A Week in Review...

Making me happy this week:

• Gabe had pack meeting and earned two more belt loops.
• Temple for Date Night.
• Jesse took the kids swimming while I taught some classes Thursday night.
• JCW for hamburgers and shakes.
• An afternoon with my sweet friend, Sarah.
• The members at the gym - they just make my day.
• Planning our garden for FHE - I can't wait for the warm weather to get here!
• Talking to my Mom on the phone.
• Reading books with Gabe - right now we are reading the "Secrets of Droon" series.
  
• Watching Emma wear a headband everyday right above her eyebrows - we have been calling her Jane Fonda all week! I gotta get a picture!
  

For Mom and Dad...

The kids after church...so many comments today on how big Emma was getting!Princess one minute, tomboy the next.

Flashback Friday...

It is that time of year again...SPRING! And Spring Break. My all time favorite Spring Break was in 1997. Jesse was still on his mission, but his parents took me, Katie (my now sister-in-law), and my three roommates (Pepper, Jamie, and Tara) to St. George for our college Spring Break. It was so fun! They took us hiking: (note - we all have on matching Puerto Vallarta t-shirts that Susan and Wayne brought home for us).

Golfing:

Las Vegas: (notice the matching shirts again. We did this for Katie - her Mom always made her family wear the same color T-shirt when they went on vacation so no one got lost.)

The Grand Canyon: (some back road way to get there...I'm not even sure if we were supposed to be there.)

Tagged...

My cute Sister-In-Law Amy tagged me on Facebook. But since I am more into blogging that Facebook, I thought I would answer them here:

Three names/nicknames I go by:
1.Mom
2. Babe
3. Spiky haired lady (I'm not kidding - when people are trying to describe me, that is what comes out!)

Three jobs I have had in my life
1. Aerobics Instructor
2. Video Clerk
3. Bus cleaner

Three places I have lived
1. Lehi, UT
2. Pocatello, ID
3. Idaho Falls, ID

Three TV shows that I watch:
sorry - lame on this one....

Three places I have been
1.Germany
2. Puerto Vallarta
3. Florida

Three people who e-mail me regularly:
1. Kristi
2 .Lisa
3 .Jesse

Three of my favorite foods
1. Sushi
2. Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies
3. Hot Cereal

Three things I am looking forward to
1. Spring Break
2. The Beach
3. Alone time with Jesse

Three cars I have owned
1. Nissan Maxima
2. Suburu Outback
3. Geo Prism

Three foods I can't stand
1. Beets
2. Wasabi
3. Ketchup

Three places I want to visit
1. Hawaii
2. Italy
3. Any cruise

Three places I like to go to get away
1. The bathtub
2. Sun Valley
3. St. George

Three future vacations
1. California
2. Washington D.C.
3. Greece (someday....)

A Week in Review...

I have to start by saying my favorite part about this week was the weather!! The other highlights include:

1. Ice Skating as a family.

2. Jesse and Gabe attending a Jazz game!3. Gabe swimming with his best friends.
4. Enrichment night.
5. Scrapbook Expo.
6 . An amazing hubby - while I was at the Expo all day Saturday he took Gabe to Boondock's, Emma to a Pirate Birthday Party, and had dinner ready for me when I got home!
7. Babysitting night - our turn and they were all angels!
8. Grocery shopping with no kids. All the mom's know what I am talking about!
9. Sleeping in on a Sunday morning.
10. Temple Dedication - Jesse took Gabe.

Flashback Friday...

Our Wedding Day - 1997

Two things came to mind when I saw this picture:
1. We look so young.
2. We are so happy!

Random Thoughts....

I have a lot of people ask me about our Babysitting Group, so I thought I would share the idea. A little background....4 years ago, I was getting frustrated by the lack of youth (ie. babysitters) in our neighborhood. Jesse and I could never date! I took the idea of doing a babysitting swap to some friends, and voila! Our babysitting group was formed. It has been going strong for 4 years! Here is how it works:

• Each family has a weekend night that is their babysitting night. It is the same weekend night every month to keep it easy to remember.
• On your night, you babysit the other 3 families children from 6:00pm to 11:00pm.
  
• The other 3 nights you have a free babysitter from 6 to 11!
• We all feed our own children before we drop them off - unless we decide to order pizza.
• If you are going to be gone, you are in charge of trading with another family.
• We have only had to cancel a few times in four years because of sickness!
  

It is truly heaven! The kids play great together! It has worked so well that I have a daytime one with a few of my girlfriends once a week for 3 hours. Honestly - these swaps have saved my sanity!

A Week in Review...

Things we loved about this week:

• A trip to the Ice Skating Rink with the Laudie's. Gabe loved it!
  

• A trip to the Police Station for Scouts (we only have 2 in our Bear group, and it is so much fun!) After seeing the jail, Emma kept saying, "I don't like jail." (notice everything she hauled to the station with her....there is a reading light hidden in there somewhere.)
  

• Homemade Cookies.
• Babysit swap with friends (more on that later...)
• A "rockin' party" according to Gabe: a night home with mom and dad watching High School Musical 3, pizza, and popcorn. How long do you think we will still be cool to hang out with on a Saturday night?
• Still being able to talk to my parents whenever I please.
• Date night with Jess.
• Warm weather!!!
  

Flashback Friday...

This is just a good reminder for all of us - your hair should NEVER be wider than it is tall...

**how did my mom not burst out laughing everytime I walked out of the bathroom? I'm sure her and my dad giggled for hours over some of my hair -dos!

Random Thoughts...

My Emma is just the sweetest - she is starting to say the funniest things!

This is how all conversations go when we say we love her:

Us: "Emma, I love you!"

Emma: "And I love Gabe."
picture taken by Shannon Norton :)

A Week in Review...

So, I'm back to "A Week in Review" for two reasons:

1. My parents - this way they can still hear about the Allen household. (and this may make me take more pictures to post.)
2. I find that I look for the positive in my week and it makes me happier- especially at this time.

Things that made me happy this week:

• Nice weather - even if it was only for a few days :)
• A trip to Idaho for one last goodbye - not the goodbye making me happy, but seeing my parents one last time.
• A phone call from my Mom Saturday morning to brighten my weekend.
• Stake Conference.
• Spring Decor on my mantel to freshen things up.
• A date with just Emma - we hit McDonald's playland and ice cream.
• Jesse's date with Gabe - Basketball at the church and rootbeer floats.
• Craft day with two of my cute friends.
• Gabe's end of season Basketball party - I love seeing him so happy with his friends.
• Emma wore different clothes every day this week!
  

Extremely Blessed...

My parents were set apart last night as full-time missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I left with an overwhelming feeling of peace and of gratitude. I feel extremely blessed to have these six wonderful people in my life to call family.

Flashback Friday...Sunday Edition

Obviously, my parents have been on my mind a lot lately. I found this picture of me and Dad on my baptism day in 1984. Such a handsome dad...

And this shows what a ham my dad is...