Our White Christmas (sorta)

We had a fabulous Christmas this year! We went to Lakeside to spend our first white Christmas with Grandma and Grandpa Allen. Actually, the snow melted after the first day and then it warmed up...which was my Christmas wish! (I'm just not a snow person.) We were there with 3 of the other 5 Allen siblings and we had a blast! We missed seeing the Jameson family, but we did get to talk to my parents on Skype. It's hard to be away from them, especially during the holidays, but it was nice to have them be a part of our Christmas, too.

We had a wonderful weekend together!
Here's the recap:

Before we left for the mountain,
we let the boys open their presents from Grammy and Papa.
Isaac got a bike and Trevor got a play kitchen.
They were both ecstatic (in case you can't tell).

We had really good road conditions for most of the drive.
There was just one stretch (about 15 minutes) with snow.
It made me a little nervous, but Derek was very cautious
and the boys loved the view. It really was gorgeous!

As soon as we reached Grandma's mountain,
the boys jumped out to play in snow.
They built a little snowman, tasted the fresh snow,
and threw snowballs at Mommy, of course!
I was glad there was some snow that first day,
so they could experience the winter fun.
And then I was really glad it melted. :)

Christmas Eve is always very exciting!
The boys got their new jammies, made cookies for Santa,
and tracked the big man on his route to Grandma's house.

We also did the Christmas story/gift exchange.
Grandma started this tradition a couple of years ago
and the kids LOVE it! Trevor really got into it this year.
So cute.

The boys were up at 5 am...ready to see if Santa came.
Here is a little glimpse of their excitement:

They were thrilled to find everything they were hoping for.
(Isaac got his ladybug Pillow Pet and Trevor got his Zhu Zhu Pet.)
They were quite spoiled! :)

Such a great morning...I love seeing my boys so happy.
(Check out that cute baby Kaleb. He's not mine, but the boys and I are
trying hard to convince Alissa to let us keep him.) :)

Making Christmas sugar cookies with Grandma

Just a few more random pictures of my Christmas cuties.

What a great Christmas!

We are SO ready!

This Christmas season has been so much fun. These boys seem to really understand what it's all about and they are very ready for the big day to come! At least 4 or 5 times a day I get asked, "Mom, how many days 'til Christmas?" But honestly, I don't even mind because I'm pretty excited too. :)

Here are some of the fun things we've been doing
to get ready for Christmas:

Watching (and acting out) "The Grinch"

Decorating the tree

Enjoying some snowman pancakes

Making our traditional Christmas countdown chain
(I love their faces here...such hard workers!)

And here's Trevor showing off the finished product.

And last, but certainly not least, a visit with Santa.
Isaac was determined to be "brave" this year and was
able to tell Santa his Christmas wish (a ladybug pillow pet).
He was very proud of his accomplishment.

Trevor, on the other hand, was not having any of it.
Poor guy. :)

Now we just have to make the drive up to the mountains
and enjoy our first white Christmas!

Pillow-Mania

My boys absolute favorite activity is "pillows,"
which involves throwing all of the couch cushions on the floor
and jumping around like little monkeys. It is wild and crazy!
This week "pillows" has evolved into something new
...and even more hilarious!

See for yourself...

A Tough Job

On the way home from our fun day at the zoo Isaac let out a big sigh and said, "Whew, being 4 is such hard work!" I did my best to stifle my laughter and listen...with all the sympathy I could muster. :)

Feasting with 4-year olds

Today was our preschool Thanksgiving celebration, which was lots of fun. The kids each dressed up in their "fancy" clothes and brought their favorite food for our feast. We had an adorable little assortment of treats; candy corn, pizza bites, crackers with frosting, donuts, carrots, marshmallows, cheese sticks, etc. It's always cute to see what 4-year-olds love to eat! :)

Look at how cute my little kiddies are:

Isaac and Jameson are pretty much inseparable!

Since Corinne is my #1 party helper,
the little boys always get to join in the fun.

And here is what Isaac is thankful for this year:
His doggy, family, dad, mom, Utah friends (his cousins in Utah),
and all of his friends. :) Such a cutie.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We Did It!!

(OK...so I guess Derek really did it, but we are all pretty excited!)

It's official...

Derek's graduation ceremony was at the
University of Phoenix stadium on Saturday, November 6th.
This was something we've been looking forward to for
three long years!

Waiting for the graduates to walk in
(Can you tell we were a little excited!?) :)

We were so happy that our wonderful friend,
CheriAn, came to support us.
And she was a huge help with the boys.

Here is the big moment!
Yay, Derek!

Look at how cute he is. :)

Here we are with the GRADUATE!

He wants to be just like Daddy.

I am so proud of my sweet hubby.

Daddy and his biggest fans

Congratulations, Derek!
You are amazing.

The Re-cap

So many pictures...so little time! :)

Preschool Halloween party

Carving the pumpkins
("scary face" and "funny face")

Halloween dinner

Our skeleton craft

Jack-o-lantern pancakes
My cute little Transformers
Optimus Prime
Bumblebee

And finally, here is the result...
lots of fun, tons of candy, and two very happy boys!

Flashback

My mom just found these pictures and e-mailed them to me:

Look at my cute little baby Isaac!

Wow...where has time gone?

Celebrating our Boy

We had a great time celebrating our little Isaac. I took way too many pictures (as usual). He was just so dang cute! :)
Here are some pictures of the fun we had:

Our day started with birthday waffles,
followed by a trip to Jumpstreet.

Then it was off to meet Daddy for lunch at Red Robin.
(The servers sang to Isaac and brought him an ice cream sundae.
He was thrilled...and slightly embarrassed.)

Lots of presents...Transformers overload!

Isaac wanted an Optimus Prime cake, so I did my best.
He thought it was pretty awesome.
We were so happy that the Stewart clan could join us for cake.

And finally...he finished it off with a little celebration at preschool.
He got to wear the birthday crown,
share his Star Poster, and pass out treats to his friends.

So that's it. He was one very happy 4-year-old.
(He just kept telling us, "This is the best birthday ever!")

Happy Birthday, Isaac.
I love you lots and lots!

A Very Special Day

Today is my sweet Isaac's birthday. It's hard to believe that he is already 4, but it's also hard to remember what life was like before him. I love my boys' birthdays. I get so excited every year, and I usually go way overboard with the celebrations! :)

October 19th is a very special day to me, not only because it's Isaac's birthday, but also because it's the day I became a mom. I will never forget the feelings I felt that day as I saw and held him for the first time. He was my own little miracle.

And now look how big he is! (What a cutie.)
I have LOTS of pictures of the birthday festivities,
but I'm too tired to post them tonight! :)

Our Happy Place

In case I haven't ever mentioned it...our family LOVES the zoo! Now that the weather has finally cooled down, we are back in the zoo business. :) And the best part is that Derek has more time now to go with us. Isaac was so excited to "bring Daddy to the zoo!" It was beautiful weather and we had a fabulous day.

Here are a few of my favorite pics:

We headed straight for the new koala exhibit,
and it did not disappoint. They are adorable!

Isaac's little koala souvenir.
(He hasn't put it down since he got it.)

He wanted to take this picture to show Grammy and Papa
(because they saw real elephants in Africa).

Daddy teaching the boys about snakes.

Crazy boys! :)

Trevor talking to the goats at the petting zoo.

You know I love my kids because
I take them to this nasty part of the zoo
and touch these smelly animals! Eww.

Trevor getting a better view of the tiger.

Can you tell they are happy to have their Daddy back?
So sweet.