Christmas 2013

I love Christmas. I remember sneaking into the family room growing up early, early on Christmas morning looking at all the gifts that Santa brought. Well this year my goal was to hope that Mason had a fun Christmas morning. To get things started we would have the smell of fresh baked cinnamon rolls wafting in the air. I want him to come walking down the stairs proudly, in his new jammies, and just smile ear to ear with all the presents under the tree. Run to the tree and try to rip all the gifts open, since they are mostly his anyhow. show him his stocking filled with his favorite candy and just be happy as a clam and just enjoy the day.

Did our Christmas morning start like this…HECK NO! It was awful! The cinnamon rolls, decided they didn't want to rise to the occasion. They took twice as long to make than what I expected. But in the end at 10 or so in the morning they were super yummy and turned out really well.

Mason was cranky. he didn't want to get up in the morning. Coming down the stairs he cried the whole way down and even stopped half way to throw a tantrum. We showed him the tree and all the presents but he just feared and threw them back at the tree. It wasn't until about 9:30, an hour and a half later, that he stopped crying and unwrapped a gift and it was a CAR and he was happy. I handed him the other gift that I knew was the car and he was happy. We then told him to go downstairs with us to see his other gift from Gma and Gpa. He didn't want to at first but when he saw the CARS themed wrapping paper he tore that sucker up and was so excited to see his new Cars Land table with track and everything.

Matt and I spent the night before super gluing the track down, the elves needed little extra help this year and sent a little note to help out! Less than a week later the big pieces that were suspended are off the table and we will have to think of another way to secure the track down safely.

Matt got his new tablet and loves it. he got it about a week and a half early. I got a carpet cleaning vacuum that I hope to use soon as our carpets need to be cleaned. BADLY! I also got a new running top that is for pregnancy and some ear buds. but we really did have a good day after all the crying was done and over with. so happy Christmas to us. I hope next year will be the year that all my wishing and thinking would take place.

2013 Family Pix 2 of 2

Here is the last half of the pix! Enjoy!

 ~Mason picking apples with Daddy~

 ~Our FAV pix out of all of them. Mace just looks so cute!~

 ~Fam shot! 2nd fav of the 3 of us~

 ~This is my fav pix overall. Matt doesn't understand why. Look at Matt's face. He is so proud of Mace. Matt had spent just a little time showing Mason how to push his truck without it falling over. And we caught it in action. I just love this and it makes me smile every time I see it. It is the background on my computer.~

 ~Mace loving his truck and hauling it around.~

2013 Family Pix 1 of 2

Last month we had our annual family pictures taken. We went up to Carter's Mountain where there are apple groves, peach groves and grapes. It was apple picking season when we were there and had a ton of fun, as you can see from the pix! Also, this is our first time using this photographer. He did a great job and we are so happy with our photos. By the way. When he showed us the pix at the proof session he had 53 edited photos set to music. They were all amazing and it was really hard to dwindle them down and I could not go lower than the 17 you will see. My pregnancy hormones got the best of me when viewing that video. I was a bawling mess. Enjoy!

~Fav fam pix of the 3 of us. Mason heard a plane flying over us and was super excited. And look my preggo belly made it in the shot. I was 10 weeks~

~Muwah!~

~Me and my little man~

~Mason loves giving hugs!~

~Oi! I had to throw him in the air a few times to get the right shot!~

~When I saw the pix of Matt and Mason is when I started crying my eyes out. So thankful for the bond they have. Super cute pix of my men!~

~Matt and his mini Matt~

~Love that face on Mace. He is having way too much fun flying!~

Hello Little Baby Allen

Yesterday we got a sneak peak at our little bundle of joy. (still trying to think of a nickname for it.) It is doing great! Super active, bopping, squirming and moving all over the place. Every time the Doc tried to get a profile picture of it, it would move all over the place. It was really fun and exciting to see it move. The baby is measuring right on track at 12 weeks 5 days. Apparently, I am super fertile now with a very regular schedule! Just kind of weird after all these years of trying that this one, just kind of happened.

