Patrick and Jennifer Allen

The makings of a salad

2012-02-15T10:29:00.001-08:00

I've been into salads lately. Which is weird because I've never really been a salad eater. I think the green smoothies with the kale and spinach have kind of made me crave greens. Anywho- this is my typical salad.
Dressing- olive oil, balsalmic vinegar, agave nectar, dash of dijon mustard, garlic and lemon juice
Salad- arugula or spinach, pine nuts or walnuts, cheese (blue or gargonzola), chia or hemp seeds
Additions- dried cranberries, chicken, apples, pears, strawberries (whatever is on hand that day)

Please- tell me some of your favorite salads! I'd love to experiment.

iPhone download

2012-02-15T09:44:00.000-08:00

Happy baby Collier

Charlie at Anna Carol's birthday party

Good morning sunshine!

Sweet baby Mason

Happy Valentines Day!

2012-02-15T09:39:00.001-08:00

From our house to yours!

Charlie- 2 yrs, 11 mths

Valentines 2012

Collier- 12 wks

Breakthrough?

2012-02-13T07:51:00.000-08:00

My little man slept for 8 hours straight the other night! Thursday, Feb. 9. He was fussy from 7-9pm and I thought that was a bad sign of things to come during the night. He basically nursed for most of that time and was still hungry, so we gave him a bottle. Put him down at 10pm and he slept until 6am!! I couldn't believe it... it was awesome! (Of course at 4:45am I was staring at the monitor to make sure he was still alive.) On Friday we went to OKC and where back on our regular schedule of waking up in the middle of the night. Hopefully now that we are back home we can work on getting us back on track!

Baby Mason!

2012-02-13T07:46:00.001-08:00

Mason Andre Leclercq is here!! Little man was born on Friday, Feb. 10. Weighed in at 7 lbs, 1 oz and was 20 inches long.

Collier and his new BFF, Mason. (Notice the weight difference... this is what happens in just 12 weeks time!)

We are now 6 strong with the cousin count!

Collier 2 month stats

2012-02-08T09:06:00.001-08:00

At Collier's 2 month check-up he wighed in at 12.2 lbs.! He went from the 25th% at his 1 month check-up to 90th% at the 2 month! Needless to say, the man likes to eat. He now is 24" long and has stayed consistant at the 75th% (he was 22" at 1 month). At this time he is eating between 6-7 times per day and is sleeping 5 hour stretches consistantly. Eating at 9pm, 2am, and 7am approximately. We went through a stretch of eating at 9pm, 12am, 2:30am, and 5am so this is a welcome change. (Those growth spurts are hard on a momma!) He is smiling, cooing, and laughing a lot these days and really only cries when he's super hungry. Even going down is easy with him! The biggest challenge with this baby is keeping him on any sort of schedule. It's all my fault... I need to keep our days more consistant with feeding and nap times, but it's been hard to wake a sleeping baby! We'll get there eventually!

Costume Closet

2012-02-08T08:58:00.001-08:00

My plan was to do a collage of the following pics, but never learned how to. (Tips please on how you do a collage in blogger?) A costume closet is what Charlie got for Christmas. Since then we are all about dress up in this house!

Green Smoothies

2012-01-26T09:32:00.000-08:00

Do you know about them? Are you into them? Patrick and I are a little bit obsessed these days. I typically drink one in the mornings as my breakfast. Patrick often drinks one at night after a work out. Even Charlie drinks them! We call them his Good Morning Milkshake.
Recipe-ish: (you pretty much use whatever you have)
1-2 handfuls spinach/kale/any leafy green
1 banana
Greek yogurt (I'm partial to the vanilla kind)
Sweetener- agave nectar or honey
Fruit- we have used blueberries, strawberries, peaches, pears, apples, pineapple and any combination (again, whatever we have)
Additions- hempseeds, chia seeds, raw almonds, cocao nibs
1/4 cup OJ
(Our blueberries are typically frozen, so they act as our ice)

Blend and enjoy! And, an added benifit.... my yoga instructor was talking about Green Smoothies and how it boosts your breast milk. She used the analogy of cows eating grass and how good their milk is. Same concept... the more leafy greens we eat= better milk for the baby.

A little education...
Cocoa nibs: Cacao has more antioxidant flavonoids than any food tested so far, including blueberries, red wine, and black and green teas. In fact, it has up to four times the quantity of antioxidants found in green tea!
Hempseeds: Excellent plant-based protein source
Chia seed: The mighty chia seed is a powerhouse food, high in protein, fiber and the essential omega-3 fatty acid ALA (alpha-linolenic acid), as well as calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, copper, iron, molybdenum, niacin, and zinc.

Another recipe that I have become addicted to are Healthy Oatmeal Cookies. I add all of the above seeds and put in 1/4 cup chocolate chips. The first time I made them they were a little dry, so I added agave nectar to the next batch and they came out much chewier.

Happy Birthday!

2012-01-25T09:05:00.000-08:00

To my favorite nieces and nephew! Your 3 year old birthday party was a blast!

Cooper

Isabelle

Sophia

And, if you are looking for ideas as to what to get Charlie...
DON'T get him a drum set... we would never sleep.

DO get him a doctor's kit... it was a big hit!

Guess who is 2 months old?

2012-01-25T09:03:00.000-08:00

We go for his 2 month check-up on Friday... will update then.

Cute little bug...

2012-01-14T12:02:00.000-08:00

Win or Lose...

2012-01-14T11:58:00.000-08:00

We were in support!

Christmas Videos 2011

2012-01-07T06:50:00.000-08:00

Pretty exciting stuff! Pictures to come soon.

Let's compare...

2012-01-06T10:54:00.000-08:00

Charlie at 6 weeks

Collier at 6 weeks

Charlie at 6 weeks

Collier at 6 weeks

Do you think I look like my big brother?

Collier rolled over

2012-01-05T16:38:00.000-08:00

when he was just 11 days old!

The dcotor said it was probably a fluke, but he continues to do it. He's a strong, little man.... or a genius... or maybe both!?!?

Possibly the best thing about having a newborn...

2012-01-05T09:57:00.000-08:00

is the snuggles.

Collier- 1 month

2012-01-05T09:25:00.001-08:00

Collier turned 1 month old on December 22. At our 1 month appointment he weighed 8.9 lbs (up from 7.14 just the week before that) and was 22 inches long (up from 19 3/4 at birth). Such a cutie, this little man!

Christmas Eve 2011

2012-01-05T09:15:00.001-08:00

My little elves on Christmas Eve 2011:

Now that Charlie is almost 3, I am all about starting traditions for Christmas. Here are a few that we started on Christmas Eve... We completed our Advent ornament tree:
We made a peppermint platter...in the shape of a "C" so that Santa knows the Charlie and Collier live here.
We made gingerbread cookies:
And left the cookies and milk for Santa to eat:
And, Santa created Charlie's new costume closet.

December 2011

2012-01-05T09:00:00.000-08:00

We had a quiet Christmas around here. It was the first time that we have just stayed in Dallas... and the first time that we have spent a Christmas with just our little family. I still tried to do something "Christmas-y" every day of the month with Charlie... same as I did last year.

We went to Northpark one day and saw the trains, went to Santa's storytime, heard some singers, and listened to Scrooge's Puppet Show. (It was the first time I had taken both boys anywhere... it was a big outing! Luckily, Patrick met us for lunch to help out.)
I still decorated for Christmas:
We made a gingerbread house:
Our elf "Chippy" made an appearance:
We decorated the tree:
And hung Christmas Cards:
The finished product:
And, we added ornaments to our Advent tree:
We also did an advent calendar on the iPad everyday, went to a couple of Christmas parties, and went on many Christmas light seeing expeditions. We are creating memories and traditions around here!

Charlie Challenges

2011-12-17T15:53:00.000-08:00

I knew that having a baby would be a challenging adjustment for Charlie. Here we are becoming a family of four:

And here is a new view that Charlie sees everyday now:

Before we came home from the hospital, Charlie left on Thanksgiving Day to go to OKC with the Leclercq's. He was supposed to be there for a full week. This was the first time he had been away from us for a trip, other than going to Shreveport with the Leclercq's for a weekend when he was 18 mths old. This was mistake #1. Mistake #2 was not letting him see Collier in our house before sending him to OKC. That weekend he made the comment to Julie, "So, I live with Aunt Jelly now and Collier lives with mommy and daddy?". (Enter lots of tears from me here.) Needless to say, Patrick spent that Sunday on I-35 going to get Charlie to bring him back home. The next week was full of adjusting. Charlie said things like "I'm just so sad." and "I don't like baby Collier." and "Can you put baby Collier down and hold me now?". Not to mention, we had major regression on the potty training front. Luckily, Charlie has not once shown aggression towards Collier. In fact, he really loves his baby brother.
And even tries to feed him like mommy does:
And he likes to be around him:

Now that we are 6 weeks in, Charlie is becoming more himself. The best thing, though, is that he now calls me "mommy" again... for a good 6 mths. before Collier came I was just "mom". And now he says things like "I love you so much, mommy." Melts my heart, I tell ya!

Christmas pics

2011-12-17T15:48:00.000-08:00

These are the chosen pics from this year's Christmas/Birth Announcement card.

