Nadeau Family

Final Catch-Up

2011-10-29T14:08:00.000-07:00

Man, that was a lot of blogging! Here are just some random pictures that really didn't go with the other posts, but I couldn't NOT post them!

Cute Girl!

I was making fun of how high she pulled up her shorts!

Little fashionista!

Out hunting with Daddy!

We decided Allison didn't need a queen size bed anymore, so we gave hers to someone who needed it more. We moved one of our guest beds into her room and did a little redecorating. She LOVES her new room and we love it, too.

So, you're thinking - why do you have a random picture of Allison drinking a Fruitista? A long time ago, we told Allison if she slept in her own bed by herself for 7 nights she would get a Pillow Pet. Well, she didn't do it, but she still got a Pillow Pet for her birthday or Christmas or something (yeah, I know, we're bad parents!). Anyway, after we redecorated Allison's room she has been sleeping in her own bed every night all by herself! We are so proud of her! We asked her what she wanted since she already had a Pillow Pet, and she said she wanted a Fruitista! I quickly ran out and got her one before she changed her mind - $2 is sure cheap compared to what she could have asked for!

And finally, these are my new favorite pictures of Chris and Allison. They are so cute together. The 2nd one if my favorite!

Creativity!

2011-10-29T13:43:00.000-07:00

I swear I am the most un-crafty person ever! But for some reason lately, I have been doing quite a few crafts! It's kind of crazy, but I'm really enjoying it.

A coworker of mine retired, and she said for her retirement, she wanted sunshine, lollipops and rainbows. Well, I took care of the lollipops and rainbow with this awesome lollipop tree! I didn't want to be skimpy, so I used tootsie pops in stead of dum dums - but that was a bad idea because this seriously weighed 15 pounds! Go big or go home, right??

I did lots of crafts for Super Saturday since I made most of the example crafts. This one was my favorite - it's actually spray painted pistachio's. Isn't it cute?

My dad grew pumpkins for all of the grand kids so Allison and I got to carve a pumpkin.

Heather really wanted to do a Halloween craft with our kids. Last Monday we got together and made these fun Q-Tip skeletons. They were pretty cute and Allison LOVED making them (so she made 3!).

Julie saw this cute idea for 2x4 pumpkins so we got together on Wednesday night with Heather and made these! Too cute!

And Allison's version, of course...

I think a lot of this increase in making crafts has to do with Pinterest! I LOVE it and have so many ideas for Christmas already!

Halloween

2011-10-29T13:24:00.000-07:00

It's not even Halloween yet and we've had so much fun already. Last night the primary put on a party and an indoor "trunk or treat". I had signed up for a room, but was not knowing how to make it cool. So my friend Heather told me she'd help me, but I had to dress up. Well, I didn't just dress up, I went all out! My own parents didn't recognize me! I had actually bought a matching costume for Allison so we could be twins, but she decided Bat Girl was cooler!

Allison and her buds!

Bat Girl and the Grim Reaper

The Grim Reaper was trying to give Bat Girl a kiss - but she wasn't having it.

Allison's Birthday - The Finale!

2011-10-29T13:19:00.000-07:00

Allison was very funny about her birthday this year. She was very specific with what she asked for - and a lot of the time it wasn't presents. From Chris & I she wanted manicures/pedicures. From her Aunt Sara, she wanted a red and white afghan. From her Grandma and Grandpa Nielsen, she wanted to go to Pullman to visit her cousins! Too funny. So last weekend the four of us loaded up and drove across the state so visit my brother and his family.

The first day we were there Becky had a meeting and my dad wasn't feeling well, so Brian, my Mom and I took the girls to the local science center.

The virtual haircut creeped my mom out!

Allison and Crystal

Brian trying out the haircut

That evening my dad still wasn't feeling well so the rest of us went to Ferdinand's - which is the creamery at WSU. They had YUMMY ice cream and we also got some famous cheese!

Abigail makes the cutest face when she says "cheese"

The next day we drove to Moscow and went to their farmer's market. There was so much yummy food to try! It was a lot of fun.

They even had toys to play on and a live band - Abigail decided to dance for the camera while the kids played behind her.

On the way home from Moscow we went to a place where they study Grisly Bears. We got to see TEN of them. So cool. Of course I didn't take any pictures...

The real reason we went to the farmer's market was to get some apples to make applesauce. They gave us a smokin' deal and we got a TON of apples. Brian and my dad did most of the processing for the ones Brian and Becky were keeping.

We had so much fun with my brother and his family. The kids got along well and we had a lot of fun. We also did a little shopping and got to go swimming - which is where Allison started swimming a lot more by herself. Thank you Brian and Becky for an AWESOME weekend (oh, and mom and dad, too for giving Allison the best birthday present ever!)!

Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-29T12:52:00.000-07:00

Brian & Becky came to visit a few weeks ago and we got to go to the pumpkin patch.

We got to go on a hay ride.

Walk through the pumpkin patch...

And go through a hay maze (Allison was a little scared)

It was a lot of fun and we were happy to get to go!

Allison - 5 year old Birthday Stats

2011-10-29T12:45:00.000-07:00

I took Allison to the doctor for her well child visit. We were trying to combine her Doctor's visit with her Kindergarten shots, but of course the shot lady called in sick (Julie ended up taking her the next week to get her shots - I promised her there was only one and there ended up being THREE!). She did so good with the doctor. For awhile there she had had so many bad experiences with the doctor (burns, stitches, gash on her head, etc) that she would cry when she had to go to the doctor. She did GREAT for this appointment.

Height - 3' 8" - 79%
Weight - 47 pounds - 86%

I was kind of surprised that she's only 79% for Height. I get comment after comment about how big she is for her age. And compared to a lot of kids just older than her, she is really big...but I guess she's just a little bit above average after all.

This was the first well child visit that we did a little bit more than just weight and measure her. I was concerned about a couple things, so she had her eyes checked and got to pee in a cup! I know, TMI, but sometimes I worry she has bad eye sight so I wanted that checked - she's fine, by the way. Also, sometimes it seems like she has to go to the bathroom every 20 minutes, so the doctor wanted to check that out, too - also fine. It does feel good not to have to worry abut those things now that we gotten them checked out with the doctor.

Sometimes I swear Allison is 5 going on 13. She seems like such a big girl and has a big girl attitude as well. Her knew favorite saying is "OMG" which just cracks me up. She also says "really Mom, really?". I am so grateful to have Allison in my life - she makes things so much fun and interesting. She's such a smart little girl and keeps us on our toes. I still can't believe she's 5 already. Where has the time gone?

Allison's Birthday - Party #3

2011-10-29T12:32:00.000-07:00

We had a combined party for Allison & Hailee with the Nadeau side. It was a fun night and great to see everyone!

Hailee & Allison blowing out their candles

Hailee enjoying her cupcake

Rose really like the birthday hat Allison got from her preschool

Silly BatGirl

There we go

Opening presents

Half Nadeau Clan...

...and the other half

Allison's Birthday - Party #2

2011-10-29T12:09:00.000-07:00

For Allison's actual birthday, I ended up taking the day off of work to spend some time with her. This year she chose that for her present she wanted manicures/pedicures. She understood that this meant no presents from her mom and dad - which she was totally okay with! Crazy girl. Since she shares her birthday with her cousin Hailee, we took Hailee and Julie with us to get pedicures.

After our pedicures, we went to the mall to find Allison a new birthday outfit (her "Uncle" B wanted to get her something). We went to Old Navy and Allison thought these "people" were awesome!

After that we went to the store to get snacks for her class and then we dropped Allison off at preschool. It was so nice to get to spend the day with my BIG girl!

Allison's Birthday - Party #1

2011-10-29T12:04:00.000-07:00

For Allison's birthday party with my family, we ended up going to Chuck E. Cheese last minute to celebrate. We were having a family get together that night anyway, so it worked out okay - even though come of her cousins still weren't able to make it :(

Kevin & Sam

Grandma Hannigan, Grandma Nielsen, My Mom, Aunt Lucy and Sara

Allison not wanting to pose for me.

Mark

Tessa and Hailee

Grandpa helping out with the kiddos

Sara

The very important self portrait of myself

Mia

Buddy Walk for Downs Syndrome

2011-10-29T10:06:00.000-07:00

The first Saturday in October is always the Buddy Walk for Downs Syndrome. We've made it a tradition to go each year and support our cousin Sam. They have lots of fun activities for the kids - face painting, balloon animals, etc. They even get to make a sign to support their "buddy". Unfortunately, by the time the actual walk started we had already lost a child and they were all a bit grumpy so we had to leave! We were glad we at least got to go for a little bit and support our buddy!

