UEA Happenings

With the kids out of school for the UEA/Fall break we made our annual visit to see the witches at Gardener Village. The kids love to do this every year and this year we had great weather and great family too. This year Gardener Village had a scavanger hunt for the kids. The kids had to find certain witches and write down where they found them to get a cookie at the bakery for 25 cents. Thanks to grandma who filled in everyones papers! We enjoyed a packed lunch, watching the ducks and fish in the pond, and a trip to the candy shop. Mmmmm! Samples of yummy fudge(Luckily Riley didn't want his so I got 2!) and I let the kids get a treat too.


Later that day Ben and I took the kids to the pumpkin patch next to the boys school and they picked out their pumpkins. Our pumpkins in our garden didn't do well this year. I was too busy growing a baby. Something had to be sacraficed!
Next year I'll do better. It's hard to spend money on something you know will be thrown away in a couple of weeks. They had fun running around with Riley chasing after them yelling "wait,wait!" We only gave them one rule for choosing their pumpkins and that was - they had to carry it back to the car themselves. Jake ended up rolling his all the way. It was fun and they have already thought of what they want to carve in them.




Jocelyns birthday was friday. I took her to grandmas so that she could see Jocelyn open her present. Earlier Jocleyn had said that she wanted polly pockets and barbie for her birthday so I told her about grandmas barbies that she has had since she was little. So when we got to grandmas that was one of the first things she asked for. I thought they would be deep in storage but not so grandma grabbed them from downstairs and Jocelyn and I had a moment with grandma looking through her barbies. Afterwards we went to walmart to get a few birthday things and of course to look at the toys. Jocleyn found wedding barbie-just like grandmas-and after a long decision between cheerleader barbie or wedding barbie- she picked wedding barbie. Just like grandmas she said. I had Ben pick it up for her later. She was pretty excited. She got what she wanted-barbie and polly pockets. She also got to choose which resteraunt to go to. She picked "the place where you pick your own food" which converts to chuck-a-rama. So after opening presents we all headed to chuck-a-rama for dinner. The kids all did great and we actually had a peaceful dinner. I guess it helps when Riley can have a plate of fruit and veggies and goldfish crackers! On sunday we sang happy birthday and had her purple butterfly cake. She is just so excited to be four.



Our saturday was full of yard work for Ben. He got alot done in the garden. The kids enjoyed the warm weather with friends. Also 3 years ago Ben planted a tree just next to our porch which I have never liked only because I knew it would get too big and block the house and also because when I sit on the porch I have hard time seeing into the cul-de-sac where the kids usually play. So finally after years of little comments from me and our neighbor Laurie-mostly joking about it being moved- he decided that it was getting bigger than he thought it would and it needed to be moved!!! With our neighbor Johns help, it was moved to the back corner of our lot. Hopefuly to provide some shade for the swingset. There have been a few of these big tree moments in our marriage and luckily we have learned to recognize them and laugh about them, and Ben usually ends up saying "I should have listened to you". Which isn't too bad to hear every once in a while!

It's girl time!

Lately Jocelyn has been very attached to me and being at home. We have played babies and barbies everyday. She doesn't seem to mind that she does all the work since I'm usually feeding a baby. Although it wears me out after so many hours of her chattering but at the same time she is so funny to listen to. She usually pulls the baby doll from me and says "ah cute, now she needs a shot I will take her to the nursery". And so it begins the poor baby endures every test that our newborn Owen endured thru his first few days of life. Including the circumcision- yes, I informed her that girls do not get that done she always replys "This baby does". Needless to say she has been very entertaining. So yesterday I was a little suprised when we didn't play babies. Just after Owen and Riley were down for naps she came down stairs with her container of hair clippies and announced "It's girl time". I was actually relieved to be doing something remotley differtent from playing babies- it has been feeling like ground hog day around here with repeating a babies birth everyday! So I turned on a movie for us and she went crazy. Luckily I have a hard head and can handle all of the combing and clipping. After she was done she wanted to take a picture. She was pretty proud of how good I looked. So I guess for all those times I have done her hair-cute or crazy- she has done the same to me numerous times. Oh the things moms endure to creates good memories!

They could be mother and daughter...

Yesterday Laura and I were talking on the phone and somehow started talking about the show on tv about the Dugger family. You know the ones with 17-and counting kids?!!! Laura mentioned how the oldest boy was engaged and how the fiance dressed and looked like the rest of the Duggers with her clothes and hair. It reminded me of some pictures I had of Jocelyn. These are for Laura- I told her I would blog them only because we were laughing so hard about the dugger hair that there was no way to explain how close Jocelyn looked like them also. On this day, I had put little buns across the top of Jocelyns hair and she thought she looked like Hannah Montanna which she may have in the beginning but in the end she just looked like mama Dugger. How funny! I wonder if Hannah Montanna looks like mama Dugger after a good long concert!!?! If only we had pictures of that!