Update on baby Collier... he is now weighing in at 7.14 lbs., so we have officially passed his birth weight of 7.9 lbs. This means I am letting him sleep at night. Last night we fed at 11pm and he woke up at 4:30am to eat... I am LOVING that this man lets me get a good 5 hr. stretch at just 3.5 weeks old!

Back to Thanksgiving

2011-12-17T15:42:00.001-08:00

We had a "thankful tree". Each day we would write down something we were thankful for and hang it from the tree.

Here is Charlie's list:
Mom, dad, hank
Toy snake
Baby Collier's bed
T-ball, baseballs and bats
Bailey (the Allen's dog)
School
Baseball horse (the Rangers mascot)
Milk
My doggy
Thomas the train
Cooper, Isabelle, Sophia
The bird house (random gift that my mom gave us)
Toys
Baseball shirt (he owns 3 Rangers shirts; not sure which one he was refering to here)
Chick-fi-let cow (even though he is terrified of that thing each time we see it)
Micky, Minnie, Donald duck, goofie

Excuse the delay... with a newborn in our lives I'd much rather sleep than update the blog.

Collier James Allen

2011-12-05T10:33:00.000-08:00

Collier was born on 11/22/11. He weighed 7 lbs, 9 oz and was 19 3/4 inches long.

Check out pics from our photo shoot! But hurry, pics expire on 12/18/11.
Go to: http://emilymulkeyphotography.com/proofing
Our password is yellowcouch

Have I mentioned....

2011-11-14T09:01:00.000-08:00

that we are having a baby in ONE WEEK! And, that this baby has a name??? Collier James Allen is scheduled to arrive on 11.22.11 at 7:30am via c-section. Here is a sweet video of Charlie talking about his baby brother coming:

On my end, things are good! Blood pressure, unbelievably, is still holding strong so I haven't had to do any bed rest this pregnancy. (I was on bed rest with Charlie for 5 weeks!) They have baby Collier measuring in at approximately 8 lbs., so life is pretty uncomfortable for me at this stage. But, I am literally counting down the hours until his arrival. I can't wait for our little family to grow and for Charlie to become a big brother!!

Just Like Daddy

2011-11-14T08:01:00.001-08:00

The above picture pretty much sums up our household. Not just for me, but also for Charlie. He is going through a major "Daddy" phase right now. He doesn't want me to help him do anything, just Patrick. He will put his hand up in my face and say, "No, mommy, I'm talking to my dad." The first thing he asks for in the morning is daddy, when I pick him up from school he cries because I'm not daddy, and biggest of all... he wants to be just like his daddy.

Charlie is LOVING the Georgia Bulldogs this football season, just like daddy.
Wearing his towel, just like daddy.
He even has a North Face jacket, just like daddy's.
Stretching with daddy before going on a run.
And, obviously, they share a love for the Rangers.

This past weekend, on 11.11.11, we celebrated Patrick's birthday. Happy Birthday to the best husband and father a family could ask for. (Seriously, we are truly blessed!)

Rangers Season

2011-11-07T07:59:00.000-08:00

Charlie became the Rangers #1 fan this season...

Patrick took him to 3 games this season and by the third Charlie wouldn't leave his seat to do anything because he was so fixated on the game. Everyday he would tell me he was going to hit baseballs, then crawl out the doggy door and hit baseballs off his little tee set for about 20 minutes before coming back in and to tell me about all of the home-runs he just made. Every night he asked to read his "baseball book" (aka. the Rangers program from a game) through which he literally memorized every Rangers player. (Mom, there's Wash, Ian Kinsler, Josh Hamilton, Nelson Cruz, etc.) By the last World Series game he was saying "Mom, there's Matt Harrison." He even said "Mom, Albert Puljols is scary. But, I like David Freese." What? Now we know the Cardinals players?? Too much.

Patrick and I also got to enjoy some games. We went to the ACLS Game 1 and stayed through the 2 rain delays to see the Rangers win against the Detroit Tigers.

And we got to go to the World Series Game 4. Such a great game to see in which the Rangers won after their blowout loss in Game 3. And, an awesome experience to see Derek Holland pitch such an outstanding game.

Even though the Rangers ended up losing the World Series (which was sort of like having a death in the family to Patrick), we had a great time watching their success this season. Until next year!

Famous family

2011-11-03T14:41:00.000-07:00

The Leclercq's are famous... at least in OKC. How cute are the triplets in the clip? SO proud of the whole fam and so sad that we can't be there on Monday night.

A Look Back

2011-11-02T12:06:00.001-07:00

Halloween 2009 (7 mths)

Halloween 2010 (19 mths)

Halloween 2011 (2 yrs; 8 mths)

Halloween 2011

2011-11-02T09:24:00.000-07:00

Charlie decided early on that he wanted to be Josh Hamilton for Halloween and never really waivered from this idea. We have worn a lot of Rangers apparel in the past month!
Thanks to the Hamilton's for hosting another successful Halloween party!

Hangin with Dean

Rhodes and Charlie at our neighborhood Halloween Party.

Fun with neighborhood friends:

Mommy and Charlie at the Arboretum's Goblins in the Garden

Lauren and Charlie and Goblins in the Garden

Halloween night:
Put me in coach!

Charlie was great at Trick or Treating and scored lots of candy loot! Soem the houses were to "scary" for him to go visit... maybe next year bud. All in all, he had a great Halloween season!

November? What?

2011-11-02T09:12:00.001-07:00

I can't believe it is already November. Where did October go? October recap:

We spent A LOT of time at the Arboretum. I love the fall there.. such fun!

Charlie and I supported Patrick while he ran the Race for the Cure.

The triplets came in town last weekend. We hit up the Arboretum again, went to a Lake Highlands Halloween party and had fun hanging out.

We've done A LOT of Ranger watching, which really deserves it's own post and had a great Halloween. Halloween post coming up next...

Me and my boys

2011-09-21T08:54:00.001-07:00

I'm 30 weeks now. Things are going well. Still super tired, but that might be the case even if I wasn't carrying a human. The countdown is on... less than 9 weeks before we are a family of 4!

Potty Training

2011-09-19T10:33:00.001-07:00

Here we are, into week 4 after our first initial weekend of potty training. I have to say, things are going stellar thus far. I pretty much copied my friend, Molly, word for word and went for it.

Amo for the weekend included:
-A variety of juice boxes and other beverages
-A bag of M&M's
-A variety of stickers
-Fun "treasures" in a Treasure Chest (that I typically use with my speech clients)
-Portable potties in the living room and in Charlie's room
-My IPAD, which we used for a timer
-Loads and loads of undies
-Cleaning supplies, just in case there was an accident on the couch/rug (I think I only had to use this once!)

The day started off with diaper off, big boy underwear on and a trip to the potty.
Timer was set to go off every 15 minutes for the first hour, then 20 for the second hour, 25 for the third, etc. Drinks were pushed all day and Charlie pretty much consumed 1 juice everytime the timer went off. By the time nap time came around, he was pretty much telling me everytime he needed to potty, so we started fading out the timer that afternoon.

Prize system went as follows:
-A sticker for every time he sat on the potty and tried.
-An M&M everytime he either (1)pottied in the toilet or (2)everytime he told me he needed to go potty before the timer was up.
-A "treasure chest" prize everytime he pooed in the potty.

If he had an accident, he didn't get a prize, but was just told "better luck next time". Here he is washing hands. Such a big man!

At the days end, I asked Charlie what he wanted for his Potty Party and he requested cupcakes. Done, little buddy! (Notice the band-aid on his tummy. He requests a band-aid because his tummy hurts before he has to poo.)

On Day 2 we didn't push liquids or prizes for pottying. Just let things fall as they may, but we did keep close to home and to the potty. Day 3 was treated as any other day, we left the house and went to the park and to lunch and just reminded him to potty. The next week he started school and had just 1 accident while there.

Now, he has done really well over the past 2 weeks. No accidents except at nap times (when we forget to put on his pull-up). When he has to poo, he says his tummy hurts, so we know when to go sit. At school, he wears his underwear for naps and at home, we put him in a pull-up. His naps at home are always much longer than at school, so we need back-up. He also has started to use the potty without us even having to go in the bathroom with him, which has been super nice. He tells us, "No mommy/daddy, you stay. I do it." Ok then, you go for it! Hopefully things will progress until baby Allen arrives! I hear that some kids regress when they have a younger sibling come along. Please, no!

Just another...

2011-09-10T06:19:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning at the Allen's. (Pictures and video taken at 8 am).

Charlie is, apparently, still amped up from going to the Ranger's game last night.

Costa Rica 2011

2011-09-06T12:10:00.000-07:00

In August we took our last family trip as a family of 3 to Costa Rica. It was so fun and relaxing and I am so happy that we got to go before The Gill family returns back to the states! First thing first, we got Charlie his very own passport (which was a beating in itself and required many forms to be filled out and re-filled out and many trips to the passport office before making it offically done, but all well worth it!)
Charlie's first airplane ride (since he was 5 mths old, at least) was an OK success. He didn't sleep, but did pretty well watching his movies and not wanting to walk around the plane... there was a lot of moving seats and at one point he acted as if he might throw up, but all-in-all pretty well.

