I must warn you that this post might be a TMI moment, but I had to put it on this blog so I wouldn't forget it. I've been putting it off because I'm not sure I should put it on this blog. However, I'm trusting all those people who have gone before who say I will forget all these things and wish I hadn't. So, here goes.
The local elections were held here a couple of weeks ago. The day after, the kids and I were driving over to my dad's house. Ethan asked who won the election between two particular candidates for our state senate. Then he asked who won between Romney and Obama. I explained that the election to decide that wouldn't be until November. Abby commented that she hoped Romney would win. Before I continue, I should tell you that Jared is a news junkie. Because of this, Jenna (age 13) watches the news with him and asks a million questions about current events. Most of the time, I think it's good to be informed about the world around you. This was not one of those times. (Hint: This is where the TMI comes in to play.)
After Abby's comment, Jenna piped in with, "I don't think Romney will win. He doesn't have the lesbian vote. Obama wants to legalize gay marriage and Romney won't. That's going to hurt him." Inside I'm thinking, "Really!!! Everything you've watched about the two candidates and THIS is what you decide to bring up with my 8 and 5 year olds in the car!!!" However, the adult in me said, "Jenna, let's talk about this at a later time when there aren't so many little people listening." By the way, that's not the worst part, this is.
Sadie (age 5) says, "Why do two girls want to be married anyway? You can't have babies when you have two girls, you need a mom and a dad to have babies." This time I was not an adult, I screamed, "What!!!" Jenna quickly assured me she had nothing to do with this comment.
I pulled into my dad's driveway and jumped out of the car. After instructing Sadie that comments like that were best said only to her mom in private, I sent everyone in the house. Then, I called Jared. After explaining the situation to him and freaking out just a little bit, he graciously talked me down from the ledge. "Stacy, she doesn't know anything. She sees the world around her and has figured out that a family has a mom, a dad and kids. That's all." This seemed like a reasonable explanation to me. He continued, "We are going to ignore it and not make a big deal of it. The bigger deal we make of it, the bigger deal she will think it is." Lesson learned, a little more discussion about what is appropriate to say in front of younger siblings with Jenna.
It turns out my baby is still innocent. Crisis averted.
Walker Family
Monday, July 16, 2012
Monday, July 9, 2012
July 4, 2012
July 4th is one of my favorite holidays. It's a great time for love of country, family togetherness, food, parades and fireworks.
This year we celebrated in typical Allen family fashion. My brother, Dave, along with his brother-in-law, Joe, are the great organizers of the family "parade experience". Each year brings new ideas and developments to make the parade more fun and enjoyable. The night before the parade they collect everybody's chairs and canopies. Everyone also brings food and drinks to share. They set up on 100 South and 100 East in Provo and sleep out all night in order to keep our prime real estate.
That's us! All set up and ready for the parade to begin.
One tradition that started a long time ago is what I like to call the "Mohawk Maniacs". A bunch of the kids and dads grow their hair out and then on July 3 they shave all the extra so they have mohawks. Most of them also color them red, white and/or blue. Here's this year's group.
You'll notice the Jared and Ethan are not in this picture. If you know Jared, that's explanation enough for why he isn't sporting a mohawk. Needless to say, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree and Ethan wants no part of the mohawk business. Personally, I would never wear a mohawk, so I can understand their point of view.
Before the parade can start we have to do some pre-parade games though. This year the kids all filled their mouths with marshmallows and screamed, "We love the 4th of July!"
Abby and Brynn were such good sports!
That's Sadie asking, "What am I supposed to do?"
There's Jenna, "politely declining" the opportunity to play this game.
After that we played a cheering game with the random group of people on the opposite side of the street. Whoever cheered loudest got the candy that Dave and Joe threw into the crowd. There were two additions to the party this year. This huge chair was one of them. So ridiculously funny!
