Christmas in PHX

We came, we went, we saw, beautiful PHX for Christmas. We had tons of fun visiting everyone. Saw a wedding, had tamales, and got a puppy. Actually my parents got a puppy but we were there when they brought him home and Mace was in doggie heaven! Really had a great time visiting family and seeing everyone. We know that it will be a long while before we return as hopefully we will add another little one to our family and it will just be too expensive to fly cross country anymore. Someone needs to invent teleportation, cost effective teleportation!


Mace got to meet his new cousins, Mark and Aliza for the first time, even though Aliza was only a few days old at the time. He got to spend some very fun quality time with his 5 cousins for one night, tuckered him out completely, and the other kids that when we, Matt and I and Matt's sis, Marie and hubby Cliff, returned home from our double date that all 6 kids were passed out asleep in the front room. Oh, and Mace cleaned out their fridge as he has quite the appetite. He ate like 4 string cheese sticks and a ton of strawberries while he was there. What can I say he is a fruity, he loves fruit and loves to eat. Matt got to catch up with his Aunts and Uncles that he hadn't seen in a few years since he has been gone on deployment for a few years in a a row.

It was just a great trip all around for all of us. Despite the flights. I won't get into that but the flights were not the most fun thing I have ever done. Not doing another flight with him for a very, very, very long time.

~Aunt Kathrine and Tom got this lovely chair for Mason. Seriously the best thing ever. Fits him perfectly!~

 ~4 Generations of Allen men~

 ~Mason and Great Grandma Allen~

 ~A little blurry but seriously THE best pix of Great Grandma and Grandpa Allen. Everyone is just so... happy~

 ~The Allen generation~

 ~Like father like son~

 ~Mason getting to walk around the Mesa, AZ temple~

 ~Marie, Cliff, Matt and I went on a double date and came home to this. All 5 Maynard and 1 Allen baby passed out cold! Oh what a beautiful sight!~

 ~Mason chopping on a lemon at Tia Rosas. He loved the mexican food too!~

 ~Mace with Nana and Papa Branum~

 ~Meeting Bandit~

 ~Gpa fell and broke his wrist while we were in town. So he is one handed for awhile but still able to be a puppy wrangler!~

 ~We got to play with some of the other spoken for puppies at the breeder's house, which was exactly like my piano teachers home and just a block away!~

 ~And they call it, puppy love! Seriously how cute!~

 ~When we arrived back in VA from PHX, I forgot to pack warmer clothing. So we were a little cold to say the least and I bundled up Mace as well as I could. He was a trooper though! (ASU footie pj's, rugby stripe hooded jacket, and his winter blanket topped off with his paci!~

Christmas in VA

We are going to PHX for Christmas this year so we had our family Christmas a little early. We didn't want to have to make Santa haul all of Mason's gifts all the way to PHX either!

Random Pix

I had some cute pix just sitting on my iPhoto and wanted to share a couple with you! Enjoy

~Mason fell asleep while in time out. He just leaned forward and rested his face on the wall and fell asleep.~

 ~Mason found a new toy~

 ~Alligator wrestler~

 ~Somebody got tired~

 ~Playing dress up! I want to be like dad~

 ~I love watching him sleep~

Our New House

What a wonderful time of year to move into a new house. Not only do I get to decorate it for all the time, but I get to add the extra touches of Christmas decorations to it too! I love Christmas time and all the wonderful memories that are associated with it. I love spending time with my family, which we are excited to do again together this year. I love the music, the smell and just the overall feelings that Christmas brings.

Last night Matt and I put Mace to sleep, turned on the Christmas music, made some hot coco and decorated the tree together. First time in 10 years that I haven't had to beg and plead for him to help hang the Christmas lights on the outside of the house and to help with the tree. So thankful for him being such a great sport!

Because Mason is a curious toddler we only put the ornaments on a select few that we have collected over the past 10 years. It was hard picking and choosing which ones would make in on the tree as the bottom third of the tree is naked. Now to work on Mason to not touch any of the tree. He has been crawling under it, which is fine, it is pretty cool looking up into the tree at the lights.

Anyhew, most of the boxes are unpacked. Pictures have been hung and we are getting more and more settled into this home. Mace has the run of the place and loves to explore all the rooms and closets. As he has figured out how to open the doors in this place. He loves to climb the stairs both of them and just wanders throughout the house. I have a lot of trust in this kid, even though when I go upstairs I get to see the destruction that he has left in his wake.

He does love to listen to me sing to him and will sit on the floor and listen to me then clap when I am done. He also claps at the end of a song in the Backyardagains show too. I also play the piano for him and he likes to help play the piano with me. He is a good little boy and is growing everyday. He is a very smart little boy. He isn't talking per say but he knows exactly what we ask him to do. He still has his chores that he does, his fav is feeding the dog and being an overzealous waiter and tries to take the food bowl back from Archer before the dog has cleaned out the bowl. It is very cute!

I have been going to the gym at Matt's work which is great. Since Matt gets home so early I can go before I have to start dinner up so it has been great. I am going to run in the Charlottesville 10 miler coming up this March so I am training for that and working towards that goal. I am am going to run a half marathon later next year too. Not sure which one or when it will happen but I will do it. I am ready to cross an item off my bucket list. So things have been going well here for us.