~Good strong heart beat!~

See the little (nugget, no) baby made it more real for me. That yes, there really is a baby in there and we did it without help! It is pretty exciting! We have 10 more weeks to find out if it is a little prince or princess joining the family! So we won't know until after the holidays. (I wanted to know before but doc has specific things he wants to look for/at at 22 weeks. Must do what the doc says.) Until then, it is an it, or baby!

Happy Halloween 2013

What a day today has been! I had a lovely treat of prenatal yoga, cracked at the chiropractor and a hour long massage! OH HOW LOVELY! Then we went to dinner at Chic-Fil-A where EVERY CHILD was dressed up! And started trick-or-treating in our neighborhood!

Mason was out like a light in his bed at 8, (didn't have normal long nap today due to being out and about.) Now it is just relax time for mommy and daddy! Mason is getting the idea of Trick-or-treating. He loves getting the candy. He will hold his little pumpkin pail and put the candy in there. If he gets a candy he really likes. He will hold on to it and WILL NOT put it in his pumpkin! After he and I went trick-or-treating (daddy was handing out candy) We went and hung out across the street with our neighbors. Mason continued to hoard candy from them and kept handing us some. It was cute!

~Mason telling me he saw a Bane (Plane)~

Mason said a new word today. "ow." It took me a second to figure out what he was saying but he was pointing to the cow pictures at Chic-Fil-A. So he now knows how to say cow. So cute! Still working on grandma and grandpa (GMA and GPA). This kid is growing up fast though! I miss my tiny little newborn (sans crying and screaming but asleep in my arms newborn) Soon enough though we will have a newborn back in the house and Mason is going to be a FABULOUS Big Brother!

Well that's all on this All Hallow's Eve! Happy Halloween everyone! Stay safe and eat tons of candy tonight, and get rid of it TOMORROW!

What A Relief

It has been so nice to finally get the word out there that we are pregnant. When I was pregnant with Mace we told everyone like the day after we found out. This time, with 2 prior miscarriages, we learned our lesson to keep our lips sealed. But how nice it is to just say, "Yep I'm pregnant", or "Nope that not me being super fat, I'm pregnant." I am in the in between stage of the maternity clothing issue. I still fit in my old clothes but they are getting too tight for my comfort and the maternity is just too big! Oh what a dilemma! But I am going to try not to gain too much weight with this pregnant. Actually I will do what my body wants me to do. So far, I have lost 8 lbs. I'm not complaining. Not that I didn't have it to lose in the first place since I gained that plus some with the last miscarriage. So yes I am so happy, over the moon happy, that we are expecting baby #2 and that this one is going so well!

~12 Weeks pregnant (added 10/30/13)~

Mason is being super cute. We look at baby pictures to get him used to the idea of a smaller person in the house. Today he said, "Baby" and pointed to the picture. Then I said, "Mommy has a baby in her belly." Mason then laid his head down, patted my belly and said, " HI!" (The way he says hi is similar to how Stitch says it in the cartoon Lilo and Stitch.) It is pretty cute what this kid does! 

He also said pig for the first time today when a picture of a pig popped up on one of his games. His new words recently are, Bane= plane, Beard=Bird, oh cool car, Big car, and I farted. Yes you heard that last one right. Whether it comes from his mouth or his butt he says he farted. Too cute! 

Hope all of you are doing well! We miss you and think of you often!

Our Little Thing #2

We are so excited to announce that we are EXPECTING again! I have wanted to spill the beans for over a month but with prior miscarriages we waited, and waited and waited to let everyone know. Trust me it has not be easy keeping this from most of my family and friends. My parents are just as excited to share the news too and we asked them to wait.

Couple of things. This is my 3rd pregnancy in a year. I guess 3rd times a charm right. Well, all 3 pregnancies were not medically induced with fertility treatment. They were all spontaneous pregnancies. (Matt got back from Iraq/Kuwait last June and our first pregnancy was in Sept.) We have been pretty stoked about the possibility of not having to drop tons of money just to have a baby. During the first spontaneous pregnancy we were so hopeful and the idea of having 6 kids popped back in our minds. We were moving soon and thought it would be a great start to the next chapter in our lives. Then we miscarried. At least we knew we could get pregnant which was something that we could not do prior to Mason.