We arrived in San Jose and spent the night at the Gill's fabulous home. Thanks to their hospitality, knowledge of CR and the language, and the use of their cars our trip was made pretty easy! Early Sunday we hit up a local Farmer's Market for all sorts of CHEAP veggies and fruits. The assortment was truly amazing!!

After the Farmer's Market we loaded up and drove the 1.5 hrs. to our destination for the next few days, Los Suenos. It's close to Manuel Antonio (where the Gill's used to live and where Patrick and I visited last time we traveled to CR) but is really a posh resort... perfect for kids. The Gill's had friends of friends who owned the 3 bdrm, 3 bath condo we stayed in for a measly $200 per night. Unbelievable bargain, right??? The best part was the pool:

The not-so-best part was what happened the first day we had gotten there. Myself and Mary Katharine had gone to the grocery store to get groceries for the week while Patrick and Martin where to take the 3 boys, Wilson (4), Miles (3), and Charlie (2) swimming. Somehow or another both Charlie and Wilson where trying to get water from the water fountain at the same time and Charlie ended up falling and hitting the back of his head on the corner of a wooden step. He had a pretty deep gash in the back of his head and it was bleeding pretty profusely. So, after some inspection it was determined that he needed stitches. Seeing as how we were 1.5 hrs. away from the closest hospital, our next best option was basically a Costa Rican Primacare (or doc-in-the-box if you will). The tragic event ended with 3 adults holding Charlie down while he got 2 shots in the head and 3 stitches and who vomited all over himself and momma due to the histerical crying. The doctor was concerned with infection, so we loaded Charlie up with antibacterial spray, infection-fighting antibiotics, and pain pills and where sent off with strict instruction to not let him swim for at least 2 days. (Trip ruined, right?) Well, we decided to get him this "awesome hat" and pool it anyways.

Charlie took to the hat very well and did not complain once that his head hurt due to water. And, because of all of the antibiotics I felt reasonably sure that we could still ward off any infection.

Another perk of traveling with locals is that they know where to dine. We went to a small beach-side restaurant and had the best food for a super reasonable price.

One morning, we loaded up the boys for a quick "monkey hunting" expedition. We didn't find any monkeys (as we were about an hour too late), but did see some amazing views and other wildlife. We also had 2 massage therapists come to the condo for couples massages one afternoon. Again, such a great deal at $35 per massage!! And one night, we took a walk down to the marina and fed the fish as a group. This night, the Gill's were kind enough to watch Charlie so that Patrick and I could have a date-night, which was super lovely!!
A HUGE thank you to the Gill family for all that they did for us on our trip. We seriously couldn't have done half of the things we did without you guys!
Cute pic of Charlie and Patrick
Charlie waking up from a nap with all of his bed-head glory.
The views were amazing!!

As were the iguanas. Huge, I tell ya! Charlie was fascinated.
The beach was just OK, but we still went in the ocean just to say that we did it!

(Please excuse the 6.5 month pregnant lady in the photo below!)
All good things must come to an end! On the last night we were in CR, we left the boys with a sitter so that Patrick and I and the Gill's could have an "adult" night out. It was so fun seeing where they live in San Jose and eating where they eat. It makes me excited to have many more nights out with them when they move back to Dallas in October!
The plane ride back was much better than the leg there. Charlie slept for a good portion of it and watched his movies for another good portion. He was pooped! (And, not to worry- the stitches came out when we got back home and we seemed to have avoided any infections! Thank goodness!) Weird to think that our next family trip with include baby Allen!

Travaasa Hotel and Spa

2011-08-31T15:50:00.000-07:00

The weekend that Patrick took off between jobs was spent at beautiful Travaasa Hotel and Spa in the Austin Hill Country. I found it on a whim, really. We had originally thought about spending a weekend in Wimberly or somwhere else to float a river. All we new for sure was that there needed to be water in close proximity to help with the Texas heat. Anyways, we started looking too late and everything was booked. So, for the same price as a B&B in Wimberly with no pool, I stumbled upon this place! It was PERFECT for our little babymoon weekend.
The accomodations were "luxeriously rustic". The resort has 5 Haciendas that each have 8 invidual rooms complete with decks looking over the Hill Country. They also have Casitas to rent out for larger groups. Everything on the resort is off of little trails that you walk to. So, you walk to dinner, to the pool, to the gym, etc. on foot. Here is our little hacienda:

The pool was awesome with views overlooking Lake Travis. Next to the pool is a yoga studio where they have yoga and pilates classes throughout the day. The yoga class was awesome that I took! They also have a spa next to the pool where I had the most amazing prenatal massage.
The price included complimentary breakfast/brunch. All of the food at Travaasa is organic, from local farms or grown on the property, and a lot of it is vegetarian. Patrick and I took a "Juicing Course" from a holistic nutritionist. She made us a fruit smoothie, a veggie smoothie (with apple and dates to sweeten), and a tofu smoothie (tasted similar to a protein shake). The course was very educational about the benifits of juicing and the vitamins you recieve from doing it. We also took a Cooking Class where we learned to make vegan "tacos" whiich were portabella mushroom salad wraps with a raw veggie slaw. Sounds weird, but they were pretty delicious. The brunch was great as well. One day I had Polenta French Toast, which was super good and the least amount of calories on the menu (yes, they list the fat grams in each course). We had dinner there one night, too. They offer a 3 course meal each night that you can pick a salad or soup (I had cold Watermelon and Basil soup), then a main course of meat, fish, or vegan, and then dessert. Super yummy food, if not a little expensive. The first night we were there they also had a "Meet and Greet Wine Happy Hour" with vegan appetizers.

Patrick did a 2 hour Ropes Course which looked like lots of fun and challenging. We also took hikes everyday through hiking trails on the property. In the middle of these trails is a meditation center were they also have yoga. Other things they have that we didn't take advantage of: Equestrian courses, Journaling, Drawing and Work-Out classes in the gym.

On Saturday night we decided to go "off-campus" and eat at "The Oasis" on Lake Travis. We actually ended up eating next door because the line was crazy for Mexican food, but the view was just as beautiful and the food maybe even better!

Thanks to my parents for coming and staying with Charlie for the weekend!! This might have been the first time ever where my parents have just been around Charlie (sans triplets) and I am truly glad they got to get in some quality time with him. And thanks to Patrick parents for keeping Hank... he always has fun there! It was so nice to be able to get away just Patrick and I... we thought back and figured out we haven't done an "alone" trip since our 1st anniversary, which was 4.5 years ago... pretty crazy, huh?

Back to school!

2011-08-31T11:24:00.000-07:00

Charlie started a new Mother's Day Out program this week. He is now at Bethany Lutheran CDC for 3 days per week. New school, new teachers, new friends... lots of "newness" for that little man. His teacher's are super sweet and have tons of experience working with kids, which is comforting. But, there have been moments where Charlie has said that he wants to go to his "old" school. I know, little man, I miss it too! But, with mom at home these days the price difference is too huge and the need of a full-time daycare just isn't there. I'm hoping that he makes friends quickly and starts to really enjoy himself!!

What have we been up to?

2011-08-31T11:11:00.000-07:00

I know, I know... it's been too long since my last post. I've gotten a number of people telling me it is time to update the blog, so here ya go. The last couple of months have had lots of changes. One of the biggest is that Patrick made the switch from Bank of the Ozarks to Deutsche Bank, which has been an awesome change for the whole family. It's most definitely a better "fit" for him. The other news, in the job world, is that I am now a stay-at-home-mom. I am taking this year off to have this baby and to spend more time with Charlie. The plan is to still see private clients as much as possible, though. As for Charlie, we decided to discontinue his daycare program since I will now be at home, so he has been at home with me for the month of August. He has been keeing me unbelievably busy, so that is my main excuse for not blogging. But, Charlie started Mother's Day Out this week, which has been another change in itself! Updates to come on the trips we have taken and other activities we have been up to!

4th of July

2011-07-11T07:21:00.000-07:00

We spent the weekend at Possum Kingdom Lake at our friends, the McCulloch's, lake house.

The Boyd's made the trip also. Meg, baby Charles, and Chris.

Wilson and Miles Gill were the hosts for the weekend.

Charles on the boat.

And Charlie!

The boys had a fun time playing in the rain as well. (Reminded me of my camp days!)

This is also where I found out about this:

We got home early so that we could make the parades around town on Monday. Here we are at the Lake Highlands 4th of July Festival. Charlie always has a good time with his good friends, Rhodes and Drew.

And, at the Splash Park!

Such a fun weekend for everyone!

Our favorite summer spot

2011-07-08T09:49:00.000-07:00

We have done A LOT of this:

Here:

This is our new favorite hang-out for the summer. The Kaycee Pool in Lake Highlands. Happens to be right down the street from our house. We've been on the wait-list for 3 years and FINALLY got in this summer. And, the best part is that it has an AWESOME covered babypool for Charlie... he is a big fan. And, it has this fun slide. Charlie can't get enough of it!

It's A...

2011-07-06T10:12:00.000-07:00

BOY! Looks like Charlie is going to have a little brother in November!