Sleepover!

2011-10-29T10:02:00.000-07:00

Now that her new cousins are officially adopted we were able to have a sleepover at our house! Allison cracks me up, because if she wants something she'll just ask for it. A few months ago she just went up to my sister and asked to stay the night at their house. Then a month or two later she went up to her again and asked if the girls could stay at our house! When did she get so forward? So far it's gotten her what she wanted and we had a great time with her cousins! Sorry about the crappy picture...

Preschool

2011-10-29T09:59:00.000-07:00

Allison started preschool last month. She was so excited (as you can tell by the picture)! I was actually surprised by her because she was very shy at the open house and played by herself the entire time. That is SO not Allison! But over the past month and a half she has definitely warmed up and made some friends - if only she could remember their names!

Swimming

2011-10-29T09:56:00.000-07:00

We were able to take Allison swimming quite a bit this summer. She sure loves the water and she is getting so much better at swimming. Just last week she started swimming a few feet by herself! I'm so proud of her and I know she can't wait until she can do it all by herself.

Puyallup Fair

2011-10-29T09:51:00.000-07:00

I have SO many pictures to post from the last couple months. Brace yourselves, because there are going to be A LOT of posts!

Towards the beginning of September Allison and I were invited to go to the fair with Kevin & his family and my parents. Actually, ALLISON was invited, but I invited myself and took the afternoon off from work! I'm so glad I did....

There were so many of us, it was hard to decide what to do while we were all together. In the end, my parents took off with Tessa to look at the animals. Chanel, Joe and Mark took off to go on the bigger kid rides. That left Kevin and I to take Mia and Allison around on the little kid rides. It worked out perfectly and everyone had a blast!

They both got butterflies painted on their arms.

Labor Day Weekend!

2011-09-07T09:28:00.000-07:00

Chris and I decided to make Labor Day weekend an extra long weekend and took an extra two days off - so a total of a 5-day weekend! It was desperately needed by both of us, and we are so grateful we made that decision.

Friday night Allison and I attended an Adoption party for my brand new nieces! We were sad we couldn't make it to the courthouse on Friday, but we did get to go to the party and celebrate with them. We are so excited for Addison and Paxton to be apart of our family!

Chris picked us up from Robin's house and from there we drove to Yakima. It was a long and dark drive, but we got there and met up with Jeremy, Melissa and Jared before relaxing and getting some sleep for our fun day on Saturday. Of course I brought my camera, but didn't take very many (any) pictures. Whoops!

Saturday, we got up and had breakfast and then the 6 of us floated down the Yakima River. This was a much different river than the one Chris and I went on a month ago. This is all class ones and a very relaxing float. It took about 4 1/2 hours and I am sure burnt! Nobody else got burned except me. I guess I'm just lucky - and not very smart because I didn't wear sunscreen! And of course I don't have any pictures to share because my waterproof camera wouldn't load for me - so much for remembering how to use 35mm film! It was just too confusing, but I'm going to blame it on the camera.

After floating down the river, we went back to the hotel and got cleaned up and then explored downtown Yakima a bit - and had some yummy dinner! Then we decided to relax and Chris and Jared played cards for awhile - I don't know how long because I passed out! I'm blaming it on the sunburn.

Sunday morning we got up and had breakfast and then Chris, Allison and I headed out. We explored Highway 12 a bit and stopped at a huge street fair in Packwood. So, these are basically the only pictures from the trip - when Allison got a hold of the camera!

I did finally take a picture when Allison was throwing a fit!

We got home and decided to relax a bit. Then after we were rested, we took a drive up the canal. My favorite drive in the area is along the water between Union and Hoodsport. So we headed out there for a drive and were going to let Allison play at Twanah State Park, but it was CRAZY busy! Then we decided to go and visit our friends that were camping about an hour away so we headed that direction. I got to hold the baby for a couple hours, Allison got to play with all the little girls, and Chris got to play a game with the boys. It was a lot of fun and we were glad we stopped by (except for the mosquito bites!). Then we headed back home and were excited to sleep in our own beds!

Monday morning Chris went out hunting and Allison and I slept in. Then Allison and I went over to my parent's for a little bit and then all three of us went and saw Spy Kids at the theater...definitely not my kind of movie, but Allison LOVED it.

Monday night we went to Tenino to watch Joe's football game. We picked up Jared on the way and we had a good time at the game. Afterwards we grabbed some dinner and headed home.

Tuesday we decided to go to Northwest Trek. First we stopped by Dave's work to wish him a happy birthday and then we headed out. I hadn't been to Northwest Trek since I was a kid and I had been wanting to go! Allison has gone like 4 times without me, but this was finally my turn!

The tram ride was a lot of fun and we saw a lot of animals!

Allison was sure excited!

Chris and Jared were excited, too - even though they wouldn't show it.

After the zoo we decided to head home and relax (I sure have said relax a lot, haven't I? That was kind of the purpose of our time off!). On the way home Allison decided to hang Jared's brand new hat out the window thinking she could hold on to it and tease him - well, she wasn't as strong as she thought and it ended up on the highway. We went back to get it and it looked pretty good - sitting just off the road so we thought it would be okay. Then a car decided to swerve and run over it totally on purpose! We still got it and Jared is still wearing it, but I felt horrible!

Tuesday night Allison and I relaxed at home while Chris went out hunting with his Dad. Today Chris is out fishing with his brother so Allison and I are getting some more relaxation in and I'm catching up on things...maybe we'll go to the park, who knows. It sure has been a nice 5 days off, I'm not looking forward to going back to work tomorrow!

All Caught Up!

2011-08-18T09:42:00.000-07:00

Well, after a few days of posting, I'm all caught up! Thank goodness...now just to keep up on it (which I think I will now that I've moved our computer to the guest room)...hopefully

Pool Party!

2011-08-18T09:41:00.000-07:00

Last night we had "scrapbooking" at my Aunt Jo Ann's house...which was actually a pool party! I love my Aunt Jo Ann's house and the kids do, too. Allison and I swam for probably 3 hours! I am exhausted today and I still can't hear out of one ear...but it was all worth it!

Allison "jumping" in - she's a bit timid!

And me throwing her!

Chanel and Tessa - Tessa didn't last long...

Some of the non-swimmers (Jo Ann, Grandma and Mom)

Some more non-swimmers (Sidse and Tessa)

Mia and Sara

Chanel and Kevin

Me and Allison under the waterfall

Little miss Allison

Mia

And this is how Tessa spent most of the night - eating food with Grandma!

And of course a self-portrait to finish the night!

Thank you Aunt Jo Ann! We had so much fun!!

Miss Fancy Pants!

2011-08-18T09:33:00.001-07:00

I don't even remember these pictures getting taken - Chris must have taken them. This is Allison before church last Sunday! She's so silly!

White Salmon River

2011-08-18T09:30:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went rafting on the White Salmon River. It was so much fun! Chris and I went with Jamie & Lance, Kevin & Chanel, and Joe. We had the best guide and the best group. I laughed so hard I had a sore throat the next day.

Anyway, I quickly bought a waterproof camera before we left. Not the greatest quality pictures, but that's okay.

Lance & Jamie getting ready for the trip.

Lance & Kevin

Jamie

Chanel

Kevin & Chris waiting for everyone to jump off the bridge

Me, of course!

Brian (our guide) and Joe

The last quarter mile of the trip Kevin decided to hop out and float down. So Lance, Chanel and I did, too. It was fun, but there's a reason why they have you wear wet suits! It was soo cold! I had to keep my arms and head out of the water - they were numb!

Our group!

And these pictures were taken by the rafting company, so they're a much better quality!

The three boys getting ready to "ride the bull"

Obviously I was a little shocked!

It was such a fun day! Thank you Jamie for coming up with the idea and for the rest of you convincing Chris to join us. Now I want to go rafting every weekend!

Hunting with Dad and Papa

2011-08-18T08:54:00.000-07:00

I have been really busy with Relief Society lately, so Allison has gotten to go out hunting with Dad and Papa a couple of times. I hear she's a bit whiney, but I think she really enjoys it..

Grandmpa/Allison Moment

2011-08-18T08:52:00.000-07:00

A friend of ours got married a couple weeks ago. Allison wanted to dance so bad...I just sent her on to Grandpa who was more than willing to dance with her. They were very cute together.

