This amazing boy

This sweetest boy took second in his age division (well, I guess technically
he was playing a year up) at the Mayor’s Cup tournament that took place
the last few days—as a guest player with a team that asked him to join them.

Oh, he’s something else.

He’s been through so much lately that has required him to be ridiculously brave and
do hard things. And he’s done it so, so well. Over and over. And then over again.
And not just with soccer, although that has definitely been a part of it.

I’m just so proud of his incredible heart and the amazing choices he makes. He’s just such a good boy.

And his dad. Goodness, he makes me emotional with gratitude.

Over and over and over again, he chooses our kids. Giving a tremendous amount of time, energy,
love, teaching—he just never stops. And loves them each with a fierceness that is unreal to watch.
And he doesn’t just say the words, he follows them with actual actions and constant sacrifices.

Oh I love Jacob Allen.

And our Nathan Grant.

It’s a good life we have. I’m so grateful for it.

Our #9

My darling boy. Number nine. Dealing with hard things and choosing goodness
and light, in spite of it. I’m so honored to be his mom.

And so grateful for his incredible dad, who took this picture that I will love forever,
and who is always there for our kids, no matter what it takes.

There never was a girl as blessed as I am.

Back home

She’s finally home. Oh the happy.

Even though she’s headed back to college in a day or two. And even though
she had the greatest summer ever and the adjustment won’t be the easiest.
She’s back for the school year and I’m just so grateful.

Everything about life is lighter, brighter and more exciting and fun when Annie is around.
I’m so thankful for her and just can’t believe God let me be her mom and her friend.

I’m for sure the luckiest.

Disc golf and amazing sons

Ben has become obsessed (the good kind) with disc golf the last few months. As in playing
5-6 days a week throughout the entire summer, often multiple times a day. He’s become amazingly
good (which he is going to hate that I said and he’ll want to offer a rebuttal, but I’m right so…)
and even when he doesn’t have time to make it to a course (and even when he does), I can often
hear him outside or in the garage (when the weather isn’t great), practicing with his basket.
Over and over and over and over. I love it so much. I love him so much.

Which is why I wanted to post this incredible photo he took the other night while playing
 at a course nearby. Just to remember our amazing boy (more man these days, but let me
live my life in Pretendville please and thanks) and how when he puts his mind to learning
something new and becoming really, really good at it…he does it. Every dang time.

Oh that Benjamin Allen, he’s the coolest. I’m so glad he’s ours.

Love these two so much

I took this picture of these darlings at a family gathering yesterday and can you
even with these two? Honestly, they are just the most amazing.

So deeply good and kind, hilarious and hard working, the very most fun to be around and talk
and laugh with for long periods of time. I’m so grateful for them and the family they have created,
the incredibly wonderful choices they make and how they truly make the world a better place.

We are forever the luckiest to have them in our family and man, I just adore them like crazy.

This boy

This boy, beautifully playing the piano before heading out the door to a high school football game on Friday night
(it was a tropical out if you couldn't tell). He just makes me so dang happy and laugh so ridiculously hard.

Another first day of school

11th, 7th and 5th. One in each school. I’m just so thankful they all had a really good first day.

Gah, I love them so much.

Gracie girl and HOPE squad

Yesterday, this darling girl had a HOPE squad retreat to kick off the upcoming school year.
She was so excited to be chosen by her peers and teachers to be a part of this club that is "a school-
based peer-to-peer support program that empowers selected students to take action and help foster
a culture of care where all students feel safe and a genuine sense of belonging." I love everything
about this idea and feel so grateful Grace gets to be a part of it this year.

Just so thankful that now that Grace is our only child in elementary school (we haven't had that happen in
our family for more than seventeen years), she has this happy, fun, growing opportunity to reach out to and
care even more than she already does (and believe me, she already does) for everyone around her.

Love this beautiful girl so much and love watching how amazing she is at bringing
a constant increase of light and goodness into the world.

Seventh grade darlings

 

The cutest boys, ready to start junior high in just a week and headed off to try their luck at
finding their way around the school this morning, to be better prepared for their first day.

Oh time. You are the thiefiest thief in all the land.