Little fingers...little toes....

On Sept 16th at 3:14pm the newest Allen finally came into this world. Owen weighed 7 lbs 9 oz and was 20 in long. Pretty much the same as all of our other babies. The day before I finally asked my doctor to induce me-I was tired of being miserable and in pain. The next day the hospital called and said I needed to be there in 1 hour to be induced. I was a little suprised but excited. Things went smooth and fairly fast- one contraction. Ben teases how short the video is and I tease him about how hard his job was this time to hold my leg! We're just glad all went well. I was really worried this time for some reason. We're not sure yet who he looks like- a good mix I guess and we're not sure about the hair color. A little red and brown together like Jocelyn when she was born which grew in more red as she got older. No one can top Ethans full head of red hair when he was born. It will be fun to see how Owen changes and comes into his own personality. He's seems a little more fussy than my others but then again I do have 4 other attention grabbers to care for. For now things are a little blurry from lack of sleep and so much going on. I am so proud of Ben who survived a week of student council speeches and elections, the 3rd grade egg drop, soccer practice, piano lessons, preschool and a very cranky 2 year old. Not to mention he took the boys last night to father and sons. Everyone in this house now needs a good night sleep! I'm sure this is just the beginning of how crazy a house of 5 kids will be. I can't help but be happy and content with our cute family and our newest member.

Hiking and Happiness

Saturday I decided that we needed to take extreme measures to help our new little one into the world. What better thing to do than go hiking. I also felt that we needed to do something fun as a family before I had this little one, since going out, especially hiking, will not be done after the baby comes. So Saturday after Ethans soccer game(which he played goalie and did great), we went up A.F. canyon with Grandma in tow, to roast hot dogs and marshmellows and do some good old labor producing hiking! It was so much fun. We all ate like crazy(I had 3 smores,maybe more)and the kids played in the river and fished. Only one casualty-Riley kinda fell and rolled into the river-all in slow motion while my mom and I watched. Poor guy! Once the mud and rocks were cleaned off he was back for some more rock throwing in the river. After all the gorging on really unhealthy things, Ben convinced us to go up to cascade springs to hike. I was already exhausted but thought-anything to have a baby! I am so glad we did. My mom and I had never been so we were surpirsed how beautiful it was up there. The kids had fun running up the trails and finding bugs and fish in the water. It was nice and cool and really nice to have the kids entertained. We were all tired-Jocelyn and Riley fell asleep in the car and I was ready for a nap too. Of course no baby! just lots of contractions-which I'm getting pretty tired of, not to mention they hurt! I guess hiking is not the proven method to start labor. Darn! But what a fun day anyways.

Riley is two!

Wow! Riley turned two on Aug 31st. He has been a little obsessed with bikes lately and the poor kid didn't have one. So the obvious thing for his birthday was a bike. He was so excited! We have already gotten good use out of it. He likes to go meet the kids at school and I think it makes him feel like a big kid. The first time he rode his bike he noticed Jocelyns helmet and kept patting his head as to say "Where's my helmet?". Luckily we had one that used to be Jakes. Riley seemed so proud to wear it. Grandma Leatham gave him some books which is perfect. He thinks he needs to take books everywhere we go lately, so some books of his own are great. Also the money Grandma Allen sent was used to purchase "cars" toys, the ones I put on his cake. He wasn't too happy about that and kept saying "Queen" over and over. Although he got over it fast when he got to lick off the frosting. What a fun kid he is and is always good for a laugh!

And so the homework begins!

Ethan and Jake have now been in school for two weeks. Yeah! Ethan started 4th grade and Jake is in 3rd. On the first day they were soooo excited that they woke up at 5 am to get ready. Luckily I was still at work and Ben got to have fun with this! When I got home from work to help them get ready they were already dressed and had already had breakfast. Unfortunately they were dressed in summer play clothes. Yuck! I told them they had to wear something new-it's just something I grew up with-having new clothes on the first day. I guess boys don't care so much. After a little bit of grumbling we found some new clothes in the box of summer clothes for next year.(since I always buy a season ahead during the clearance sales) So hair was done, new shoes(even though it is 100 degrees still) and socks were chosen and they were ready- a little too early. This year I decided to have them be later gaters, much to Jakes despair. I just figured with the new baby and chores and piano practicing it would be easier. So far I love it. This morning we had time to catch up on homework that was not finished because of dentist appts,soccer practice and back to school night. It was nice. So now it's just Jocelyn and Riley at home. Poor Jocelyn wants to go to school so bad and I had a place picked but it ended up not working out so I'm on the hunt for a new school. She needs something!
So starts the new school year, craziness but fun. I love to see the excitement the boys show on their faces as they tell me about thier days and the friends they haven't seen over the summer. So next thing -a new baby. Although I'm not due till sept 23,I've started progressing and contracting, like usual. The doctor says in the next week-wow scarey, I've got tons to do!