dresses

pink dresses

typical ruby

loves

post-Ruby-self-inflicted-hair-cut

yellow dresses for the weddin'

and, done...

I guess I couldn't wrangle the crew for photos in the lime green dresses, the melon-colored dresses, or the lavender dresses...perhaps I will eventually get those shots, after all, it's still over 105 in Austin.

(I plan to actually catch up now that three kids are back in school, keep your fingers crossed)

the novice videographer

2011-06-02T08:05:00.000-07:00

I sat down at my computer to upload some photos and begin to catch up on my blog again. This video is what I found, along with literally 50 other photos and videos that are equally amusing. The kids must have learned how to hack into my computer (which requires a password) over the weekend because these are the outfits they were wearing on Saturday. I have no idea how to make videos like this myself or how to take pictures creating crazy backgrounds (there are some green-screen shots with roller coaster backgrounds, etc.) but somehow Bracken figured it all out and entertained himself for quite some time. I will post some of the other gems later but this is the exact video that appeared when I logged in to my account and it was too random and hilarious not to share.

Socc' it to me!

2011-03-28T14:31:00.000-07:00

warning: this post is relatively incoherent and serves more to document a first than to be poignant.

Ready or not, here we come! The Allen's are taking the plunge this year! We started last season with basketball and now we're on to soccer, our kids are officially in organized sports. I have been told by many friends to hold out as long as possible because once "it" starts there is no stopping. I can appreciate that advice, and I have held out (Bracken will be 8 in November) but once I started one child it was too hard not to start the others. Actually, Abbie didn't---still doesn't---want to play and even though she had registration drama after they didn't put her best friend onto her team she is sticking it out. Justin and I decided to let each of the three oldest kids give it a go this season, if they don't like it after that then we won't push them for another season.

For the next seven Saturdays we will be attending three soccer games a day and hoping that Lexie and Ruby can handle being toted around from game to game. Last Saturday was fun because it was the first time to see any of the kids play. Tate's game was first, it was at 8am and he seemed excited to go. Apparently the adrenaline only lasted through the first quarter because after scoring two goals in Q1 he was freaked out and crying when it was his turn to sub back in. This happened with nearly every player on his team at one point or another (though not with any of the girls I noticed). I talked to Tate lovingly and calmly, then eventually I yanked him off the sideline and took him to the car (super awesome parenting moment). He took a few deep breaths in his car seat and, after being promised a trip to the swimming pool, he got back out on the field. Bracken's game was next at 9am, he had no reservations about playing because he plays with his friends at recess but he needs a lot of work in the skills department. Luckily for his team, Bracken is really fast and we're hoping the coordination will come in time. Abbie's game wasn't until after lunch so we were able to head home for a little R and R before heading back out into the 90 degree heat. She did a good job but hopes to be a little more aggressive in future games.

our little mvp

(bracken was awarded mvp and most improved player in his very first soccer game ever, we're so proud!)

ok, please look at the way tate is looking at this little girl with pigtails. the coach seems to be giving constructive criticism, tate seems perturbed.

do you girls know what we're supposed to be doing?

i'm not seeing a lot of huddling in tate's future; his posture makes me think he's not ok with people in his personal space

baby girl spectator

snack time!

(he's holding a gogurt that totally blends in with is jersey)

we only have two chairs for now, this will have to do

sweet and happy

my girl

bracken is really fast, we've known for years that he needed to be in sports where that could set him apart. we learned that, for now, basketball is not his sport...perhaps soccer will fare better.

looking up at his dad

curly girl

tate between his new pals, sebastian and diego

(those two boys are brothers, there are five children in their family also---all boys---diego is the oldest at six and a half)

the girls digging in my bag for snacks

sunny much?

it's great to have a sister

big kids

(please notice the cinderella purse tucked down between abbie's cleats, i told her it could not be in the picture)

he's like this quite often, i just wanted proof for when he's older

(for like four days tate walked around telling me that he had broken his arm when he had fallen off his bike. i'm sure he had actually done some kind of damage because of the way he'd wince when he'd bump into things...we're cruel parents i guess)

i think abbie was hoping that if she held onto her dad then he could stay on the field with her throughout the game

(she had a shy and embarrassing moment right before this when the soccer referee---who was probably 14 years old---told her she needed to take off her jewlery, aka silly bands. she was mortified to be called out and took quick steps to the sideline to me and sobbed into my side. poor sensitive girl.)

no such luck, dad's off the field. abbie was great at running back and forth in a pack with the kids on her team but she's unwilling to stick a leg in there and actually kick the ball. she's a little timid and also afraid of hurting someone else. she is a little too sweet and not at all aggressive, so this may not be her sport. finally, i started bribing her with a trip to cups and cones if she would just kick the ball five times...that didn't happen. it's not that i care if she turns out to be a great athlete, i just want her to try and not be afraid. after the game she came to me and whispered, "mom, what if i try to kick the ball but i miss?"

abbie's team huddle with coach mark. he may or may not replace the love abbie had for coach david last season in basketball.

In other Allen news, last thursday was the semi-annual dress sale in Dallas and for the first time we were smart enough to drive up the night before and sleep in a hotel so that I could be there right as the doors opened. I fared better than at other sales when it came to finding the matching dresses across the sizes but the owner opened the warehouse doors 15 minutes earlier than he had posted he would and a lot of ladies (including me) were pretty angry about that. There was a lot of gently nudging people out of your way to get at the dresses you wanted, and even more hoarding armfuls of dresses around the perimeter of the room. I guess it was the way prim and proper, gentle southern ladies face off in battle. I liked it.