Madison Elizabeth

2011-08-18T08:50:00.000-07:00

Our friends had their baby on the 28th of last month. We got to go and see her in the hospital when she was a day old. Then we got to go over to their house and see her again when she was a week old. She is adorable and Allison has been praying for a baby brother or sister ever since. Yikes!

Zoo!

2011-08-17T07:50:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, Allison and I went to the zoo with some friends.It was nice to take a day away from work and spend some time with her. She had a BLAST! She has been going to the zoo a lot this summer. I think she's gone to Northwest Trek once and Point Defiance twice. I'm just glad I got to go with her one of those times....that girl sure is busy!

I promise she was having fun...she was probably just ticked about me taking a picture

The three kiddos

She spun around on this thing for probably 10 minutes. Crazy kid

Feeding the goats

Brushing the goats

Strollin' along...

Here she is riding on the camel....she totally didn't deserve this ride - she was such a brat waiting in line. But it's hard to take it away when you've spent $5! Worst mother ever, here...but she sure did enjoy it!

And then to finish off the day we went to Red Robin for lunch and the kids entertained us with some amazing dancing...

Library Card

2011-08-17T06:19:00.000-07:00

Allison got her very own library card! She is so proud of that thing. She put it right in her wallet (wouldn't let me hold on to it for her) and carries it around with her. I LOVE it! Now we just need our library to be done getting their new carpets so we can go and get more books!

Lakefair

2011-08-16T22:18:00.000-07:00

The weather wasn't so great for Lakefair this year, but we decided to tough it out anyway. My mom, Chris, Allison and I all decided to go and check out the fair and then watch the parade after...hoping the weather would hold out.....

Allison LOVED the rides! Should could not get enough of them...I hope she continues to enjoy rides so much.

Look, NO HANDS!

There was one ride they let me go on with Allison. The swings are always fun, and I thought we would enjoy this together. This first picture is of us getting ready to go and still looking fairly dry...

And then the rains came....it just started POURING while we were going. The operator said we could stop if we wanted, but Allison and I are DIE HARDS!

Seriously, we were soaked from head to toe!

But Allison still wanted to go on one more ride!

And then of course we had to eat!

And finally we made it to the parade, but we were so wet and miserable we only watched a couple of minutes. Allison wanted to stay, but I just couldn't handle being soaked any more. We actually went to Target and got new outfits for the both of us...good excuse, right??

Races!

2011-08-16T22:07:00.000-07:00

Every year we try and go to the races shortly after the 4th of July. They have a big fireworks show after the races, and of course we're all about the fireworks...

Laura's Baby Shower

2011-08-16T22:03:00.000-07:00

My friend Laura had a baby last month and at the beginning of the month a few friends and I threw her a baby shower. It was a lot of fun and Heather had the BEST games ever.

First there was "guess the melted candy bar in the diaper"

Obviously Jamie thinks this is a gross game.

Grandma Val

And the Mama....

We also played pin the sperm on the uterus and we had to figure out the baby names for different animals. It was lots of fun.

The Laura opened presents and we ate some treats.

I love baby showers! Gives us girls another chance to get together without the men! Hope you enjoyed yourself, Laura!

4th of July

2011-08-16T21:54:00.000-07:00

This year we had TWO 4th of July parties to attend. Independence Day is one of Chris' favorite holidays, so he was happy to celebrate it twice. The first party was at his Dad's with his family....I took a few pictures of us lounging around after the party was pretty much over...it was a fun afternoon for sure.

This is a miracle....Hailee sitting so close to Dave

Then we had a party at my parents. There were LOTS of people and lots of food and LOTS of fireworks. Of course I didn't take any pictures, but it was a fun night for everyone. It's nice we have so much family we get to hang out with...

Men's Softball

2011-08-14T17:56:00.000-07:00

Chris participated in a Men's Softball league this year. Of course I didn't take any pictures until the last game, and then I only took two and they weren't very good. But they had a lot of fun and I ended up keeping the score book for the games (hence the reason I was too busy to take pictures).

Pieper's Reception

2011-06-26T10:11:00.000-07:00

My cousin Pieper got married last week in Utah to a great guy named Derek. Last night they had a reception here in Washington. It was BEAUTIFUL. The Alexanders sure know how to throw a party. I honestly didn't see much of Allison, she was running around and rolling down hills - she was in heaven! Of course I didn't take very many pictures, but when the dancing started, I had to catch some of the action.

My dad and his grand-daughters. They love dancing with Grandpa.

Allison did NOT want to leave, she loved every minute of this party.

Of course I had to get a pictures of myself - notice the haircut? It was looking a little ragged after all the dancing, but I LOVE it.

Addison & Allison - cute cousins!

Congratulations Pieper & Derek! We wish you an eternity of happiness!

Brazilian Restaurant

2011-06-26T10:02:00.000-07:00

For Father's Day, I wanted to do something special for Chris. He is such a good Dad and has been working so much, it was time to take a break and do something fun. Since Allison had invited herself to a sleepover at my sister's (no joke, Allison is NOT shy about asking for what she wants), we decided to have a night out. Heather & Daniel came with us and we went to a Brazilian restaurant in Seattle. Daniel served his mission in Brazil, so he was able to give us the inside scoop on what to expect. It was so fun
and SO yummy. Not something we'll do very often (it was pretty pricey) but it was a nice break from our normal routine.

Don't worry, Chris really did have a good time, he's just a brat when it comes to pictures...

Heather & I....

Camping!

2011-06-12T14:17:00.000-07:00

We went on our second camping trip of the summer already! This weekend we did the annual Nadeau Family Wynoochie camping trip. Every year we go camping at Wynoochie the first weekend in June to fish for Steelhead. This year we ended up going the second weekend in June and didn't do a whole lot of fishing, but we had fun.

The weather was pretty overcast the entire time, but it didn't really rain. I'll take that for sure. And it definitely didn't keep Allison from enjoying the water.

Isn't it beautiful up there?
Hailee and Tim...

Allison is crazy! She did this twice while we were up there - started out by throwing rocks and then ended up getting soaked. Crazy kid.

And probably the funniest part of the trip was when we were relaxing by the lake and Allison came up to me with something in her hand. I looked at it and once I realized what it was I freaked! It was a USED tampon. She wanted me to hold it, but I made her throw it down and immediately go and wash her hands. The really fun part was explaining to her what it was used for. SO GROSS!!!

We did do a little fishing. These guys sure do look comfortable for fishing, but Brenda did catch a fish and ate it.

Chris and Allison decided to tough it out on the rocks. Allison fished with Chris for probably an hour. Too cute.

One day Allison was SUPER tired, but didn't want to take a nap. So I cuddled her in my lap and amazingly she fell asleep. This hasn't happened in awhile and I LOVED it.We also drove up to Wynoochie falls to explore. I hadn't been up there before, and it was pretty cool.

Here's a wide angle shot of the falls to the left and Chris and Allison to the right. If you'll look above them, you can see Brenda and the boys. They were crazy, and it was a good thing Brenda was with them or the would have continued climbing.

It was a great weekend and a fun trip. Now back to reality tomorrow! At least the camping stuff is all put away and the laundry is almost done. Time to relax!!

A Sunny Saturday (Finally)!

2011-06-05T08:55:00.000-07:00

The weather has been so dreary this year, I think everyone in the Northwest was ecstatic to finally have a sunny Saturday (I know Allison and I were). Daddy had to work, so we decided to have a fun morning together - painted nails, wore makeup, etc. Allison was adorable! We decided to go and watch Mark play soccer. He is such a little stud.

Allison and Mia had lots of fun while Mark was playing soccer.

We spent the afternoon at Kevin's house and then we all went to my parent's for a campfire. It was a great day and I hope we have many more sunny ones to come!

Memorial Day Weekend

2011-06-05T08:20:00.000-07:00

We decided to make our Memorial Day Weekend into a 4-day weekend and go camping at Fort Stevens State Park in Oregon. We went with our good friends Logan & Laura.

Kason, Allison and Chris around the campfire (I don't know where she gets that attitude)
We had gotten Allison a bike on my birthday, and then the day we were leaving we got me a bike as well so that I could ride with Allison while we were camping. Chris noticed all the fun we were having and decided he needed one, too. So, by the end of our camping weekend, all three of us had bikes and are excited to go riding a lot in the future.