Then in April we got pregnant again. I miscarried at 1 day shy of 11 weeks. We knew overall that it wasn't going well from the beginning. It devastated me. I didn't understand why it would and could be taken from me. I did learn something from it that I really did need to learn. No not patience, I don't know if I will ever learn that fully until after I die. I learned that it is all in God's will. Everything is left to him. He is in control of our lives. We just have to make good choices for him to be able to bless us in the end. I learned it didn't matter what I did to try and save the pregnancy. I was not in control. If it wasn't meant to be it wasn't going to happen. And the other way. If it was meant to be then he would deem in that way.

This pregnancy, we found out just a few days after our anniversary. We WERE NOT expecting this. I was actually not wanting to get pregnant quite yet because I have learned my new love of running and running in races. I had already registered for a bucket list item which is to run in the Disney Princess half marathon in Feb. I want to train for this. But I ran the 4 miler while I was pregnant. Newly pregnant, didn't even know I was pregnant. I continued to exercise after I found out I was pregnant. However some exercise increased my morning sickness and couldn't exercise as much as I wanted to. I have also run a 10k (6.2 miles). I did that at 9.5 weeks pregnant AND came in in the time I wanted to. I kicked its butt in my mind considering I could hardly run 1/4 miles back in the beginning of June.

With that being said. I am so excited for this opportunity. And apparently when you aren't trying is when it happens. The exercise and healthy lifestyle might have also helped. Since we found out I was pregnant I have already lost 8 lbs. 6 in the beginning and 2 in the last 4 weeks. Doc said it is perfectly fine for me to continue to exercise, and even to lose weight. (Since I have plenty to lose.) He actually said today that if I didn't gain 1 lb while pregnant than he would be ok with that too. But I don't know about that. We will see what my body does this time around. But things have been different. I have had morning sickness. Never had that with any of the other pregnancies. It has forced mandatory portion control on me. Can't eat too little or too much without wanting to puke. So it has been good. Combine that with exercise still of course I am going to continue to lose/maintain my weight.

Anyhew WE ARE SO EXCITED! Today I was able to breath a little easier. The doc said 4 weeks ago that when we hear the heart beat over the fetal monitor then we can all breath easier. Today as we were getting ready, he warned me that we might not be able to detect the heart rate because I am just over 11 weeks and I have a severely tilted backwards uterus. It took him a good (FOREVER) 5 minutes to find it. He had to annoy the baby to get it to move a little closer but finally we heard that little fast swoosh swoosh sound that we all want to hear! And when he found it he found it. It was strong and FAST!!! (I say girl, so does Matt, but he teases me and says boy but we think it is our little girl.)

I am scheduled for an ultrasound on the 4th for a screening and I will get to see the little nugget then and I will have PLENTY of pretty little pictures to share with all of you!

The Fun Life

~Mason and his new fav sweatshirt! Thank you GMA and GPA!~

With a 2 year old who wants to be older and more responsible and wants everything he wants when he wants it and isn't afraid to scream at me when he doesn't. Now I know why it took 8 years to get this little guy. TO work on my PATIENCE. I have found that the counting down backwards from 1o really helps me in controlling my frustration. Some days I have to start at 20 though.

~We had a busy day this past Thursday and wore this kiddo out! Passed out in the van in only 3 minutes! HE did get new shoes today!~ 

I pray for us to be able to better communicate because I know half the reason why he is so frustrated is that I don't know what the heck he wants. It frustrates me too kiddo!

Staying busy these days with the kiddo and teaching him his colors! He can say red and blue and is working on green and yellow. He knows the difference in colors and will point to them when I ask which color is which. He loves singing time before bed. He is also doing the hand motions for singing which is great. His fav song is still the Alligator song. "...Along comes mister alligator, as quiet as can be and...SNAP! That monkey right out of the tree!" He loves to do the snap as big as he can. He also will do all the hand motions for Daddy's Homecoming from church and loves to sing that too!