Justin opted to wait in the car with the kids and not deal with the throngs of crazy women. At one point I did have him bring the girls in to try on a couple of dresses but he was quick to leave once they were finished. When I got back to the car Justin told me that after quite a while of waiting Bracken said, "there's mom!" followed by Tate saying, "no, there's mom! In the white coat." Justin said he looked up at both women exiting the sale and said, "no, neither of those women are mom. Every woman in there looks just like mommy." He was right, I guess we are of a distinct breed, women who have certain ideals about the way children should dress and are down for a bargain. The girls sported some of the fruits of my labor on Sunday, I just love these linen dresses! The pictures don't do them justice. When the girls are standing the dress is full around them, like a bell, and so darling with the navy stitching and little navy bows, with a huge tan linen bow in the back---precious!

matching love! i'm totally over trying to get pictures where everyone is smiling, or even looking at the camera, as long as all five are in it then i'm good

before church on sunday...and clearly before I had done either lexie or ruby's hair

there's nothing in this world quite like a sister

their hearts grew three sizes that week

2011-03-22T16:24:00.000-07:00

After staying home alone with my fab five last year during spring break while Justin circled the globe I vowed that this year would be different. So, I made hotel reservations in September. I put them onto Justin's calendar and reminded him to remind his boss that River Ridge Elementary does not care that it is the last week of Q2, spring break is happening regardless of what Apple has planned. Unfortunately, this meant some time was spent on business calls pool-side, though I must admit Justin did a great job of really limiting the time he worked. We are in complete harmony in our belief that the job is a necessary evil to pay for our life---the job is not the life. Thus, Friday afternoon once Abbie had lassoed her last steer at the annual kindergarten rodeo and Bracken had read us his masterpiece at first grade Author Celebration, we piled into the car to begin an eighteen hour journey to Orlando.

Some people may think we're crazy for embarking on such an adventure with five little kids (including Abbie, who several times reminded us that when we went to Orlando in September it was very easy and FAST because we flew) but I really enjoyed being with my family and not having a hard deadline of when we needed to be anywhere, i.e. the airport. We drove about eight hours the first day and spent the night in Baton Rouge, then woke the next morning, popped Princess and the Frog into the DVD player and let the kids soak in a little New Orleans before we drove through the city. It turned out that even though mardi gras was over there was still quite a crowd for a St. Patrick's Day parade to be held that afternoon, so I just hopped out and ran into a little cafe and ordered bags full of beignets so that the kids could taste what Tiana was making---they loved them! Day two ended at 3 AM in Orlando after an 11 hour drive by Justin the amazing. I must admit that it really only felt like 1AM because of the time zone change and the end of daylight savings. However, it was a VERY long day of sitting. Yet, I cannot complain because the kids were amazing, with the exception of Lexie being tired and frustrated without a bed during nap time, everyone was perfect. I couldn't have asked for more.

Day 1, Friday:

Somewhere between dinner at Chick-Fil-A in Houston (where we changed into pj's) and Baton Rouge

the night time paparazzi

totally un-phased by the bright flash.

i couldn't see what i was taking a picture of because it was too dark so i would just hold the camera up and shoot. justin made me stop after six or seven shots because he was afraid i would wake someone up. i guess he doesn't know that i am trying to document our lives here.

bracken's first road trip without the comforts of a booster

Day 3, Sunday:

when you can't go swimming on the sabbath, just pile into the huge tub in mom and dad's room at the hotel.

rub a dub, dub, five babes in a tub

Somehow that was the only shot I got at our first hotel in Orlando. That's right, first hotel. I guess way back in September I made those reservations at the wrong hotel. We were supposed to be staying literally directly across the street at Harbor Lake, not Cypress Harbor. Thanks Marriott for having nearly identical properties a stones-throw apart.

Day 4, Monday:

We transferred across the street to the correct hotel, "the pirate hotel" according to the kids.

a little water fun

18 months old and all grown up.

bracken and abbie playing a game they made up with two frisbees and a wiffle ball

lexie became a very independent woman on our trip, she knows what she wants and how to get it. once she had these chips she wasn't about to give up the bag. i almost lost a finger.

pizza night...which was followed by taco night, and spaghetti night (and friendly's ice cream runs, we were back on the east coast after all)

Day 5, Tuesday:

We were staying at a vacation club resort where the rooms are more like apartments with multiple bedrooms and a kitchen, etc. so we decided to run to Costco to stock up for the week.

this pretty much sums up how justin felt when our escalade sputtered to a stop less than a mile from the costco where we were headed to get gas. lesson learned.

good thing there was a bag of tootsie pops in the glove compartment

i'm pretty sure tate is wondering what fool let us run out of gas

i was too chicken to get out and take a picture of what it looked like for our huge car to sit for ---an HOUR--- in the middle of a busy intersection, so instead i took a picture of the walgreens i stared at for said hour

our knight in shining escalade came to bring us 3 gallons of gas, thank you OnStar

Justin didn't think the whole running out of gas thing was very funny at first but we actually had a really fun time sitting and talking with the kids for that hour.

Day 6, Wednesday:

The most perfect day at the beach ever! A special thank you to Abbie M. for recommending the beach, we had SUCH a great time!

family

what? mom how could you forget my swimming suit? i just don't understand, we are at the BEACH lady!

this is how far ruby got before abbie could chase her down. the joys of watching five kids at the beach while justin took a business call.

a conversation

russian stacking dolls

the price you pay for being tall is having to bend down in pictures with the ones you love who are not quite as tall

happy baby

sand castle concentration

that girl has got the most pinchalicious buns ever!!

they had the whole beach but they stayed close to one another

five happy kids. i need a beach in my backyard.

what's gonna work?

teeeeeeeam work!

bracken found two jellyfish and wanted to bring them home with us. yeah, that wasn't happening.

tate pretending to eat it, yum!

as we were leaving new smyrna beach, we passed a great old-school wooden playground (can we say wolftrap elementary?) and HAD to stop and let the kids play like it was 1989

yikes, that would be quite a fall

i am positive that i have never had the upper body strength to cross the monkey bars. i guess they are their daddy's kids.

tate

this is the open-mouthed face lex makes every time I say "kisses"--- then i get a fabulous smooch!

son tire sandwich

(notice j in the background on the phone...again)

the oldest

the star of our trip. we are grateful to have made it safely to and from austin, and ALL around orlando

having the time of her life in a just-her-size city

caught red handed. bracken washing all of his treasures from his day at the beach.

what are you looking at?

