Updates

I will post pics soon... had to inform everyone that

1. The front of Emery's crib is BACK on. You read it right. After at least two weeks of no naps and hardly sleeping at night (I would be the one to get up with her... for at least 2-3 hours each night!) I convinced Clark that taking off the front was NOT a good idea right now. I am happy to say that she is napping well and sleeping in again (she was waking up at 7:15ish when she used to wake up at 9am).
2. Our fish, Arnold and Edwina, are still alive. Clark is waiting for the "fish funeral" and I am waiting to see how long I can actually keep one alive!
3. I will be going to Chicago this coming week!! Thursday through Sunday- no kids! I am going with Kathryn (Clark's mom) to see Clark's brother (my brother-in-law)and his wife. My best friend in the entire world will be joining us for the first day (she is a flight attendant- gotta love the airfare perks!) My sweet Mom will be helping me with the kids while Clark is at work. One of these days I want to take a trip with my mom and sister...

Ice Scream You Scream We All Scream for Ice Cream!

The kids and I met with my parents at Baskin Robbins Sunday afternoon. Emery and Huston were so excited to see Grandma and Grandpa Bob plus they got some ice cream! My parents and I were all sitting around this little kiddie table talking while the kids were busy eating their treat. Huston came out of nowhere and announced to my parents face- "I am very happy right now". He loved every second of his time with his grandparents. There is a photo of H with my parents- I think I caught my dad in mind sentence. Emery was all smiles the entire time. Then as we got up to throw away our trash my parents and I were talking while the kids took our Wet Ones to clean the table off and all the chairs. Aunt Elise should be proud! They were tidying up after themselves. Now if only I could get them to do this at home without being asked...

Elmo Birthday Party

We had a birthday party on Valentine's Day. It was actually the weekend prior but it was rescheduled to February 14 due to sickness in their family. Anyway, it was a fun birthday party. The kids had a great time! As you can tell by the caption and pics that it was an Elmo theme. My friend April's little girl Kendall turned 2. April went to the dumpster of several electronic stores to find some huge boxes. She then painted them with a Sesame Street theme. The kids LOVED it!! THe also had a pinanta and plenty of candy for the kids. :) Of course our year old camera has recently decided to do some funky things. One of them is taking black and white photos at a random whim- hence the random black and white photo thrown in. We have lots of pics of Emery because Huston is in the "stop taking so many photos of me" phase. I have plenty of pictures where he has his back to the camera. Happy Birthday Kendall! We had lots of fun at your party!

New Additions to the Allen Family!

Since Huston has an allergy to animals it is hard not having a pet in the house. Huston has been asking me for a pet. As a Valentine's present to the kids, they each got to pick out a Betta fish. Huston (of course) wanted a blue one and Emery (according to Huston) wanted a red one. So, we have Arnold (Huston's fish) and Edwina (Emery's fish). Welcome Arnold and Edwina! (Let's see how long these fish last...)

Happy Birthday Amanda!

Sorry for posting such random table pics! I was the only person there with their child. I took Emery along to a b-day lunch at Houlihan's Restaurant to celebrate my friend Amanda's birthday. Emery was actually pretty good and we had such a nice time catching up with each other. Happy Birthday Amanda!!

Scarves

The first part of December I asked my mom to knit some scarves for my kids as a Christmas present. I asked her pretty close to Christmas and with all the hustle/ bustle with the holidays she made them closer to the New Year. I keep forgetting to post this pic of the kids eating a snack wtih their new scarves. We haven't had much cold weather this winter- but when we did they were perfect! My kids DISLIKE wearing coats. It could be -40 and they refuse to wear a coat. These are perfect because they are soft and they like wearing them around their necks anytime. :) Thanks, Mom!! (Emery was giving the camera a silly face)

Clean Up Time

After the hike we still were cleaning up the remaining dirt that was dropped on the street outside of our home while Clark and Huston were hauling it in the back. Huston got out his front-end loader to clean things up. Clark would help him load it on to his front-end loader and Huston would take it to various places in the yard to dump. Clark was such a trooper and so patient. I had to leave and go in the house- I was bored. What looks like a 10 minute job Clark or I can do really quickly, he let Huston do it with his vehicle. The process took about an hour. Huston had the best time! He was smiling and laughing the entire time. Memories like that warm my heart.

A Hiking We Go

Today, February 8, the family decided to go on a "hike" or as Huston calls it- "the forest". Huston and Clark tend to wander through a greenbelt across the street from our home (just like guys to go searching through the woods). Clark enticed me to go- as long as there were not any snakes. I do not do snakes very well. I am not a camper, outdoorsy person at all. Clark assured me that there were not any snakes. I know I am the mom and I should take care of my kids, but if I had seen a snake- I would have ran so fast leaving the kids and Clark to fend for themselves. Panic is what would have occured. Fortunately, we didn't come across anything that moved! We decided to put Emery in the backpack since she is not as sure-footed at Huston (that's not saying much). She had a wonderful time being the princess up high. As we went deep into the
forest" we dropped some corn to feed the deer. Even though it was an overcast day- it was really nice weather. What a great day to be outside!

Holy Dirt Pile!

So, we used to have a sand box in our backyard. Yes... used to. I couldn't stand that sandbox!! Sand would get ALL OVER THE HOUSE. I tolerated it for two years. Then one day while Huston was asleep for a nap, I had Clark take it apart and haul it away. Then Clark replaced it with dirt (it's not that much better- but tolerable) last fall. The dirt was started to blend with the ground (like it's suppose to) and Huston has been asking Clark for more dirt. It was one of the items on his Christmas list, but we didn't get around to getting it. On Saturday, February 7, Clark decided to go get some dirt while Huston took a nap. He decided to go to one of those dirt yards where they just dump a load into the back of your truck. Clark was "low-riding" it home from the dirt yard. Of course Huston woke up and went outside to see his surprise- DIRT! Every little boy's dream! He was so excited he helped Clark unload it. Obviously Clark had more dirt in the back of his truck that the little area of Huston's would hold. The remaining dirt was distributed in our yard.

Future Banker?

Last summer my mom and I were clearing out my grandparents closet in order to sell their home. I kept a few items (some ties, button-down shirts, and hats) so Huston can play "dress-up". Just recently he has gotten into the game of dressing up. He decided to dress up- asking Daddy to tie his tie- and danced around his room. Clark's father works at a bank- hence the title... future banker (plus I used to work at one too).

Superbowl 2009

I totally dislike football. I didn't grow up with it nor have I ever understood it (not in the mood to sit down for an explanation). God has a funny sense of humor... I married Mr. Football. Or any sports- to be honest. So, the Superbowl is nothing more to me than another Sunday afternoon/evening of football. Clark has- for years- tried to explain, entice, dangled incentives for me to enjoy the game with him. Sorry Babe, it won't happen. HOWEVER, I tried to sit through some of it last night- for the commercials (even those haven't been that fantastic the past couple of years)! I think I sat through too much pre-Superbowl stuff that I couldn't even watch the National Anthem being sung- I was bored. So, Huston and I decided to make "car" cakes from a pan that I bought over Christmas. We had such a fun time! It was a special mommy-and-me time. He talked away to me and I shared things with him. Here is what our cars looked like. (Huston helped "ice" the cars and he chose the colors of the vehicles).