On Sunday, Chris' Dad, Brenda and the kids stopped by the campground. We decided to check out the Fort Stevens Historical Site - and since it was Memorial Day Weekend, there were lots of activities going on.

Allison and her Papa Dave

The "group"

There were a lot of bunkers - some had lights and some didn't. Allison was NOT okay with them and thought they were scary.

Logan, Chris, Kason and Allison checking out the old guns...

Allison (with Kason peeking from behind)

Allison and Kason - they were great buds for "most" of the the weekend.

Chris and Allison being silly.

Allison slowly learned to enjoy the bunkers and then she wanted to go in EVERY one. That kid cracks me up.

They were shooting off old cannons. Allison was a good little girl and plugged her ears...

Posing by an old jeep.

And finally, on the trip home - Allison decided she needed to wear my helmet to be safe. Silly girl.

And not long after...she was asleep. That weekend wore us all out!

Kelly's Birthday

2011-06-05T08:06:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I turned 29 this year! Time is flying by so fast. Next year I'll be 30! That is just plain crazy.

The Friday night before my birthday, I went out with some friends. Heather had the entire night planned out and didn't let me know what was going on. It turned out to be a lot of fun. Things got crazy right from the start!

Julie, Jamie and Kathleen Heather and Kelly

First thing - of course - dinner at the Spaghetti Factory!

Our waitress found out it was my birthday and took it upon herself to sing to me. Ugh. I hate that. But I smiled through it all :)

After dinner Heather had a scavenger hunt planned. It had all kinds of crazy things for me to do, and it also gave the other ladies the chance to think of something and have me do it. Jamie decided to have me jump in a fountain in downtown Tacoma. Heck, I'm not the kind of girl not to take on a challenge!

I was also told to hop up on this statue - and the other ladies jumped in the picture as well..

We did lots of other stuff, too - walked down the street like a gangster, danced in the back of the truck, "attempted" doing a cartwheel - and all kinds of other stuff. It was a GREAT night. Thank you so much ladies.

On my actual birthday, I went out with Chris & Allison and my Mom & Sidse. We had a fun night and we ended up buying Allison a bike (happy birthday to Allison?). She's so spoiled, but she LOVES her new bike and I love watching her ride.

Miranda's Birthday

2011-06-05T07:53:00.000-07:00

I LOVE our neighborhood. We have lots of fun together. In May, we went out to celebrate Miranda's birthday. It was a lot of fun. Heather had decided she was crocheting Miranda a little stuffed dog, so I thought that I should crochet her something, too. Well, I decided on this hat that seemed pretty cool, and since I only had ONE day to get it done, I got started. Let's just say it didn't turn out as "cute" as the pattern looked. It was HUGE. But, I thought it was pretty funny so I gave it to her anyway, and I quickly made these little fingerless gloves that were pretty cute so she would at least have something kind of cool. We had a lot of fun with that hat!

I think Carly enjoyed modeling it more than Miranda did.
Miranda with her presents...Carly, Heather and Laura - I love that Laura is the only "normal" one!

Thanks for inviting me out, ladies!

Easter

2011-04-26T21:13:00.000-07:00

I swear every holiday gets more and more fun as Allison get older. The excitement just rubs off on you, I think. Easter was a lot of fun for us this year.

On Saturday, we were invited to Papa and Brenda's house for an Easter hunt. Allison had a blast playing with her cousins and friend Lilly. Don't mind Allison's outfit - she dressed herself and thought she looked fancy!
Checking out her loot....

She was a very happy girl...

The group...

Little Hailee had a little too much sugar...

On Sunday, Allison woke up and the Easter bunny had left her a basket. We went to church and then afterwards had dinner with my family. She got to have ANOTHER Easter egg hunt after dinner at Uncle Kevin's house. That girl sure was spoiled this year. We tried to explain the true meaning of Easter, but it sure was difficult with all that sugar distracting her! We will work on that a little more next year...

Fun at the Park!

2011-04-26T21:06:00.001-07:00

Allison and I have gone to the park a couple of times in the last few weeks - trying to enjoy the little sun we've been getting. Allison LOVES the park, and it is so much fun for me to watch her.

She is amazing on the swings (probably because she gets so much practice at Grandpa's house). I just have to give her a little push to get started and she can get herself so high it is almost scary.

She loves hanging on the bars and even learned a new trick (video in the last post). She is such a little monkey!

The tire swing is one of her favorite toys...

Allison's ability to make friends is amazing to me - this girl is not shy in the slightest... We love the park!

New Trick!

2011-04-26T21:06:00.000-07:00

Craziness

2011-04-26T20:52:00.000-07:00

Kevin had a birthday on April 9th. We had a family get together to celebrate...
Unfortunately I didn't take too many pictures of the birthday party, but we had a little bit of fun with the camera...

Joe (Chanel's brother) got in on the action as well....

And then Chanel had to top us all....

Allison being crazy is still adorable...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KEVIN!!

Out and About

2011-04-08T16:50:00.000-07:00

The other day we were hanging out with our friends Logan & Laura and decided to go for a drive and hopefully find a spot for a picnic. We ran into a beautiful herd of elk (the only stinkin' animals we saw on the drive). We love going out in the woods where we are driving slow and don't have to wear our seat belts. Allison and I have LOTS of fun!

Daddy wouldn't let us take a NORMAL picture of him...

So then Allison had to copy it, too...

Bu the way, I LOVE Allison's haircut. She looks so grown up.

So, we finally got up to Lake Wynoochie where we were going to have a picnic and it decided to RAIN. Dang it! It had been off and on all day - we should have known better. Oh well, we still made do with what we had!

She's Getting So Big!

2011-04-01T05:36:00.000-07:00

Aaaah, I'm finally caught up! Feels SO good. I can finally check this off of my to do list! As I was going over our pictures for the past few months, it really hit me how big my little girl is getting. Sometimes I wish she would just SLOW down so we don't have to deal with those teenage years. Allison has begun writing her name. It's so cute. Most of the time it doesn't look this nice - she likes to write it backwards sometimes. But I can't believe she is old enough to be figuring out letters - school is coming SO fast. Such a big girl!

She LOVES to put puzzles together. We do it on a regular basis. One night my mom and I went to WalMart and my mom got her this puzzle for $3.50. It's actually three puzzles that increase in difficulty, but then fit together when they're done. When we got home it was pretty late, but she insisted on doing the puzzle. Seriously - best $3.50 ever spent - she was so proud of herself.

One day she visited me at work for about 45 minutes before I took her to her dentist appointment. She was so well-behaved I was amazed. Just sat at my desk and drew so quietly.

Chris & I are so grateful every day for this little girl we've been blessed with. Sometimes it's hard to think we may not be blessed with another child, but I think we've both come to terms with it and are so happy to have been given Allison. She makes life so much fun and so entertaining. We have truly been blessed.

The BIG Haircut!

2011-04-01T05:26:00.000-07:00

It was time! Allison and I had been wanting to cut her hair for some time. It was long and beautiful, but just no fun to brush. Allison would cry every time and I would try to be gentle, but there was no way. I guess I really shouldn't complain - she had the easiest hair to maintain - even if we didn't brush it, it still looked nice - just hung the way it was supposed to. But Allison and I were done with it. It was a continual fight with Chris who absolutely did not want us cutting her hair. Well, randomly one day he said he was okay if we got it cut - I mean, it was out of the blue! Thank goodness I had the next day off of work and we quickly had it done before he changed his mind! Of course, when we were finally about to do it, Allison decided to get scared and didn't want to do it. A little bribing goes a long way and we ended up getting it done. The first step - getting rid of this LONG pony tail. At this point I started to have a bit of a panic attack. I was thinking - oh my gosh, what have I done? Her hair was so beautiful, and I just chopped it off!

But after she was done, she was so happy. Look at all that hair we chopped off!

A few days later, we did a little photo shoot at home. I LOVE her haircut. At first I wasn't so sure because it's a bit choppy in the back and she looks so much OLDER now. But it has definitely grown on me and makes getting her ready for things so much easier. Don't mind the jammies in the pictures...

Doesn't she look old? Too stinkin' cute!

Swimming Lessons

2011-04-01T05:17:00.000-07:00

We decided it was time to put Allison in swimming lessons. She absolutely loved it. It helped that she had three little friends doing the class with her. The first couple of lessons she had a really hard time getting her face wet - I don't think she liked the water in her eyes. We worked on it a little bit when she took a bath one night, and after a couple of lessons she caught on! You could tell she still didn't like it, but she did it anyway. My favorite part about watching her swim was the way she pointed her toes so delicately when she was kicking - that girl is a dancer at heart, I swear.

