See Me Run

Brian was outta control tonight! I don't know if he had too much sugar, was too excited about his sister's new bed or just plain sick of being inside but he was literally bouncing off the walls. He kept asking me if I would play with him (sweet) while I was making dinner and then doing the dishes. I hate it when I have to keep telling him no. So, when the dishes were finally done, I put on the "Watch Me Sing" CD from Brite Music http://www.britemusic.com and we had a blast running and dancing and pretending to be animals in the front room. I felt pretty silly at times (which is why there are no pictures) but the kids had a blast. You should have seen Brian and Samantha pretending to be ballerinas! I hope everyone had an awesome Thanksgiving!

Sibling Love

Tonight we were doing our typical bedtime routine and I asked (the same as I do every night) Brian if he wanted to give his sister a hug. Well tonight he said yes, and he hugged her, tackled her, tickled her and made her giggle and laugh! Either he's finally learning how to be a little softer or Smantha's finally getting a little tougher but it just made my night.

Here's an awesome picture my brother took of Samantha and Brian on his big bike. I love my kids!

I debated whether to break this up into different posts but I'm just bad at posting regularly and I have some fun pictures I want to share so here it goes...


My latest creation... My sister, mom and I threw a baby shower for my cousin. I absolutely love decorating cakes (I don't mind eating them either)

This is a really bad picture, but the only one I could get of my new dog, "Pepper". It took Dusty and I almost a week to agree on a name for her. She's an Austrailian Shepherd and still only about 3-4 months old. Someone had abandoned her and siblings on the hwy and so I brought her home. Dusty was pretty shocked because I am not strictly speaking a "dog person" but she plays really well with our Ty and hopefully I'll figure out how to get her to sit and all that fun stuff.

Proof that big brother's really can be nice to their little sisters!

Our new-to-us trampoline! My sister sold their house and the renters didn't have room for it so now it's in our backyard. It's missing some springs but the kids LOVE it!

Travelin' Allens

We just had an awesome trip to visit Dusty's family! Here are some pictures!
Samantha swinging on one of our stops on the way down. The kids did really great in the car!

Dusty, Grandpa and Uncle Trevor went riding with Brian. They had a blast!

Pudding painting with Grandma!

Our trusty travelin truck and Dusty's new hot rod!

We stopped at Glen Canyon Dam (Lake Powell) for a break on the way home.

Dusty, you grew two arms and a really small head.

Another break, chillin with Ty.

ahhh, home sweet home. Grandma and I made this awesome bib while we were down for our visit.

Dusty had fun working on his new '77 Chevy Nova and the kids and I had a blast with Grandma and Grandpa. I helped Dusty's sister with my neice's 4th brithday party and we went on a couple of dates. Oh, and we went out to the lake (but forgot the camera). Probably more but it was lots of fun and good to relax.

1 week left!

Dusty comes home in 1 short week! I can't believe this long 4 months is actually almost over! I am SO excited but I've also been missing Dusty almost worse than at any other time since he's been gone. So, I read back through his letters to reflect and get some happy thoughts. Here are a few things that Dusty has written to me to bring smiles to my face and heart.

I love you good & plenty, but never enough to equal our symphony of dove, I mean love. Some might snicker at our milky way of almond joy but no butterfinger can lay a finger on our hot tamale love life. I’d bet my payday that ‘yorkooler’ than all the nerds, airheads, dumdums, and sour patch kids on the block. You shine like a starburst because you’re my sweetart. Just ask the swedish fish.

You are the coolest person in my mortal existence, you span beyond mortal.

I love you so much my left hand hurts from holding this pad for the last hour.

I guarantee you could beat the crap out of every female here.

I love your guts and the rest of you ain’t half bad either.

The nova definitely needs to be a bench seat in the front.

Sometimes time loses meaning for me, like eternity seems smaller somehow, as if things viewed in terms of events and sequences makes time irrelevant thus bringing new meaning to eternity- I feel that way about you. You mean so much to me that I don’t realize that 5 years have gone by. I don’t care about passing 10, 15, 20, 50 year anniversaries, I just want to be with you, live and experience more, be with you.

awww... all better. I just love this man!