Sure love that Nathan boy of ours something fierce.

The bestest summer for our girl

This beauty of the incredible heart left on her last regular river guide trip this morning—it’s been
the absolute happiest summer for her. And it isn’t quite over yet, but it’s for sure drawing to a close.
The transition will be hard, but she’ll do it. Because she’s just that amazing and good. I definitely wish
 she didn’t have to go back to regular life for her sake, but I’m selfishly excited to have her a whole
lot closer for the next several months. Oh our Annie Allen, she’s just incredible times a whole lot.

Our incredible Nate

 

This boy. I truly can’t put into words the amount of light, happiness and maturity he’s chosen in a really
difficult situation the last many days. He’s handled it better than most adults I know would have and I just
can’t get over how much he teaches me every single day. I seriously love being Nate Allen’s mom.

Two whole days with some really tremendous people

This past weekend, we had two days together for an Allen family reunion,
before Jacob’s parents leave for another three years for a church calling in Africa.

It really was such an amazing time and I still can’t get over how well everyone gets
along, how many hours we can be together and still want more, and how every member
of our Allen family are just people I absolutely adore. Every last one of them.

It was so kind of Rex and Nancy to go to so much effort and expense to make it the happiest two
days and I’m just so grateful to have spent so much time with my favorite people I’ve ever known.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…being an Allen is a really great gig. I’m so glad I get to experience it.

A fabulous surprise and the sweetest of nights

Tonight, the children and spouses of Jacob’s parents pulled off a really fantastic surprise to celebrate
a very significant birthday for Nancy and Rex this year. It truly was the sweetest of nights, with my
 favorite humans and a memory that all of us will remember for a very long time. Seven siblings,
seven spouses, two parents—and one very kind God for allowing us all to be family AND friends.

{The last two fabulous photos taken by Jacob's brother, Danny.}

Part 3 of 3 ~ My very favorites

You know, just the people I love most in all the world. I was so grateful for the time with had all together,
especially in Annie's happy place. It was a really wonderful three days and I'm truly just so blessed.

{Picture credit for two, three & five: Annie and Jacob}

Part 2 of 3 ~ Arches National Park

Somehow, Jacob and I have never visited Arches and holy bananas,
it was gorgeousness like I have seldom seen. I'm a huge fan.

{Picture credit for two and five: Annie and Ben}

Part 1 of 3 ~ Running the river

A family trip to Moab to run the river with our Annie girl as our guide. It was the absolute best.
And she is so tremendous at what she does, it is kind of unreal to watch. Although, what else would
you expect from someone who loves people as much as Annie does? Being with our entire family,
watching Annie in her element, was for sure one of my favorite summer memories.

{Picture credit for two and three: Jacob}

The most incredible miracle

One of the most heart pounding, frightening, miraculous experiences of my life happened today, when God asked me to do something very specific. And then let me be a part of rescuing a sweet young boy from serious injury or death. I still can’t believe it happened. And never want to forget some very distinct moments when I felt God so near, it took my breath away. 

Like when I felt the oddest push (but much stronger than just a push) to run a quick errand that was not time sensitive. And didn’t need to be done right then. But I knew I needed to go immediately and the timing put me exactly where I needed to be to allow God to use me to help. 

Or when within seconds of seeing a young boy across the street from me, starting to run across a main road with five lanes, the Spirit immediately whispered “nonverbal autism.” And before I could even process what that sweet boy was doing, I knew specifics I never could have known on my own. 

And when I watched in slow motion as a young boy, who wasn’t pausing or looking, only heckbent on getting someplace only he knew he had to, was literally protected by angels. Most of those sacred seconds I need to keep in my heart, but I do feel strongly I need to testify that we don’t have to see the outline of heavenly beings, to know they are there and to watch as moments that should have ended tragically, didn’t. Over and over again. And to know those who love us most were so very near and protecting in a way that we as mortals could not.