Day 6, Thursday (St.Patrick's day):

Relaxing at the hotel and letting the kids do whatever they wanted, i.e. cartoons and swimming.

they all watched tv like this, lexie just lay with the big kids, and my mommy heart melted to know how happy my five are to relax and be together

five plus daddy

sister loves

D-I-V-A

F-I-S-H

sliders

hence the name, "pirate hotel"

quality time

this was her own idea, what a foodie!

abbie fell in love with hula hooping on this vacation

look ma, no hands! and a little lexie look alike in the bottom left

hey tate, crack kills buddy

Day 7, Friday:

We checked out of the pirate hotel on friday and headed over to the JW Marriott Grande Lakes. The kids had remembered it from a previous trip to Orlando and really wanted a chance at the lazy river so we acquiesced.

poor kids, i can empathize from my own youth, waiting in the hotel room while daddy is on a conference call

their better side

noses up against the glass, itching to get out

so close they can smell the chlorine from 20 floors up, hurry up daddy!!

once down at the pool the food must have been more enticing than the water, there was a lot of back and forth

these gals hung out at the allen buffet

(a little white trash for the J-dub but we had so much food left from our fridge at the other hotel)

this photo just perpetuates the mystery i have been trying to solve for the last eighteen months, seriously, what color is this girl's hair? brown? blond? red?

gator huntin'

(their facial expressions are very accurate depictions of each of their personalities)

sister helpin'

what a wrangler!

there's that bending down again

bracken is the greatest big brother and was willing to follow lexie all around the playground and help her with anything she was too small to do on her own

"hey mom! I found a frog!"

...boys will be boys...

ribbit

we know how to close down a party, the last pool lingerers

Day 8, Saturday:

One last hit at the pool before getting on the road again.

i realized on the last day (after talking on the phone with jess) that I was not in a single picture on the trip. i told her i would get proof that i was there. voila.

It was one of the best trips we have ever taken, not having to be anywhere was exactly what we needed. A great big thanks to my whole family for indulging mom and letting us have a laid back vacation, I love you all so much!

There were many adventures along the way home, some captured on the flip cam, but none captured on my camera I guess. Oh well, I think there were 70 photo's in this post, that will have to suffice.

Happy spring break to those who are lucky enough to have it yet to come---take advantage, you won't get a second chance!

...glug, glug, glug...

2011-03-22T06:14:00.001-07:00

swimming. need i say more?

(spring break 2011 post to follow soon)

I love moth-er; she loves me. We love dad-dy, yes sir-ree! He loves us, and so you see, We are a happy fam-i-ly!

2011-02-17T15:34:00.001-08:00

Can't you just hear the song in your head? I haven't heard the primary children sing that song in FOREVER but I have begun singing it at home because I believe that singing it, much like singing Families Can Be Together Forever, will remind my children that we're in this together. Perhaps I will encourage Sister Leininger (our primary chorister) to dust off some of the oldies but goodies.

Anyway, despite Andrew's proclamation that February is black love month, we have decided that at our house it is going to be family love month. We are taking advantage of every opportunity to do things together as a family---which I guess is pretty much how we live every day already, but there is something about consciously deciding to take advantage of every moment. Justin and I are all too aware that we are living our glory days right now. Before we know it our kids will be old enough to choose whether or not to spend time with us, so we are taking full advantage.

i l-o-v-e you!

i was on kindergarten cupcake duty but that was in addition to all of the sugar cookies and heart-shaped cakes i had been making all weekend. i'm hoping we all come off the sugar high before easter!

bracken addressed his valentine's himself, when i looked through to be sure he hadn't missed anyone in his class i saw that he had dotted the i's and written the a's as hearts---even on the boys names

he gave out these super-hero bracken valentine's but he spruced his teachers up a bit

these are the Valentine's that Abbie passed out to her class

it's good to be a girl!

there wasn't a great way to get a shot of these darling pettiskirt outfits my mother-in-law got for the girls, this was as good as i could get.

abbie's teacher set ruby up at the reading center where the kids can listen to books on tape and follow along, ruby LOVED it! take note grandparents, stories with cd's to follow along would be a big hit in this house.

abbie at her class party making her valentine mailbox

more of the same

ruby felt quite at home at this little craft table, maybe she could skip the next two years of preschool and just go straight to kindergarten next year. i'm sure tate would love having his little sister in his class!

after abbie's class party we headed up to the preschool for tate's party.

itchy foot i guess...

strawberry ice cream sundaes! i guess the moms in charge of the party felt the need to mix it up a little because this is ALWAYS the sugar cookie decorating station. good thing my kids have already gotten their sugar cookie fix at home.

i love that tate is completely off the ground in this shot,

his balloon is carrying him away!

hot date!

we told our kids we were going out on a date---a family date--- on valentine's. so, we made a reservation at a semi-fancy restaurant (as fancy as our kids could handle) at a reasonable hour for small children and had the time of our lives...well, the time of their lives anyway.