She did pretty well and passed the first level. We were going to start her in level 2, but decided we needed a little break from twice-a-week lessons. The last time they met, the kids got to dive off the diving board. Allison, of course, was a bit timid at first, but then wanted to jump over and over again.

Chris Turns 29!

2011-03-31T21:10:00.000-07:00

For Chris' birthday this year, he decided he wanted to have a few people over for cake & ice cream. Well, a few people in our families turns in to quite the crowd. Our house is definitely NOT big enough, but we had a lot of fun. Ridge & Tessa. Such CUTE babies! Little miss Hailee (and Julie hiding behind her child - tsk tsk)

The birthday boy (doesn't he looked thrilled?)

Kevin!

The Beck Family (Daniel, Heather & Ridge)

Now he's starting to look happier (oh wait, that's money in his lap - of course he looks happy)!

Mr. Mark!

The CROWD.

Time for birthday cake! Chris was very specific with his cake this year. A couple days before the party, he asked how good I was at making cakes! He wanted a chocolate layered cake with chocolate frosting and raspberry filling. WHAT!?! I am not a talented cake maker/decorator. I ended up relying on my amazing sister-in-law Chanel to take care of it for me. She's the BEST! And it was beautiful.

Cutting the cake....

Must be good....

Justin, Dave & Brenda

Wasn't the cake pretty?

Joe looks thrilled!

I put Heather in charge of pictures....she and Allison decided to have a little fun with the camera.

Love you Heather (be grateful I didn't post them all)!

The party turned out great, and even though our house is WAY too small for that many people, I think Chris was really appreciative to all of those that came and celebrated his day with him. Happy Birthday, Chris!

Kendall's Big Night!

2011-03-31T21:03:00.000-07:00

Well, Kendall had lots of big nights, but this was the big night that Allison and I got to witness. Kendall was in a production of Alice in Wonderland at the Washington Center for the Performing Arts. Allison and I made it a Mommy/Daughter night. We went out to dinner and the show. It was so much fun. I love that as Allison gets older we can do more are more together. Allison has always loved Alice in Wonderland since for a long time she thought it was called Allison Wonderland. She loved every minute of the play. During intermission Allison and a few other little girls started a little dance party. It was so stinking cute - my child is NOT shy at all. We took Kendall home after the show - so while we waited for her to finish up, Allison (of course) decided to dance around in front of the theater. I really need to get this girl into lessons... Great job Kendall!

Sidse's Birthday

2011-03-31T20:59:00.001-07:00

Sidse had a birthday back in February. I'm trying to remember how it went. I think the Sunday we were supposed to celebrate her birthday everyone (meaning Kevin & Robin's families) got sick. So I decided we needed to celebrate it anyway and made up a batch of cupcakes and a not so yummy dinner (I did the best with what I had, okay?). It was a fun night with such a small group - Allison always loves being the only kid around (there's much more attention on her). Doesn't Sidse look like she LOVES her cupcakes?

Allison sure does love her Grandpa.

Grandma Nielsen - always beautiful.

Sara - not so happy about a camera in her face.

Mom - always avoiding the camera.

Crazy Allison & Mommy.

I don't remember what Sidse got for her birthday...

So then the next week when people were feeling better we had another party. Sara made a birthday cake out of hostess cupcakes - Tessa sure liked that idea.

Happy Birthday, Sidse (two months later!)

Uriah's Birthday (Continued)

2011-03-31T20:55:00.000-07:00

And a video of the lovely dancing (Allison's a bit bossy - I have no idea where she got it from).

Uriah Turned 1

2011-03-31T20:31:00.001-07:00

Little Uriah had his FIRST birthday back in January. He's such a cutie. I love that Allison is both a Mommy's girl and a Daddy's girl. These three cousins - Lacy, Allison & Rose - get along so well. After the party, they just danced and danced on the stage at the church. It was pretty darn cute.

Buds!

And while the girls danced, the boys shot some hoops....aren't they so macho?

Snow Days

2011-03-31T20:27:00.001-07:00

We had a few snow days this year. This was back in January. Allison LOVED playing out in the snow - especially when her buddy Daniel would pull her around on his sled. Daddy and Allison made snow angels while Sammy watched on....

She was pretty worn out, but had a blast.

2010 Wrap-Up

2011-01-08T16:31:00.000-08:00

Phew! I'm so glad I finally got our blog updated. It's been a busy few months. Will life ever slow down? I'm always thinking that as soon as "something" happens, things will get easier, but then "something" else always comes up. I think that deep down I like life crazy and busy. Makes things more fun that way.

2010 was a great year. We've been in our house 2 1/2 years now and it definitely feels like home. We have great plans on fixing up the house in 2011 - which makes me REALLY excited. That darn family room won't been here soon enough!

I'm really excited for this new year and all the opportunities that it holds. Things are a little scary with my job, but I know we will make it through and things will work out. So time to start paying off bills NOW and get prepared. Hopefully, anyway.

I have some things I would like to accomplish this year and get off my "list". Should be a good year!

New Years Eve

2011-01-08T16:18:00.000-08:00

This year for New Years we had a party at Tim & Julie. Myself - I showed up in sweats and a sweatshirt, but we had to have some fun and get Allison all fancied up!

DIVA!

Crazy girl!

These kids played "family" most of the night. All of them made it until midnight! Crazy kids.

Christmas Day

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

Christmas was amazing this year! Having a 4-year-old to enjoy the season with made it so much fun.
Our Christmas Tree - we probably won't ever have a real one again since it causes havoc with Allison's asthma. But this was probably one of our prettiest trees, so it was a good one to go out on....sad day!

Allison was so much fun to watch open her presents this year. Every little thing was so exciting.

I LOVE this face!

Can you say spoiled? I was pretty spoiled as well this year. Chris and I were NOT supposed to get presents for each other, but he got me a brand new camera! I was so surprised and excited. I LOVE it. He got the EXACT one I had been drooling over - how the heck did he know? Now my pictures will be of a much better quality. Too bad I only got Chris socks. Poor guy!

After we opened presents, we headed over to my parent's house to open presents there and then hang out most of the day and have dinner. Always a good time!

She's looking a little worn out!

Christmas is so much fun!

Christmas Eve

2011-01-08T15:40:00.000-08:00

The Nadeau Family always has a big Christmas Party on Christmas Eve. This year we got to host it at our house. I just can't help but take charge and be a hostess. I think it might be my calling in life. Anyway, it was a great party, and if we get to do it again next year hopefully we will have a new family room and then everyone will be a little bit more comfortable (our house is a bit small for 16 people).
Chris is looking really excited - he can't wait for this party to start. Oh wait, is that an XBox controller in his hand? I guess he's actually just annoyed I'm interrupting his game :)

So, in stead of interrupting Chris, Allison and I took some self portraits while we waited for everyone to arrive. That's my girl!

When Dave and Brenda came, the three little girls (Lacey, Rose & Allison) decided to help Dave get all dressed up for the party.

Once the party got swinging, there wasn't a whole lot of time to take pictures. There was a LOT of food and we were all pretty well stuffed.

Allison looks like she had her fill!

Tim & Julie...

Jeremy, Melissa & Jared....

Carolyn....

Allison opening a present...

Hailee with her AWESOME hair-do.

It was a great night! We loved having everyone over and celebrating the holiday.

Mommy Daughter Date

2011-01-08T15:36:00.001-08:00

Time to catch up! A few days before Christmas, Allison and I went out to dinner - just the two of us. Let's just say she had a good time!

Gingerbread Cookies

2010-12-06T18:37:00.001-08:00

We decorated cookies as a family tonight. Chris is amazing with his snowman. I am pathetic with my Santa (the picture makes it look better than it actually was). Needless to say I am not an artist. And finally, Allison's Santa....I think she was hungry.

Winter Parade

2010-12-04T21:57:00.001-08:00

Allison and I went to the Shelton Parade this evening. We parked at Sara's house and the three of us walked over. It wasn't the most exciting parade, but Allison sure enjoyed it.

Something new...

2010-12-04T21:53:00.001-08:00

Our new mode of transportation. I think I'm in love.