Or the sheer terror I felt as I watched this very young boy start to run onto the freeway ramp and knew that no matter how many cars were coming or what was happening, I had to get to him. And as I pulled in front of several speeding cars and flew around them, I knew, without even thinking, that I had to push him to the shoulder of the freeway entrance to try to keep him from running onto the freeway entrance lanes where cars were speeding past me.  All while trying to keep him calm because God had already let me know his situation and I knew that I wasn't going to convince him to just stop. And with every second counting far too much, having that information I couldn't have known from just sight, meant everything in those seconds.

As I think back, I actually can't believe I was able to drive alongside that sweet boy, soothing him and trying to slow him down, while blocking half of the freeway entrance, while also simultaneously calling 911. I've never had to do something like that in such an emergency and it shouldn't have gone as well as it did, even when it felt completely nerve wracking in those moments. And only God could have made that happen. And the fact that I was calm enough to know how to keep him on the shoulder of the freeway entrance with my car is not something I could do on my own. It's just not. Only the Lord could make that happen.

As well as the moment when I couldn't figure out how I was going to stop my car and get to that little guy before he darted into the lanes of entrance traffic. And right at the moment I told the 911 dispatcher that I needed an officer there NOW because we were only 200 yards from the actual freeway and I needed help stopping that sweet boy, another random mom, choosing to come and help instead of joining those honking and being annoyed at me for driving so slow on a freeway entrance (in their defense, I truly don't believe they could see what was actually happening), came up behind our little buddy and to my right. And yelled to keep him where he was at and that I was doing a good job. And then slammed on her brakes, jumped out of the car and grabbed that little guy. My eyes just filled with tears remembering my absolute overwhelming relief in that second.

The next half hour was spent trying to convince this little seven-year-old to sit in the back of the other mom's car, trying to soothe him and tell him what a great job he was doing, trying to keep him from fighting and running whenever another cop flew up with his lights flashing and trying to figure out who in the world this little guy was and how to find his parents. But the moment when I handed that sweet boy my phone and asked him to type his name, and he did, methodically and perfectly, was only something God could have helped me to know to do. And little Aiden to do. That beautiful, brilliant boy that also could type in his phone number, even if he couldn't tell us verbally. What good parents he has to make sure he knew all of that. What a great God we have to make sure the other mom and I knew to ask in a very specific way.

My heart didn't stop pounding for nearly twenty minutes after Aiden's dad took him in his arms and took him home where he belonged. And my legs felt shaky for a good hour afterwards. But I would go through all of it again, a hundred times, to make sure that sweet boy is safe. And to watch God perform miracles that I don't deserve to witness. But He let me anyway. 

Oh I'm blessed. And God is mighty. 

And I truly do know that every day. But today, I know it extra. Squared. And then quadrupled.

How kind of our Father in Heaven to let us be a part of things that change us forever. I'll never stop testifying of His love for His children. Never. Because while not all situations and struggles end relatively quickly and in the way of what I was involved in today did, we have a God who will make all things right in the end. All of them. And today I was reminded of that in a way that my mortal mind will never forget. And doesn't want to.

God lives. God loves. God protects. I'm so honored to know Him and to love Him. I'll never stop praising His name.

Ben's incredible talk

This handsome and amazing guy gave a talk in sacrament meeting this past Sunday and it still makes me teary
when I think about what he shared. It was so beautiful, honest, vulnerable, funny and faithful and I just can’t believe
that I get to be the mom to a boy that is as tremendous and good to the core as Ben Allen. He’s such a stud.

A big day for Gracie girl

A big day for this little sweetheart. She is the proud new owner of contacts, rather than glasses. And while
 she is definitely darling either way, life is just easier with contacts and I’m so happy for her cute self.

Ben's 16th birthday trip

Back in January, just like this three older siblings before him, Ben was gifted a 16th birthday trip.
And the day for he and Jacob to finally take that trip arrived last Saturday. They spent three days in
Los Angeles—at the beach, at church and at the temple, disc golfing, golfing golfing and mostly, at a 
Copa América game between Brasil and Costa Rica. I love all of these pictures Jacob took so much, but the
ones of both of them during the game at the SoFi Stadium. Yeah, that much joy makes me a little teary. 

How I adore this tremendous boy, and his darling dad, more than I could put into words.

And love this memory that will be a favorite for both of them for a very long time to come.