The plan was for us not to find out, but Patrick wanted to know during the ultrasound. He found out last week and had it written on my birthday cake. I kind of suspected that it was a boy after watching the ultrasound on repeat for 3 days! Everyone's excited! Charlie keeps saying that he is having a sister. And I say "No, Charlie, it's a brother." He'll respond with "AND a sister." I promise, there's just one in there and the doctor promises that it is a boy... so, there ya go!

Boy or Girl?

2011-06-29T14:44:00.000-07:00

Daddy knows, mommy doesn't. What do you think I am?

Big Boy Room

2011-06-23T08:40:00.000-07:00

Charlie's room has looked like this for the past 2 years:

But now it looks like this:

The transition to the big boy bed went rather smoothly. It helps that cousin Cooper was already in a big bed and Charlie requested that he be like Cooper and sleep in one at his house as well. Thanks Coop! We did have to put a child lock on the the door knob to keep Charlie in his room. But, now that he knows he can't get out he pretty much just plays in his bed until we come get him!

Starting a New Chapter

2011-06-07T07:45:00.000-07:00

Saturday marked my last day as an employee in Mesquite ISD. I started work there after graduate school and have been there for 5 years. I have gained incredible work experience, worked with wonderful teachers and mentors, and have helped countless number of kids be better communicators. Now, onto a new chapter. My plan is to work with kids in and around Lake Highlands in a private setting. I would like to go into homes and/or the child's childcare setting to do therapy. If anyone knows of any families looking for a Speech-Language Pathologist, please pass along my name! Word of mouth is really the best marketing tool.

OKC

2011-06-07T07:42:00.000-07:00

The weekend before Memorial Day Patrick went to Charleston for a buddies bachelor party. So, Charlie and I went to OKC for the weekend. It was a fun filled weekend with a lot of parties. The kids had a blast playing together. Unfortunately, I was really bad about taking pictures, but we did manage to get this one:
The kids headed out on the town on a Friday night!

Watercolor 2011

2011-06-05T09:08:00.000-07:00

I spent Memorial Day weekend with some of my all-time favorite friends. My highschool friends do an annual trip, usually to Watercolor/Seaside area. This year 8 out of the 12 were able to make it and 4 out of the 8 were pregnant. Definitely a different trip! But, much needed R&R was had. Thanks Patrick for being the single parent for the long weekend!

Yee Haw!

2011-05-26T05:25:00.000-07:00

Today is "cowboy" day at school. Yee-Haw.

Frisco Roughriders

2011-05-20T05:39:00.000-07:00

We went to the minor league baseball game last weekend witht the Bates' family. It is the PERFECt thing to do with kids. Tickets are $7 (free for 2 and under) and you can sit on the lawn (perfect for little ones). We had a picnic and let the kids run around while we took in some baseball. Good time all around!

I WANT TO WIN AN IPAD 2!!

2011-05-19T08:47:00.000-07:00

Who doesn't?

Give away from Merida Home at Design for Mankind!

It's Official!

2011-05-12T13:10:00.003-07:00

Charlie is going to be a BIG brother!!

I am now 12 weeks pregnant and feel like I can "officially" share the news with the blog-world. (Some of you might have caught wind of this via Julie's blog about 2 weeks back.) We are beyond excited to add to our little family. We have a tentative scheduled c-section date for November 22. Thanksgiving in the hospital!!

Charlie consistantly says that he wants a little sister. When asked what he wants to name her he once replied "Dora" (um, no) and then just this weekend replied "Elouise"... so hopefully our name choices are improving! (Not that we'll go with Charlie's recommendation, mind you). As of now, my nausia is, thankfully, starting to leave. (At least, I think... fingers crossed!) It's been a rough 6 weeks with little staying down. This is something that I didn't experience with Charlie and it's awful. I feel horrible for women who have to go through this all 9 months!! It's truly been a completely different pregnancy all together, but I hear that it always is.

In addition to this fun news, I have made the decision not to return to MISD next school year. I have worked in Mesquite for the past 5 years and have truly loved the people and the kids I work with. However, I feel like I need to find something closer to home. Plus, with the baby coming, my impending bedrest and FMLA will take out a good chunk of the school year. Best to move on! My hope is to do home health 2 days per week starting this summer. Wish me luck that this transition goes smoothly!

Big Fun

2011-05-12T13:07:00.000-07:00

Charlie wants to say THANKS to his Nana and Poppa for his awesome Easter gift.

Jennifer and Patrick want to say THANKS for our new, built-in babysitter!!

Easter 2011

2011-05-03T11:21:00.001-07:00

The week started off with an Easter Egg Hunt at Charlie's school. As you can tell the eggs were hidden super well. It was a quick hunt and dividing the egss so that all of the kids had equal shares was interesting. It entailed taking eggs from some to give to others... not a concept that 12 two year olds completely grasp.

We had a quick family breakfast at our local donut shop on Good Friday.

And then had a fun play date at the Arboretum that afternoon. (Pics from that were posted under the "Arboretum" post).
On Sunday we went to church with our good friends, the Hamilton's.

And then had lunch, just the 3 of us. I don't think we have spent any holiday with just the 3 of us since Charlie has been born!

After nap time, it was time for the final egg hunt in our backyard.

Charlie thought the best part was finding out what was hidden in the eggs. Lot of goodies in there!

As a side note, I am now using our Cannon video camera for pictures and videos. However, I have yet to figure out how to download the videos onto the computer. I have video of Charlie's egg hunts and him opening his Easter basket in the morning. Whenever we figure out how to download, I will share with all of you.

Patrick's Marathon pic

2011-05-02T09:36:00.000-07:00

He looks like he might be dying... bless his heart. But, Charlie and I are SO proud of him! "Way to go, dada!" (One of Charlie's new favorite sayings.)

Patrick's 1/2 Marathon

2011-05-01T18:20:00.000-07:00

Greetings, this is Patrick making his first blog post in a long time. I had an eventful weekend, as I ran my first ½ marathon in the Oklahoma City Marathon. It is a great event the city does that benefits the victims of the Oklahoma City bombing of 1995. Over 25,000 runners braved the conditions to run the marathon, half-marathon, 5K, and one-mile kid fun run.

The catalyst for signing up for this run was Paul Greer telling me in December that he was going to do it. Always up for a good time, I decided to sign up as well. We poured out some of our Powerade for comrade Corey who was supposed to join us in OKC but for a non-descript “knee injury”.

I did not have any real extensive training for the race. I’ve always run for exercise, but in preparation for the half-marathon, I beefed up my runs to 5-6 miles on Tuesday and Thursday mornings and a 10-miler on either Saturday or Sunday, over the last six weeks. That was the extent of my training.

My day started at 4:45 AM. The following is a timeline of the morning’s events:
4:45 – Alarm set for 5:00, I wake up 15 minutes early, saving my wife from hearing the alarm go off. This will go unrecognized in the Husband of the Year awards. As an aside, I was not aware that the race started at 6:30 AM until late on Saturday afternoon. I had been operating under the assumption that the race began at 8:00 AM. This was a bit of a surprise.

4:55 – Dressed for the run, I head towards Manny and Julie’s kitchen to cook myself some oatmeal. I see that Manny has fallen asleep on the couch so I keep quiet and don't turn on any kitchen lights while I’m eating.

4:58 – Manny walks into the kitchen to get something to drink. I say “Hey man!” -just about giving him a heart attack. I don’t think he was expecting a weird dude to be eating oatmeal in the dark in his kitchen at 5AM. Fortunately Julie and Manny already know I’m a weirdo, so I don’t think we’ve broken any new ground here. Manny bids me adieu and goes back to bed.

5:15 – I finish getting ready and step outside. 55 degrees with a breeze. Nice. All week the forecast has called for cold temps and rain. I am thinking we got lucky and maybe bad weather won’t hit until after the race. We’ll come back to this.

5:35 – Since I had plenty of time before the race started, I stopped for coffee at 7-11 and made my way from Manny/Julie’s to downtown OKC. I realize about halfway down to the city that I have forgotten my race number and shoe timer. Have to go back, otherwise nobody will believe that I ran this thing.

5:50 – Try this again, heading towards downtown for the second time this morning. Uh-oh, it is raining. Hard. And it’s getting colder, the reading on my car now says 48 degrees. I can already tell…this is going to suck.

6:20 – I am stuck in standstill traffic, not even within three miles of the start-line. It is really pouring. I am thinking I already have my built-in excuse. Maybe I’ll just pull over at a hotel and go for a run on their treadmill and then go back to Julie/Manny’s and go back to sleep. Then I remember that Paul is already down there, and I can’t let him do this alone.

6:27 – Park the car, approximately one mile from the start line. I don’t know whether to keep my fleece on or leave it in the car. I decide to wear the fleece. We’ll get back to this later. I don't want to be too far behind the 6:30 start, so I run towards the race, not 100% sure where I’m going. A Good Samaritan points me in the right direction.

6:35 – Arrive at the start line, only to find out that they’ve delayed the start for 30 minutes because of the weather. Cool, now I get to stand in freezing rain for 25 minutes.

6:52 – Just hanging out.

6:55 – National Anthem, followed by “Beautiful Day” by U2 on the speakers. Poetic, since it’s one of the ugliest days I’ve ever seen.

7:00 – We’re running!