Happy Halloween

2010-10-31T17:50:00.001-07:00

It's been a fun Halloween this year. Allison knew months ago that she wanted to be a witch...so her costume was pretty easy. My sister made the dress probably 7 years ago and Allison loves it.

This year we went to my brother's ward party Saturday and then a party at my brother's tonight. We have had way too much candy, but lots of fun.

Gearing up for Halloween

2010-10-28T20:28:00.000-07:00

My mom & dad have these two little guys at their house - Allison thought it was awesome that they were her size! Too cute.

MIAMI

2010-10-28T19:43:00.000-07:00

I had the AMAZING opportunity to go to Miami last weekend with my brother Kevin & his wife Chanel. Kevin had some sort of dental conference to attend, and I went to keep Chanel company while he was in class. It was definitely hard to be away from my husband and child for 5 days, but I loved getting to take a little break from reality and try something new.
This is the beautiful view from our hotel room. We stayed at an awesome resort with something like 2 golf courses, a huge spa, two pools - 1 with a waterfall, a lazy river, a water slide, private beach, etc. It was great! You almost didn't even need to leave!

The first night we headed down to south beach and I had my first experience with the Atlantic Ocean. Man, it was warm! And so pretty.

This was the pool with the waterfall. We enjoyed spending the 2nd day laying out by the pool while Kevin was in class. We ordered food while we bathed in the sun. That is the life!

The 2nd night we took a boat tour and saw the city that way. So fun!

The 3rd day we went on an air boat ride in the Everglades. So cool!

Sorry about the pictures! All I had was my phone...and obviously I am a little self-absorbed because all of the pictures are of me and NONE of Kevin and Chanel. Whoops! I'll have to remember to be better next time.

This trip was great, and I am so glad Kevin and Chanel invited me along. Such a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I will never forget!

Allison Turns 4 - Doctor's Visit - 10/7

2010-10-28T19:29:00.000-07:00

Well, after all the exciting parties were done, Allison had to go and visit her doctor to get all measured up. These were the results:

Height - 3' 5 1/2" (83rd Percentile)
Weight - 40 lbs (84th Percentile)
Blood Pressure - 102/62 (so cute when they do this!)

Our little girl is growing up big and strong. She is such an amazing little thing, and she brings so much joy to our lives! A few weeks ago my parents took Allison with them to visit my brother for a couple of days. Chris & I were hanging out one night while she was gone and we were so BORED not having her there with us. She just brings so much energy and excitement. It's hard to remember what it was like before we had her!

Allison has quite the little personality. She is NOT shy AT ALL! She introduces herself to everyone she sees and tells us that every little girl she meets is her best friend. I LOVE how comfortable she is with people (although I wish she was a little less comfortable with strangers). She is such a people person sometimes I wonder how she came from Chris & I.

Allison is such a little smarty. Sometimes in a bad way! She remembers everything and can get quite a little attitude when she knows she's right. She pays so much attention to everything that is going on around her. The other day I realized she new her right from her left - and we'd only worked on that a couple of times but she remembers everything. She'll bring up things that happened months ago and she's always exactly right as to how things happened.

We love our little miss Allison and couldn't imagine life without her. She is such a blessing to us and we are so grateful for every minute we get to spend with her. HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALLISON!

Allison Turns 4 - Party #3 - 10/5

2010-10-28T19:23:00.000-07:00

Allison had some great parties this year. We did one party with the Nadeau's, one party with the Nielsen's, and then I wanted to do something special on her actual birthday. The original plan was for Chris & I to take her out to Red Robin and then to a movie - but unfortunately there were NO movies that she would have enjoyed in the theater. So, Plan B - Julie & I took Allison and her friend Gabby (and Hailee) to go and get pedicures and then out to dinner. What a fun experience!
Allison was so excited she could hardly sit still for the lady!

Little miss Gabby looking so chill!

The two buds...they had a great time!

After we got our toes done, we went out to Allison's favorite restaurant - Red Robin - for dinner.

Gabby doesn't look too excited, but she was showing off the beautiful hand painting she got at the nail salon.

Allison was very focused on her ice cream!

Allison Turns 4 - Party #2 - 10/3

2010-10-28T18:46:00.000-07:00

We also had a birthday party with my side of the family. It was a pretty laid back event. Allison and I got to my parent's house really early and Kendall decided to go all crazy decorating the house. It was pretty awesome. We had a "Halloween" theme since it's so close to the holiday.
She made bags for each of the cousins to collect their candy from the pinata. Very creative!

She made a ghost for the front entry.

After dinner we had a pumpkin pinata. The kids thought it was a lot of fun.

Allison looking very serious

Kendall trying to find the darn thing...

Cute little Mia...

Marko's got this!

Taylor taking a turn

And finally....Chris finishing it off (if you'll look closely you'll notice Grandma running for her life!)

And don't forget Tessa!

Allison got so many amazing presents for her birthday. That kid is spoiled!

She is OBSESSED with her pillow pet (we made her wait SIX months before she actually got it)

And finally...CAKE!

Allison Turns 4 - Party #1 - 10/1

2010-10-28T18:34:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe that little miss Allison is FOUR! How did that happen? She is now lucky enough to share her special day with her little cousin Hailee. I actually really enjoy that the two of them have the same birthday, because we get to have one big Nadeau party for the both of them.
This is the picture Julie took to put on their invitation.

Allison was ready for this party to start!

All four girl cousins!

It was a fun party and it was great to get together as a family!

Buddy Walk - 10/2

2010-10-27T06:18:00.000-07:00

Check it out! We've actually made it to October...I may actually be getting close to being caught up.

The first Saturday in October there's always a Buddy Walk for kids with Downs Syndrome. My cousin Sam has Downs Syndrome so we always go to supports him (well, this is the 2nd year, anyway). It was a lot of fun and had so many activities for the kids - face painting, magicians, balloon artist, etc. Then we get to walk a mile, I think - which was just lovely since Allison was on my shoulders the entire time. Unfortunately, Allison hadn't been getting much sleep around this time and was a bit of a handful that day. Oh well, I made her get pictures anyway!
I believe in this picture she was crying because I messed up the firework painted on her hand. I just told her it exploded because that's what fireworks do, but apparently that still wasn't okay with her - whoops!

My nieces Kendall and Taylor did my face painting. Taylor did the butterfly and Kendall did the Spider.

Trip to Bremerton - 9/25

2010-10-27T06:14:00.000-07:00

Allison's buddy Kason (who actually is Gabby's cousin) turned 3 in September. His birthday party was in Bremerton and we were excited to go. There was only one problem - Chris had to work that day (in Bremerton) and we only have one car. So, Allison and I decided that we would just take the bus to Bremerton and then Chris brought us home after the party. Everyone thought I was crazy, but Allison absolutely LOVED getting to ride on the bus, and it was kind of nice not to actually have to drive for that hour.

She was so excited to ride the bus, I think we may have to do that more often - cheap entertainment!

I didn't actually take any pictures of the party - silly me, I know. But it was a GREAT party with tons of yummy food!

Gabby's Party - 9/20

2010-10-27T06:09:00.000-07:00

Little miss Gabby turned 5 in September! We were lucky enough to be invited to her birthday party. Allison kept insisting that Gabby was her cousin, and after while I gave in and told her that she's close enough!

Gabby's mom owns a pizza restaurant, so that's where we had the party. It was a lot of fun and all of the kids had their OWN pizza to make and put as many toppings on as they wanted. Such a good party, and Allison had a blast.

One of the machines at the restaurant is full of mustaches. All of the kids ended up with one and posed for pictures - pretty darn cute!

Jeremy & Melissa Get Married - 9/10

2010-10-27T06:04:00.000-07:00

Jeremy and Mellisa got married back in September! They've been together about the same amount of time that Chris & I have been together, so it feels like they've always been married - but now it's official! I was horrible about taking pictures at the wedding, but I LOVED the little outfit we got for Allison, so that's really all I have pictures of. She was a little rocker chick!

Movie Day - 9/7

2010-10-27T05:58:00.000-07:00

Once a month I get "laid off" at work - although it sounds bad, it's just for one day each month. Although I sure don't like the smaller paycheck, I do enjoy the extra day off. On our layoff day in September I decided to do a mommy/daughter day since daddy was at work. Sometimes I feel like Allison and I don't get enough alone time, so I like to take her out on special dates just the two of us.

