Quick Update

Life has been one big blur lately, so I just wanted to quickly update what is going on with us (sorry, no pictures - haven't really thought to pick up the camera - or even try to find it).

First - Chris' Grandfather passed away Saturday the 21st. Because he had been living with us, I was a little worried about how this would all happen - Would it be a traumatic experience? Would Allison be the one to find him? That kind of thing. But in the end, it was the best possible way for him to go - with only his son in the house with him - and we are so happy that he is now in a better place where he's no longer in pain. It was a blessing for us to be able to care for him his last couple months, but I knew that he was ready to go.

After he passed, our house became the meeting place for the family. We had at least 10 people at our house almost every night - usually more like 20 - last week. It was really great to spend so much time with Chris' family and I'm so grateful we have a home that people feel comfortable coming to.

Second - As if things weren't busy enough at our house, Chris also had surgery last Tuesday. We ended up staying in Bellevue Monday night since we had to be at the Surgery Center at 6:30am on Tuesday. It was the first of two surgeries....and it was a bit rougher than we expected. He ended up staying under observation for about 4 hours longer than expected because every time he closed his eyes his oxygen level would drop - that was NOT fun. Poor guy. Also the recovery has been very difficult for him. The doctor said he would only need 2 or 3 days...but he still wasn't able to go back to work today. We go to see the doctor on Thursday, so we will check and make sure everything is okay.

Third - Thursday was THANKSGIVING! And this year it was at our house - my first time being in charge! The turkey turned out pretty good and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves in our crowded little house, so I've decided it was a success! Not sure if I would be up to doing it EVERY year...but at least I know I can do it.

So, that's what's been going on with us. Life is starting to calm down and I will spend the week getting my house back in order. I'm actually having a hard time knowing what to do with myself now - our life was so strict with making sure his grandpa had his meds at certain times and being there with him if he needed us, it's just so strange to not have to think about any of that. I'm sure we will adjust.

Cutie!

As I was cleaning Allison's room yesterday, she decided we needed to do a photo shoot. She told me when and how I need to take each picture and then she would pose for me. So cute! Here are some of my favorites...

Looks like she took charge of the camera on this one.

Later on in the day I was out in our living room visiting with a friend, and this is how Allison came out to greet us - she called it her crown. (Notice the outfit change - I swear I saw this kid in AT LEAST three different outfits yesterday)

Then last night we had a bunch of people over - two of Chris' brothers came to see their grandpa and have dinner with us and then my brother came to visit, too. It was a blast! I thought Mark and Mia were really cute riding on Allison's tricycle together...

Kendall's Birthday

My niece Kendall turned 10 YEARS OLD on Thursday. Has it really been 10 years already? That just seems crazy - although I was a senior in High School when she was born and my 10-year reunion is coming up so it MUST be true (although I'd like to pretend it isn't).

For her birthday we met up at McDonald's for a quick dinner (she'll have her REAL family party on Sunday...but this was just for the actual day). Here she is pretending to blow out her candles (wouldn't want to get kicked out of McDonalds).

Allison was more interested in the ring on the top of the cupcakes than the actual cupcake.

Kendall was VERY excited about getting an I-Pod touch for her birthday.

And she seems to think Sara's card is pretty funny - they usually are!

We got her bead pets...I'm sure she will enjoy making those..

Birthday girl - all grown up!

Baby Hailee!

Little baby Hailee was blessed last Sunday so Allison and I got to go and be there for it (Chris was still sick - yuck!). Isn't she the cutest baby ever?

Halloween

We had a great Halloween this year! First, on the Wednesday before Halloween we went to our Ward's Halloween Carnival. Allison was scared for the first solid hour, but once she decided she was okay, she had a blast! Here's out little cowgirl (she's already told me she wants to be a cowgirl AGAIN next year)!

Heather and I dressed up as cats. Heather put a picture of a goldfish in a fishbowl over her pregnant tummy and told everyone she'd eaten the fish. It was pretty cute.

Here's Heather, me and Teonie...it was a fun night!

Allison spent the majority of her time coloring in the little kids room - since it wasn't scary.

On Halloween, Allison and I went to my brother Kevin's house for a Halloween Party with my family.

We made caramel apples...

And all the kids were super cute in their costumes (Mia's missing in this picture, but she was a monkey just like her big brother)...

We took the little ones trick-or-treating...

Trust me...they had a lot more fun than it appears in this picture!

After most of the party had quieted down, the kids and I had fun messing around with the camera. They instructed me how they wanted pictures taken and I even let them take a few of each other. Am I the coolest mom/aunt or what?

Best buds...Mark and Allison

EXTREME closeup!

Overall, Halloween was AWESOME this year and tons of fun now that Allison is in to it. I'm hoping next year she will be over her "scared" phase and we can really enjoy the season a little more.