A Meddled Mind

This is what having a husband gone for 4 months will do to you: Samantha was having a rough night and I just could NOT get her to settle down. I kept wishing Dusty were here so I could say, "okay, I tried everything I could think of, now it's your turn" so instead I wrote to him about my awful night/morning. Maybe I was missing him just a little too much, maybe I was just tired but this is the craziness that came out. hehehe. (Silver Fox is what all his army buddies are calling him because apparently he has lots of grey hair!)

Hey there silver fox! I’m just practicing your FTX schedule-ya know just for kicks. I went to bed at 0007 and woke up at 0253. I think I’ve finally completed my mission but I’m not quite out of danger so I decided to document my progress:
“The enemy” woke up at 0253 (actually probably before that but I was hoping it would just go away so I wouldn’t have to engage in battle). I went in and engaged in physical, silent combat to disarm the enemy. The enemy sounded the war cry. I retreated for 10 minutes. I crept back in to enemy territory and engaged again in physical, silent combat with the same results. I repeated this several times with zero success. I changed tactics. I entered the enemy zone at 0351 and engaged in physical restraint and vocal hypnosis. The physical restraint was successful but my attempt at vocal hypnosis was more like auditory torture at this hour. I also devised an attempt at disarming the enemy with sleeping poison. This worked for approximately 30 minutes but the enemy must have a developed immunity. I attempted further physical, silent combat and upon retreat, threw up large barriers in my path to discourage following. Reinforcement radioed in with a formula for a new sleeping poison. This was also successful for 30 minutes. At 0508 the enemy dropped a stink bomb and let out another war cry. At 0514 the enemy sounded a peace signal but I think it is a decoy. 0518,0524-more peace cries, then I attacked full force and SUCCESS. The enemy surrendered at 0610.

Only 5 weeks left!!

It's hard to believe Dusty will be home in 5 weeks. He is completely done with Basic Combat Training and graduated with flying colors. Now he is doing Advanced Individual Training to becomea combat engineer. That basically means he's blowing things up almost every day so he's having loads of fun. Last week he made a 15ft deep hole with C4-yep he was pretty stoaked about that. We're doing really well. We took a trip down to Utah and stayed with Deb for almost a week. Brian's doing Joy School and Samantha is trying to get brave enough to walk. She's taken lots of steps on her own but not toddling around on her own yet. Dusty gets to call us at least once a week and we get lots of letters. I'm keeping busy with doing some projects around the house like this bulletin board. Dusty's going to come home to a whole different house. :-P Thanks to everyone who calls and comes over and invites us to do things. Missing Dusty is much easier when we keep busy. And Happy 4th of July everyone!

Swimming is so much fun! Angie brought her kids, KimberLynn and Lucas over for a swim in Samantha's new pool. Happy Birthday Samantha!

School Out!!

Today was the last day of school! Everyone kept asking me if I was excited and yes, I'm thrilled to be able to stay home with my kids next year but I was a little sad too. I've worked my tail off for two years to make that program successful and it's pretty tough to just walk away. It was a good day though. The staff got me a certificate to a spa... so a massage, a pedicure? hmmm we'll have to see. Dusty's been gone a little over a month now. We're adjusting but missing him tons! I've been trying to take lots of pictures so I can send him pics of the kids about once a week. Here are some of them.

Spring Photo Shoot

It's Sunday and here is the frigid northwest the wind is blowing over 30mph. All the ladies had to hold their dresses down on the way out to their cars after church. It was really kinda funny. Dusty fell asleep in his chair so I decided to take a few pictures of the kids real quick. They get pretty tired of mommy say "smile" "Brian, just let Samantha touch you" "smile" but I got a couple of good ones.

Brian and Samantha are actually starting to play together now! It's super cute. Brian will imitate Sam's yells and "talking" and he really likes to play peek-a-boo with her.

Samatha learned how to come down the stairs without falling--it takes her a longtime though because she'll go down one or two stairs and then forget she's trying to get down and crawl back up. hehehe.

Dusty leaves for Basic Training on April 21 to Missouri. Then he'll go straight into advanced training and he should be home the end of July.

We put our house in up for sale!