7:08 – Run my first mile in 7:50. Went through Bricktown, saw Manny’s Texadelphia. Feeling good. Unfortunately, the aforementioned coffee has caught up to my bladder, and I have to stop at a port-o-john. My goal has been to run at an 8-minute mile pace, and I’m concerned this will knock me off my pace. This will be funny later.

7:24 – Pass the 3 mile marker. That was surprisingly easy. It is raining, but I’m staying fairly dry. Maybe this won’t be too bad.

7:48 – Cruising. Still feeling good. The fleece is starting to retain a good amount of water and is getting heavy. When the 40 degree winds cut through the fleece, it feels like I’m getting stabbed with ice cycles. Still, I think if I take it off it will be way too cold. I spend the rest of the race debating to myself whether I should take the fleece off.

8:05 – Mile 8. Doubt sets in. I’m not going to finish, maybe instead go to the hospital with a nice case of hypothermia.

8:25 – Mile 10, Ipod is playing “Feelin’ Alright”. I feel miserable. And I can’t feel my hands. I throw the 8 minute mile pace thing out the window, and now I just hope that I can finish. I swear my fleece is so water-soaked that it now weighs 20 pounds.

8:35 – Mile 11, “Take Yo Time, Rodney” on the Ipod. I think I will. And stop calling me Rodney. I am actually running through a very nice part of OKC at this time. The houses remind me of the homes along Swiss Avenue in Dallas, old stately mansions, wide streets, big lawns. Under other circumstances, this could probably actually be enjoyable. You know, if I could feel my toes.

8:46 – FINISH LINE. Someone hands me a medal and takes my picture (I'll post this picture if I ever see it). I’m only thinking about getting to my car. I am a 20-minute walk from the parking lot. My feet hurt. My legs are dead. Can’t feel my fingers or toes. Amazingly, it is still raining. It has not quit raining since 5:45AM. How does this happen?

8:59 – I am stumbling to the car. Someone in front of Carl’s Jr hands me a free burger. I carry it in my hand for a couple blocks in an attempt to warm up my fingers. Doesn’t work. I throw the burger away. Thanks for nothing.

9:07 – I get to the car and see Jenn’s been calling me. Apparently Jenn/Julie/Quads just missed me at the finish line. I drive to meet them, and she has some dry clothes for me. I can’t stop shivering. We go to Texadelphia and set me down in a booth, Manny gives me his jacket, Julie gets me a Starbucks coffee.

9:25 - Still shivering.

9:30 - Finally after some queso and about halfway through the coffee, I start to regain some feeling in my fingers. The shivering subsides, and other than soreness from the run, I am more or less okay.

I don’t know that I’ll run another half-marathon. I think I can cross it off my list. It was a gorgeous day in OKC on Saturday, but I suppose that’s how it goes. I am glad I did it. Thanks for letting me share.

Charlie and I iced our knees down when we got back to Dallas.

Arboretum

2011-04-28T09:10:00.000-07:00

We have spent lots of time at the Arboretum lately. They now have the Fairytale Castles up and they are so fun for little ones to play around in. They also just started their concert series every Tuesday and Thursday nights... I'm thinking we will partake a lot this year!
Always fun for picnics with mom and running around

And playdates with friends (Charles Boyd and Rhodes & Drew Hamilton)

And fun with castles and dad!

A Little Backtracking

2011-04-26T13:26:00.000-07:00

My mother-in-law called the other night and reminded me that I do, in fact, have a blog. It's not that we haven't been busy or that I haven't taken pictures. It's just that I enjoy reading other blog's so much more than I do writing on this one these days. I know, that's no excuse. I will promise to try and be better. Really, I will.

So, here's a little backtracking. A few weeks ago we had our friends, the Lunds, in town from Kansas City. We don't get to see them enough! We spent most of the weekend in Ft. Worth. Here are the girls: (Molly, Carrie, me, Andrea, Emily)

What has started with 5 of us, has somehow turned into 17 of us!! Here are our offspring to date: (Sam, Ellen, Charlie, Nathan, Lauren; down front: Jack, Oliver)

Our friend, Carrie, had this fabulous idea to hire a photographer for family photos/birthday photos. It was the youngest's birthday over the weekend... Oliver turned one! Here are some of my favorites of Charlie:

And here are the rest, in case you are interested. He really did a fabulous job capturing all of the kiddos!! http://rasyran.com/oliverbirthdayparty2011/index.html

New Toys

2011-03-31T13:01:00.000-07:00

I am in LOVE with Charlie's new (to us, at least) desk. My mom gave it to us and Charlie loves it! (Thanks Nanna!) I love how old and rustic she is, with her splinters in the wood. It is the perfect spot for Charlie's paints and colors. Speaking of paints and colors, here are a couple of shots of Charlie in action: And here is what happens if you don't watch him too closely:

Shreveport

2011-03-29T14:15:00.001-07:00

Our family and the Leclercq family all headed to Shreveport this past weekend for one of our good friends weddings. Congrats to Lauren and Bob!! We are SO happy for the two of you. The rehearsal dinner was a crawfish boil, so you know I liked that. The reception was at Wine Country and was hands down the best food I have ever eaten at a reception. Some of my favorites were the fried oyster on top of seared tuna, the shrimp and grits, the pulled pork (straight out of a full on rasted pig), the bacon wrapped scallops and the fried green tomatoes. Seriously, the food was amazing! Anywho, the kids all had a grand time together. On Friday we went on a stroll through Norton's Art Gallery. The flowers were amazing and the kids had fun navigating the nature trails. Here are a couple of attempts to get a picture of all four: Manny and the boys Charlie and momma The Leclercq's Thanks to my Aunt Jennifer (once again) for watching the kids so that my parents could come to the wedding. We REALLY appreciate your help!! And the couple that brought us to Shreveport! Congrats to Mr. and Mrs. Bob Ewing!!

Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Allen!

2011-03-29T14:05:00.000-07:00

I am happy to announce that Patrick and I have a new sister-in-law. Michael (Patrick's brother) got married 2 weekends ago to Tandra. Congrats to the newest Allen's! The rehearsal dinner was perfect, the wedding was beautiful, the reception was awesome and the whole weekend was just so fun. Charlie was the ring bearer in the wedding and he did GREAT! Seriously, great. I walked with him down the aisle as he carried the ring pillow perfectly. We then stood behing the bridesmaids until after the opening prayer. He did great during the whole thing. (I seriously thought he would either run down the aisle to Patrick or he wouldn't walk at all and I would have to carry him.) Here are a few pics: And thank you to my mom and Aunt Jennifer who came to get Charlie both nights at around 8:30pm so that Patrick and I could enjoy ourselves! I think it was the first time since Charlie has been around that we "went out" in Dallas both nights!

5 Years

2011-03-16T13:15:00.000-07:00

Patrick and I have officially been married for 5 years! It has flown by super fast, but in these 5 years we've done a lot. We bought our first house, got our first dog and, most importantly, had our first baby. To celebrate we went to eat at Tei-An. This is one the best Japanese restaurants I have ever been to. Typically, I only order sushi and rolls at Japanese places and while Tei-An has sushi, they are really known for their noodles that they make in-house. Our menu was: Appetizers: White Seaweed Salad (recommended by most of the reviews I read... and it did not disappoint)and the 7 Fish Sushi Sampler (could have done without, but the Eel was expecially good, and I typically do not love Eel!). Entrees: I had the Curry Soba Noodles (it has to be in my 5 all-time best entrees... the curry broth made me want to take a bath in it). Patrick had Green Soba Noodles with a meat-sauce on top. It was kind of an Italian inspired Japanese dish. Very flavorable and a little spicy. For a side we had Mushroom Tempura... also could have done without, but the tempura batter was very light. Dessert: Japanese ice cream with black honey on top. It was just that... ice cream and honey. Tei-An also has a roof-top deck. You can get a drink at the bar downstairs and head up the elevators to enjoy the Dallas skyline. Patrick and I had the whole deck to ourselves... very romantic! This was the perfect place to spend the anniversary!

Sports Saturday

2011-03-16T13:05:00.000-07:00

After the St.Patrick's Day parade Charlie had his first soccer practice! Yep, that's right... we signed him up for his first organized sport! He is on a team of 2-3 year olds at the YMCA and Charlie's friends Rhodes and Dean are also on the team. Coach Ray (who looks amazingly like Uncle Meeks) said that Charlie has great coordination for a 2 year old! Yay Charlie!

Back at home: baseball time!

Bits and Baubles from Charlie

2011-03-15T13:30:00.000-07:00

Charlie and I went to his 2 year appointment a couple of weeks ago. He is now almost 31 lbs. (75th %ile) and almost 37 in. tall (95th %ile)! He continues to be a tall man... pretty sure he gets this from the Allen side. Charlie is dominating in all developmental areas and is above-average in everything... especially communication, which is the most difficult for boys. I am one proud mamma! At this appointment, they had to draw blood from Charlie's arm. I was prepared for a melt down, but he surprised us all by sitting perfectly still and just watching the whole process. The technician said that it was unbelievable for a 2 year old to do that well. This is also the way Charlie acts for haircuts these days... it's a welcome change from the screaming crying we got a few months ago.

