Christmas Break!!!!!

       I remember back in the day when I would get so excited about Christmas break, I mean come on what kid wouldn't get excited about 2 weeks off.  Then I started working and then Christmas break meant I walked around jealous that everyone else got 2 weeks off.  Now I am at home AND my kids are off for the next 2 weeks. YEAH!

       Now what do I do to keep them busy for the next 2 weeks?  I don't like them sitting in front of the T.V all days so I want them to stay busy.  One of the great things about living in New Mexico is that 99.9% of the time they can play outside but living in a largely populated military neighborhood means most families are leaving the area. We live in a very small town so there really isn't much to do around here....

SO MY DEAR FRIENDS HELP ME!  ANY IDEAS OR SUGGESTIONS?

A bittersweet moment....

Many of you probably do not know but my mother passed away on December 7th 15 years ago.  I was young and have had to grow up without her.  One of the hardest things for me truthfully is that most of the people that I hold so dear have never met her.  It is sad because she never got a caught to met them but also they do not know her.  It can be a lonely feeling. 

This December it was a snow day for the kids and with them home I was distracted.  Paul went into work until mid afternoon and when he came home he had gotten me flowers and had stuff to make chicken alfredo.  This was so sweet on so many levels!  

First of all it meant that I wasn't going to have to cook lunch, hehehe.  O.k so on an honest level I was so touched that he remember ON HIS OWN.  To me it meant he respected how much she meant to me and that I never wanted to forgot her.  Also my BFF would take me to Olive Garden and we would have chicken alfredo (a very good comfort food) with bread sticks and salad and dessert and then maybe a sack in the car on the way home...ok now looking back I may have been eating away my grief with my friend as a safe person who wouldn't judge me as I was eating half a cheese cake.  He was recognizing that not only was I mourning my mother but also a great friend that was no longer right down the road to hit up our favorite restaurant.

There are days that you feel like your husband isn't listening to you or that he doesn't understand any female emotions.  And then they do something that makes you remember how awesome they are, that is bittersweet.

By the way, do not judge me on how I look in this picture.  This is my rockin "hot momma who is staying at home with the kids all day" look.  Also Trent took this picture....didn't he do a great job??

Sydnee's Christmas Program

For the last several weeks if you were in my house you would have heard Sydnee singing many Christmas carols over and over and over and over and over and over (are you getting my point?) again.  At first she started singing them soft and low but the longer she practiced them the louder and louder she got.  She wanted to make sure that she was could sing these backwards and forwards.

Thankfully, Aunt Susie and Uncle Gary every year sends Christmas outfits.  

The morning of her performance we got up extra early to make sure her hair was straight (she did not want any bumps in it) and that her clothes were winkle free (because Mrs. Davis told her that.)  The whole time we were getting ready she was belting out all of the Christmas carols she knew.  Doesn't she look pretty?!?!?!?!

She was in the second row and was so excited.

The program was a mix between carols and poems.  

She was so excited that she was bouncing off the walls and would not let me take a good picture.

Here she is while she is doing her solo in one of the poems.

Great job Sydnee.  She worked so hard and was so proud of herself!  We were very proud of her as well.  Trent was also very happy that she finally had her program.......because he was "sick of hearing the same songs all night every night." - Trent

The Silly New Edition to the Clan!

Trent and Sydnee were so excited for their Daddy to graduate from school.  It wasn't because they saw how hard he was working or because they wanted to move or have a better way of life.  No, none of these were good enough reasons.  They wanted Dad to graduate because for the last 2 years when they would ask Mom and Dad if we could get a dog the answer they would received was, "we are not even going to think about it until after Dad graduates."  So Dad is in his black robe, the ceremony music is playing, he is given that very expensive black leather binder and they say, "so when are we getting a dog?"

FAST FORWARD

We move to New Mexico, boxes are not unpacked and they ask....."so when are we getting a dog?"    We had decided that we wanted a life loving (so she could keep up with Trent), kind hearted (so when Sydnee just belly flopped on her to get love she wouldn't bite) and would scare off strangers type of dog.  You know, the average Joe type of dog!  This was not an easy task.  One of our first friends here in our new town found our dog!