Here are the "parade experience" organizers. My brother, Dave is the bald one on the right. The second addition this year was the turkey legs. Kerry (in front) smoked them and brought them. They were huge. Jared loved his!
I warned you this would be a long post. Prepare for picture overload. :)
My cute nephew, Colby. Seriously, I could just eat him up!
Sadie and Sara = Double Trouble!!!
Just a few of the Allen nieces; Abby, Brynn, Katie and Jenna. Aren't they a darling bunch!
Ethan, why do you look like you're in pain?
I told Max to smile and he made this face, ha! Love it, Max!
Jake
Olivia
Scott and Cher
Jonathan
"I am smiling!" says Jared. I love you, honey! I also appreciate your patience with my need to take too many pictures.
This is my brother Dave's wife, Robin. She is assured a spot in the celestial kingdom for putting up with that guy for eternity. Not many people could do what she does. :) Just teasing you, Dave. We love you, Robin!
My little brother, Jared and my little sister, Lisa.
Me and Lisa
Sorry about my horrible picture taking timing, Dad. (He had just taken a bite of his turkey leg when I snapped the picture!)
Scott and Max
As you can see we had a fabulous day. A huge thanks to our service men and women who put it all on the line for our freedoms. What an amazing country we live in. I hope my kids will always have a love and appreciation for all that has been done for them to ensure this free land they live in.
The Bedroom of Dreams
When we first bought our home I let Jenna choose everything for the girl's room. I was lucky that she chose bedspreads I loved and she wanted the room painted a way that I also loved. It was darling, as far as little girl's rooms go.
Time went on and we eventually moved Jenna downstairs into her own room. Abby and Sadie now share that room. They have shared the room for two years now and I never made any changes. Why? Because, in case I forgot to mention it, I loved it.
It turns out Abby did not love it, in fact she kind of hated it. Being the sweet, good-natured girl that she is she didn't complain. That is until 4th grade started. She was struggling in math and quite discouraged. Jared and I decided that some motivation (or bribery...cough, cough) was needed. So, one night we sat her down and asked her what was something she wanted that would be a good motivator when she was discouraged about her math. The room remodel came up and we decided it was totally worth it. A little paint and a new bedspread, how bad could it be, right?
It worked out really well. She worked hard, learned a lot and saw a great deal of success from her hard work. With the help of a phenomenal teacher, who tutored her almost everyday before school, she learned that hard work pays off. Above all, Abby needed to learn that she could do it. She absolutely learned that lesson.
Abby was supposed to get her new room last summer. However, she is the queen of not being able to make up her mind. One month ago she finally chose the bedspreads for their beds. It took another two weeks to decide on the paint and yet another two weeks to decide what we would do. When she finally said she had made up her mind, I ran with it before she could change her mind. Here's the result of 15 hours of painting.
I should point out that Abby is not a huge fan of pink. Turquoise is her favorite. Sadie, on the other hand, loves all things pink. Have you ever read the book Pinkalicious? That book is Sadie. I thought it was incredibly kind of Abby to choose a bedspread with pink as well as turquoise so Sadie could enjoy it too.
The wall with the window is the accent wall. She decided on this design for it.
My sister, Lisa, and I stenciled all those lovely circles on. We both thought it would look fabulous. We still think it looks fabulous. However, we seriously underestimated the amount of time it would take. Oh well, all good things take time and work and this project was no different.
Here's Abby loving her new digs. She has spent a lot of time in her room the past couple of days.
Here's Sadie loving her new bed. Interestingly, at bedtime she told me she wanted me to change the room back to the way it was before. I gave her a kiss and said, "Not a chance, little sister!"
Time went on and we eventually moved Jenna downstairs into her own room. Abby and Sadie now share that room. They have shared the room for two years now and I never made any changes. Why? Because, in case I forgot to mention it, I loved it.
