The happiest day of Annie's life

This morning, Annie went horseback riding with her darling best friend. Instead of a big birthday party, this cute friend decided she would rather spend the morning horseback riding, just the two of them. I'm telling you, it was, without question, one of my favorite mom moments ever!

The girls were so happy and so sweet about the whole thing. The instructors were absolutely awesome and had the girls controlling their horses perfectly within minutes. They taught them to ride correctly, then had them go through several obstacle courses, then took them out into the woods for a trail ride. Ahh, it was just amazing.

Yes, I have attached several pictures. And while nine may seem like a lot for a blog post, please be impressed that it is far less than the original number of photos taken. Like 426 less. Cut me some slack please. My baby was riding a horse, for goodness' sake.

Happy, happy, happy day for sure!

Please hold your applause

Thank you (bowing). Thank you very much (more bowing). I am really just speechless.

And a special thanks to my friend, Jenn, for her nomination (still bowing).

Choosing favorites

Tonight at the dinner table we covered an array of subjects. Somehow the topic of China came up.

"Did you know," Jacob asked the kids, "that in China parents can only have one child?"

The kids were rightfully shocked and asked several follow-up questions.

And then from Annie, "Dad, if we lived in China, which one of us would you keep?"

Baby names

Tonight I was talking to my grandma on the phone and we started
on the discussion of baby names. We were laughing at some of the interesting ones we have encountered. And not just outlandish and crazy, but some poor children who have parents that seemingly did not say their first and last names together enough times to realize how it sounded. It made me wonder what are some of the best you have heard? And remember, please keep your remarks tasteful, this is a family blog you know.But really, if it is too inappropriate to share on this blog, I pity the poor child that carries that name around their whole life.

Bowling baby

Yesterday morning Matt asked me if I wanted to play bowling with him on the Wii.
Well really, who wouldn't want to? It was great fun and once again, I was schooled by a
five-year old. While we were playing, Ben showed up and decided he wanted a part of the
action. I'll just let the pictures speak for themselves. Because they sure made me laugh.

I really should have been on Broadway

I very much love music. And I love a variety of music. But there are a few songs or CDs that make me especially happy and have the ability to instantly bring back memories.

I recently bought the Les Miserables CD on Ebay for the grand amount of six dollars. I'm not a big Ebayer, but was reminded of this CD recently and went looking to see what I could find. Do you know how much I love the music from Les Mis? A lot. It reminds me of my childhood. It reminds me of standing in my room, with the music up as loud as possible (but only when my parents were gone), singing at the top of my lungs. And to my dramatic teenage self, I had a good voice. No, actually a GREAT voice. For those that have heard my voice, this is funny on so many, many levels.

Anyway, the second I put the CD into our player a few days ago, I went back in time. Back to a time when the drama of high school was super real and deathly important. Back to a time when I thought my life would end if I didn't get straight A's in every subject, every semester. Back to a time when I drove a small gray truck that would stall at stop signs and shake convulsively whenever you drove above fifty miles per hour. Back to a time when Jacob Allen playing soccer made my heart beat fast (still does). Back to a time when I would listen to songs on this particular CD and think they were the most romantic songs I had ever heard. Back to a time when life was incredibly simple, but I was too young to realize it.

Happy memories, funny memories, embarrassing memories, just plain fabulous memories...

Speaking of Les Mis, I have this huge desire to read and watch it again. Reading no problem, but which movie version is the best? I'm not sure I've seen any of them and I'm not planning on attending the live show anytime soon. Any thoughts?

My boy

This morning my baby sat on my lap while I answered some emails. He was wearing his pajama bottoms and a t-shirt that looked a little small on him. I knew this because his chubby little belly stuck out above his diaper. Although that could just be because he seemed extra hungry this morning. His hair stood up in the back, in every place that his pillow had touched. He had crumbs on his cheeks from breakfast. He kept pointing and laughing at the computer. Over and over, he would turn around to look at me, his big blue eyes looking out from under his insanely long eyelashes. And I had one of those incredible moments of complete happiness and teary emotion—all mixed perfectly into one.