(i guess it was a little sunny)

best dates in town

uh, i am just now noticing that abbie is leaning away in this picture.

i'm only mildly offended.

mr. personality

lexie was in a high chair next to me. she was especially snuggly and giggly that night,

she's at such a fun age.

for the past two months it has been very difficult to get lexie to eat anything other than welch's fruit snacks or nature valley granola bars. last weekend we discovered that she can be persuaded to eat ham and cheese crepe's, and now i am pleased to announce she also LOVES linguine with pesto and chicken! perhaps i should put maggiano's number into my speed dial.

yes, that is ruby playing a game on justin's cell phone. she wasn't her most pleasant self at that dinner. is there such a thing as the terrible three's?

we've been really great about teaching our kids manners

the linguine was a hit with all kids

after dinner we decided to go for a little stroll around the shopping center and stopped to play a while on the giant turtle

we had packed three bottles of martinelli's to use for toasts at our special dinner because it is tate's favorite thing in the whole world. he thinks that every occasion with sparkling cider is extra special. unfortunately, we had forgotten to break it out at the restaurant but tate remembered as soon as his busy climbing made him thirsty. we totally looked like crazy wine-o parents, drinking straight from the bottle and allowing our kids to do the same. we did get a few strange looks.

this pose coming soon to a piano top and lounge near you

like father, like son

my kids always jump into their siblings picture, you've gotta vie for the spotlight in this family!!

the gun show

girls after their mother's heart.

"someday lexie, someday we will be able to buy all the shoes we want"

i noticed after putting up these pictures that the skirt ruby is wearing on the valentine's for her class is strikingly similar to the one she received from gigi---perfect for her personality!!

At the end of the day Valentine's was exactly what it should have been. We had a fabulous day celebrating with our kids the love we have for one another...plus, there was no shortage of treats, jewelry, and lipstick messages on the mirror! I hope your holiday was as love-ly as ours!!!

mary and her little lamb go to a sock hop

2011-02-12T16:37:00.001-08:00

friday was kindergarten nursery rhyme day. each kindergartner chose a nursery rhyme and came to school dressed as a character from their rhyme ready to recite it for the class.

mary and her little lamb during the kinder parade. abbie giggled the whole time and clearly loved the attention!

most kids wimped out and were too scared to actually share their rhyme but abbie was happy to volunteer

here she is with the other two girls who had been too scared to go but had also planned to be mary's. abbie volunteered to lead the crew and the other girls reluctantly agreed. somehow when they all were reciting together it turned into a song. oh well.

i think abbie's mary costume was the best, she was even willing to let me put sponge curlers in her hair the night before (though once they were in she was like, "wait, i have to sleep in these?)

...later that evening we headed back over to the elementary school for the annual River Ridge Valentine's Sock Hop school fundraiser

six cool cats ready to cut a rug

(the school somehow got five retro cars to park outside the school for families to get their pictures with....don't judge me for my boys white shirts, the only plain white t-shirts they have are their undershirts which are meant to be small)

there were balloons everywhere at the dance and the kids were clamoring to get their hands on them all night. next year i hope the decorating committee can come up with another idea because as the night wore on every kid at the dance became obsessed with getting his/her own balloon. there were fights, tears, and drama.

getting some calories in before getting their groove on

with that ponytail she could have been a fifties girl for sure

i was holding lexie on my lap but not monitoring what she was doing, i was too busy chatting. when i did finally glance down i realized she had helped herself to almost an entire slice of pizza!

jitterbug dance lessons with mom

perfectly paired dance partners

really getting into it

they were pretty good, maybe i should rent them out for parties...

ruby was one of the lucky kids who ended-up with a balloon but she had to keep running through the crowd or else other kids would steal it

dance lexie dance!

clapping for the band

comparing treats, push pop vs. ring pop...bracken chose the ring...hmm...

one tough guy

(he was not too happy that i kept wanting to roll his sleeves but once he had his push pop he was more willing to allow costume adjustments)

a dancing daddy dip

abbie and her girlfriends doing the cha-cha slide

(i guess the electric slide is out)

lexie flying past. she was a blur all night long, running, dancing, and on-the-go!

once lexie discovered these decorations all she cared about for the rest of the night was getting them taken down, one piece at a time

why must you always ruin my fun mom? i'm sure the clean-up committee won't mind me taking some decorations down

the bunny hop

the girls weren't too happy about stopping their fun to have their picture taken but I really wanted some shots of the girls in their poodle skirts that i spent all afternoon making

i had to grab ruby as she ran past and pull her down to be in this picture, if only she had been facing towards the camera i could have gotten all of my pink ladies together

lexie getting a lecture from me on why she can NOT go on the stage with the live band. i think she wanted to be the back-up dancer (she definitely has the moves for it).

it's hard to tell in this picture but the girls are crying...it was a long fun night but basketball games and team pictures were slotted to start early the next morning, tears mean it's time for bed!

the happiest place on earth

2011-01-25T20:20:00.001-08:00

Too much of a good thing? Jess has told me in the past that you can never have too many pictures in a blog post, this may or may not be true. In the case of Disney World I think choosing which pictures to preserve is a very difficult process. There are 110 pictures in this post (I think) and they are whittled down from the over 2,000 pictures we took on our nine day trip. My kids, as it turns out, are...kids. Typical, all American, Disney-loving, princess-obsessed, magic-believing kids. They LOVE Disney World. Each time we go they are entranced by the magic of it all and I am reduced to a sentimental, cry-at-their-reactions, blithering mommy fool. It's wonderful really and I am being totally serious. I love to see my kids so happy and excited about every single thing they see. The magic will fade sooner than I'd like but for now they are still so sweet and innocent.

we arrived at night but that didn't stop us from entering the park to go on a few classics like Pirates of the Caribbean

buzz lightyear in the house

waiting for our table at hollywood and vine

the girls had their noses pressed up against the glass watching all of the characters inside the restaurant, this was our first morning in town and the kids were jumping out of their skin to see some of their favorites

pat, pat, pat...

matchy-matchy mom strikes again

the Mickey Mouse Club

bracken's favorite shrub. seriously, what child has a favorite shrub? bracken drags us over to see this "magic mickey" each time we're at MGM

i was shocked that each of the kids that were tall enough (including tate) went on the tower of terror several times and loved it...sort of

tinkerbell at the night showing of fantasmic, it's always one of my favorite shows...at least we didn't get separated this year and aunt jessie didn't have to spend tons of money on light-up souvenirs

oh the disney bus...

