Our pet hawk

We have a hawk that has decided that our yard is a lovely place to roam about.
And to find food. And, I'm guessing, build a nest for its babies. It is pretty awesome
and we are all quite enthralled with it. Including Jacob who keeps trying to get a close
up with the camera. Our pet hawk. Who would have thought? Name suggestions welcome.

IronKamm

Last Monday, I received a package in the mail. It was from my oldest sister.
Inside was a wristband. Which I immediately put on my wrist and did not
remove, even for one second, until this morning at about 12:30am.

You see, this wristband was what my sister decided to order for all of the siblings
in my family, in support of our brother, Kamm, who would be running his first
Ironman race. The band told him that we believed in him, had the initials of all eight
of his siblings and also, just for fun and because he loves to say it, "Suck it up!!"

Fast forward to Saturday morning. I don't usually spend too much time on the computer on
Saturdays, they are always busy at our house. But this Saturday, I spent every free second
I had sitting in front of my computer screen. Staring at live video that looked something like
the above. And texting anyone who was there, watching my brother compete, in person.

And then, just after midnight my time, this guy appeared on the screen.
He had swam 2.4 miles, biked 112 miles and than ran a marathon.
And I sobbed as I watched him cross the finish line.

My brother.

My hero.

Baby boy

Annie and polar bears

Annie had a project due in school. She had to write a report on a particular
animal, illustrate the cover and then make that animal out of craft supplies.
She was assigned the polar bear. And did pretty fantastic, if I do say so myself.

(Especially as midway through the creation process, that bear above
looked a whole lot like a lamb and Annie and I could not quit laughing.
Gratefully, we were able to turn that fluffy lamb into a ferocious bear.
Okay, not so much ferocious, but it looks like a bear, so we're happy.)

The story of the easel

I've wanted something to fill up the corner of our dining room for many a while. But I didn't know what. Until many weeks ago when I realized I wanted an easel and blackboard so I could write quotes, scriptures, thoughts, etc. on it. Have you searched for large blackboard easels lately? I have. They are expensive. Yikes. So I decided on another route.

I went to IKEA. Where they sell easels for $14.99. No really, they do. Annie has one in her bedroom that she received for Christmas. She uses it constantly. The only catch is that they only sell one kind of easel and the wood is natural and the chalk holder is red. Not going to work in our dining room. But I picked it up anyway, because I knew it could be transformed.

Fast forward to Jacob's parents coming for Matt's baptism. His dad asked several times what one project he could do in the couple of days he was here that would be of help. I felt silly having him do work for us, when he should just be visiting and relaxing. But when he insisted, I gratefully (and a little sheepishly), asked if he wanted to stain an easel.

I picked up the necessary items, along with some black felt to cover up the red laminate on the chalk tray, and within a couple of hours, I had the easel I have always wanted.

You like? Boy howdy, you'd better believe I do. Can you stand at how

fantastically the stain matches our table? I know, neither can I.

So there you go, folks. The dining room easel of my dreams. I'm so very happy about it.

Thanks so much Rex! You are the staining king.

Matt's special day

A week ago Saturday, our sweet Matthew was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I hope I never forget the feelings of that day or the look on our boy's face after both his baptism and after receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost.

We are so grateful that Jacob's parents were able to come and be a part of it. They each gave a beautiful talk and Jacob's dad gave a wonderful presentation for the children while we were waiting for Jacob and Matt to change their wet clothes and join us again.

We missed my parents, who would have come in a second if it were at all possible.

Mostly, we just felt such intense gratitude for this boy that is ours and for the choice he made to follow his Savior. It truly was a perfect day and we all were so grateful to be a part of it.

We love you so much Matthew! Thanks for being one amazing boy.

The break that is spring

Boy howdy, things have been a little busy here. Matt's baptism, Jacob's parents here to visit, the kids out of school all week...it has been wonderful. And busy. Did I mention that?

Just wanted to share that we're still alive and that photos of the wonderfulness of the past few days are coming. Eventually. Sometime. Most likely.

But while you are waiting, would you like me to tide you over with Jacob's new favorite photo? I thought so.

Um, come again? Would someone explain this photo to me? Because there is no explanation in my mind. Parts of the photo, sure. But the whole thing? No way. It is like dominoes. But the baby didn't get the memo about being in a row. And Annie had to fix her hair first. And Ben didn't know it wasn't fun to be pushed over onto your head. And I keep on bossing everyone around no matter how unsteady their feet are or how much they need a V8 today.

Anyway.

Stay tuned.

For more photos. Not for an explanation.

Because it isn't happening.

Nate and his daddy

Easter Sunday

Five photos for five months

This sweet boy turns five months old tomorrow. How we love him.
He is growing up before our eyes and I was able to capture
a few photos that show his personality right now.