Pretty Girl

Here's just some random pics of Allison. She was so cute the other day at church I made her go outside and do a little photo shoot with me.

This day she insisted on having her hair pulled back AND wearing a headband. This kid definitely knows what she wants - and she does look cute!

Cowboy Boots!

For Allison's birthday we got her a pair of pink cowboy boots that go with her Halloween Costume. I think they are the cutest things ever (I want a pair!).

Happy Birthday, Allison!

Well, I'm a few days behind in posting this, but Happy Birthday, Allison! I cannot believe my little girl turned THREE on Monday. She has been talking about this birthday for a really long time, so it was so much fun to make this a special day for her.

First off, the Saturday before her birthday, Julie (2 days away from having a baby) and I switched her bedroom to our guest bedroom. We gave her the BIG bed and bought new sheets and stuff to make it a special room. Chris' Grandpa moved in with us on Monday, so we decided he needed the bigger bedroom for all of his medical equipment and stuff.....so Allison got moved. She definitely doesn't mind at all, she LOVES her new room. Thanks for the help, Julie!
Here she is waking up in her new bed on her birthday!

Isn't she a doll?

Here's the new bedroom!

I took the day off to be with Allison, and it was a good thing since we ended up moving Grandpa in that day - Chris ended up being home, too, since he had to go to the doctor for his lovely "issue" that NEVER goes away. Anyway, we all spent the morning together and then Allison and I went out to lunch with my Mom, Kevin, Chanel, Mark, and Mia at Taco Bell. Yummy! After lunch, we were supposed to go and pick up Grandpa, but Allison wasn't too interested in that and ended up spending the afternoon with Mark....which is her favorite thing to do!

That evening we had her birthday party at Walker Park. It was a Monday night, so I only invited immediate family (didn't want to mess up anyone elses family night). It was a beautiful day and we had a great time.

Here is Allison's birthday cake that Chanel made. It was so amazing and the little details were crazy! Strawberry Shortcake has never looked so good! Allison thought her cake was the coolest thing ever - thank you Chanel!

Allison posing with her cake...

She picked this out to wear on her birthday - we had a difficult time getting it to stay on.

I LOVE this picture!

We had pizza for dinner (her face just kept getting nastier as the night progressed - I guess that just shows what a great birthday it was for her).

And the kids LOVED the slide!

Time for the cake (it was so sad when I had to cut it up)..

Most of the kids at the party....Rose, Allison, Lacy, Mark, Mia, Kendall and Taylor.

Time for presents!

Thank you everyone for helping to make Allison's birthday so special. It was such a crazy day, and I was worried her birthday would be ruined with everything that was going on, but it turned out great. And the best part of it all is she now has a cousin who SHARES her birthday. Little Hailee was born to Tim and Julie right before Allison's party started - so we definitely had more than one reason to celebrate. Congrats guys!

On Friday I took Allison in for her 3-year checkup. Here are the stats:

Height - 39.5 inches - 95th percentile

Weight - 35 pounds - 90th percentile

They also took her blood pressure for the first time - which was adorable (104/60). Allison was so perfect for the doctor and it made me realize how grown up she is. The only problem was, I had them give her a flu shot, which I told Allison was just a "little" shot. Well, apparently it hurt a lot because she was crying and saying, "Mommy, that was NOT a little shot, that was really really BIG". Whoops! At least maybe now she won't get the flu.

We love our little girl so much - it is crazy how big she is getting. That kid talks so well and is so smart, it amazes me. I love having regular conversations with her and getting to know her personality so much more. Her baby sitter's daughter is in cheerleading, so that is her new thing and she knows about 4 different cheers and performs them for us NON-STOP. That kid of ours has her own mind for sure and is so independent! I know we have our work cut out for us!

Buddy Walk

This last weekend we did a buddy walk for my cousin, Sam, to help raise money for Down's Syndrome research. Julie came with me and Allison - we were trying desperately to get her to go into labor on Saturday - didn't work. We had a large showing from our family and although we didn't have the MOST people there supporting our buddy, we were probably in the top five. Here's our group:
It was really wet and rainy, but the rain pretty much stopped when we were actually walking.

Aren't Mark and Allison the cutest?

There was quite a bit of standing around and waiting until the walking began...

Allison and Sam are great buds!

Random Catch-Up

I finally uploaded the pictures from my camera and I PROMISE to start taking pictures again so that I don't get threats from "certain" people when I "borrow" their pictures.

Anyway, these pictures are from when we went hunting with Chris, his dad and his brother Tim. Allison is so so cute with me in the backseat of the truck and was entertained coloring for a long time!

The other day we went shooting with Kevin, Chanel, Heather and Daniel. I apparently only took one picture, but it was a good one of Kevin and Mark.

Oh, and I learned all about fire extinguishers the other day at work. Hopefully I will actually know how to use them because I got bored and started taking pictures of myself...you know me!