It turns out Abby did not love it, in fact she kind of hated it. Being the sweet, good-natured girl that she is she didn't complain. That is until 4th grade started. She was struggling in math and quite discouraged. Jared and I decided that some motivation (or bribery...cough, cough) was needed. So, one night we sat her down and asked her what was something she wanted that would be a good motivator when she was discouraged about her math. The room remodel came up and we decided it was totally worth it. A little paint and a new bedspread, how bad could it be, right?
It worked out really well. She worked hard, learned a lot and saw a great deal of success from her hard work. With the help of a phenomenal teacher, who tutored her almost everyday before school, she learned that hard work pays off. Above all, Abby needed to learn that she could do it. She absolutely learned that lesson.
Abby was supposed to get her new room last summer. However, she is the queen of not being able to make up her mind. One month ago she finally chose the bedspreads for their beds. It took another two weeks to decide on the paint and yet another two weeks to decide what we would do. When she finally said she had made up her mind, I ran with it before she could change her mind. Here's the result of 15 hours of painting.
I should point out that Abby is not a huge fan of pink. Turquoise is her favorite. Sadie, on the other hand, loves all things pink. Have you ever read the book Pinkalicious? That book is Sadie. I thought it was incredibly kind of Abby to choose a bedspread with pink as well as turquoise so Sadie could enjoy it too.
The wall with the window is the accent wall. She decided on this design for it.
My sister, Lisa, and I stenciled all those lovely circles on. We both thought it would look fabulous. We still think it looks fabulous. However, we seriously underestimated the amount of time it would take. Oh well, all good things take time and work and this project was no different.
Here's Abby loving her new digs. She has spent a lot of time in her room the past couple of days.
Sunday, July 8, 2012
The Great American Challenge
In the school district we live in they teach U.S. History in fifth grade. The district also issues a challenge to the fifth graders that they call The Great American Challenge. Abby was so excited about it this year, she had to do it. What is The Great American Challenge you ask? The kids have to memorize and pass off in front of their whole class the following items:
The last day to pass things off came and all she had left to do was the map. I was a wreck all day. Truthfully, it was the only day I've ever wished that kid had a cell phone. I was dying to know if she had passed it off or not. I was standing right outside the school when the bell rang. It seemed like it took her forever to come out of the school. When she finally appeared she had the hugest grin on her face as she shouted, "Mom, I did it!" I seriously teared up. We were both screaming and jumping up and down. I was so proud of her! What a huge accomplishment for my little fifth grader.
Here she is getting her trophy at the school's awards ceremony.
- They have to write grammatically correct The Pledge of Allegiance
- Recite The Preamble to the Constitution
- Recite The Star Spangled Banner
- Recite The Gettysburg Address
- Recite an excerpt from the Martin Luther King Jr., I Have A Dream Speech
- Recite the first, middle and last name of all the U.S. Presidents in order of when they served
- Label all 50 states, Canada, Mexico, Pacific and Atlantic Oceans and the Gulf of Mexico on a map
The last day to pass things off came and all she had left to do was the map. I was a wreck all day. Truthfully, it was the only day I've ever wished that kid had a cell phone. I was dying to know if she had passed it off or not. I was standing right outside the school when the bell rang. It seemed like it took her forever to come out of the school. When she finally appeared she had the hugest grin on her face as she shouted, "Mom, I did it!" I seriously teared up. We were both screaming and jumping up and down. I was so proud of her! What a huge accomplishment for my little fifth grader.
Here she is getting her trophy at the school's awards ceremony.
The cute lady next to Abby was her teacher, Mrs. Taylor. I can't say enough great things about her. She was an incredible teacher that Abby learned a ton from. Also, if you'll allow me to brag for another minute. Abby was one of only two students in her class who completed The Great American Challenge. That's my girl!
My Son, The Carnivore
I have weird kids. I suppose I should clarify that statement. I have many friends who have to bribe their children to eat vegetables. A couple have asked me how I get mine to eat them. I honestly don't know, mine have always eaten their vegetables. They love them. In fact, as long as I keep veggies cut in the fridge they will migrate towards that for their snacks. Thus the comment about my weird children. Don't get me wrong, I'm totally not bragging, but I am extremely grateful.