I tried to upload pix but it said that I am out of storage room, WHAT!?! Anyone else have this issue. Please let me know!

WE HAVE MOVED!!!

It is official. We signed our life away on Nov 1 and started moving things over that day. We were all the way moved in 2 days later on the 3rd. It was a short and hard move. We spent many hours driving back and forth loading and unloading stuff in our van on Friday the 2nd, it is a 2 hour round trip just to get from our house to the rental. Yes we call it the rental now because that is what it is and as of yesterday, WE HAVE A RENTER! Anyhew Friday we did 3 loads, 2 of which were with 3 vehicles. And Sat we had the big well somewhat big moving truck and had to make 2 trips with that thing. But we are in our amazingly awesome, big, beautiful home.

~Mason found this while we were packing and started to have way too much fun! I couldn't help but take pix~

The house is still being put together, but about a week ago from today we had almost all of the boxes unpacked and put away on the main living areas. That does not include the storage areas in the basement and I have no idea what are in those boxes yet. Still a work in process. Also yesterday I did put some pix up in the living room, so I feel like my house is becoming my home.

~Mace enjoying his last croissant in the house, the day before we moved~

Mace is enjoying the new home and the 2 flights of fun stairs he gets to climb up and down on. He loves to climb the stairs and I am thankful he is so good at it because that is what he is always doing. Sometimes he does it when I don't know he is, like when I am making dinner I will turn around and he is already half way down the stairs to the basement where his toy room is. But mostly we are watching him. He knows where his room is for nap nap and where the diaper pail is for dirty dippers, which I now make him throw away. Oh and because of the move I found out that he will listen to direction. He knows how to, "put it back," "clean up", "put your toys back in the crib", "trash trash, throw it away", and now "lets feed the dog." He has his little chores he does now. When he throws his dinner on the floor out of protest, I make him clean it up and throw it away. (the dog is usually out on the deck because Mace tries to feed him his food and the dog is getting fat.) He helps me feed the dog. We cleaned up his toy area in his play room the other night before bed. He is such a little helper and I love it. I also like seeing the results. I ask him to do something and he does it. I know that will not last forever and there are times he doesn't want to throw his own dirty diaper away but he is learning.

~Only pix I took from moving day. Too many things to do, too much stress.~

Archer had a hard time adjusting to the new house but seems to be acclimated to it now. I look forward to getting a fence for the backyard so I can just let him lose in the back. We have narrower lots at this house than the previous area and his "potty" area is a little more restricted. It is funny though because I put him on the leash to go potty and when I come in Mason likes to take the leash from me, with the dog still attached and he will "walk the dog". Archer doesn't like it because he is attached to the kid and the kid is pulling him around but he deals with it, and I don't let him stay attached for very long. but once I detach Archer Mason will still carry the leash around with him around the house. He loves holding it. Archer still doesn't like Mace all that much, excpet when Mace is feeding him food. He still keeps distance. Which is fine. Archer is an old man and doesn't put up with baby stuff anymore.

We are so thankful that we are in this house because we have so much more family time. Matt is home around 3 everyday and it is so nice to have so much time with him and as a family. We are really loving our new home and area! Hope this post finds everyone well. If you want our new contact info please email me or msg me and I will get it for you!!!

Family Picture Time

SAY CHEESE!!!! 

Today we took our first professional family pictures! We (me) have been wanting to get them done since Matt got home in June but we delayed and delayed and delayed and so it is. At least we got them done in time to be edited and sent out for some really nice Christmas cards. It was fairly cold and near the end Mace just didn't want to do anything any more. Gave him water and he was soaked and freezing. Here are a few of my favs! We had over 75. 

~Love the Paci~

 ~One of the only few with out the paci~

 ~Our fav family picture. Everyone is perfect~

 ~sweet sweet tender love~

 ~My head shot for my studio website! I look amazing! (if I say so myself)~

Halloween 2012

Time to play catch up! I have been out of the loop and out of access for a couple of weeks and this past week I just didn't update my blog. I know some of you are wanting pix from Halloween so here they are. Mason was the Itsy Bitsy Spider, that was the actual title of his costume, and I recycled my old HS costume this year. Because we were in the midst of moving this year we didn't for the first time since we moved out here, hand out candy at the house. We went around the neighborhood to say our goodbyes and then we went to our church's trunk or treat. Mason had a ton of fun with the young women with whom he attached himself to all night. He loves the young ladies and they all love him too. So most of the pix from the night are of him playing with N. Also Mason no longer walks. He runs everywhere and getting a clean pix of him that is not blurry is next to impossible with my camera phone. So sorry they are blurry and grainy but this is our life. A running 1 year old. 

 ~Super excited high 5~

 ~Mace was running back and forth into N's arms.~

Daddy Time

I love nights like these where Mace and Daddy have a ton of fun together! On Tuesdays, Matt watches Mason for me while I teach and they have had really great bonding time. Last night Matt got home from being gone all weekend and Mace just wouldn't leave Matt alone or any of his things. Mason was carrying Matt's military boots around and taking an interest in them. I said put him in your shoes and this is the fun time we had with that! I love seeing how happy Matt is. It is a new side to him and I LOVE IT!