...if only we could always travel via monorail

at least she could sleep

pooh has a secret

ruby has a secret

thanks for noticing me

princesses

Elaine? is that you?

the first princess sighting of the trip

priceless

this girl is a true princess, i hope she always has things in her life that she is this enthusiastic about

it doesn't matter that it is a zillion degrees, cozy is with us

my tweedle dee's

hot? thirsty? sick of the magic?

i'm wishing...what do you think ruby is wishing while sitting on this well?

he was so excited to get his hands on that sword...the little boy after bracken got the sword out, it rotates on a schedule and on a certain number you are able to get it out...poor bracken

diva

this was right before we jumped into a chalk drawing and were waited-on by penguins

the gang

happy

heading into the dwarfs cottage, they are old enough to ride alone in their own row

please mommy, oh pleeeeeeease!!!!...she got it

seven space rangers we love

look alikes

child swap

girly-girls in matching outfits

i LOVE our tradition of going to beaches 'n cream and ordering the kitchen sink, to die for

soooo good

no words

main street all hallow-ready, it's rare to get a shot of main street when it's not swarming with people but we have arrived extra early for our breakfast with the princesses inside Cinderella's castle

i gave ruby my make-up on the shuttle to make her happy, aren't her eyes dazzling?

lexie can't get away fast enough

this is the exact same cinderella that has been here to greet us for the past four years...what's she going to do when she starts to look more like the step mother??? aging happens to the best of us

the girls posing on the stairs for bracken

no glass slippers lost here

on guard!

they have a wishing ceremony at cinderella's royal table, they flash the lights and the kids wish on stars. magic!

if only i knew what these little wishes were. i hope they come true!!

snow white offered to teach the girls how to curtsey

and to hold out your skirt while you pose for a picture

hey lady, who invited you into my personal space?

too cute to seem intimidating or scary

yikes!! more knight-like

dumbo, such a classic

alice was a tiny little thing but tate was a little scared of her so i held him firmly in the picture, even if that meant sacrificing myself and immortalizing the horrible humidity-ruined hair

what the stitch?

the big cheese himself. we love you mickey.

in minnie's gazebo and totally over it

tan cuzzy baby faces

snorting, i mean licking sugar off the table....this happened at every restaurant

this was a great end to tate's day, he is my child that would walk across fire to get to macaroni and cheese

looks like everyone was a little scared to enter the haunted house

lexie is my baby who loves babies, grandpa saw these two cute little corolle's in a red suitcase and knew they would make lexie happy for the rest of the trip, and they did!

hello. we have already seen this guy. at breakfast two days ago.

bracken doesn't seem too sure about hugging a boy in short shorts

colorful lollipop + new princess Tiana dress = who cares mom, you're only a kid once

in the dark, dank, cool line of pirates...again

looks like we went back to all of the crowd pleasers more than once

simply happy

this is what i saw every time i looked down, ruby wanting me to carry her or hold her during a parade

a cup full of kids!

bracken is giving instructions on how to operate the steering wheel and brody looks totally panicked and betrayed.

perhaps the best picture of the trip. aunt jess is just one of the kids!

i volunteered to watch brody while jess rode on goofy's roller coaster with my kids. he was dry when she left. i'm sure she appreciated me letting him roam free at donald's boat house.

hmm, what will come out of this hole?

WATER!!!

some people waited in line for over two hours to meet tink and her friends, there was no way i was doing that. a nice lady asked if my girls wanted to meet the fairies, i said sure. the next thing i knew we went through a back entrance and were deposited into fairyland. before we entered we were told that as we passed through the doors we would be shrunk down to the size of a fairy, abbie was really worried about it. once we were inside she kept asking if we really had been shrunk...no really daddy, really? as you can see, ruby was not impressed.

but she was impressed by the gift shop

these sunglasses were purchased

cotton candy...not eaten like Taylor from real housewives of beverly hills

pink toothed smile---

watch out bracken, we all know what happened to peter at the end of pinkalicious

yes, bracken's shirt is tucked into his boxers

jess had had enough of brody's back talk

the miller's (notice brody squeezed into the middle) after the shooting game of Toy Story at MGM...i will never call it hollywood studios

grandpa and tate making memories

babe

beating the heat at the hotel pool

safety first

sun, sand, and castles

this is when we were at a nice restaurant at the hotel but the kids had just thrown clothes on and come straight from the pool. brody was walking the halls with taylor and made an appearance at our port hole. the kids decided that was a good time to share some food. the couple at the next table were very gracious about sitting near the animals.

after dinner we headed back to beaches 'n cream for "the kitchen sink round 2"...

brody borrowed abbie's gear to play baby beauty parlor

allie, how do you feel about these sorts of round brushes?... i know...

tate created a mega-straw by sticking a lot of straws together, he was so proud

time for a mani while waiting for our food

if someone who was about to paint my nails looked at me like this i'd grab my purse and run

...even worse

wow, i look great!

our waitress announcing to the entire restaurant (while the lights flash on and off and a red police siren swirls from the ceiling) that some little pigggy's have come to try and eat the whole kitchen sink. twenty scoops of ice cream, an entire can of whipped cream, and every topping in the house!

bracken can't even keep his grubby little mitts off long enough for me to get one shot

smoosh

clearly we didn't even try to keep her clean, we just wanted to see her happy. lexie was such a good sport to sit in strollers all day each day. she's such a good baby!

this is where we headed right after ice cream...it was the late night end to a great trip!

family photos 2010...still playing catch-up

2011-01-25T08:28:00.000-08:00

Note: Feel free to skip this post. Many of you have already seen several of these pictures on our christmas card. Oh what we do for the sake of journaling.