Hope this email finds you all well and just wanted to keep you up to date with the going-ons of the Allen Family!

 ~My AZ Baby at heart! He had so much fun in the rain today! He was begging to go out and play and I let him. Then when he was done playing he pulled me upstairs to get him in a bath to warm back up~

11 Excellent Years

Matt and I have made it to 11 years married! Everyone is shocked that we have been married for 11 years. I think for 2 reasons, Mason is so young and they assume that we were just recently married since we have only one and he is only 2 years old. The other is apparently nowadays it is not normal to get married young. A lot of the kids are getting married latter in life, or remarried. So we are pretty proud to have made it into the next decade of our marriage!

Matt and I had an amazing evening together, without the kid! But first I got uber pampered! I had an 1.5 hour massage. Then went to get an eyebrow wax and haircut (the haircut came out just a tad shorter than I was expecting but it will grow back), then went to the mall for a makeover for fun. The best part, 4 hours of me time. No thinking just relaxing! Then I got home and we left straight for our date to our favorite Afghan food restaurant! And then to the Melting Pot for dessert! OH MY GOODNESS! I love chocolate but WOW that was a lot of chocolate! I did get an extra serving of strawberries and bananas! OH and the virgin Miami Vice is really good. It is a layered strawberry daiquiri and pina colada! YUMMO!

Came home to a sleeping baby boy and I felt like I hadn't seen him all day (which I hadn't). I missed him. I needed the break and so thankful for it! I love Matt so much and Mason so much! My men in my life! I am thankful for Matt to support all of my crazy adventures and never question then just support me! I am thankful for the kindness and amazing father that he is! I knew I married a good one! Love you Matt more than words can express and so excited that this truly is only the beginning of eternity!

4 Miler Race Is In The Bag

Finished my 4 miler race today! I have been working all summer long training for it and it is done and over with today! So sad :( But this is not the last of my running days. I found another race to run in mid October. A 10K (6.2 miles). And with that distance I will be able to have proof of time for Disney so that I can get in a higher/faster corral and be in front of some of the pack. After today I know I will be running faster in general by then. I can only get better! In the last month alone I shaved a minute off my miles and that is pretty good! Even with hills. So now I am in 10K training mode and I am going to have a huge boost in my weekly milage! Check out my running blog (link is on the right) to read about today though!

~Pre-race pix~

 ~Me in pink! WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT THE DAY WOULD HAPPEN!~

 ~My cheering squad!~

Weekly Catch-up

Saturday is the big day. My first 4 miler race. I am so excited. I have made a huge change in my lifestyle to fit in running/exercising. Now only if my eating would follow suit. ARGH! If it isn't one thing it is another. I love food I really do. I have learned to eat within reason though. So instead of 10 cookies, I will allow myself 1 or 2. And try not to come back to it later. But it is a work in progress.

~Mason passed out while shopping. Only about 20 min in by the way~ 

I feel ready for the race. I went running at 4am this morning because my legs were wondering why I didn't go yesterday and they were and are feeling very good after the run.

~Silly boy!~

Mace, well Mace is doing well. He is a child that loves to play with other kids. He will be a great older brother when we are blessed with another child. He can be such a good, kind, and loving little guy. Other times he can be a mean little boy. When I say, "NO!" he will then proceed to complain and protest to me by hitting or throwing things around. He inherited my flare for dramatics. His 2nd molars on the bottom are completely in and I think the tops are starting to come in, hence the reason why he is so grumpy!

~Mason loves his new piano that Aunt Marie, Uncle Cliff and the kids got for him for his birthday!~

~Loves to sing into the mic now!~

Matt is doing well. He is keeping an ever watchful eye on the news though with what Syria is up to. NOT GOOD! We do not need another war. We just got out of Iraq. He loves his job and is really excelling there. He does daddy day care for me while I teach. On Monday, during a lesson my student and I heard a large BANG! and felt the floor shake from something hitting the wall. Latter I saw that there is a slight dent in the corner of the drywall. Mace loves to rough house and Matt loves to too!

 ~Hey there good lookin'!~