Hawaiian Kids

My cute kids in the outfits I brought from Hawaii.

Hawaii

Aloha! I am posting this in a very good mood. I just returned from the lovely island of Oahu. My friend Brooke invited me and a couple other friends to stay with her parents in Kailua. It was one of the best, most relaxing vacations I have been on. Their home was feet from the sand and ocean. We got up each morning to see the beautiful sunrise. We went snorkeling at Shark's Cove, saw the PCC, shopped at the Flea Market, and took an ATV tour. We also swam in the ocean, took naps, ran on the beach, played cards, ate Hawaiian Snow (yummy) and Teddy Burgers (yum yum) read, swam in the pool and basically enjoyed paradise. I only wish David was with me...It would have been paradise to the 10th degree! Thanks Brooke, Darci, April, John and Kay for a fabulous week.

Sun Valley, Idaho

We went to Sun Valley this year to celebrate Wagon Days. We try to go every year with the Jenson family for our reunion. This year did not disappoint. We enjoyed the cool weather and watched the parade and the kids had a great time playing on all of the toys and riding the train. I love riding our bikes on the long trail. It was a little tricky this year hauling my 40 pound son on my bike but I got a better workout. I also l-o-v-e the Kneadery for breakfast. mmmm delicious. On the "way home" we went to Stanley to check out Red Fish Lake and the surrounding areas. Idaho is beautiful!

Cutest Butt

I love this little Lightning McQueen butt! Andrew is potty trained now. We are so proud of him. It took about two weeks to really be "trained" but he is now a pro. His reward was two little gumballs each time his pants were dry. I am such a happy mom. No more poopie diapers and lots more cute butts. Way to go Drew.

School Days

It's that time of year. All three of my kids are going to school one way or another. Nathan is in half day kindergarten and Drew is in pre-school at Ms. Crystal's. He loves it! Morgan is in 5th grade and will be in middle school next year. They are growing so fast. I love you guys. I hope this year is fantastic.

Allen Family Reunion 2009

It was time for the Allen Family Reunion August 2009. We all met at a cabin in Heber and enjoyed an Auction, Spirit Hike, Talent Show, Luau and lots of fun and bonding. Almost everyone was there for at least part of the time. We missed Jordan but he will be home in February. It was great for the kids to bond with their cousins and David and I got to know the older nieces and nephews better. Josh and Danielle were darling and loving school at Utah State. Steven is in a band in Chicago (wow) and Andrea was a doll...I can't believe how grown up they are! Ryan is a cutie patootie and shared his talent singing and playing the piano. I am so impressed! My mom and dad started getting teary when their 9 kids got up and sang a song that my mom sang to each of us at bedtime. We had a great time! Looking forward to the cruise in 2010.

Lost Tooth!

Nathan had a very happy day. He lost his first tooth. We were so excited for him. He couldn't help but smile all evening and show the gap in his gums. The tooth fairy was very generous and left him $5 under his pillow.

Brigham City

We take a little trip to Brigham City every year (around the 4th of July). My kids love it there because there is so much to do. Ride horses, ATVs, play in the tree house, swim etc. Here are a few pictures of our latest trip.

Costa Rica

David and I took a much needed trip this year to Costa Rica. Why Costa Rica? We were curious about the area and heard great things about it. It was a great little gift for my birthday and our anniversary and we were not disappointed. We stayed at a place called Playa Herradura near the city of Jaco. We enjoyed Tortuga Island, Snorkeling, zip-lining, laying out on the beach and just relaxing. While we were hiking in Manuel Antonio National Park a little monkey kept trying to steal our stuff so David got a stick to wave the monkey away. The monkey got so mad at David he hissed at him. They had the best fresh pineapple. We got some every morning at the little market. De-lish! *please note the spelling of the above Costa Rican words may or may not be spelled correctly :)

Senior Citizen

I know I turned 40 a little while ago and haven't been very happy about it. Someone told me that 40 was the new 30 which made me a little happier. However, I got this little ditty in the mail the other day and suddenly felt like I was a SENIOR CITIZEN! I wonder if I get discounts at movies now?! sniff sniff