From the deepest part of my heart, I love being a mom.

Like father, like son

Some of you might remember this post. Apparently this is a gene. Last Friday, Campbell came home from school with a treat from his teacher. Before they left school that day, she had given each of them a piece of candy and told them to have a wonderful spring break. After arriving home, Cam showed me what his teacher had given him and then proceeded to take it up to his room for later. (Later? My life handbook says there is no such word when it comes sugar.) And there it sat, in plain site, for seven days. Unopened. (Seriously, there are times like these when I wonder if I am truly his mother.)

This morning, I went to check that his room was clean and noticed that finally, his spring break reward had been opened. And a bite had been taken. (One bite. I mean really, where did I go wrong?) And as of this evening, there has still only been one bite out of that piece of licorice. To be honest, I really shouldn't be surprised. He has candy in his treasure box that has been there for months and months. I once had a piece of candy that went uneaten for two hours. But I think I was away from the house and couldn't get to it.

So near as I can tell, the moral of the story is...if you have anything that contains sugar that you need "watched" for a minute, you might want to avoid using me as your sucrose babysitter. I would highly recommend Jacob or Cam though. They seem to have some crazy, nonhuman control when it comes to food of the sugared variety. Skinny little punks.

Deliciousness

Nothing says deliciousness like food on the forehead.

Inspiring

This morning we took the train into Boston to watch those running in the marathon. By "we" I mean my cute friend, Rachel, and her five kids. It was awesome. Two moms, nine kids, big city, absolute craziness. Gratefully, the craziness came from the excitement of the marathon and not from our kids. They were awesome.

That being said, not sure we will be making-the-trek-to-Boston-on-marathon-day a tradition in our family. It was so completely worth being there and trying it once, but unless you are willing to get there super early and wait around for hours and hours, you are not able to see much. Or anything in our case.

Luckily, the man I married works in an office on the less crowded side of the street and he was able to see more than we did. In fact, he took the cool picture below. Because we were not able to get close enough to see anything, Jacob got as close as he could and waited around trying to catch a glimpse of our friend, Colleen, running by. But unfortunately, it didn't happen. So just pretend that one of the fine runners you see below is Colleen. Thanks. I mean really, isn't she amazing?

Rachel and I and our numerous children did hang around the "family waiting area" for a very long time hoping to run into Colleen, but no such luck. The time was not wasted though as it was definitely entertaining and awesome to see the other runners. Some were dressed up in crazy costumes (Captain America graced us with his presence), but mostly it just made me a little teary to see these cool people and what they had accomplished.

That evening, we were finally able to meet up with Colleen, when she came back to our house. I snapped the picture below at that time. Seriously, who looks this good after running a marathon?

Way to go Colleen! Thanks for staying with us and thanks for being so incredibly awesome! 
You are completely inspiring. So inspiring in fact, I am thinking about watching someone 
else train for a marathon. Yup, that is how impressed I was by what you did. Don't let anyone
else know though, I can't handle the pressure in case it ends up being too lofty a goal.

Our temple

Some of you may know that Jacob and I were sealed in the Bern Switzerland Temple. Without question, the happiest day of my life. I mean truly, who doesn't want to be married in Europe? It was a fairy tale for sure.

But being married in a temple that is so far away, obviously means that going back to visit doesn't happen often. (Well, it hasn't happened yet for us, but it will and I cannot wait.) And even having those we know visit has only happened two or three times. But this past weekend, my parents had the opportunity to visit Switzerland for a couple of days. And they took the time to go to the temple in Bern and my dad took several pictures for me. I cannot tell you how much it means to me to have these pictures. They brought back so many happy, happy memories.

Thank you Dad and Mom! I love that you were able to attend a session in the temple 
where we were sealed. And thank you for taking the time to take pictures of 
"our temple" and send them to us. We love them and we love you!

My sweet little baby...

