New Years Eve

Trent loved New Years Eve!  We bought snacks, he had a friend stay over and he got free range of the house which means any gaming system he wanted to play.  Plus come to find out there are a ton of people in our neighborhood that light off fireworks so we got a great show at mid-night.

Sydnee and I had some much needed "girl" time.  She got to have a nice long bath in the jet tub and got a mini pedicure.  She picked out an aqua blue with a top coat of purple sparkles polish for her toes.  Her Auntie D would be proud.

Paul spent 24 hours at the church on New Years Eve.  He and 8 other adults had a lock in with about 50 students.  He had an activity planned at all times so he spent most of the night being sweaty and on a caffeine high.

I watched some movies and made sure that the boys didn't burn down the house.  So very exciting I know! =)

Trying out our new Scooters

For Christmas Nana and Grandpa got the kids new scooters.  Trent got one of those electric scooter and Sydnee's was hot pink (totally matches her personality).

See that black and blue dot in the upper right corner....I am pointing this out because Sydnee got so frustrated that her brother was zooming all over the place and wouldn't wait for her.  She did not understand why she didn't get an electric scooter, when I tried to explain to her that she needed to master this scooter frist she told me that if Trent could handle that scooter so could she.  Between you and me, Trent did have like 3 accidents in 24 hours....

I am zoomed in but this is Trent waiting very patiently for his sister.

Sydnee took a dive so she decided she would walk the last little bit.  Paul and I were not sure if she would ever touch the scooter again because she acted so put out by the whole experience but she has asked to go out everyday and ride so it has been a hit.  Trent is hardly ever home because he is out "riding."

Christmas

O.k so I am sorry that I have not blogged in FOREVER!  We have been busy plus I was having technical difficulty.  So here we go:

Nana and Grandpa were here for a week.  This was a great chance for everyone to show off our new town, church and school.  The kids were very excited to see them!  It took only about 20 minutes to show them our little town so we spent a lot of time playing cards and Monopoly by the fire.

The kids were very excited to show Nana and Grandpa this house.  I believe this family has every blow up Mickey Christmas decoration.  Plus there front window is a Mickey Christmas Village theme.  INSANE!

It didn't take Stella long to make friends with Nana and Grandpa, she was sure they came to visit her.

We all dressed up for the candlelight services at church.  Don't we clean up nice?

Ok lets face it.....this was their favorite part of the whole vacation.  Everyone was so blessed this Christmas with all of the family thinking of us even though we are so far away!

On Christmas morning we woke up with snow on the ground.  The Allen family has not had a white Christmas in a long time.

For Christmas dinner we had family friends over so our house was full.  Nana was a great help in the kitchen and we made enough food to feed a small army!

I do want to say that this year we missed our family and friends greatly.  Christmas wasn't the same without you....

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!