That said, I do have to work to get Ethan to eat red meat. He isn't a huge fan of it. However, we discovered that he loves steak! I'm not sure when we figured it out, but he begs us to make it all the time. Tonight Jared grilled steaks, they were delicious. The girls and I were working on dishes and I looked outside and saw this:
Yes, that's my son swinging and chewing on his steak bone. I'm a little grossed out, Jared is super proud.
That said, I do have to work to get Ethan to eat red meat. He isn't a huge fan of it. However, we discovered that he loves steak! I'm not sure when we figured it out, but he begs us to make it all the time. Tonight Jared grilled steaks, they were delicious. The girls and I were working on dishes and I looked outside and saw this:
Yes, that's my son swinging and chewing on his steak bone. I'm a little grossed out, Jared is super proud.
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Today Is Your Birthday, Shout Hooray! Abby Is 11!
When I was 16 years old I had to have my appendix out. It just so happens that I had to have them out on July 2. Now, I was 16 a long, long, long time ago. Back then, you had to stay in the hospital for three days after the surgery. That particular year, my cousins came from Las Vegas to celebrate the 4th of July with our family. I have always love, love, loved the 4th of July, so I was ecstatic they were coming. My unfortunate appendicitis killed all my plans that year. I was stuck in the hospital on the 4th and I was really, really not happy about it. I remember laying in that stupid hospital bed and vowing that I would never, ever, never, never, never spend another 4th of July in the hospital. I remember my mom telling me I shouldn't say never. It turns out she was right...again. :)
Fast forward more years than I care to count, and it's July 2 again. I'm in labor with little miss Abby. The cute little munchkin made her appearance at 4:00 a.m. on July 3, 2001. After more complications than I care to get in to, it quickly became apparent that my vow of never spending another 4th of July in the hospital was premature on my part. However, I'm happy to report that my perspective had changed over the years. We had our own little celebration that night. Just Jared, two year old Jenna, our new little Abby and me. It turns out when you're laying in a hospital bed, holding a perfect little bundle of cuteness straight from heaven, it makes it all worth missing the customary 4th of July celebrating.
Our little bundle has grown up though. She turned 11 today amidst smiles and excitement.
Abby gets more excited about her birthday than any child in our family. One year she began the countdown to her special day 80 days out! So, I wasn't surprised at all when she woke up with a bounce in her step and excitement pouring off of her. She was thrilled to open her gifts and even more excited to spend the day at the pool with her family. After that, we ended up back at the house for tacos (Abby's favorite) and German chocolate cake (her apparent new favorite).
Seriously! Have you ever seen such a smile? Really, she is the happiest kid ever!
Isn't she darling? Happy Birthday, Abby! I love your happy, positive spirit that you bring to our family. I love how much you love your siblings and care for them. I appreciate how willing you are to always help around the house with whatever needs done. You are such a selfless, loving person. I hope you always stay that way, it's a fabulous way to be. You love other people and are always caring for those who others aren't kind to, you treat other people exactly the way Heavenly Father wants you to. You are a great example to others. I'm so thankful you are in our family, I love you with all my heart!
Fast forward more years than I care to count, and it's July 2 again. I'm in labor with little miss Abby. The cute little munchkin made her appearance at 4:00 a.m. on July 3, 2001. After more complications than I care to get in to, it quickly became apparent that my vow of never spending another 4th of July in the hospital was premature on my part. However, I'm happy to report that my perspective had changed over the years. We had our own little celebration that night. Just Jared, two year old Jenna, our new little Abby and me. It turns out when you're laying in a hospital bed, holding a perfect little bundle of cuteness straight from heaven, it makes it all worth missing the customary 4th of July celebrating.