Funny story from yesterday... Charlie and I were at the park and there was another boy at the playground. When Charlie wants to know what (or who) something is he will look at me and ask This? This? This? while pointing at the object or person. He asks "This" on repeat until he is satisfied with my answer. So, yesterday he was asking who the little boy was. Instead of saying my typical response of "It's a little boy", I said "I don't know his name, Charlie. If you want to know his name you can ask "What's your name?". So, he asked "Name?, Name?, Name?" to no response from the little boy. So, Charlie decided to say "Hey, come here Name." on repeat to the little boy. This boy still had no interest in Charlie. So, he took it one step further and decided that this little boys name should be "Jack". That's right... he just made up a name. "Come here Jack.; Hey Jack!; Bye Jack". Even after we figured out his name was actually Ryan, Charlie still insisted on calling him "Jack". Pretty funny that kid!

St. Patrick's Day Parade

2011-03-15T13:16:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we took Charlie to the Greenville St. Patrick's Day Parade. I'm embarrased to say that this is the first year that either Patrick or I have actually made it to the parade... as if 11am was just way too early for us back in our younger days. The St. Patrick's Day parade is Dallas' version of Mardi Gras in New Orleans. There are floats, beads, etc. They even block off part of Greenville and have a fun day of bar hopping and open containers. And a lot of people who live in the M Streets have house parties. This use to be my most favorite day in Dallas and this Saturday did not disappoint... although we left the parade early so that we could make nap time for Charlie.

Random Pictures

2011-03-11T09:05:00.000-08:00

Anna Carol turns 2! Great picture of the boys and their offspring.

Trying on mamma's boots... so proud he put them on all by himself.
Salmon Rillettes and champagne-Superbowl apps! (Yes, we are high class in the Allen household.)

Charlie playing outside and looking oh, so cute.

Charlie's 2nd Birthday Party

2011-03-08T09:54:00.000-08:00

Most of the pictures can be seen by clicking on the slideshow below. But, here is a cute shot of the birthday boy all dressed up in his birthday pajamas!
And, some birthday videos:

Happy 2nd Birthday Charlie!!

Birthday Festivities

2011-03-08T09:26:00.000-08:00

The week started off with a celebration of Pops' Birthday. Both my mom and Patrick's dad have the same birthday of Feb. 23. Just two days before Charlie's. So, Babo and Pops came over, brought dinner and cake, and Charlie's birthday gift. Here Charlie is opening the gift:

Eating cake:

And the video!

On Thursday, the triplets and Julie came in to help set up for the birthday party. We had planned a nice meal out with the babies for my mom's birthday on Friday night. Somehow, though, my parents missed out on the dinner... we still decided to take full advantage of our reservations though. Thanks to Aunt Jennifer for coming with us! We went to Cibus because we knew that if the kids got restless we could just take them into the mall or out in the courtyard. I would say the dinner went as well as could be expected with 4 toddlers in tow. Here are a few cute pics from the evening:
Patrick and Charlie

Julie and Cooper

Manny and the girls

Charlie playing in the courtyard

Trying to capture all 4

Turning 2: The Set-Up

2011-03-06T06:43:00.000-08:00

We copied the triplets theme for Charlie's birthday party and went with a PJ's and Pancakes theme. It was really easy to set up for.

I went through DimplePrints for:

(1) the invitations,

(2) a table runner,

(3) different "Charlie" tags that I hung from the chandelier,

and (4) a banner that will be used for years to come!

For the placemats, which were our party favors, we went through SignsByScott. I absolutely LOVE the way they turned out! I went on Etsy and asked for sellers to bid on placemats that they could make me. I put in a price limit that I was willing to spend and within 24 hours had about 20 different sellers "bid" on what I was looking for. It was super easy! All of the kids (and parents) love the placemat idea!

Other decor involved:

Donuts (rather than cake) and Breakfast Tacos,

a milk and juice bar,

a pancake bar (complete with different toppings of blueberries, bananas, rasberries, strawberries, sprinkles, and whip cream),

and the tissue paper pom poms... great for any party!

All in all, it was an easy party to set up for! And the time of 9:30 am-11:30am worked great for age 2 kids!

Best Website Ever

2011-03-04T13:10:00.001-08:00

I am sitting at work crying with laughter.

http://damnyouautocorrect.com/

And we're back... to Valentines Day

2011-02-23T05:04:00.000-08:00

Charlie's Valentines Day started off like this:
This is what we made for Charlie's class:

Charlie helping:

At the end of the day, Charlie still has his stuffed animals in his hand. He hasn't put them down since!

Virus...

2011-02-16T09:35:00.000-08:00

Our computer caught one over the weekend. Our hard-drive is now at the doctor for two weeks. (AKA: Best Buy) So, the blog will be down for a couple of weeks. Here's hoping all of our files are able to be saved.

Children's Museum

2011-02-11T07:56:00.000-08:00

Patrick and I are always looking for fun, inside, cost-friendly, places to take Charlie on the weekends. If we all stayed in the house too long we'd drive each other nuts! The top two we have found are The Airplane Museum and, now, the Children's Museum at Fair Park. The first level wasn't all that great for his age, but downstairs was the bomb! Great activities for 2-5 yr olds!

Right now they are having a dinosaur exhibit. Which, truth be told, Charlie was really terrified of. We thought for sure that they would induce nightmares. They are so real looking!

He did enjoy digging for dinosaur bones, though.

And the huge water table was super enertaining.

But the BEST part, was dressing up like a fireman and playing in the firetruck!

I think we are entering the dress-up phase. Bring it on! It should be a fun one.

Any other recommendations for inside places to visit on the weekends?

Seems Appropriate

2011-02-09T10:02:00.000-08:00

We are having yet another snow day in Dallas. All schools cancelled... again. Sounds fun, but when it comes time to make up the 5 days that we have missed so far, it won't be so fun anymore. Anywho, since there's snow I figured it's appropriate to show all of you Charlie's Santa pictures from this past Christmas. Here he is last Christmas:

Not a fan last year. And definitely not a fan this year either. In fact he wouldn't go near Santa without sitting on my lap. So:

And the family group shot:

Oh Snowy Days

2011-02-08T12:53:00.001-08:00

Charlie was a HUGE fan of the snow. Here is a good picture of our street. So pretty!
Some of our favorite activities included sitting by the window watching the snow fall. This is where we at meals for snowy days.
We also made some yummy snow ice cream. Charlie LOVED it! Except that he kept taking his bowl and climbing out the doggy door to go eat more snow!
Here is Charlie throwing snowballs.

The neighbors made a snowman...
and so did we!!I can't wait for Charlie to be old enough to go sledding down Flag Pol Hill... that will be so fun.

Actual Snow???

2011-02-04T10:04:00.000-08:00

Dallas has experienced crazy weather this week. We have been iced in for the past 3 days (going a little stir crazy trying to entertain Charlie for that long), but it might have been all worth it to wake up the 6-8 inches of snow that had accumulated this morning. We were supposed to just get 1-2 inches, but this was my view from the inside of our house this morning:

And from the outside:

It's lovely, but I am looking forward to it melting tomorrow! The other day Patrick went to Albertson's and started spinning out on ice trying to get up a hill to get back home. (The Albertsons is maybe 1 mile from our house btw.) A policeman was behind him and tried to push Patrick's car up with his car, but failed because he too started spinning out. They both had to reverse down the hill and find alternate routes.

Today, all of Patrick's (crazy) co-workers went into work. Patrick went in at 10:30am. At 11:30am I still hadn't heard from him. He called shortly after and said that it had taken him that long to travel the 5.4 miles to work. In route, he almost hit a telephone pole and then spun out in the middle of a busy intersection. Awesome! I'm going to go ahead and say it was completely not worth it to go to work today. Here's hoping for a safe return babe!

Crazy Weather

2011-02-01T16:53:00.000-08:00

It's crazy that last week we were enjoying 75 degree weather at the Arboretum...

and today we are iced/snowed in at 17 degrees!

Happy Bachelorette Weekend Lauren!

2011-01-27T10:44:00.000-08:00

One of our dearest and oldest friends, Lauren, is getting married in March.

(Lauren is on the left and her sister, Kristen, is on the right.)
This weekend was her bachelorette party in Austin. I went down on Thursday for an Apraxia conference (which was pretty awesome... you know, if you're into that sort of thing) and met up with the ladies at the Driskell on Friday evening. Here are the ladies:
I've never done Austin for a bachelorette weekend before, and I have to say that it was a GREAT place for a mini-vacation. Lots to see and do... really for all ages. Friday night we went to Moonshine for dinner and back to the hotel bar for a nightcap.
Saturday was spent eating at Trudy's and milling around downtown shopping. We had dinner at Kenichi and then went to a bar to see Paula Nelson (dughter of Willie Nelson) play.
It was such a fun weekend all the way around! Congrats Lauren! We can't wait for the wedding!

What's Cookin?

2011-01-26T09:50:00.000-08:00

I love this time of year... where it's cold outside and all you want to do is cozy up inside and eat a bowl of hot soup. We have been cooking at least one type of soup per week in our household lately.

Cheeseburger Soup- to make it a bit more healthy, I used cauliflower rather than potatoes, turkey meat rather than beef, and low-fat shredded chedder cheese instead of the cubed type.