...has pneumonia. May I never witness one of my little ones put on a wooden seat, surrounded
by a plastic container of sorts and forced to keep his hands above his head for the time it takes
to capture several x-rays. All the while sobbing, with the saddest look on his face you have
ever seen. My sweet little boy. He was so excited to see his crib. That I can definitely relate to.

Although I think I'll go with the bed option instead. How many hours until bedtime?

My new favorite song

Mr. Matt has been walking around the house singing this song this morning.

Some of you may think it sounds familiar, but will soon realize you have
been singing the words wrong for many years. Let me enlighten you.

Cupid, draw back your el-bow,
And let your arrow go-whoa,
Straight to my mother's heart,
For me.

Cupid, please hear my cry-yi.
And let your arrow fly-yi.
Straight to my mother's heart,
For me.

Involving Cupid makes the whole thing seem sweet, but the arrow headed toward
his mother's heart? Hmm, not sure what to make of it. But at least Cupid knows that
 if he uses his elbow, his form will be outstanding and his accuracy sure. Phew.

The Boston Marathon

I am so incredibly excited for next Monday. My friend, Colleen, is flying out this weekend and will be running in the Boston Marathon. I could not be more impressed. We are so glad she would stay with us while she is here and especially glad that we will be able to be a small part of it.

Oh and the best news of it all? The finish line is less than a block from Jacob's office building and the kids are off that day for spring break. Come next Monday, we will all be waiting by the finish line. I'll have my camera charged and a big old smile on my face. Which will probably turn to some tears as I watch all those amazing people finish their 26.2 mile run. Awesomely inspiring...to say the least.

I'm a dork and I don't even care

Because this made me cry. I just absolutely love the underdog. You have to watch the entire
seven minutes. And then tell me if I'm the only doofus who cried. And yet, I'm not sure
 I would care if I was, because this just made me so very happy.

Easter morning

Easter

Christ has won the victory.

More visitors

Jacob's dad and brother came to visit this week. They needed to come out to Boston for an
important appointment and they happen to know some people who live here who wanted
to have them stay with them, instead of a hotel. Lucky for us for sure. It was so fun to
have them and the kids definitely loved playing with their Uncle Danny and Grandpa.

Thanks for coming Rex and Danny! We miss you!

In case you were wondering...

Annie and Matt are home with sore throats and are watching The Backyardigans. They keep complaining that watching TV is "boring." Um, I believe someone forgot to check their birth certificate this morning.

Cam is at school being smart. He is also counting the seconds until he gets to ride the bus home by himself. Which appears to be an event that is way cooler to do alone and not with your sister.

Ben alternates between lining up trains on a wooden track and taking cereal boxes out of the pantry and lining them up in the family room. I think the theme is "lines" here, folks.

I am writing this blog post. And as you can tell, my talent is astounding. Please feel free to be impressed with this riveting subject and the way I draw you into our lives.

Jacob is at work. He is working.

Jacob's dad and brother, who are visiting us (another post on that coming), are in Boston at an appointment they had this morning. My guess is that they are freezing. The sun is apparently working about as hard as my children with the red throats.

Asking for your opinion

As some of you may know, our Matthew boy will be starting Kindergarten in the fall. A day or two ago, I received a letter from the school letting us know the deadline for requesting either the morning or afternoon session. And even though I have given it a lot of thought, I'm not sure which one I want to request. Our two oldest didn't have the option, because in California, Kindergarten is an all-day affair. I have several pros and cons for both the morning and afternoon option and I'm still not sure which is best. I know it isn't a huge deal and either will be fine, but I was hoping some of you could help me out with my decision here.

Which option did you choose and why? Or which option did you get assigned and why did you like/dislike it? Or even if you are too rushed to give reasons, I'd love to just know your preference. Thanks so much! I so appreciate it.

Just to me

As millions throughout the world pause to listen to our Prophet, I feel so very blessed to be one
of them. It is overwhelming to me that being only one of millions throughout the nations of the
earth to hear the words of our inspired leaders, does not make me feel any less that they are
speaking to me. Just to me. The Spirit has touched my heart and I cannot wait to do better.