I didn't think we would be taking family pictures this year because we didn't make our annual trek home to Virginia, which is where my friend Susan lives. She has taken nearly all of our family photos and pictures we use for our holiday cards. She had planned to pass through Austin on her way to visit her parents in Arizona so she could join in the big birthday festivities at the end of July but when her family's minivan broke down I knew that plan was a long shot. She ended up not making it to the party and we ended up without a photographer to capture the Allen's a la 2010.

By the time August rolled around I had come to peace with our lack o' pics. We had had such a crazy summer with birthdays, kid camps, playing with friends, sister's weddings, etc. that I was able to face the reality of a hodge-podge christmas card with photos from various excursions and events throughout the year (clearly that suited us just fine in 2009), but then in a blink we had an opportunity and we seized it!

The day after Tate's birthday (which was on the sabbath, aka no party) we had a party for him at Jessie's with a bounce house in the front yard. All of the kids in attendance were either Tate's cousins or the kids of my cousins, it was very low-key relative to the grand fete's enjoyed by my older two children (stinks to have a summer birthday). I spent the morning and the early part of the afternoon at the dentist (blasted miserable experience which resulted in a numb mouth, red at the corners, and me crying as I walked myself exactly one block to the SLC Nordstrom and soothed my pain and sadness by purchasing a new Rebecca Taylor dress...note to Justin: do not allow me to undergo painful medical procedures near such a dangerous shopping venue). Anyway, by the time I made it back down to Lehi, the party had already begun. Birthday parties wait for no mom. We had quite a pleasant afternoon eating pizza and having cake (well i couldn't feel my mouth, but the others ate). Any chance to chat and catch up with my extended family is time well spent. Then, just as the party was winding down, my cousin Heather (fab photographer) offered to take some photos of us all that night.

The photo shoot was very last minute, none of us had prepared our outfits (hence Lexie's heinous onesie), nor did we have time to bathe the kids and do hair, etc. but we scrounged around for what matched and was clean (Taylor even made a special trip into GAP kids to buy Tate a white shirt because his wasn't clean). The end result was quite nice and, best of all, we now have family photos documenting this year of our lives. Thanks Heath!

when did my baby boy turn into a little man?

(i have no idea why this is underlining..annoying)

i know this will be one of my favorite pictures of abbie forever, she's such a sweet girl

in the picture above she looks like a little girl, but just seconds later in this shot i can see her teenage self. i'm not ready.

this is more like it. i'm not ready for any of them to grow up.

dear lexie, please always be this happy...but do not always try to be getting away from your mother

uh, what the fly-away? thanks a lot hair

she's ready to bolt

(notice how a. i should have been wearing skinny jeans, and b. one boot rises higher than the other because of the difference in length of my legs)

oh i just love these people!

westward ho! rolling, rolling, rolling...

doesn't it sort of seem like justin should be holding a pitch fork?

this picture is only slightly different than the one above, i'm just a sucker for black and white

wuh? huh?

...a little too enthusiastic...

seriously ruby? is a normal smile just too much to ask for?

tate and my girls look so thrilled to still be having their picture taken

"well, whatever do you mean? i am just a quiet, shy, and demure young lady."

(so often i wish i was privy to ruby's inner monologue)

"OH MY GOSH! SHE SAID WHAT???"

"CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?!?"

(love the hands on the hips)

"this is really as much smile as i feel i can give right now mom, it will have to do"

bright beautiful balancing baby

belly laugh

three little ladies all in a row

...and they lived happily ever after...

where's Waldo?

2011-01-21T11:18:00.000-08:00

Some of you may have seen Justin post Bracken's Christmas list on Facebook, it included a line item for "a pet with no fir"...(fur)...because grandpa is allergic. When I saw the list I realized he and I would need to have a little talk. I felt quite confident that Santa would NOT be bringing another living creature into this home---for now our home is maxed out at 7---and I knew he would be disappointed because he has wanted a pet for quite some time. However, when I was at the toy store with the kids and they were all choosing special gifts for each other something caught my eye. African pigmy frogs. They are tiny little creatures that require almost no maintenance. Bingo. I bought them for Bracken from Ruby and, just as I knew they would be, they were his favorite gift on Christmas morning.

Bracken promptly named them Speedy and Waldo, and was sure to check on them a few times each day. We agreed to keep them in the kitchen so that they would be safe from the younger children and also so we would remember to feed them twice a week (out of sight out of mind). Well, on the way home from school on wednesday, Bracken asked me when Speedy and Waldo's birthday's were. I told him that I wasn't sure when they were born and that he could pick a day. He decided that the next day would be best. So, as soon as we were home the kids dropped their backpacks and immediately started pulling out all of our craft boxes. Both Bracken and Abbie made several creative cards and gifts for the two little frogs.

Nearly an hour--and quite a lot of wrapping supplies--later they had a little stash of froggy birthday gifts. All afternoon they were a twitter about how excited the frogs would be for their party the next day. However, when I came out into the kitchen on Thursday morning I found a very tragic sight. The gifts had been piled on top of the frog's container, covering the air hole.

poor waldo...too gruesome?