Tortilla Soup- I pretty much followed this recipe spot on... it turned out really well, especially with a squeeze of lime added to it!

Roasted Butternut Chowder with Apples and Bacon... it is really soooo good!

Enjoy!

Happy 2nd Birthday to the Triplets!

2011-01-20T11:21:00.000-08:00

So, Patrick and I have deicided to copy this theme for Charlie's upcoming birthday party. It's just so cute, easy, and fun for all. "Pancakes and PJ's".... perfect!

And a couple of videos:
Yummy!

The fish was a hit!

Geaux Tigers!!

2011-01-20T11:07:00.001-08:00

LSU came in full force to play against the A&M Aggies at the Cotton Bowl, which this year was at Jerry-World. Along with LSU came Julie, the triplets, my mom, and my brother (all who stayed at our house) and many other friends. We celebrated the day with the babies (can I still call them babies now that they are all 2):

Thanks to my mom and my Aunt Jennifer who watched the kiddos, the rest of us got to go to the game. We had awesome seats and came away with an even more awesome win!! Way to geaux Tigers!

Before LSU was in the Cotton Bowl, Patrick and I had arranged to have a shower for Michael and Tandra at our house that same weekend. Cotton Bowl Friday, shower Saturday. Full weeekend! Unfortunatly, I woke up with considerable fever Saturday morning... I powered through getting the house ready for the party, but couldn't stay for it considering my fever and sore throat. Woke up on Sunday with 102.6 and headed straight to the doctor. Strep... ugh! I was down and out for 3 days, but the worst part was missing my brother-in-laws and future sister-in-laws shower. I felt really horrible for that!! I'll make it up, though... one way or another.

Playing Catch Up

2011-01-20T11:01:00.000-08:00

I know, I know... I've been MIA for a while. Between OKC, Shreveport, Cotton Bowl, back to OKC for the triplets birthday, me getting strep throat and now Charlie having RSV life has been crazy around here. Where to start with the blog? I guess I will just dive right in with a little back-blogging.

This is how our front entrance looked a week after Christmas. I LOVE this time of year for this very reason. I love getting Christmas cards from family and friends... especially when a photograph is included! It's a small way of letting others know that you are thinking of them.

Sadly, now they are all taken down and in a large bowl by the front door just in case I need to look through them to get my fix of seeing my family and friends!

Shreveport Time

2011-01-04T14:37:00.001-08:00

The week after Christmas was spent in Shreveport. Julie and I and the foursome all drove in together.

As you can see, it was a fun ride!

We mostly just hung around the house and had vistors over or went to other friends houses. But, we did get out and hit up a park with the kids:

At the house, the little ones loved playing in this chair:
And bath time:

For New Years Eve day we had a lovely dinner at home. My dad made an awesome beef tenderloin and fabulous champagne to go along with it. The kids got dressed up for the day:

And thanks to my parents for babysitting every night! Juls and I got to enjoy a night out with our camp girlfriends and a night out with our high school girlfriends. And for New Year's Eve Juls, Patrick and I enjoyed a fabulous party put on by our friends, the Alexander's! It was such a fun week in Shreveport spending time with friends and family!

Christmas 2010

2010-12-27T09:08:00.001-08:00

Cooper trying out the trike

Sophia gives it a go

Isabelle sticks with Papa

Suckers for all!

Elmo camera

Triplets in their tent

The Allen family

Back at home

Thanks to the Leclercq's for hosting! It was a fun filled week with great food (too much!), such cute entertainment, and fun company. Always goes by way to quick!!

In Preparation

2010-12-27T08:44:00.000-08:00

Stockings were hung

Santa brought all 4 trikes

Charlie's trike

Isabelle found her Papa

Everyone else found PP.

Coming down the stairs.

Week before Christmas

2010-12-27T08:26:00.001-08:00

Charlie and I got to OKC on Tuesday.

Patrick flew in Wednesday night. Highlights from the week are:

Cooper and his (aka Charlie's) reindeer shirt.
We took the kids to get ice cream before going to look at lights.

Isabelle quickly found her best friend for the week... she barely left Papa's side.

Sophia showing off her cute shirt!

The girls loved on Uncle PP.
All 4 dug the car TV that Charlie got from Babo and Pops
Charlie and Cooper snuggled on the couch.

Church time

All 4 after church
Peppermint Martini's... yum!

Jay and Genna

Cookie time... Sophia

Charlie was a mess!

Decorating cookies

Cooper

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T12:17:00.001-08:00

May your day be merry and bright!

A Very Allen Christmas

2010-12-21T08:41:00.000-08:00

Patrick and I hosted the 2010 Allen family Christmas on Monday night. We started off the night with Charlie's gifts. Here is his cute Christmas get-up (and his new obsession... his frog boots):

Some of his favorite gifts include his animal set:

the tent... I'm not sure who enjoyed it the most... Charlie?

Patrick?

or Hank?

Thanks to the Allen's for the awesome car TV! Happy travels to us. (Charlie also got the soccer ball... a big hit.)

Ann and Bob

After Charlie hit the sack the adults stayed up for dinner, dessert, and for some gift opening of our own!

Michael and Tandra (soon to be an Allen)

myself

Patrick

We are now ok OKC for Round 2! Merry Christmas!

Charlie Expressions

2010-12-21T06:56:00.000-08:00

Just a few memories to write down so I don't forget!

The other night I put Charlie in the bath and he looks at me and says "Awesome mama!" Yes Charlie, baths ARE awesome!

After visiting the trains, we were strolling through Neimans and saw a touy display. Charlie exclaimed "Oh, wow, neat!"

That night after bath time, I was putting lotion on him, and Charlie looked up and said "Mama, I love you." Date: 12/17/10; Charlie- 21 mths.

Chistmas Week 3- Weekend Edition

2010-12-21T06:42:00.000-08:00

Dec. 18- Patrick and I took Charlie to the Arboretum to meet Santa. We first stopped to meet a reindeer which Charlie much enjoyed.

Onto Santa...
Me: "Charlie, do you want to meet Santa?"
C: "Nooo." (While laying his head on my shoulder.)
Me: "Look Charlie, all of the other kids are sitting on Santa's lap... do you want to sit on Santa's lap?"
C: "Noo!" (Holding onto mama for dear life.)

Attempt at sitting on Santa's lap... histerical crying. End result- a family picture with Santa. (Which should be coming in the mail sometime soon.)
Charlie did enjoy the rest of the Arboretum, though.

Dec. 19- Thanks to the Horsch's for hosting us for Cookies and Cocktails. The kids enjoyed making (and eating) the cookies and the adults enjoyed mixing and drinking the cocktails! Here are a few pics:

Charlie

Ollie

Elise and Nathan

Lauren

Jack

Sam

The end result:

Christmas Week 3

2010-12-21T06:26:00.000-08:00

Dec. 13-15 were spent doing your ordinary Christmas stuff... on Monday night we had dinner out with Babo and Pops, so on the way home we hit up some Christmas lights. On Tuesday, Patrick and I got to go to dinner at Neighborhood Services Tavern to celebrate Christmas "adult" style. For Charlie, Tuesday was spent eating chocolate off of the advent calendar and taking a bat to the Christmas tree (because... "mama, balls!", whack). On Wednesday Charlie got a snowglobe, which he immediately picked up and dropped... glass, water, and glitter all over the floor.
Dec. 16- Charlie had his Christmas class party at school.

After the party we went to Northpark where we stopped in to see a puppet show from Scrooge.

We also got to watch Santa taking pictures with kids from afar. I tried to explain that this is what you do... wait in line, sit on Santa's lap, smile, take picture. He liked it from afar. For our Northpark finale we went to see the trains. Charlie was amazed... we went around 3 different times.

Dec. 17- attempted to paint ornaments. What started out as this:

Ended like this:

Eating paint? I don't think we're there yet!

Christmas at the Allens

2010-12-16T07:43:00.001-08:00

Charlie's Elf jumps around the house. Today it is hanging on our angel wings.

Charlie LOVES his nativity scene. He brings them everywhere and exclaims "Angel!", "Ooh, baby Jesus!", "Donkey mama!"... you get the picture. (He also has added a green turtle to the group... OK by me. I'm sure the turtle is more than welcome.

My new obsession... these yarn wreaths! This one welcomes you into our house.

And this one is on the mantel.

There might even be some hiding under our tree as Christmas gifts!

Even made some trees:

Full view of the mantel:

This is one of my favorites... the Christmas card tree. Thinking of painting it white for next year!

The usual knick knacks:

I try to put something Christmas-y into every room. Next year I would love a lighted Christmas tree in all of our bedrooms. Patrick thinks I am crazy!

Christmas Week 2

2010-12-14T09:54:00.000-08:00

Dec. 6- Charlie got a reindeer hat
Dec. 7- we made homemade Christmas cards (super easy- just thumb prints to make the tree)

Dec. 8- had our first Christmas light outing (I think Charlie thinks that lights are angels... he kept saying "oooh, angels!"

Dec. 9- Charlie got a Christmas haircut

I guess Charlie didn't feel like a haircut really was "Christmasy", so he decided to tear into one of his presents. He carries Elmo with him everywhere he goes now.