Nate loves music. I mean, absolutely LOVES it. I find myself practicing the piano
often of late, because he will lay on the rug and just listen for as long as I will play.

This here would be some truth in advertising. To say the least.
And even Nathan knows it. Hence the reason he is pointing it out to you all.

Happy much? That is our boy. He smiles a lot. And we love it every time.

And he is just sweet. There is something about this boy that does something to my
heart. That is the case with each of my kids, but something about this baby and his
amazing light and sweetness that makes me so grateful, so very often, to be his mom.

And last, what he spends every waking moment doing...smiling and
drooling like crazy. One tooth out. Two almost here. Many more to go.

We love you Nate the Great. So very much.

Matthew's 8th birthday party

Tonight was Matt's friend party for his birthday. He thought it was fabulous, so we thought it was fabulous!

Matt wanted a sports' theme and he and his friends spent a very long time outside playing on the tramp, playing soccer, playing lacrosse, playing tag and just plain playing. They did manage to break themselves away from the fun to eat some pizza and later some cupcakes and ice cream, but otherwise they were just happy to run themselves silly.

A few people mentioned that we are pretty nutty to want to have so many young boys at our house, rather than have the fun at a party place, but I tell you, we love it. And our kids have pretty amazing friends, so it is a win-win for everyone. Plus, I love having them close, so I can watch and smile at all of the fun they are having. It is totally worth it, in my opinion. And if Matt agrees, then that is all that matters to this mom.

We sure love you our Matthew boy!

What does...

...our Ben + a crown + a tower = ?

King Benjamin.
Of course.

One more try

So...a few years ago, I decided to go private on the blog. But didn't look into it enough and didn't realize there was a max number of people you could invite to a blog that wasn't public. It was only after all of you incredibly kind people asked to be invited that I realized I was over the number. And I didn't want to exclude anyone.

Well, with so many "instant" social networks now out there, blogs are becoming less popular (at least all of my friends say that is the case with their blog and I've noticed it with ours also). And so, if that is the case and there is less interest, I'm thinking now is the perfect time to go private. I definitely don't want to hurt any feelings, but if less people are reading the blog, then it shouldn't be a problem that Blogger only allows so many to a private blog party.

So come April 15th, these here Allens will be going private. If you would like to be sent an invite, please email me (comments off on this post) at linnallen at gmail dot com. There were many last time that felt a bit timid to ask, because they didn't think I knew them that well, but please know I was flattered. So please don't hesitate on my account. It means a lot that you want to stick with us no matter our blog sharing preference.

Thanks friends! No matter how out of style a blog gets, I plan to always keep with it. After all, this blog really is for our little family anyway (even though we absolutely appreciate you all being so kind and interested in our lives). And the past four years of memories and photos and funny stories and heartache are priceless in my book. And already, my kids get on it together and spend long periods of time remembering and laughing. And that is worth every second of blog keeping to me.

I don't ramble much anymore

At least on the blog. You should see me in real life. Sorry Love.

The three oldest are doing soccer this season. They are all on travel teams. They all have at least two practices a week and one game. For those that are not within reach of their calculator, that is at least six practices a week and three games. And I have two other children. One of them being the needy type that insists he should eat every three hours and be carried everywhere he needs to go. This should be an awesome few months. Stay tuned.

Today I finished Day 24 of the P90X exercise program. Yeah, no need to hold back on your surprise, I'm as shocked as all of you. Well, me and my body. We're in constant shock together.

I need to address Matt's baptism announcements and get them in the mail. Our sweet boy is being baptized in a couple of weeks. And has a birthday party next week. Birthday parties are a big deal at our house because you only get a friend party at certain ages. Eight is one of those ages. Matt has a great couple of weeks coming up and I'm in a perpetual state of excitement for him. He seems to be in one too.

I was just looking at a paper that came home from the elementary school that has something to do with next fall. As I was reading it, I realized that come this fall I will have a 7th grader, 5th grader and 3rd grader. Not to mention Ben boy will be starting preschool. The kind of preschool that you go to when you start Kindergarten the next year. I think it is best that we type away from this subject. Like Scarlett O'Hara, I'll think about it tomorrow. Or August 18th.

I've been overly calm about March Madness this year. It makes me kind of sad. We've just had too much going and I haven't been able to watch many games or even follow them well. It is like I don't even know me. Hard exercise every morning, very little time to be excited about March Madness, a banana and Greek yogurt every morning for breakfast (where did that come from?), I'm not sure I like what I've become.

In the last 9 1/2 months, we have had two sicknesses at our house. Ben had pink eye a few weeks ago and Matt got sick to his stomach twice a couple of Saturdays ago. Pride goeth before the fall. Jacob and I were sick to the max this past weekend. Bishop Allen only went to sacrament meeting, if that tells you his sickness level. The rest of us were already home, because I was not going to be blamed for a ward of sick people. We honestly don't feel terrible, but I tell you this thing is hanging on and I'm ready for it to find another place to live. Like Antarctica.