An early gift

Happy April! I hope it has started out lovely and warm and Aprilish.

So, I have been thinking. And I think this little habit I've started of writing annoying posts, here and here, is really not very nice. And it is frustrating a lot of people. And that makes me feel bad. And so I know I said I was going to wait until the end of August to reveal what these numbers mean to me, but I've changed my mind. There is something about the beginning of April that makes it seem like the perfect time to share important information. So, with further ado, here you go...

April Fools.

Caption please ~ Repost

You guys are good. I loved the captions you came up with for this great picture. They were all
 fabulous, but I have to say that the Harry Potter references were my favorites because of
this past Halloween at our house and how much I thought Cam looked like a certain Mr. Potter.

Oh, and in case you were just dying to hear what I would label this photo, here you go.

This is how my mom looks when our house is a mess.

And for all you who are laughing, you are obviously not one of my children.
Poor things. My children, not you.

For me?

I know a certain person would not want me to make a big deal about what they did,
but I just had to thank them for being so kind and sweet to me. Thank you for the flowers 
you sent me  today, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named! (Wait. No. Lord Voldemort did not
send me flowers. Someone just as cool and popular in my opinion though. And way
 less evil.) When I read the card I laughed. And then I cried. They are beautiful. 
And every time I look at them,  which is often, I am grateful for you.

Miscellaneous, to say the least

My March Madness bracket could not be in worse shape if I had picked Morgan State and CS Northridge to duel it out in the championship.

We have some seriously funny friends. And having them stop over to entertain us last night, made my evening. Big time.

Nine-year-old boys say the funniest things. Especially the super cute one that lives at our house.

My handsome husband is SO incredibly good to me.

I need to 'Saturday clean' the house and give the boys haircuts. All four of them. Both of those thoughts are daunting to my exhausted self right now, but will make me incredibly happy come nightfall.

I love looking at good photography. Love it.

My five-year old has a mental block when it comes to the fact that he should not climb over, on top and around our couch. No matter how many times he is told. He is one darling boy though and I guess we just keep trying.

Speaking of our couch, like the economy, it is in a recession. Can you say uncomfortable...squared?

Because she had a 'late nighter' last night, my darling Annie stayed up almost as late as I did. And she is handling it much better than I am.

I love spring.

Pretending to sneeze over and over again, while making my baby laugh hysterically, makes my mother's heart happy.

Crazy

A few weeks ago, my darling friend, Rachel, let me in on a helpful secret.
And I wanted to share it with all of you in case you are in need of valuable advice.

"You can't defend yourself against crazy."

Indeed. Very wise. Very funny. Very true.

I love smart people. I especially love smart people that make me laugh.

Awesome

On our way out the door to the school bus this morning, Cam noticed
our first flower in bloom and pointed it out to Annie girl.

"Awesome!" Annie said and then turned to continue walking to the bus stop. A few steps

past the driveway I heard her mumble to herself, "Why do I say that word so much?

I'm even annoying myself!"

Too much?

Yeah, I didn't think so either.

Caption please

Every six months

Our good friend, Bill, came to stay with us for a couple of days. He was in our neck of the woods for work-related fun and stopped by to visit, talk, laugh, watch college basketball and play the Wii. I'm not not convinced he actually had business out here, I just think he wanted to observe first hand how crazy I get watching March Madness. And he heard there was a Wii at our house and that just sweetened the deal. No matter his reasons, we were thrilled to have him.

And we will be waiting for his next visit in six months. Remember when he and his darling wife, Ruth, were our first visitors here in Boston? The trend appears to be every six months and we are holding them to it. We cannot wait.

Oh, and just because I don't post without a picture, I had to torture Bill by taking pictures of his first Wii-playing experience. All I have to say is awesome. Just awesome.

Thanks for coming Bill! We'll see you and Ruth in a few months. Please don't let us down.

And I just couldn't publish this post without commenting on the doll in the background of the first picture.

I am not a doll fan in general (that is a whole other post in itself), but that particular doll looks like she is from 

Watcher in the Woods or something. My spine is tingling. And not from excitement. Creepola.