Our little bundle has grown up though. She turned 11 today amidst smiles and excitement.
Abby gets more excited about her birthday than any child in our family. One year she began the countdown to her special day 80 days out! So, I wasn't surprised at all when she woke up with a bounce in her step and excitement pouring off of her. She was thrilled to open her gifts and even more excited to spend the day at the pool with her family. After that, we ended up back at the house for tacos (Abby's favorite) and German chocolate cake (her apparent new favorite).
Seriously! Have you ever seen such a smile? Really, she is the happiest kid ever!
Isn't she darling? Happy Birthday, Abby! I love your happy, positive spirit that you bring to our family. I love how much you love your siblings and care for them. I appreciate how willing you are to always help around the house with whatever needs done. You are such a selfless, loving person. I hope you always stay that way, it's a fabulous way to be. You love other people and are always caring for those who others aren't kind to, you treat other people exactly the way Heavenly Father wants you to. You are a great example to others. I'm so thankful you are in our family, I love you with all my heart!
Our Great Legacy
Jared's mom passed away on June 13, 2012. She had been diagnosed with a
massive brain tumor three months earlier and given anywhere from one
week to three months to live. The doctor's prediction was frighteningly
accurate.
After the death of my mom just three weeks prior, this was a difficult blow. Jared was devastated. I was devastated. Our kids were distraught. "We have no more grandmas left" they cried. The tears seemed to be endless, but we still made it through. I know that I can thank Heavenly Father for our survival. I have felt His endless love and compassion for our family. I have felt it through our many friends and loved ones sending their love through meals, cards, flowers, prayers and care packages for entertaining kids in the car. In my quiet moments, I have felt His spirit lift me in ways I never thought possible.
Jared's mom was a great woman. After learning of the LDS church during college, she joined it and never looked back. She was the only child and the only member in her family. She loved the Lord and His gospel and made sure all of her children knew of her testimony and devotion to the church. She raised ten children, a feat in and among itself, that all have remained faithful. She always was serving. Whether she was taking a meal to someone, or working on family history or knitting a blanket for a new mom in the ward, she was always busy serving. At the viewing, I was touched by how many people told of the many ways she served them in their ward and community. She was such an example of selfless service.
We found this picture of Jared's parents when we were going through things for the funeral. It was taken in our backyard on Thanksgiving. It's my favorite picture ever of the two of them. Don't they look so happy? Ever since I married into this family I have loved the way they would tease each other. They were married 49 years and the love they shared for each other was incredible. They shared that love with their family as well. She has left us with a great legacy to follow.
After the death of my mom just three weeks prior, this was a difficult blow. Jared was devastated. I was devastated. Our kids were distraught. "We have no more grandmas left" they cried. The tears seemed to be endless, but we still made it through. I know that I can thank Heavenly Father for our survival. I have felt His endless love and compassion for our family. I have felt it through our many friends and loved ones sending their love through meals, cards, flowers, prayers and care packages for entertaining kids in the car. In my quiet moments, I have felt His spirit lift me in ways I never thought possible.
Jared's mom was a great woman. After learning of the LDS church during college, she joined it and never looked back. She was the only child and the only member in her family. She loved the Lord and His gospel and made sure all of her children knew of her testimony and devotion to the church. She raised ten children, a feat in and among itself, that all have remained faithful. She always was serving. Whether she was taking a meal to someone, or working on family history or knitting a blanket for a new mom in the ward, she was always busy serving. At the viewing, I was touched by how many people told of the many ways she served them in their ward and community. She was such an example of selfless service.
We found this picture of Jared's parents when we were going through things for the funeral. It was taken in our backyard on Thanksgiving. It's my favorite picture ever of the two of them. Don't they look so happy? Ever since I married into this family I have loved the way they would tease each other. They were married 49 years and the love they shared for each other was incredible. They shared that love with their family as well. She has left us with a great legacy to follow.
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