I can't remember all that we did, but I believe we went shopping (probably picking up MORE supplies for Super Saturday), and then we went a saw a movie - Despicable Me, I believe. It was in 3D, so she thought the glasses were pretty cool, but the movie didn't keep her attention too well.
After the movie we went out to lunch at her favorite restaurant - Red Robin. Then, we took a bit of a drive and picked up daddy from work. It was a fun day!

Fishing - 8/30

2010-10-27T05:50:00.000-07:00

I'm back and I had a blast - I'll post on that later.

Back in August Chris & I took Allison fishing with his brother Jeremy. We love to go out to Fawn Lake - I don't know why we don't do it more often - Allison loved it, too!
She was all about the worms. Crazy girl!

And she started to get pretty good with her little fishing pole. Only problem was she just wanted to keep casting and not wait to see if she could catch a fish.

Chris got a couple fish on and let Allison reel them in. She loved it, but was pretty disappointed when Daddy said we had to let them go...

Allison and her Uncle Jeremy

Allison and her Mommy - she's just too cute I want to gobble her up!

Updates Will Have To Wait

2010-10-20T10:19:00.001-07:00

I had planned on getting the blog totally updated by today but with a slow computer and busy schedule, it didn't get done. So, it will have to wait until next week when I return from MIAMI!

Family Gathering

2010-10-19T06:03:00.000-07:00

My cousin Jacob came home from his mission in August. He was in the area all of like 24 hours or something like that before being driven off to college. So we had a quick little Hannigan family gathering to see him home and wish him well at school.

Kevin & I biked over to my Aunt's house - something like 8 miles. It was a lot of fun, but I sure didn't look pretty during the party.

My mom and two of her sisters (we miss you Aunt Mary Jane!) practicing their exercises to get rid of their "cankles". Aren't they cute?

My Grandma and my cousin Laura.

My Uncle Al, Uncle Steve, and cousin Jacob.

It was a fun night and always great to get together with the family!

Wow!

2010-10-18T19:58:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I haven't posted since August. I just meant to get on and post about Allison's birthday, but I have a lot of catching up to do.

Back in August - the Nadeau family went camping at Staircase. It was a lot of fun - we went hiking, relaxed, played games, and all sorts of stuff. I mostly spent a lot of time relaxing in the tent - sometimes we just need a bit of relaxation, right?

Anyway, it was a great weekend - it is so nice to have family we enjoy spending time with!

Fun Weekend

2010-08-08T15:55:00.000-07:00

Last Friday was my second "Furlough Day" for work, so I ended up having Lacy & Rose over Thursday night and Friday night so that David and Carolyn could enjoy their 10th anniversary. We had a fun time. On Friday I decided to give them matching hair styles. They were pretty cute.

On Saturday, we went to Mark's Primary Activity so the girls would have something more fun to do than hang out at my house. There was a cupcake making station and all the kids got to decorate their own cupcakes and then eat them - yummy!

Mark & Allison

Mark

Allison

Rose

Lacy

After the primary party I took the girls out to lunch at McDonalds before handing them back off to their parents. Overall, it was a pretty good weekend and I'm not ready to go back to work tomorrow...

Fireworks Night at the Races

2010-07-12T08:41:00.001-07:00

For the last three years Chris and I have gone to the Grays Harbor Raceway for their Fireworks night in July. The races are so much fun to watch and then the fireworks afterwards are amazing. The first year we went with just the two of us, but each year we have convinced more and more people to come with us. It's pretty fun. I didn't get any pictures of the actual races....I would much rather take pictures of myself, right?

Lake Cushman

2010-07-12T08:27:00.000-07:00

It's been such nice weather, that we randomly decided to have a picnic dinner at Lake Cushman on Friday night. It was a lot of fun and I ate WAY too much!
Here's the whole crew (minus me and Chris)

Ahhhh...there he is.

Don't those brothers look happy?

Oops - Daddy gave her a taste of cheese!

Allison and I waded out to a rock...it was pretty fun.

Hailee decided she was okay with the water.

Getting back to shore...

She's a Big Girl!

2010-06-28T15:38:00.001-07:00

My little cutie just learned how to swing on her own yesterday. She needs a little help getting started, but then she can keep herself going by pumping her legs. Too cute. Only problem was she couldn't go high enough on her own....so there was a bit of a tantrum when the newness wore off and she wanted someone to push her. Oh well.

5K Continued

2010-06-12T22:06:00.001-07:00

My mom has been walking with me pretty much every day and it has been a lot of fun. We had a good time today doing the 5K together. And Taylor was a trooper and didn't complain at all (that's something I definitely can't say about Allison).

5K

2010-06-12T21:59:00.003-07:00

So I did my first 5K today. I totally walked the entire thing and my mom and I pretty much came in dead last, but it was a ton of fun. That is something I would definitely like to do again in the future as I continue to get in better shape and maybe actually run one some day.

So we walked over three miles this morning and then I was bored tonight so Heather and I walked another 2.6 miles or so. It feels so good to be getting out and exercising every day. I really plan on keeping this up and having a healthier life.

What the heck?

2010-06-11T18:40:00.001-07:00

Seriously!?! These kids were outside two minutes and their shirts were already off.

First Dentist Appointment

2010-06-10T13:57:00.001-07:00

So, I'm going to admit it right now and say I'm the worst mother ever. I am horrible about brushing Allison's teeth. A few weeks ago I noticed a dark spot on one of her molars and knew I had failed my child! Sure enough she had a cavity. Thank goodness my brother decided to become a dentist because we were able to get it done quickly with only minimal screaming on Allison's part. Sure she struggled a little bit but overall I was impressed with how she handled it.

Oh...and believe me I brush that kid's teeth every single night now. I've learned my lesson!

Wynoochie continued....

2010-06-10T11:56:00.001-07:00

Allison brought her bat and ball camping last weekend and the kids had a great time playing in the field. When did my kid get so grown up?

Wynoochie Lake

2010-06-10T11:52:00.001-07:00

Once again we had our annual Nadeau Family camping trip to Wynoochie lake the first weekend in June. Not too many family members came, but we had a lot of friends from church come up and we had a really good time.

Chris and I get made fun of because it seems like every time we go camping we end up at Wynoochie. We can't help it - its so quiet and peaceful and BEAUTIFUL. Gotta stick with what you know is good, right?

Tim and Julie have moved to town!

2010-06-10T11:50:00.001-07:00

We are so excited that Tim and Julie bought a home in Shelton. They only live a few blocks away from us so Allison and I walk over there constantly! And Allison is even more excited because Julie is going to start watching her every day beginning next month.

Their house is beautiful and we are so happy for them. The picture is of Allison and Julie's niece Paige hanging out in one of their built-in bookshelves. Pretty cool.

28th Birthday

2010-06-10T11:39:00.001-07:00

I turned 28 on May 24th. I can't believe I'm almost 30. Where did the time go? Since Rose and I have the same birthday we had a little Nadeau get together to celebrate. And then my family did their normal Sunday dinner the next day to celebrate. Gotta love birthdays....but why do we have to keep getting older?

Oh and on my actual birthday, Chris, Allison and I all went out to dinner and then to see the new Shrek. It was the first time all three of us have gone to the movies together so that was pretty cool.

Anniversary Continued

2010-06-10T11:22:00.001-07:00

Maybe I should have posted a picture of a the two of us since it was our anniversary....

6th Anniversary

2010-06-10T11:14:00.001-07:00

So I have been horrible at blogging lately, but this is the problem: I got this amazing new phone and it will only let me post ONE picture in each blog post. It is very difficult for me to narrow my pictures down to just one for each event in our life. Hopefully they update this soon.

Anyway, Chris and I had our 6th Wedding Anniversary on May 15th. It is crazy how time flies. We went up to Port Angeles for a night and went out to Hurricane Ridge and found a place to stay on the water. We had a great time and it was fun to get away....even if it was only for a few hours....

Mother's Day

2010-05-10T08:03:00.001-07:00

Well, blogging has become difficult without a camera. But now I have a new phone with a great camera so I can start using that.

We had a great Mother's Day. Chris (and Allison) got me these beautiful flowers on Saturday. They are gorgeous....and now Chris is going to have to start keeping the vase full because I like having flowers on my table. Anyway, I am so grateful to be a mom. She adds so much joy to my life and is such a great little buddy. Being a mom is the best!

Easter

2010-04-05T08:25:00.000-07:00

Not having a camera definitely makes blogging difficult, but thank heavens I have a family who LOVES to take pictures and share them with me!