A small administrative fee applies

A little background on this post. Some of you might know that I am the Relief Society president in the ward we live in (which means I am in charge of the spiritual and temporal needs of the women that live within our church boundaries and are members of our church) . It has been a great blessing in my life. It has also been an amusing blessing in my life. Because as the saying goes, "You can't please everyone." And while most of the wonderful people that I get to interact with are kind and good, there have been times that people have been frustrated and annoyed with something I have done or a decision I have made. And they have opted not to hide that fact. And I receive phone calls and emails letting me know about their feelings. And it has been good for both of us.

In addition, I have some people that are quite close to me (not in my ward) that have recently let me know how horrible I am. And exactly how they feel about me in no uncertain terms. And quite honestly, I have been glad to know it. Well, not so much glad to know I am horrible, but glad to know how they feel. Much easier to deal with people when they share their true feelings, in my opinion.

Okay, necessary background, but now I'm done.

So not long ago, Jacob's brother wrote a very kind email about Jacob and I and specifically one of our kids. (Thank you Justin!) And it happened to arrive on a day when the masses (okay maybe two people) were letting me know about how lovely I was in their eyes. And in writing back to thank him, I jokingly told him something to the effect of "How did you know I just happened to need an email from someone who didn't hate me today? Thanks for being that person." And this is what he wrote in return:

Thanks Linn! You are the best. Glad I can be among the many in the “We don’t hate Linn” club.

PS: If you are getting emails from people in an “I hate Linn” club, please let me know. I can’t imagine that a club like that would ever exist, but if it does, it’s diametrically opposed to my club’s founding beliefs. We are founded upon the principle that “We don’t hate Linn.” Those of us who are most liberal in the club (including me) actually subscribe to the belief that “we really really like Linn.” (Note: some even use the word “love” to describe our relationship to Linn. However, most of us who use that word (including me) use it under the Greek definition of “philia” which connotes a dispassionate virtuous love or for love between family and friends rather than “eros,” which definition I won’t provide at this time). Given our preponderance towards “not hating Linn,” we are ready to fight, bicker, debate, hit, scratch, and hair-pull anyone who would subscribe to an “I hate Linn” club. It is our duty to destroy such vile creatures. Please notify me if you encounter any such evil and I will hit them with my club.

PPS: Feel free to notify your steady stream of blog readers about my “We don’t hate Linn” club. I think it would really increase my membership (and I only charge a small administrative fee of $2.76 for annual membership).

And I might have laughed for ten minutes straight when I read his email. And I might still be laughing as I just read it over again. Talk about someone making your day month year!

Thanks again Justin! Such a relief to know that such a club exists (if only in your kind mind).
My self-confidence needed that. And my pride wasn't too sad about it either.

You might be March Madness crazy if...

...you woke up this morning with a smile on your face and it took a few seconds to remember why.

...you made up a March Madness song to sing to the kids and they went out the door to school complaining it was "stuck in their head."

...you purchased a cheesy basketball trophy off of Ebay and had them engrave "Allen Family March Madness Tournament Champion" on it.

...above-mentioned trophy sits in the family room waiting to be awarded to the family member with the best bracket sense.

...family members wander around the house coveting cheap trophy, hoping they will be the first to house it in their room for all to admire and be jealous of.

...the entire extended Allen family (brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, unborn babies) have all filled out brackets and multiple email exchanges have taken place—only a tad bit of competition in this family.

...you have looked at the clock twenty times this morning and can't figure out why noon is still so far away.

...you spent too much time at a church activity last night explaining March Madness to one of the fabulous women in the ward, who happens to be from Scotland.

...she told you she had never pegged you as one of those "sporty girls." (A crazy funny statement when said with a Scottish accent, for the record).

...you have laughed over that thought approximately 462 times already.

Make that 463.

This boy makes my heart happy

Happy St. Patrick's Day

From Mr. O'Matthew, our favorite leprechaun.