Dec. 10- opened Christmas puzzles (Charlie could have cared less about them)

Dec. 11- tried to go to Northpark, but WAY too crowded. Decided to eat all of the chocolate from the advent calendar that we haven't kept up with.

Dec. 12- Highlight of the weekend. Charlie got an early Christmas gift of Yo Gabba Gabba Live tickets. He had a blast!

Charlie with DJ Lance Rock glasses!

Weekend Events

2010-12-09T06:09:00.000-08:00

December 3: Charlie and I went to a Lake Highlands PTA Christmas Party. Charlie decorated cookies, colored ornaments, and got to be introduced to Santa for the first time this season. He was TERRIFIED of Santa.

December 4: Parade Time! We had never been to the Children's Medical Center annual parade before, but will definitely be going for years to come. It was awesome!

We took the train down to the parade. Charlie thought that was pretty cool.

At the parade we saw a giant snowman, toy soldier, lots of band and Santa... which Charlie enjoyed from afar!

December 5th: After hanging up our outside Christmas lights, we hosted a Gingerbread House Making Party.

Our guests included:

Olivia Bates (2 yrs.)

Trace Boudreaux (10 mths.)

Amelie Boudreax (2.5 yrs)

Milla Boudreax (4 yrs)

Everyone worked hard at their houses:

All the ladies

Charlie's masterpiece

Dance party

All 5 friends

Dance Party fun!

Tis the Season- Part 1

2010-12-07T09:49:00.001-08:00

This year is super special because Charlie is absorbing so much of what Christmas is and all of the things that go along with it. To make it even more special, I decided that I wanted to do something to celebrate Christmas every day of the month with him. It could be something small, like reading a Christmas book, or something big, like hosting a gingerbread making party. Things that we do everyday are read a Christmas story, look for our Christmas Elf, count the days on the advent calendar,
play with our toy nativity scene,
and hang Christmas cards on our card tree (that I cut down from our tree out front)
We started on Nov. 28 by going to pick out our Christmas tree

Nov. 29 & 30- decorate the house
Nov. 30- Charlie opened his first Christmas presents. He got "Elf on a Shelf" from mama and dada and he got his first nativity scene from Nana and Poppa.
Dec. 1- we made gingerbread dough (the dough had to refridgerate over night)
Dec. 2- we cut out and made Christmas cookies
Weekend post coming up next!

Christmas came early!

2010-12-03T08:48:00.000-08:00

There is a blog that Julie and I both follow... bryn alexandrainteriors. Bryn is an interior designer who lives in Charlotte, NC and who does a lot of her business over the internet. I love her style and love following her blog. One day she posted that she was headed to Dallas to visit her parents and was taking clients for the week for an in-home consultation. Julie called and asked if I would be interested in this as our Christmas gift... and, of course, I was very interested. Bryn came and was so sweet and cute and FULL of ideas. The ideas are front and back notes.

I gave her my ideas and she piggy-backed onto them and came up with lists and lists of what I should do to my house. I loved all of her ideas and have started on a few. (Most of her ideas where things I needed to purchase rather than what I could already use.) Here is the transformation of the living room to date: (still on the list- demo the large eye-sore of a TV cabinet; build built-ins on either side of the fireplace; new floors.)

Before in 2007:

Earlier this year:

Now: (would like to paint the room a Greige color)

And the dining room got a fix-up as well:

Before (last year Thanksgiving):

Notice the chairs and rug:
Now:

Still a laundry list of things to do around the house. All in due time!

Pics from Here and There

2010-12-03T07:32:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I took Charlie to "Truck Time". A local church holds it and has all sorts of trucks, ambulances, police cars, tractors, 18 wheelers, etc. there for the kids to see and play around in. I thought this would be right up Charlie's alley. I was wrong. He was super scared of all the real-life trucks and only wanted to be held by me. Surely he'll enjoy it next year. Right? I did manage to get him to take a picture on top of a wheel of a tractor:

These days, we have leaves everywhere. Last weekend Charlie "helped" Patrick rake up all of the leaves and then would run and fall into them. Great fun for the liitle man. Here are some cute pics:

Charlie has gone through a ball phase lately. He's always loved all sorts of balls, but last month he needed his baseball, football, and basketball with him at all times. This pic if from one night... right before I put him in the bath he ran out the doggie door to retrieve his balls so that they could take a bath with him. Silly kid.

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-12-03T07:22:00.001-08:00

It was a great week filled with family and fun in Spicewood. It was our first holiday with my future sister-in-law, Tandra... which made it much more special. Patrick's grandparents came out for Thanksgiving lunch. I cherish our moments with them and am in awe of how youthful their spirits are. Charlie enjoyed throwing the ball with Pops, golfcart rides with Babo, a 6am breakfast at The Bluebonnet in Marble Falls with Dada, playing with his second favorite dog- Bailey, and the many wonderful walks around the neighborhood.

Patrick and I decided to make an early departure. After 4 nights of Charlie waking up between the hours of 4-5 we were done. We were all sharing a room and, needless to say, it did not go well. Coming back one day early was actually the best plan for all of the Christmas decorations that got put up on Sunday!

The Culprit

2010-12-01T10:25:00.000-08:00

I have been meaning to blog about this for sometime. A few months ago our washing machine started leaking. It would do it on and off and with varying saturation levels. This went on for a couple of months, I am shameful to admit. One day there was so much water that I got really fed up and called Sears to come out and take a look. Mind you, this washer is only about 3.5 years old. After a couple of canceled appointments on Sears end and a not-so-friendly costumer service call I decided that I will never use Sears again for any of my products and called a regular plumber. This plumber charged close to $100 just to come take a look-see... which was fine, because something was wrong and we needed it fixed (and that was less than Sears was going to charge to come out anyways)! He came and found nothing. Nothing with the plumbing, nothing with under the washer (which is where I thought the problem was coming from)... the only thing he DID find was a plastic spoon in the chute where the detergent goes through. Not where you could see it, but really in the chute. I thank Charlie for finding such a creative hiding place for his plastic spoon! I gave the man his $$ and we haven't had a problem since! Thanks Charles, thanks.

Loving

2010-12-01T10:12:00.000-08:00

There are a few things that Charlie has been doing lately that I really want to remember. He is growing up so quickly that I feel like time is passing us by. I can not believe he will be 2 years old in 3 short months.

I love how he will "help" me all day long. He "helps" bring the groceries in, do the laundry, feed Hank (his favorite chore), put things in the sink (including his toys).
I love that his vocabulary is growing, growing, growing. This morning he said "Hank, there go Dada."... a 4 word sentence!
I love that when something goes wrong he says "Oh man" instead of getting upset and crying.
I love that he now says "I love you".
I love that he does "praying hands" the whole time I say our prayers.
I love that he needs certain things to fall asleep at night. One or ALL of his stuffed animals, a lovey and a blanket. Most nights he needs a book in his crib. The other night he needed his Indian feather hat that he made in school to go to bed. During nap time he needed his shoes on one day to go to sleep.
I love that he has pee-peed in his potty 3 times so far and is always very proud of himself!
I love that he makes up random songs about his family members including aunts, uncles, grandparents and cousins.
I love that he often talks about his friends at school while we are at home and can tell me everyone in his class.
I love that his new favorite question to ask is "What's this?", "What's this?", "What's this?" as he is pointing to anything and everything.
I love that when I answer his "What's this?" question he repeats whatever I have said with a "Oooh, a ____!" as if it is the most exciting word he has ever heard.

Patrick and I are so very lucky to have our little Charlie in our lives!

Singing Charlie

2010-11-30T06:24:00.000-08:00

This is what Patrick and I endured for a good portion of our ride from Spicewood to Dallas. Cute for 5 minutes... but for 2 hrs? Maybe not.

OKC

2010-11-30T06:02:00.000-08:00

The weekend before Thanksgiving was the one weekend of the year that Patrick would be out of town. (He was in a wedding in Bainbridge, GA.... aka: his "guys" weekend.) So, Charles and I decided to go visit the Leclercq's. We hadn't been there since mid summer when they had just moved into their new house. This time around it was like walking into a larger, much cleaner house. It's amazing what paint will do! Julie had a list of projects for us to work on which included painting some rooms, making a chandelier, making a wreath and rearranging objects in the house. In between all of that we took the kids to the park and on some shopping expeditions. I only got a few pics...

Thankswigging

2010-11-28T14:38:00.000-08:00

Every year my TCU friends and their families get together for "Thankswigging". We originally started it about 5 years ago and all wore wigs for the big event. This year not one person showed up in a wig... I think we should pass it along to the kids to wear wigs every year. This year was at our friends, the Horsch's, gorgeous new casa. Instead of cooking our traditional turkey and sides, we grilled steaks, had some roasted winter veggies and other various sides and drank some yummy wine. (The wine somehow always makes its way to the table no matter what we are celebrating.) I did a sub-par effort of getting pics of all the kids...
Jack (4 yrs)

Sam (2.5 yrs)

Lauren (15 mths.)

Oliver (9 mths- right A?)

Nathan (2.5 yrs)

Charlie (20 mths.)

I LOVE this tradition we have with our friends. It marks the beginning of the holiday season and I look forward to it year around!