Finally, The Allred Family Reunion

WHO:

Dad, Mom, Jon, Trina, Adelah, Leighna, Porter, Matt, Karen, Emma, Marie, Ben had to work :-(, KJ, Olivia, Nick, and Silvia.

WHERE:

Uncle Craig's Cabin

7 Peaks

WHY:
Because we love each other and enjoy each other's company!

And We had a GREAT TIME!!!

THANKS MOM AND DAD, FOR EVERYTHING!!!!!

Porch sitting at it's finest~ Do you think she learned this by example?

Grandpa and Grandma brought a cardboard house for the kids to paint. They loved it!

Still On The Way To The Family Reunion

Maybe I should post a little more often. Maybe I should finish telling the story of our adventures at the Allred Family Reunion. Maybe I should finish the stories about getting there....

So, after we stopped in Salina at Grandma Baker's, we went to Manti to visit Grandma and Grandpa Bishop. 3 weeks before we were in Nephi and when we were about to leave Adelah started crying because we didn't see Grandpa Bishop yet! I had no idea she wanted to see him until it was time to go, so we promised we would stop there on our way to the reunion. So being the good parents we are, we kept our promise! I'm so glad we did! It was so fun to visit with my Grandparents! I love them dearly! After the sadness of visiting the cemetery, it was respite to my soul! I still have Grandparents to love and enjoy! I'm so BLESSED!

Grandma has a stool that twirls. It is the FUNNEST stool EVER!!!! When we got there, the stool was sitting in the living room just begging me to take it for a spin! (I don't know that anyone appreciates that stool for what it really is!) So, I obliged! I sat on the stool then I told my kids, "See this stool? When I was a little girl I LOVED this stool. It was so much fun!" and then I demonstrated! I spun around and around until I was so dizzy and giddy with laughter! IT WAS FUN! Then I gave each of my kids a turn on the stool. They didn't enjoy the speed...yet, but someday they will! I told The Babe to take a spin. He was a little hesitant, but gave in to my insistence. He spun a couple of times and let out a sarcastic, "WEE!" Humph! He claimed his legs were too long for it to really be enjoyable! Good thing I stayed short so I can still enjoy the stool!!! I asked Grandma if I could inherit the stool and she said I could! Yeah for me! I still love that thing! Later Adelah came in with Rebecca (Aunt Laurie's daughter) as they came into the room, Adelah said to her, "See this stool? When I was a little girl, it was so MUCH FUN!"

Grandma told us stories. Stories about some of our ancestors. My Grandpa's genealogy line through his mother can be traced all the way back to Adam and Eve! That's AMAZING! I'm related to Lady Montague, several Dukes of Normandy, King Henry (I can't remember which one), and several other royal and uppity people. But my favorite is Aude the Deep Minded! I don't think I inherited his/her deep mindedness, but I still like to think that someone I am related to had the ability to think deeply! :-) My Grandma told me the story of one of our ancestors who was on a ship in the Atlantic. The people he was sailing with didn't like him, so they threw him overboard! OVERBOARD! In the middle of the ATLANTIC!!! That's murder people!!!! You can't just throw someone off a ship if you don't like them!! Makes me wonder what he did to become so hated! Anyway, the family searched several days for his body but could never find him. Later, his body was washed up on a beach in New Zealand. Someone found him and contacted the family. The family made arrangements to travel to New Zealand to recover the body and identify him. His face and arms and legs were nibbled on by fish, but he was still recognizable, and there was not any harm to his body where his garments were. They brought him back to America to bury him. My Grandma couldn't remember his name though.

That brought up some stories my Grandpa told about him cutting trees. One time he was trimming a tree and the safety switch stopped working some how. The chain on the saw was still going and the saw slipped off Grandpa's arm. The saw went right into his side, two teeth of the chain cut through his shirt and caught in his garments, but there it stopped. It could have cut him in half. Another time, he was using someone else's saw and it was too big. (Grandpa has a saw that is made just right for him. He only has one hand, so he has to have one that he can hold with his arm.) Anyway, the saw slipped off his arm and went across his leg. Again, the saw did not cut through his garments. He was truly protected by the Lord!

Our Heavenly Father truly blesses us when we are true and faithful! My Grandpa is a true example of that!

And of course, before we left we had to have a song! Where Oh Where is poor little Porter? How Much is that Doggy in the Window? My kids Love to hear Grandpa sing! So do I for that matter! I LOVE IT!

We had a great visit!

Grandma and Grandpa, I love you! I love you so much!

Thank you for sharing your stories, your talents, and your wisdom!

I look forward to our next visit! Stay out of trouble!

Love Me

P.S. The song playing is one of my favorite songs my Grandpa sings!