When the kids woke up they wanted to have the party before they even got dressed. I hid the frogs and kept making excuses for why the party had to take place after school. I wasn't sure whether to be honest with the kids and have some sort of life cycle discussion or whether to run to the toy store, replace the frogs, and hope no one was the wiser. In the end I decided to deal with what had happened and allow them to grieve the loss.

yes Jell-O, this was a "sensible solution". it was either this or the cupcake liner/wrapper container. cardboard seemed more eco-friendly.

until we added the plastic bag

speedy

Luckily, we weren't 0 for 2. Speedy survived the incident, which provided the kids with some solace, but Waldo was 100% belly-up. Being the practical and apparently insensitive mother that I am, I asked Bracken if he wanted to have a funeral or just flush him. However, I used the term "watery grave", which Bracken interpreted to mean we should all head down to Lake Austin and send Waldo off on a leaf floating down the river (Lake Austin is actually a damned-off portion of the Colorado River). He seemed quite interested in that idea until he really thought it through and came to the conclusion that when it came time for the Second Coming Waldo would have a very hard time hopping all the way up Quinlan Park Drive and to our house for their reunion. Thus, he settled on a backyard burial. I insisted that we move things a little further out, like into the greenbelt (sorry HOA), because the last thing I need is one of the kids unearthing little Waldo sometime while playing in the backyard. Below are some photos documenting the tasteful and fitting memorial of dear Waldo.

while we were eating and discussing the funeral we would hold after dinner i noticed bracken's fork, i guess i was a little insensitive

Bracken's bowl and the remnants of his dinner

all ready for the funeral

hmm...like mother, like son. fitting or insensitive shoe choice?

grave site

Bracken saying a few words

she should be on broadway, i've never seen such drama

this is what a broken heart looks like

note: the weeping and wailing lasted for over an hour. Justin and I have decided that if this is how our children react to the loss of a frog we owned for less than three weeks, we will never be getting a dog. ever.

smart cookie

2011-01-20T10:18:00.001-08:00

I have grossly neglected my visiting teaching, it is really quite shameful. Tuesday was a particularly cold and gloomy day and I just did not feel like dealing with the elements so we decided to have an inside day. At our house inside days equal baking days...ok, who am I kidding, all who know me know that basically every day is a baking day but at least this day there was an excuse to be inside baking! Anyway, I decided to make some cookies for the gals I visit teach and I was so happy to have a little elf home to help me. I know that there are times that I go crazy having my busy little bugs at home but I will truly miss the special mornings I get to spend with them doing things we both enjoy.

Now that Ruby has reached the ripe old age of three she is quite the little helper and today she was a particularly good taste-tester. She didn't even mind the whole wheat flour!

thank you my faithful friend for allowing me to use and abuse you on almost a daily basis

eyes closed, love it!

sugar lips

i know she wishes she could get that whole spatula into her mouth

baking babe

this shirt was a total coincidence

"mom, wash hands!"

Ruby will be in school three days next year in the "big girl" three-year-old class and I will be sad that she has grown so much. For now I am grateful that she reliably always wants Dora, her cozy, and can barely peep over these counters!

Eh?...What?...I can't hear you...

2011-01-14T14:32:00.001-08:00

Poor little Lex has had ear infections at least once or twice every six weeks since birth, she just does not have an adequate passage to allow congestion to drain when she gets stuffy. Tate had been the same way, perhaps not quite as bad, but we decided to not put him through the ear tube surgery. In hindsight that was probably the wrong decision. He has had hearing issues and speech delays---to this day he still says some words in a strange nasal way---but there's no way of knowing exactly how different his life (or ours) would be if we hadn't wimped out. I had taken Tate to see an ENT when he was about 13 months old (end of September), he recommended tubes but I told him the surgery would need to take place after the holidays because my sister was getting married the following week, I was having a baby the following month, and Christmas would follow two weeks later...not an ideal time for extra drama. Well, by the time we got around to scheduling his surgery I realized the ear infections had stopped. Tate had become a great walker and was spending a lot less time laying on his back, the drainage issue had solved itself. I was very relieved that my baby wouldn't have to undergo a procedure involving anesthesia. However, now that I've seen what can happen if ones hearing has been impaired, I probably should have pushed harder to make time for Tate to get tubes. Thus, there was only mild apprehension when it came to deciding what would be best for Lexie. The week after her first birthday we went in to fix her little ears.

All in all the procedure was not that big of a deal, she was gone from us for an extremely short period of time and then it was over. She wasn't a fan of the anesthesia, when she was returned to me by the nurses she was sobbing with her eyes shut, unsure of what was going on. I have had enough surgeries in my day to know that the worst part of any operation is the aftermath of the anesthetics. She and I cuddled and cried together until she was calm enough to be transported to the car.

Now, four and a half months later, she has another ear infection. The tubes haven't stopped the ear infections, just made the pressure, drainage, and build-up less painful. My poor gal seems immune to nearly every antibiotic out there, we've tried them all. Which reminds me that I never posted about Lexie's brush with death and near drowning this summer. Jess put a post up almost immediately on her blog, many of you have seen it there, but for those who haven't I will try and steal it and post it here as well.

happy in the car on the way to the surgical center on this early morning.

no idea what she's in for.

uh guys, what are we here for again?

keeping busy before the procedure

the surgery only took a few minutes but this little babe was NOT a fan of the way she felt coming out of the anesthesia. it's hard to tell in this picture but she was flipping and flailing like a fish out of water. unconsolable.

finally asleep in the car on the way home

little lexie lamby turns one

2011-01-14T10:53:00.001-08:00

the little lollipop on the top of her sweet cake

this is the family cake, lexie is our lamby and the cake was just perfect for her

this was her special little cake

(a little worse for the wear after being in the car in the Austin August heat)

two too cute cakes

the kids were playing a game of tails around the backyard before cake and ice cream

lexie wanted to get in on the action but it was dark after dinner and a little prickly on the grass

eyes closed before sinking her gums into that first scrumptious bite

she pulled the whole cake up with one little tug

open wide

maybe i'll just suck the frosting off the side

yes, delicious

lexie's cake was vanilla, ours was red velvet

big sister, diva

opening presents/observing siblings opening her presents

lexie loves baby dolls, we were sure to get her a special Corolle doll for the occasion

oh I love you baby

happy baby love

River Ridge Rattlers: First Day of School 2010

2011-01-14T10:38:00.001-08:00

ready for their big day

new outfit, new sneakers, no more collared shirts. ready for first grade.

