Family Fall Pictures

So It is really hard to get Sara to wear these cute curly bows and she usually has pulled them out by now (mid-morning).  However, it is ironic that she left them in today, the day she decided to play in the mud with her brothers.

Kangaroo Zoo...a top ten place to visit for my kids.  Max is a wild man there all over the toys and sliding down the huge slides.  Dad gets a little crazy too....wonder where my kids get it from?

Things to remember:

• If Grandma and Grandpa can stick it out so can I.
  
• Age is really beautiful......
  
• Love is truly amazing.
  

Katie and I got to spend the day together and it was amazing.  I love this picture because so rarely are these moments captured. 

In getting ready for Sara's first birthday, I took a few pictures to include with the invitations.  Katie helped me and we had a lot of fun.  It must of stuck in Katie's head because when I went to load pictures from my camera, up these doll pictures appeared.  How cute is that.....be careful kids will copy.

How fun is it to have a brother and sister who will play with you.  This day they decided to dress up Sara in a pink blanket and feather boa.  I thought she would hate it, however, there she was with her wand happy.

In good company. Sara throwing her first party seems to be having a lot of fun with her guests.  It's hard to get to the crib right when a baby wakes up, but having someone else with you makes it all right.

So on top of a mountain distances are hard to judge and goals  of getting to the top adjusted.  However, this day Scott made it to the top of King's Peak ( the highest point in Utah) and came back as happy as a kid could ever be.  To be Young at Heart.

One of our favorite vacations turned out this year to be camping in the mountains.  What fun. Dirt, Dirt and Mesquitoes.  And still we would go back.  Sara had the least fun sleeping in a tent, or maybe it was Mom and Dad.  Yet we would still go again.  Thank you Harmans.

So it is amazing what a few balloons does to give color to life and memory.  Katie and Brynn had a lot of fun giving away balloons that day.

Katie is learning how to do her own hair.  She here has put her hair in pig tails.  I love to watch her grow up and want to be independent.  I will always remember her first ponytail up on top of her head.  Great Job Katie!

For Spring Break we cleaned.  However, to keep the whole family moving we had incentives like a picnic dinner at the park, bowling, slushies and ice berg shakes.  Happiness is having a clean house and happy kids.

 It amazing how a few flowers can brighten the room.  Thank you,  Scott.

Katie and I decided to try and see if Sara's hair was long enough for a piggy tail.  Just barely!  We had so much fun doing it.  Even the boys coming in for dinner noticed that Sara's hair was "cute".  Sara was a good sport and even though it is possible to put her hair up we are going to wait for a few more hairs to grow in.

Sometimes it is hard to get to the baby as soon as she wakes.  Luckily I have great help.  Here Jonathan is talking to Sara so I can finish whatever it was I was doing.  She loves her brothers and sisters and they love her.  Thank goodness for family.

Joy Ride

When your older brother has a set of wheels and is willing to share!

Conference Weekend

At the end of watching General Conference all the kids needed to get out and run.  So we did just that.  It started out as tag and then soon it was just Mom's it.  It felt good to play with the kids.  Scott and Kaleb got a little crazy climbing over the car.  Boys... So we had to confine the area of tag to the grass.  We enjoyed being together all weekend.  Scott took care of the three younger kids and I took Kaleb and Katie to the Conference Center and enjoyed the meeting without kids climbing all over me.  Heaven on Earth.  

Katie's Room

Katie's room has taken a lot of time and work...and emotional stamina.  But we are excited to say that it is looking great.  We love Katie.  She has lived, with all of her things, in the family room during this remodel.  (We started because Max flooded the downstairs bathroom twice.)  So we attempted the never done before by either of us and feel great at our accomplishments.  We had a lot of help..... a lot.  So Thank you Jay, Dave, and Dad Allen for the help.  Scott your awesome!

Saturdays

Saturdays

A day to work on all other things that somehow slip through the crack during the week.

A day to play with your family.

A day to sleep, eat and do a little more.

A happy day.

A day to appreciate how far life has come.

One of our favorites.

I was always a tom boy.  I loved to play outside with my brothers and their friends. I was never girly and yet my Katie is so girly and my little Sara is well on her way.  My husband married me because I wasn't prissy.  So here I am, as a Mom, enjoying the wonderful things that girls do just because we're girls.  Sarah has quickly gotten used to this for church and probably because she gets a lot of attention for it.  When she does get tired of it, Dad is always good to pull it off her head and save her from the HUGE flower headband.  

So somedays are so exciting. No more than exciting. Amazing.  Today was one of them.  Katie now eight decided to be baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  She was so excited she couldn't put her flute together in preparation of her solo, she forgot her dress when we left for the Baptism.  However,  with great family and friends the ceremony and celebration went off without a hitch.

It has been a busy month or so preparing for this one day. I have been so anxious about everything going right and being perfect for Katie.  Despite all the prior stress,  it was a wonderfully peaceful day.  I enjoyed every moment of it.  Katie is amazing.  What happiness one good choice brings to those who love her.

Morning girl

Sara is the kind of person who wakes up happy.  And yes there are kind of ways to wake up.  There is the roll over grouch, the reluctant slow mover, and dynamite don't pour my cereal wrong people. She is a Morning girl.  Everyone wants to be the first to pick her up in the morning.  Maybe in hopes of absorbing some of that joy!  And sometimes she has to wait, that's okay she can be content with her blankets and animals.  I wish I felt that much happiness in the morning!

A big bowl of cereal

When you hit a certain age you can pour your own cereal without any supervision.   However, sometimes your mom walks in and sees the super sized cereal bowl overflowing with milk and cereal.  Now it's hard to tell this skinny growing boy not to eat so much.....so enjoy it Kaleb while you can. 

4-8-12-16

In the Scott Allen home you must be 4, 8, 12, or 16 to have a birthday party.  Katie happened to hit the 8 year mark and therefore was in for a party.  We had a hard time picking the activity.  We decided to have a doll party.  The ideas got a little over board and sooner then later we ended up decorating doll cakes and doing up the dolls with seven giggly girls for a party.  Max kept stealing upstairs to the party and eating frosting or checking out the action.  When your two this is more interesting then playing video games with your brothers.  Over all it was a great success because Katie was happy and I learned how to make a doll cake.  It is harder than it looks, but it makes little girls so happy.  You are only eight once.