The "real" leprechauns made it to our house last night. The kids were thrilled. The leprechauns
gathered all of the green they could find and heaped it together on the kitchen table. Then they
took a picture of it with the camera I accidentally left out. Unfortunately, it wasn't a great
picture because if you didn't know, leprechauns are not very tall and their viewpoint is
a little different than ours. But they did leave a note, written in very small letters,
and a little green treat for the kids. We sure love St. Patrick's Day at our house!

Missing my friend

Just a few hours ago my cell phone rang and I didn't recognize the number. But I had the immediate feeling that I needed to answer it. It was the sister of one of the women in my ward. After I said hello, she identified herself and then told me quietly, that this sweet woman in my ward, that I had loved so much, had just passed away. I was devastated. I still am.

This woman, Kathy, was the best. She was gruff and slightly grumpy...and it was all an act. She had been baptized into the church about a year ago. She had only been to church once since we moved to Boston and I became Relief Society president. I picked her up myself and introduced her to the sisters during Relief Society. And it made me emotional when I did because I already loved her so much.

We talked almost weekly. She was going through a lot. Especially for someone that was not yet fifty. She had many health problems and yet she just kept going. She loved her two grandchildren fiercely. She tended them every day, all day.

Almost weekly I would call her. Our conversation always started the same. Every single time.

Me: "Hi Kathy! It's your best friend!"

Kathy, in her grumpiest voice: "Hi Linn."

And then I would proceed to talk and talk, while she gave one-or two-word answers. And after six or seven or ten calls, she started giving me five-word answers. And then ten. And when she would greet me at the beginning of our phone calls her "Hi Linn" was still said in her grumpy voice, but I could tell she was trying not to smile.

About two weeks ago, she stopped answering her phone. I couldn't figure it out and wondered if I had done something to offend her. I even called on her birthday, but had to leave a message. The missionaries from our church dropped by several times and she was never home.

And then on Saturday, the missionaries called with word that Kathy was in the hospital. She had collapsed the day before and was in the ICU. I couldn't go to visit her because I was not immediate family. But I was able to get the phone number of her sister and I called her Sunday afternoon and again today to see how Kathy was doing. She wasn't doing well, but they had hope that things would work out.

And they did. At least for Kathy. But for those two sweet grandchildren that spent every waking moment with her, that adored her and that will have a hard time understanding where she has gone, I'm sure it doesn't exactly feel like it has worked out. And it doesn't seem that way for me right now. Because my selfish self wants to call her to make sure she knows I am her best friend and I love her and that I think of her.

So for tonight I'm just going to be sad. Sad that someone that meant so much to me is gone. Sad that her sweet little ones are missing their grandma so much. Sad that someone I didn't know six months ago has left a hole in my heart. Tomorrow I'll be better. But for tonight, I'm swearing off letting myself get close to any more of these amazing women. Blast. I love them too much. And then the hurt seems like too much to handle. But I know in time it will get better.

I'm telling you though, there had better be a large number of my wonderful friends and family waiting to greet me when I get to heaven (many, many, many years from now). Because I miss them like crazy. And that reunion in heaven is the only way my heart can be completely whole again. And yet, there are nights like tonight when that doesn't seem possible.

But deep inside my broken heart, I know it is.

One of my greatest blessings

The recent media attention around The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and their temples has made me wonder how to write my feelings about the privilege and blessing of having the temple a part of my own life. And because I am neither eloquent or insightful, I want to share with you what I do consider both of these things. And if you are not a member of my church and are reading this, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for coming to a believer for the information, instead of someone who professes to know about something that it is not possible for them to know about—no matter how much research they have done.

Here is a wonderful video that the church put out about why we build temples. It is beautiful and well worth the few minutes it takes to view it.

Here is an official article written by the church about how it is our goal to conduct ourselves with "dignity and thoughtfulness" and not unkindness or defensiveness.

All I can say in addition is that it is a wonderful blessing to have good and right and holy and sacred things in our lives. And I am eternally grateful to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. And to have the privilege and opportunity to go to the temple. It has changed my life. And I am thankful everyday for it.