I only received a few anonymous threats (well, I guess they weren't so anonymous)

Seriously, after daily text messages (I guess that's a bit exaggerated) as well as being threatened with canning (YUCK) if I didn't post, I decided it was time. Here's the thing - I may not post very often, BUT when I do I go ALL OUT! So, I guess you asked for it - this may be the LONGEST post of all time. Hope you enjoy....

Some time ago, the Nadeau Family (well, Tim) organized a friendly game of baseball. Since this is Chris' favorite game to play, he was all about it and excited for the challenge.

Thank goodness Carolyn & David brought toys (I guess you think to bring that stuff after you've had two kids) so Allison was kept occupied.
Such a cutie!
There's a bunch of Oregon grapes at the Olympia Stake center. I guess they're edible, but they sure don't taste very good. Allison didn't seem to mind.
And neither did Rose.

Mommy & Allison watched the game from the sidelines.
Rose & Allison really wanted to join in....
Allison finally got her chance...just like Daddy!

Kevin & Chanel came to visit in July (Brian & Becky also came for a week) and Mark & Allison could not get enough of each other. I cannot wait until they live closer and can actually get to know each other a little better.

Baby Mia is so precious...

Kevin - thinking he's a stud
While they were here my cousin Sam had a birthday party that we all attended. Here's Allison eating a cupcake with some of her cousins...
...and playing Ring Around the Rosie with Kevin.
Worn out - she decided to take a break with Mia (she just adores her new cousins).
It is so great to have so many of Allison's cousins close by. Brian & Becky moved home with their baby Crystal in August - so it's been great to spend time with them.

Here's Kendall, Taylor, Allison & Mom watching a movie.

Today Allison & Crystal wore matching Seahawks outfits (thanks Sara - hey Chanel, let us know if you want one). Allison cannot get enough of Crystal. That's all she talks about! It's great to see them together - we were a little afraid how it would work now that Allison isn't the center of the universe, but she does just fine. I guess she'll be okay if she gets a new sibling someday.
She also loves her cousins on her dad's side. Here's Lacy, Rose, and Allison in Allison's bed in her NEW bedroom. Speaking of new bedroom, this is what you've all been waiting for - the NEW HOUSE! So, it definitely needs a lot of work, but it's great to see the transformation so far. We LOVE our neighborhood and are so excited to be here for awhile.

Here's an outside shot:

Here's the living room - BEFORE:

And AFTER: We love our new curtains (they were called Allison Stripe - so it was meant to be). We still have a TON of decorating and unpacking to do - so these pictures are still a work in progress...

Here's the hallway BEFORE:
And AFTER:

Allison's bedroom BEFORE:
(By the way, I HATE wallpaper now that I've had to remove it!)

And AFTER:

(We're still working on getting an entire night of Allison in her own bed - she did pretty good last night -- 11pm to 7am - I'll take it!)

Our bedroom BEFORE:
And AFTER:
The full bath BEFORE:

And AFTER:
This is the 1/2 Bath off of our bedroom BEFORE - we haven't done much other than paint the walls - so no AFTER picture yet.
This is an AFTER picture of our dining room (I forgot to take one before). We just got the table, so now we finally get the hang the light centered over the table! Just one more thing to add to the growing list....
This is also an AFTER picture of the kitchen. There's a nice sized pantry on the other wall which we are thoroughly enjoying.
So, that's the house. We still have a LONG way to go, but we can actually live in it now which is great. We had so much help it was amazing. I actually did almost no painting thanks to Daniel & Heather. It's great to have such wonderful friends and family....I'll try and post finished pictures of the house at a later date (no promises!).

Okay, so on a different subject, Allison takes after me a in a lot of different ways. She's a bit OCD - doors have to be shut and things have to be "clicked" together. It's fun, but I feel kind of bad for passing the gene on to her. Another thing I apparently passed on was my love for taking self-portraits. I used to get made fun of by my family because every time they developed a roll of pictures (I haven't said "roll" of pictures in a long time - funny), there would always be a shot of me taking a picture of myself. It seemed like I was always the one taking the pictures, so I wanted to make sure I got in at least ONE of them. So, that's now Allison's favorite thing to do. I probably have at least 20 on my camera, but I've narrowed it down for all of you to enjoy! These are my favorites...

Open wide:

Up the nose:
Super happy:
Crazy cheesy:

Just for fun:
Finally - EXTREME CLOSE-UP:
And last but not least, just a few of my favorite Allison pics from the last few months. She is such a joy in our lives, it is hard to imagine what life was like before having her. It's been a tough couple months - hardly seeing her while we worked on the house - but we're finally together again as a family in our new home. Life is pretty darn good right now!

Well, sorry about the length of the post, but I hope you enjoyed all of the pictures. As always, I'll try to do better but I'm not going to promise anything. We do have Internet now, so that may help....we'll see!