Thanksgiving

Little pilgrams at their music class, they loved the hats!

Amelia's favorite food-BUTTER!

We had a relaxing, warm Thanksgiving break.  We spent the weekend hiking and running and swimming with my parents in their new home at the base of Snow Canyon.  Heaven on Earth!

Thanksgiving--St.George Style

FALL FUN

 Enjoying our traditional "Dead Man Meatloaf" Yum Yum

Miss Alice in Wonderland at mommies and music class

If you are wondering about the costumes?  Brig is Dave in his raquetball attire, Olivia is Fancy Nancy, Charlie a banana? and Sam a gorilla.

We loved the weekend Haloween celebration!  We were able to do all of our favorite traditions.  We spent a beautiful fall day at Cornbelly's at thanksgiving point, picked out our favorite pumpkins at the patch in farmington, girls shopping trip to see the witches at Gardner Village, and of course the Allen crew always goes trick or treating at my Dad's office.  Another highlight is the neighborhood pot luck before trick or treating.  I love seeing everyone's cute costumes and eating something healthy before we start the candy frenzy.  Happy Haloween.

 Olivia and Amelia with cousins Kate and Blakely at Dad's office

 Cousin Mania, I don't think there was candy left after the Allen's whizzed through the office.

Cornbelly's to celebrate Cousin Elle's first Birthday

 Amelia picking her favorite pumpkin

School Begins

 Charlie's opinion of school on the first day!  Luckilly his teacher Mrs. Hart is not as mean as she threatened last spring.  She actually told me "Charlie is an athlete so he hangs around with those kids, but he's smart and stays on task so he's a great example to them, and I love having him in my class." Music to his mama's ears.  Char is playing piano and above pic is how he feels about practicing.  I am also making all the kids take Spanish lessons, they'll thank me someday when they can "habla espanol."  And Charlie is an animal on the Offensive and Defensive Football Line.  His coaches call him "Moose."  His bike is broken but he has no qualms cruising around on Olivia's pink saphire bike.  Geeze I love that kid.

 Sam, the 8th grade stud muffin just got his braces off and with his Hawaii tan and his football jersey, how can the girls resist?  The only problem is I don't think he's talked to one yet.  This is his first year of football and loves working hard and improving each game.  He lectured me when I tried to complain about how long his practices were, "Mom, if you want to be good at something you have to be willing to put in the effort." Why does advice only sink in when it is not said by your parents?

Millie is my little buddy with all the kids in school. We have music and me classes and tickets to the Gateway Children's Museum.  We have some serious quality time.  She loves to sing the ABC's, carry her binkies, play with her best friend/cousin Blakely and try to hold all the babies in the gym daycare.

Olivia is surviving the social drama of first grade girls, I don't know if I will.  She is taking creative dance from my talented sister, Emily.  I told her Emily was the nicest person in the world.  She told me Emily wasn't, then who is?  "Duh, Mom, Mary, the mother of Jesus."  She had me there. 

Brig loves being the king of the school, especially since he has the best teacher.  They have already had a hot air balloon launch (his caught on fire, so cool), Egyptian market day, and bagels, blankets, and book day.  He made a touch down today in football, too bad it got called back due to a made up penalty.  Who paid the ref's?  It is hard to believe my sweet boy is almost 12(except when he teases his sister.)

We are busy, but so happy and grateful for our wonderful family and countless blessings.

Beautiful Oahu

First Day of School

Brighton

     We had a pot luck dinner up at our cabin in Brighton yesterday, built by Heber J Grant, it is such a treasure.  Almost every time we walked around silver lake we saw a moose this summer.  It is spectacularly beautiful and such a great place to spend time with my favorite people, my family!

We have found Paradise!

 We decided to take the kids to visit Dave's parents, Pam and Wynn who are teaching at BYU Hawaii for a year. I attended school there 17 years ago and not much has changed in sleepy little Laie, it was heaven, Best decision ever!! If we hadn't left Millie home with my sister Whitney, I think we would have a found a way to stay.  The weather was perfect, the waves were calm, the water warm, Dave's parents welcoming, snow cones delicious, Polynesian cultural center entertaining, mangoes and pineapple yummy, hiking and jumping off waterfalls exciting.  Need I say more. The only negative was the obnoxious birds under my in-laws porch who mated noisily all night long!  But the views of the ocean from their porch were worth the sleepless nights.  I am already strategizing a return visit.

Amelia's Summer Adventures

The best part of summer was Millie got a new BFF, her cousin Blakely moved to Bountiful from Calgary and they are in heaven. Only 5 weeks apart, they hug and kiss and wrestle and copy and sing together all day long. She has been busy showing Blakely her favorite places to visit, Bear Lake, Brighton, Edgewood, the park, the pool, kangaroo zoo, her brother's football practices and sister's dance performances. Millie tried to show her how to shop, but climbed into the window display and grabbed a $139 necklace and pulled the clasp apart, we had to buy the unwanted article and that activity has been kept to quick Target jaunts. We are so happy Millie survived summer without any serious diseases. I can't decide which is worse, drinking out of the rivers at Liberty Park on the 24th of July just after the parade ended or licking ice cream off the floor of Orange Leaf. We love our sweet, mellow little one.

Miss Olivia growing up so fast!

It seems like yesterday Olivia was dancing and tapping in her creative dance performance and graduating from Kindergarten. How can she already be starting first grade without a backward glance. She loves school lunch and all her new friends and has not blinked an eye about the longer days. We rented Soul Surfer and Olivia watched it twelve times. The other day I caught her trying to recap the toothpaste with one arm behind her back, she told me she was practicing in case she ever lost an arm. My little Gidget in the making!