Grandma Baker's House

On our way to our family reunion this past weekend, we decided to take the scenic route and stop and see our Grandparents. So we took I-70. We passed through Salina, so of course I had to stop. Grandma is gone now, but I really wanted to stop at her house and pick some flowers for her grave. It was the first time I had been back since her funeral. It was painful. My Uncle Shyrel lives in her house now, so at least it's family there, but I found it hard not being able to just walk through the front door. I missed Scruffy barking at the window and Grandma peeking around the corner to see what the fuss was about. I missed the big hug and huge smile greeting me on the other side of that door. The longer I lingered, the worse it was. Most of the flowers are gone. There were some orange daisies scattered around, and one big Holly Hock, but not the plush, vibrant flower beds Grandma used to keep. I walked slowly to the back yard. It was so lonely. Grandma's wind twirlies still hung on her clothes line. Oh, how I missed her. I didn't find any spectacular flowers in the back either, so I contemplated picking the Holly Hock. The Babe gently scolded me for even thinking about it. "Grandma would kick your hiney if you picked her Holly Hock. Just pick some of the daisies." Plus I didn't want Uncle Shyrel to get mad at me either, so I picked some daisies. Just a couple. We took them to the cemetery. I knelt beside the headstone and gently brushed away the grass clippings. The Babe stood silently by side, supporting me in my grief.

And I cried.

7 Peaks

Part of our family reunion was to spend a day at 7 Peaks Water Park! We had a great time and my kids loved it! Porter especially! I have never seen such a water bug! He LOVES it! We had a great time and I was even brave and went on a few slides that looked pretty terrifying! Matt was my encourager! He told me we had to be brave before we turned 30 or we never would! Well, that got me! I didn't want to turn 30 knowing I was a BIG, FAT, CHICKEN LIVER! So I was brave and went on the Jagged Edge. To most of you that probably doesn't sound like much, but to ME, That was HUGE!!! But now when I do turn 30 (which is a long way away by the way!) I will know that I'm not SUCH a big sissy! Thanks Matt!

First Day of Pre-School

I don't know what to say. I went through a whirlwind of emotions. Excited, sad, proud, sad, happy, sad, worried, happy! You know the roller coaster if you have ever taken a child to school. I'm sure it's much worse when it's kindergarten. But my little angel has been SO excited for school since KJ started last year. I don't think there would be anyway of talking her out of it! Yesterday we spent the day shopping for some school clothes. We found a few cute things for some killer deals. I don't think I spent over $4.oo for any one item. Yeah! Then Kenna came over and she gave me and Adelah hair cuts! Grandma A got her a new back pack, so she was set. She was thrilled about the whole thing, it was hard to get her to go to bed. She was so excited this morning. She was up at 6:30 wanting to get ready. Surprising since she is usually my last one out of bed, usually around 10:00!

She had such a great time at school! The mom's had to be there today so Ms. Toni could go over some things. Then the kids got to stay. It was so hard to walk away. But Addie gave me a big hug and a kiss before I left and she was so happy. That made it a little easier. At least in pre-school it's still cool to be seen with your mother! Ms. Toni gave Addie a Princess folder which has been the greatest. thing. EVER! She had to show it to Aunt Rie, Uncle Matt, Olivia, Leighna, and especially KJ! Livvy had the best reaction, which was, "Wow, that's AMAZING!" So cute in her little girl princess voice! They got to make fruit loop necklaces...and guess what was the string? Black licorice rope! She got to eat it ALL! She met lots of new friends she was so excited to tell me about, but I'm pretty sure she forgot most of their names, unless, of course, one of the little girls really is Strawberry Shortcake!!! I think she had a pretty GREAT day! Last night I asked her what she thought the best part of pre-school would be. Her reply, "the learnin' part!" I HOPE so! I hope she will always love to learn!

I love you Adelah. I'm so proud of you. You are a very special girl and I hope that you will always remember who you are. Be kind to others and I hope that they will be kind to you! You are a daughter of God. You have such great potential. Don't let the influence of the world lead you astray! Stay Strong and Noble and True! I love you more than you will ever know! I will ALWAYS love you!

Love,
Mom

Missing My Baby

Today I missed my baby.

Porter has just been growing up so fast.

TOO FAST!

I want him to stay little. I want him to need me. I want him to look up at me with those huge blue eyes that seem to say "you are my world." I want him to be tiny and soft and snuggly.

Now that he is walking, and he's getting pretty good at it, he doesn't need me like he used to.

SAD.

I gave him a bath this morning. I watched him crawl after the toys. I watched him put his hands in the water coming from the faucet. I watched him laugh with Leighna. I made him sit down at least a hundred times.

I miss my baby....

So I smothered him in baby lotion so he would at least SMELL like a baby. And then I smelled him....over and over and over again.

Welcome to Camp Coolio!!!!

I had a great camp out with my family! We enjoyed the wilderness...mostly...until bedtime...but other than that it was GREAT to be in the GREAT OUT DOORS!!!

FYI....if you click on the pictures it will zoom in and they're a little easier to view!