Easter was great this year. It's fun having a 3-year old because the Easter Bunny is really exciting to them, but at the same time, I was able to sit down and talk to her about the real meaning of Easter - and I think she even got it!

Anyway, Sunday afternoon we headed over to my parents for dinner and an Easter egg hunt. My sister Sidse had found this beautiful outfit for Allison to wear for Easter so she did a little photo shoot with her.

But it's hard to play with your cousins when you're all fancied up, so she didn't last long in her dress...

My mom got all of the kids little bags of Easter candy and a card. Allison thought the bunny card was hilarious and just her size!

Sara kept the kiddos entertained...

And they finally got to search for the eggs....it was raining, so it was an inside Easter egg hunt.

Thanks Sidse, for sharing your pictures. Now if CHANEL would just post some pictures from Kevin's birthday party, then maybe I'll get to post those as well....

Worn out!

2010-03-15T07:40:00.000-07:00

Saturday was a lot of fun. It was our friend Laura's 24th Birthday so we spent the day with their family. We headed up to Bainbridge Island to this really cool pool and spent a few hours swimming. I was amazed at Allison's progress in swimming and I really want to get her in swimming lessons soon. She wore a life jacket and just swam around for hours and wouldn't let me help her at all...definitely different from last summer. I am excited to swim more this year!

After swimming we went out to a nice dinner and then headed back home. It had been a long day for Allison, but when we got home her Aunt Julie and Uncle Tim came over with their baby Hailee. Allison LOVES Tim, Julie and Hailee and just couldn't go to bed with them there. So we were all sitting around talking and I noticed Allison was being really quiet....and this is what we found:
I just LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the legs crossed and her hands clasped together. This has got to be one of my all-time favorite pictures of Allison...I just wish I would have had a stinkin' camera to capture the moment in stead of having to use my cell phone...but oh well!

Injury #59,574

2010-02-10T17:17:00.001-08:00

Seriously, I cannot even remember all of the injuries this kid has gotten over the past three years. I'm afraid she may be a tad bit accident-prone. At least we are learning how to handle these situations calmly!

This is the story: Allison and I were doing dishes one afternoon and there was a tin can in the sink that I needed to rinse out and put in recycling. The lid was still partially attached, and little Allison decided to put her thumb inside the can. Since the lid was still attached her thumb got stuck inside and she freaked out. I reached over to help her get it out, and she ripped her thumb out of the can - creating a nice big gash on her thumb.

After 3 hours in Urgent Care Allison left extremely traumatized and her thumb now has six stitches. I didn't know you could fit six stitches on her tiny little thumb, but they managed.

Excuse the picture - with my camera dead, we have to rely on the cell phone to document things around here.

Sad Day!

2010-02-10T17:12:00.000-08:00

My camera is officially dead. It appears that someone stepped on it (I'm not naming names, but my bet is on the little three-year-old that lives with me). Anyway, just a few of the last pictures I was able to take before our camera took a nose dive...

She's Growing Up!

2010-01-13T21:00:00.000-08:00

I can hardly believe it, but my little girl is a Sunbeam! I cannot believe how big she is getting. she is my little bud and I love her so much. It was actually quite emotional for me to take her to Primary that first Sunday - I cannot imagine what it will be like when she goes to Kindergarten. I had to work very hard not to go and check on her every five minutes - not like I needed to check on her at all since her Dad was right there and her Grandma & Aunt Sara were there doing music, but I just couldn't help myself! Time just needs to slow down....

Crafts!

2010-01-13T20:34:00.000-08:00

For some reason, this year I decided I wanted to make a lot of the Christmas gifts I was giving. Of course, I couldn't be realistic about this and only make 1 or 2 things and just buy the rest - in stead I made almost ALL of the gifts we gave. I must be a glutton for punishment.

For most of the women in my husband's family and one of my sisters I made scarves. I found this beautiful pattern that had a kind of "waffle" pattern. It was really cool - my goal was to make seven (so I could include my Grandma's), but I ended up with five (sorry Grandmas!). I was really proud of how they turned out. For Tim & Julie's baby Hailee, I decided to make a blanket. I should have made these for EVERYONE - it was so easy!

For my two nieces, Kendall & Taylor, I decided I wanted to make them each a scarf and a bag. Pink for Kendal - Purple for Taylor. Well, in the end they got a hat, two scarves and a bag. I just couldn't stop making stuff for them!

There were a few other Christmas presents I made that I forgot to take pictures of. For all of Chris' brothers, I made a memory book of their Mom. I really enjoyed creating it for them and I hope they enjoy it as much as I do. Of course, as soon as I ordered it, I realized all of the other things I could have done to make it better, but oh well, I'm fine with how it turned out - maybe I'll do Volume 2 next year.

I also made Lacy and Rose each tutus. My friend Laura taught/helped me with those. She also helped me (well, she actually did 95% of the work) make Crayon Rolls for Allison. They turned out really cute, and I'm ready to make some more.

So, after all of this crocheting, you would think I would be DONE with crocheting for awhile. The problem was that I crocheted all kinds of stuff for other people, but didn't make anything for Allison - and she definitely noticed. She begged me to make her something, so I found this pattern for a flower purse and I made it for her. It's really cute, but definitely not really usable. Of course as soon as I made the purse, all she could do was ask where the hat was - so I had to make her one of those, too.

Then, once I made the hat for Allison, I had people lining up with orders, so I've made four more hats and still need to make another one...

By this point I had caught the bug and now I just want to crochet all of my gifts from now on (sorry Carolyn, definitely expect something homemade at your shower next week!). My friend Heather had a baby shower last week and I decided I wanted to make something for her. I found this pattern for an adorable little stuffed dog, and since they are dog people, I thought I would attempt it. Crazy person that I am, I came up with this idea the night before the shower, so I was a little nuts trying to get it done on time. Didn't quite turn out the way it was supposed to look, but Heather loved it, and that's all that matters...

I also made her a frog bib for her little guy. I think it's adorable and I have a few more I want to make.

It's crazy - I've been making so much stuff that now I have all these patterns I need to organize. Who knew I would enjoy it so much?

Christmas

2010-01-13T20:04:00.000-08:00

Well, it's been awhile, so to catch-up, I'm going all the way back to Christmas.

The season started out with the Primary Christmas party. Allison was so excited to go, and was even more excited when she found out they were eating pizza. Santa Claus came for a visit. Since Allison happens to have a close, personal relationship with this certain Santa, I had her go back and see him before he came out to see the rest of the kids (I didn't want her ruining it for all of the other kids). It was super cute - we went into the room where he was waiting and at first she was really scared of him. Then, he started talking to her and all of a sudden she goes, "Wait, you're not Santa, you're my Grandpa!" It was really cute, and I was glad she had that reaction when none of the other kids were around. (By the way, can you tell that I let her dress herself on Saturdays? - Yikes!)

Of course, since she knew who it was, she wouldn't stay away from him.

The next party was the Ward Christmas Brunch. I didn't take too many pictures, but the one picture I did take was of Allison singing with the other Primary kids. It was so cute to see her up there with all the other big kids. She loved every minute of it.

Christmas Eve was spent with the Nadeau's. Allison loves spending time with her cousins Lacy and Rose. It is so nice that they all get along.

Allison got some amazing presents from her Papa and Brenda. She was super spoiled this year, but I think it was because she is the perfect age for Christmas and there are so many toys to buy for 3-year-olds.

Allison and her Daddy....

Christmas morning we woke up in our own home and had our own little Christmas with just the three of us. It was so nice and special to spend time as a family.

After we were done opening presents at our house, we went over to my Mom & Dad's. Almost everyone was there for at least a little while, but then some of my siblings had other parties to go to. In the end, Allison ended up being the only kid - which I think she preferred. She was the center of attention ALL day.

One of the things Allison got for Christmas was an Easy-Bake type toy. She absolutely LOVES it, while I absolutely HATE it. It makes such a mess and is not something she can do on her own. I think this toy may get lost in the garage sometime soon.....

Overall, we had an amazing Christmas and it was great to spend time with all of our family. It gets more and more fun each year as Allison gets older and starts to understand what Christmas is all about. Next year we'll have to work on focusing on the true meaning of Christmas and not spoil her quite as much....yeah right!

Quick Update

2009-11-30T10:15:00.000-08:00

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!

2009-11-08T06:43:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-07T07:52:00.000-08:00

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!

2009-11-07T07:49:00.000-08:00

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?