We figured the kids and I could move in with my parents if it sells soon and then we'll be ready to move as soon as Dusty gets back. We want some property. We've been looking around here, and a few places in Southern Utah but I think where we end up will depend on where Dusty gets a job.

All these changes are exciting, scary and pretty stressful but I know that God will bless us as long as we're willing to serve him.

Anyone want to move to Idaho?

Anyone need a vehicle? (we're selling a few of those too-we have 7)

Dusty is joining the National Guard. He goes in for MEPS (his physical and stuff) on March 9th and they'll tell us then when he leaves for basic training. Believe it or not, I'm kind of excited. The whole being without a husband for 4 months is really going to stink but Dusty will get all his schooling paid for and we get health insurance and job placement assistance, and lots of other nice perks.
Brian turns three next week- April gave me the idea for a dinosaur cake. good one eh? We'll see if I pull it off. Maybe I'll do "Dragon Warrior" instead (He loves that movie).
Samantha is trying SO hard to walk. In fact when you go to sit her down on the floor, she just falls over because she won't bend her legs to sit down. She's a silly one.
Both are already in bed AND asleep! A miracle!!!
I'm currently involved in this weight loss contest so hopefully the pounds will keep coming off or I am going to be even poorer than a poor school teacher.
The temperature was actually above freezing today so hopefully Spring is on its way.
Garden or no Garden?

BitterSweet

One of my paraprofessionals went on a vacation to Las Vegas and brought back a couple of things for us to try-dried Dragonfruit and freeze-dried Rambutan (I think that's how you spell it)--a really spiky flower/fruit from Thiland. Dragonfruit is very bitter and the Rambutan very sweet.
Our week was that way-
I have decided not to return to work full time next school year. A decision that has me elated to be able to stay home with my two amazing kids but a little sad to leave the students and quite a bit nervous about how health insurance, retirement and all those bills are going to be paid. Every time I have felt nervous, however, I have felt wonderful reassurance and faith that we have made the right decision.
Then, on Wed. we recieved news that the twins Darci (my sister-in-law) was carrying passed away. She was 5 months pregnant. The twins were having problems and while Ben and Darci were trying to decide how best to help them, they passed away. They decided to bring them here to Rigby to bury with the family so next Monday we'll have little memorial service.
While we haven't met Hunter David and Reece Matthew, we still feel the loss and perhaps more, the loss of Darci. I am amazed at the love you can feel for two wonderful spirits without really knowing them. But then again, I think the reason we feel such a loss is because we DO know them. I find my self wondering what Hunter and David did in the pre-existance to ensure their exaultation. I know where they are along with my grandpas and I hope to also qualify for such a blessing.
Opposition is indeed bittersweet but if I had to eat a dragonfruit in order to taste a Rambutan, I'd take the dragonfruit.

Christmas Letter

Hello everyone!
I know I'm late but Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!! We had an amazing time in Arizona for the holidays. I sent this letter and picture out to some of you but here it is for everyone else. Rhonda, Bethany, I need your addresses again. :)

(You can't see it as well, but the letter spells our names going down.)

Dear Family and Friends,

Daddy of two now, I love to play with my son and daughter.
Unlucky for the elk I shot, our freezer is full of meat from my first harvest hunting.
Supposed to take some welding classes at night this Spring.
Tried school at BYU-I and did well, but decided it wasn’t for me.
Yelling the orders as a foreman building steel buildings.

Misses being home all day with the kids.
Evaluated with top marks as a Special Education Teacher at Midway Middle School.
Lucky to have the cutest, smartest, most amazing kids!
Amiably working with the children in Primary at church.
Nanny Evelyn cares for the kids while I’m at work.
Infinite blessings have been ours this year (finishing the re-modal).
Exercising every day to get in shape and loose baby weight.

Busy, busy toddler.
Really loves the snow!
Imagine the messes I can make and all the things I’m learning.
A really loving, helpful big brother.
Nearly 3 and loving nursery.

Silly and fun, I love to play any time of night or day.
Almost 6 months and 21 pounds.
Mantha is what my big brother calls me.
Almost always I sleep all through the night.
Nothing but cute, cute, cute.
Trying to crawl all over the house.
Hair’s all there but not very long.
All is well with my family.

We hope you had a great 2008
and an even better 2009!

Much Love,
The Allens