A Taste of Disneyland

I love Disneyland! I married into a family who loves Disneyland even more than I do! After The Babe and I were first married, we didn't have anyone to take care of except our selves for several years, and since he served his mission in Disneyland (not really IN Disneyland, but it was in his area) we made a special trip to the beloved land of princesses and pirate ships about every six months or so. It was great. We would just decide we wanted to go down for the weekend so we would rent a car and go! We loved it! The Babe always had close friends from his mission that we could stay with so we only had to pay for gas and a ticket in. Now those days are gone. But I wouldn't trade them for the world. Now I am married to the most handsome prince and we have the most precious princesses and the most handsome little prince in our own little castle! I love them. They bring me so much joy! Today was an 'I miss Disneyland' kind of day. I wish I could load up my princesses and prince and drive them to the most magical land I know. But since that isn't feasible, we decided to have a taste of Disneyland right here in our own castle! (thank goodness I have been stock piling the lollipops!)

Mmmmm......Disneyland goodness!

Shortly after the lollipops, the girls decided they needed a bath. Prt loves water and doesn't pass up any opportunity to be involved in any sort of water event. The girls filled the tub and got in. A few minutes later this is what I heard....

L: "Moooom...."

M (from the living room): "What?"

L: "Mooom, Purter needs you."

(me, thinking he's just getting his clothes wet, no big deal!)

A: "Moooom!"

M: "What? I'm coming." (actually taking my time because I really don't think it's a big deal, Porter isn't crying.)

A: "It's okay, Porter isn't putting toilet paper in anymore."

AHHHH

A brand new roll of toilet paper....

Bird Watching

Some of you may know that I have been babysitting my neighbor's birds for the past week. If you knew that I had the birds, you probably also knew that they have been making me insane! Not that they are hard to take care of or anything, it's just that if my children weren't running around being noisy, it was the birds! Their constant chatter drove me to the brink of insanity! A couple times I threatened to just stick them outside and let them suffer in the heat. But I resisted the temptation. I agreed to watch the birds on one condition....that if they should perish for unknown reasons, I would be irresponsible and we could still be friends. Well, yesterday, I had a revelation....

I was giving them new food, and I realized they had 'chewed' almost completely through one of their perching sticks (I don't know what you call them). I then realized that maybe.....just maybe.....we were making the birds just as crazy as they were making me!!! I then took pity on the poor things. As I sat back to analyze the situation, what did we do to the poor birds? Could we have possibly driven them to the brink of insanity as well? I decided that yes, indeed, we had successfully made the birds crazy! There were a few things that could have contributed to this...

1. random things constantly flung in the direction of the cage...trying to get the birds to fly
2. occasional screeching near the cage to get them to start their chatter
3. semi-constant opening and closing of the cage door....YES! WE'RE FREE....oh, no we're not. YES! WE'RE FREE....oh, no we're not! Honestly, who could stand that kind of teasing?
4. And last but not least the earth tremors they must have experienced when Prt would grab hold of the cage each time he was in the vicinity and lost his balance. Frankly I'm shocked he never tipped the whole thing over!

So the bird watching has been a success in that the birds are still alive, however, I'm afraid they will never be the same!

Sorry Little Birdies!

Landon's Baby Blessing

My big brother Jonathan and his wife Ruth blessed their fourth little baby on Sunday. He has grown so much since the last time I saw him. He has adorable bright red hair! His name is Landon Joe Baker. The bishop announced his name as Joe Barker Landon the first time, and Joe Baker Landon the second time. We all thought he was crazy for messing up such an easy name, but oh well. Ruth's sister blessed her baby at the same time. So we had a big luncheon at the church ball fields afterwards. It was so nice to be with my family. Mandy and Kevin were the only ones who couldn't make it. I also got to visit with a good friend from High School. So it was an eventful weekend!

Grandma Baker and Landon.

My Big Brother...Jonathan...and yes, that is a bald spot!

My sister Ruth.

Dear Uncle Craig,

I just wanted to make sure that you got your picture on a blog! (next time I hope it's footage of your karaoke performance, but I haven't figured that part out yet!)

I want you and Aunt Marylou to know how much we appreciate your generosity and hospitality. The cabin is one of our favorite places to go and you both deserve a great big THANK YOU for all the work you have put into making it such a fun place to be! The Babe and I love going to the cabin, and our children are absolutely thrilled when they get to go! We love it! I especially want to thank you for making my family feel welcome there also! They really love to spend time there. On Saturday night we went up and roasted hot dogs and marshmallows and we had a fabulous time together! So, Thanks for making that happen! We love you! We are so grateful for all you have done!

Granny gave us a picture with a saying on it. It reminds me of you..... "We cannot do great things on this Earth, only small things with great love!" I know you have put a lot of love into the Cabin and all that it entails. Thanks for sharing it with us!

Love Trina

P.S. The Babe and I are looking forward to breaking in the Love Shack! Good thing we still have two more occasions to stay at the lovely cabin this year!

Uncle Dennis, Uncle Craig

Uncle Matt, Prt

KJ, Adelah

Lacie, Leighna

Leighna, flying off the slide

Adelah, Trina (picture by The Babe)

Adelah, Aunt Marie, KJ (picture by The Babe)

Aunt Marie, Adelah (picture by The Babe)

Uncle Matt (picture by The Babe)

Livvy, KJ, Adelah

Miss Olivia

Leighna, KJ, Adelah
(for more pictures go here http://thoseburdettekids.blogspot.com/)