And now I remember why I don't ramble much anymore.

BA

Did you know there was a high school in Canada that goes by this name?
And did you know there was a sports store that makes custom athletic shirts for certain schools?

It's not like I could resist. And yes, they are definitely my new favorite shirts.
No matter how many times Jacob rolls his eyes when I wear them.

Back to two cars

One van with a blown transmission. Three weeks with one small sedan.
Seven people to get from place to place. Three rental cars on weekends to get to church.

And finally last night...

One new (to us) van that fits us all. Happy day at the Allen house.

Random outside pictures

This boy has been practicing hard each day after school.
Spring soccer starts next week. He is super excited! So are we.

This boy loves to write in general, but put some sidewalk chalk in his hands
and you have instant love. Our driveway has never looked fancier.

This boy is still too cute for words.

These days, he spends 98.6% of his time this way. Teething much?

This boy is being baptized in a few short weeks.
He wanted to use this photo for his baptism announcement.
I pulled the mother card on him and told him he was out of luck.

I wanted to use this one. He said his "legs look super weird." I had already put
my mother card away, so we settled on one we both liked. (Well, I loved and
he liked. He's a boy, folks.) The announcement design is almost done and
while super simple, he is happy. Which makes me happy. So all is well.

This girl decided she wanted to play travel soccer this spring.
This is how she looked trying on her new uniform. Because she was
excited. And because she is Annie. Boy howdy, I love this girl.

And her four brothers. And their dad. And this weather.

And life...

Our newest cub scout

Uncle Adam

Jacob's brother, Adam, came to visit last weekend and we loved having him!
He was here to check out a graduate school he has been admitted to
(Adam move to Boston this fall, yes please!), before he makes his decision
about which school will be best for him to attend. Seriously, we are all a fan
of Adam. How could you not be? He is smart, funny, kind, handsome and
an amazing brother and uncle. Plain and simple, Adam he is fabulous!

Thanks for coming Uncle Adam! We sure love you.
Now...time to make this get together permanent right. Right?
{Insert smiley face here to soften the pressure.}

Oh, and do you think Nate's changed a bit since their last picture together?

Lo hicimos

Dora and I now have something in common. Don't get too excited, I didn't purchase a monkey. And a very small pair of footwear. But I did do it. Again. And it feels good.

What is it that I did you ask?

Glad to tell you.

As I've mentioned before, and I'm sure I'll mention again, we have an interesting six months at our house from the middle of September to the middle of March.

Every family birthday.

Every major holiday.

Our anniversary.

And we threw in a new baby just for kicks.

It is a little intense. And worth every second. The finale is when Jacob and Matt celebrate their birthdays just four days apart. And then the morning of March 11th comes and I breathe a sigh of relief. And feel happiness at all the fun we just had. But mostly I breathe a sigh of relief.

Except that this March 11th was Daylight Savings and I'm not a fan. And, to make life even more exciting, our van and its transmission parted ways on Saturday and the age of our van doesn't make it worth trying to heal the relationship. So we get to buy a new van in the coming days. Hooray. {Insert mild sarcasm.} (New cars are nice to have, once the work of purchasing them is over.)

But, even with all of the craziness, it was a lovely six months. We did our best and had fun and there are some fabulous memories that aren't going anywhere.

Plus...

Come this Thursday, life is so happy I can hardly contain my joy. Because every year, I invite myself to this Big Dance. And what a dance to be a part of. Even without my team that I love so much being a part of it this year.

Sad.

But...

Six months of craziness.

Followed by four weekends of awesomeness.

Followed by one Monday night of happiness.

Lo hice.

And it feels good.

Our Matt

Happy Birthday to the most energetic, most hilarious, most sweet and loving eight-year old we know!

We think you are incredible Matt boy. And are so grateful you are ours.

(It really feels like yesterday and today between these two pictures. Sigh.)

In honor of his turning four months...

...behold, the onesie crown.

The one I love

Thirty-five years ago he was born.Twenty-three years ago we met for the
first time on this earth.Thirteen years ago we were married for this life and
the next. Every single day, I count him as the greatest blessing I have.
And I know without a doubt, I have loved him forever.

I would shout it from the rooftops...if I wasn't so scared of heights.
Since my computer is shorter, we'll go with that.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JACOB ETHAN!

I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU!

THANK YOU FOR BEING MINE!

Okay, that will definitely do, as I already know it is too much in his mind.
Not that it has ever stopped me before. It isn't his fault that he is
wonderful, kind, handsome, funny, good to the core and makes
my life better than I could ever have imagined.

Happy Birthday Babe. If I haven't mentioned it, I love you like crazy.

(What? That was my inside voice.)

Just when I thought...

...I already had a favorite photo of my baby.