FAST FORWARD

It is 8:00 in the morning and I am sitting in my car in front of the dog rescue.  My dog is number 37 but it is first come first serve and "officially" she isn't mind yet!  So I wait, they open at 10:00 am and I am determined she will be MINE!  10:00 am rolls around...they don't unlock the gates...a short phone call and I find out they are short staffed and they will open when they open.  I wait.......

FAST FORWARD

Stella is ours!  Trent loves "his" dog, Sydnee thinks she is to big and does not like how she always wants  to be in "her" business.  Sydnee will warm up to her but it has to happen on Sydnee's terms.

FAST FORWARD

Apparently when you are bread and born in Clovis as an animal you do not like snow.  When we got hit by that snow storm we would have to pick her up and carry her outside.  SHE DID NOT WANT HER FEET TO TOUCH THE SNOW.  Mind you she is a 45 boxer who is as tall as Sydnee and she was acting like a 3 pound Pomeranian; named Sammy.  The dog did not go "potty" for 24 hours, NO JOKE!  Finally I sent her out with the kids.

Once she realized that she could eat the snow all of a sudden she wanted to be outside all the time.

The problem with this is she would get so cold so easily and the snow would stick to her lips.  Once she was inside she would stick her cold, wet, slummy face on us!

A Real Snow Storm

       Paul and I crawled out of bed at 6:00 this morning to check outside and to our surprise everything was white.  Shortly after we found out that the kids were actually getting a full snow day!  The kids were so excited and at 7:00 this morning they wanted to build a snow fort.  I was able to hold them off until 10; it may sound stupid but I was thinking it would be warmer by then, it wasn't.

All of us were socked to see that we actually have several inches of snow on the ground when we opened the garage.











     



Stella was NOT happy about being put outside, apparently she prefers 90 degree weather.

Even while playing in the snow she has to be girlie!

Heaven forbid my boys dress weather appropriate!  We are lucky the young one is in boots and a winter coat.

       No one had there eyes open because it was snowing so hard.  I took this picture 4 times but with all the snow flakes coming down and the wind we were destine to take a bad picture.

      We were going to play outside but after 10 minutes of having the snow blown into our faces we were all frozen solid.  We decided that a Star Wars marathon and hot chocolate was better suited for the day.

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow

       A few days ago the weather man got everyone excited because he informed us that we were going to be getting the winds that hit California and the snow from Colorado.  The town of Clovis is only about 50,000 people and let me tell you what....the whole town shut down!  People were canceling things because of the possibility of snow.  There is nothing wrong with that, I mean I am not totally heartless, people need to be safe.  However, in my past experiences it is never as bad as the weather man says.  We were suppose to be hit on Friday, that didn't happen.  The weather man says Saturday, Paul and I had a decision to make.  Should we cancel Sydnee's birthday party?  Well no way was that going to happen, a girl turns 6 only once!  Guess what, that storm didn't hit us Saturday either.  So finally the weatherman says Sunday...at this point all of us Allens laugh and roll our eyes......GUESS WHAT!?!?!?!?!  The weatherman hit it big this time...third time was the charm!  We have snow!

We are suppose to get 7 inches in the next 22 hours. YEAH!  The whole family is super excited about it.  We all want a snow day for the kids (especially them!).  Close your eyes and imagine; cold snowy night,   a big fire going in the fireplace, all the lights off but the Christmas lights and hot chocolate....that is what it is like in the Allen house tonight.

Sugar, Ten 6 Year Old Girls and a Cotton Candy Machine.....

   



       In true Allen form we can not have a birthday party without a winter storm.  For the last 3 days the buzz around town was about the wind/snow storm we were going to be hit with, the buzz in the Allen house was about Sydnee's birthday party.
      Sydnee was very worried that we were going to cancel her party so when it was finally here she was so EXCITED.  She decided to move a "Drive In" movie theme and have it at the Bridge Building at church.  We made cupcakes, girl band christian music, cotton candy and watched her favorite movie.

Sydnees favorite movie is Mickey's Once upon a Christmas, how appropriate for this time of year.

After the movie and cotton candy we had cupcakes and ice cream sandwiches....you know just more sugar!

This hat was knitted for her, goes with her new earrings.

Sydnee's friends and family spoiled her roughen this year.

I would call this one happy 6 year old.  She got to spend the afternoon with great friends, lots of sugar and she was the center of attention.  Yup, it made Sydnee's day!