Kindergarten here I come!

a special present mom hid in her purse on the way back from utah. aunt jessie knew that abbie might need a little something extra to make it through such a long day (kindergarten is all day in Austin, 7:45 am to 2:45 pm).

a gorgeous new ring, thanks aunt jessie

tate felt the need to wear his backpack like his older siblings, he will have his big day next year

a little timid

finding her cubby. abbie has mrs. berger this year, the class is "berger and fries" (the teacher and the kids, so cute!)

my little monkey is officially a monkey this year in Mrs. B's class

hmmm, tate can't seem to find his desk

"Brack", or so says the name plate

those not going to school were treated to hash browns

ruffle bums

big enough to play, how is time passing so quickly?

A wedding, a birthday, and just plain old fun with the people we love in Utah!

2011-01-07T09:26:00.000-08:00

Park City, Ut

Bracken and mom on the ski lift, heading up to ride the Alpine Slide in Park City

Look how happy I am...before I did my auto-mom-kid-count and looked behind to see a small blonde child had been left behind at the bottom of the lift. That's right, I left my 2 year old alone at the bottom of the ski lift. She just stood there by the ski lift operator (though he didn't notice) watching the rest of her family ride up the mountain. Cooper and Spencer were on the chair ahead of us with Tate, I had Bracken, Kelly had Abbie, and Justin had...the camera? It was no one's fault she got left but it was totally terrifying because I knew that by the time we got to the top of the mountain and over to the slide, plus the time it would take to get back down, that it would be at least 35 minutes that she was alone. By the time we realized she wasn't with us we were up too high to jump off the lift but we still had a long ride up the mountain. Thank heaven for cell phones because we started calling anyone we could think of, Alpine Slide security went to voicemail (honestly, what's the point of having an emergency number that goes to voicemail?), I panicked and called Jessie (she wasn't even with us so I don't know how that was supposed to help), and finally the Marriott hotel that's on the mountain. The hotel immediately sent their security over to look for her. I felt a little better once they assured me they would find her. However, when we got to the top of the lift, Justin and I jumped off at the first possible chance and he took off running for the slide while I talked to the lift operators (teenage idiots) at the top. They spoke to the guys at the bottom via walkie talkie and told them a little girl had been left at the bottom and that "if they happened to see her to tell her her family would be down soon". WHAT???? This isn't like leaving a water bottle at the gym guys!!! Two year old's don't know to just hang out and wait for their parents. Clearly these guys had no grasp of the correlation between age and capability levels of small children. Exasperated, I took off for the slide also. By the time I got down to the bottom Justin was already with Ruby, Marriott security had found her standing nearby watching the carousel riders. When Justin got to the bottom she was standing next to a big security guy with her head hung low staring at the ground. I think he made her a little nervous. Terrifying experience but all's well that ends well.

reunited

After the slide fiasco we headed to the Alpine coaster, which we had never done before, soooo fun!! Tate and Cooper loaded in and ready to go.

This time I kept her with me!

Nothing like being with family. It was the night before the wedding and it was such a fun night!

When we are in Park City we HAVE to stop in at The Rocky Mountain Fudge Company for our favorite gourmet apples.

What a poser! Literally. Bracken quickly realized that he could get great reactions out of his uncles when he acted...well...fruity.

My lost duckling eating a chocolate and sprinkles covered marshmallow

brothers

thank you smart phones for allowing us to order our sushi in SLC from Park City

Four little Allen's sitting on the steps...only Emily (the bride-to-be) was missing

Wedding Day

Justin toasting Emily and Tinoa at the breakfast on their big day

beautiful bridesmaids (Jess and I made the bouquet's and the brides bouquet below)

the bride, groom, and proud father (aka grandpa)

what is this pose?

what a big girl

Tate and Spenc

Bracken and Spenc

Taters

outside the temple waiting for Aunt Emily and Uncle Tinoa to finish pictures

Tate's birthday

Tate's birthday was the day after the wedding

presents at Aunt Jessie's

Yes! A new sword! Just what we needed, another sword.

Daddy got Tate roller skates, just what he'd asked for!

swords and skate, quite a combo

Bracken's turn started out a little rocky

better

how ladylike

i guess this turn was tricky for everyone

ouch

buddies

wow! woody! thanks grandpa lee!

hurry mom, get him out!

Brody and Nancy...I mean Abbie

having cake at my aunt nancy's

everyone stop singing (he hates being the center of attention)

seriously, stop

folded arms

wait, what just happened here?

grandma, I love that lady!

sweetest girl

Some of the most amazing women I know! Two of my mom's sisters, three of my beautiful cousins, me, and Jess. I love them all!

nice lady shades Spenc

From one party to the next, celebrating Tate's birthday at the Park with the Allen side. Good times!

It looks like grandma ad grandpa knew just what would make Tate's face light up, Spider Man.

Splash Pad

The next day we headed to the splash pad in Alpine and had a great time.

How is she not falling over? Weird.

Three bikini babes

my guys

we love it when daddy's with us

oh, hi mom

mr. b, king of the rock

Lee-Lee

washing his hair?

Brody loves Lexie, maybe a little too much

kissing cousins

what? is this wrong?

getting a leg up on the teenage years, getting ready to sun bathe

summer girl

hmmm, obviously I was there with the camera but it seems that this is quite dangerous and maybe I should have been pulling their faces out of the water

Wheeler Farm. New day, new adventure.

farm boy?

abbie in the treehouse

it was a really hot day and lexie had had enough

red-faced, hot, and glad to be back in the car

done

we headed straight to the gym to meet jess and brody and go swimming

aunt jess sprang for ice cream

love

This is the house that I fell in love with and stalked...well technically it's Jessie's dream house, which I stole and made my dream house. It's directly across from the Draper temple up on the mountain with beautiful city views and a big pool in the backyard. Justin and I went back several times and walked all around the outside. It's a vacation home to a family that lives in Switzerland. One night when we went back the front door had blown wide open and the alarm was going off, it took all my willpower to not do a walk-through. Someday you can all visit me here.

uh, is this a carpool?

clown car?